10 Secret TV Pilot Episodes You Didn't Know Existed
7. The Munsters - Once, Twice, Three Times A Munster
Besides the iconic titular Munsters, the most memorable part of the show was that it was shot in black and white, giving the show its signature quirky feel. So it's odd to find out that the original pilot was shot not only in colour but with a bright and whimsy pallet. The change to black and white was what made sure The Munsters and The Addams Family were always synonymous with each other.
This fact is especially ironic when considering the addition of the character Lily Munster in replacement of Phoebe. You see, Phoebe was originally the matriarch of the family and was played by Joan Marshall, but once the initial pilot was filmed and sold to a studio, the producers decided that the character was too similar to The Addams Family's matriarch Morticia.
So Joan was axed and Yvonne De Carlo was brought in. The character was not only renamed, but reworked in the makeup and wardrobe department too. After the tinkering of the mother character, and a recasting of the youngest Munster Eddie, the pilot was shot once again, but not much is known about this second unaired episode.
The pilot that finally did air was a much longer, black and white version of its two previous tries, and the show quickly became a classic.