Canada's Glamorous Ghoul

She played opposite Clark Gable and a host of dramatic stars on the big screen for more than two decades. But you know her for being married to Herman Munster.

On this Canada Day, let’s look at the most famous role of one of Vancouver’s exports to Hollywood—Peggy Middleton. Or, as we all know her today, Yvonne De Carlo.

It is hard to believe The Munsters ran for only two seasons. Its ratings in the first season were so powerful that ABC moved The Flintstones out of the same time slot to give it a chance at renewal. But Herman, Lily et al died after one more year on CBS, and a for-fans-only movie called Munster, Go Home! However, the 70 episodes made were enough to offer it to stations in syndication, and it did a roaring business for years, especially in the after-school time slots.

De Carlo was known as a movie actress with sensuality, so perhaps that's why reporters focused on her wardrobe and make-up when she was cast as Lily Munster. She talked about it with the National Enterprise Association’s Hollywood writer in this story that appeared in newspapers starting June 18, 1964.

Yvonne DeCarlo To Be in New Fall Series as Spook
By EKSKINE JOHNSON
HOLLYWOOD — Television fans who remember Yvonne de Carlo from her movie glamor girl days will be blinking this fall at the sight of gorgeous Yvonne as a spook in a fright wig. What's more — and for added eyebrow lifting — she says she's Miss Delighted about switching from girl to ghoul.
But this is to report that Yvonne herself is doing a bit of eye blinking about her vampire role as the wife of a Frankenstein-like monster in The Munsters, a new CBS-TV series.
The series is described—are you ready for this?—as "a domestic comedy featuring a family of loveable monsters."
The "loveable monsters" include Yvonne with floor-length wig; hubby Fred Gwynne who looks like the monster; their 8-year-old son, with pointed ears, and grandpa, who imagines he is Dracula.
The Munsters, we are to believe, are monsters in appearances only. Otherwise they are nice, normal people.
That's why even Yvonne is blinking. She has been blinking since she was briefed on her role by the show's creators, Bob Mosher and Joe Connelly.
"They told me," Yvonne reported, "that except for my apperance I should play the part as sweet as Donna Reed plays her TV character. Can you imagine that?"
Whether audiences can or will imagine all this about a family of spooks is the problem. Yvonne says she is not counting on anything.
"I think," she said, "that the first few shows will tell the story. It's either going to be a big hit, like the Beverly Hillbillies, or the season's biggest and quickest flop."
The Hillbillies, obviously, started a trend toward off-beat family comedy on television. And the sale to another network of TV rights to the famed Charles Addams cartoon characters cued "The Munsters."
As rival ghouls to ABC-TV's The Addams Family, The Munsters will have, says Yvonne, the legal protection of Revue Productions. Revue inherited from the old Universal studio TV rights to the images of the Frankenstein monster, Bela Lugosi's Dracula and the Wolf Man.
"And even the Wolf Man," Yvonne giggled, "turns up in the series as my ex-boy friend. Can you imagine that?"
As satire on old movie monsters as well as on contemporary TV domestic comedy. The Munsters will not be bothered, at least, by nice neighbors next door. "Our neighbors." Yvonne reported, "are scared to death of us."

De Carlo discussed make-up, and little else about the show, in a United Press International interview shortly after the start of the second season. We learn a bit more about her home life instead. This appeared in papers starting October 10, 1965.

"Mrs. Munster" Takes Two Hours for Makeup
By VERNON SCOTT
Hollywood (UPI) — Yvonne DeCarlo devotes two hours every morning acquiring a case of the uglies for her role as the funeral Lily of "The Munsters" series. In a reversal of the traditional actress attitude, Yvonne is pleased when she looks her worst for the cameras.
Even so, she is still beautiful to her family—husband Bob Morgan and sons Bruce, 8, and Michael, 7.
On a normal workday Yvonne leaves home every morning at 5:45 to allow the makeup artists the two hours it takes to apply greenish makeup, Theda Bara eyes and the weird hairdo fancied by Lily Munster. Another 45 minutes is devoted to removing the greasepaint at the end of the day.
By 7 p. m. Yvonne jumps into a new auto, which she is equipping with coffin-handle baggage rack, for the 15 minute drive up the hills from Universal studios to her home on the outskirts of Beverly Hills.
Home is a baronial house set on six and a half acres of Santa Monica mountaintop with four patios, a 60-foot-long free-form swimming pool (with 20-foot waterfall) and horse stables.
As Yvonne puts it, there are five bedrooms in use, not including a large guest apartment in what would be a basement in eastern homes. There's also a spacious rathskeller which holds Bob's desk and a piano for rehearsal accompaniment for Yvonne's night club act.
Upstairs Yvonne is gradually redecorating the house in which she has lived since 1950. She bought the place some five years before she met and married Morgan.
At the moment she is completing the living room, which is furnished in elegant dark walnut, offset by vinyl walls. The color scheme is pale green with touches of a avacado. Her bedroom has been redone in ivory and gold.
The Morgan family suffered a tragedy three years ago when Bob, a stunt man, was almost fatally injured filming of "How The West Was Won."
He was thrown beneath the wheels of a runaway train. Yvonne gave up all her activities to nurse her husband back to health. Morgan recovered after almost a year of hospitalization, during which one of his legs was amputated.
He now works as an actor and has returned to playing golf—shooting in the 70's. But the stables on their property are now empty.
A Mexican woman comes in twice a week to do the cleaning, and an aunt lives with the Morgans to look after the youngsters while mother and father are working. Yvonne, however, does most of the cooking. She says her New England boiled dinner and several Italian dishes are family favorites.
The Morgans entertain infrequently because of Yvonne's heavy workload. On weekends the family lazes around the swimming pool.
There is a station wagon for trips to the snow during the winter and for hiking and fishing in the Sierras in summertime. Bob drives a new sports car. Bruce and Michael romp around the acreage with a pair of apricot-colored standard poodles named Spunky and Igor.
When Yvonne has a long weekend she frequently moves into the Disneyland Hotel with her sons, spending the days at Walt Disney's magic kingdom and relaxing in the evening around the swimming pool.
"I try to spend as much time as possible with the boys when I get a breather from the show," she explains.
"It isn't necessary for me to appear in night clubs now that "The Munsters" is a hit. But I do make personal appearances once in a while to help plug the series."
Yvonne is almost unrecognizable without her Munster makeup, happily returning to her own glamorous appearance.
"I guess I lead a double life," she concludes. "And I must admit I'm happy with both."

De Carlo’s career after Lily took her to the stage across the U.S. She appeared on Broadway in the Tony-winning Follies. She also returned to a former place of employment in Vancouver in 1987 to mark the 60th anniversary of the Orpheum Theatre. It still stands. So do the hospital she was born in and the church she attended. One is a block south from where I am writing this post. The other is a block north.

De Carlo had a stroke in 1998 and died at the Motion Picture home at the age of 84 in 2007.