PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Being a writer for PopHorror has truly been life changing for me. One of the best things about it is getting the privy to attend conventions as Press and cover the event. When I attended 2018’s Des Moines Wizard World, I was so excited to get the chance to have a quick sit down with Butch Patrick, the guy you all know as Little Eddie Munster from the groundbreaking television show, The Munsters! What has Butch been up to lately? Read our interview here to find out!
PopHorror: Thank you so much for talking with me! I am so excited for this interview! I used to watch you on Nick at Nite growing up. I have to know, how did you get your role in The Munsters?
Butch Patrick: I had actually worked a couple years prior to The Munsters doing some series. One was General Hospital, and one was The Real McCoys. So I had some credits. I was living in Illinois with my grandmother when my agent called and said they’ve cast this kid in The Munsters and they don’t really like the chemistry, so they want you to come out for a screen test. Would you be interested in flying out to California? I said, “Well, my mom and dad are living in D.C. Where would I stay?” So my uncle volunteered. I flew out, he picked me up at the airport, I got the part, moved in with him and I hired a woman to take me to work.
PopHoror: Well, there ya go!
Butch Patrick: There ya go! All at 11 years old!
PopHorror: That is quite impressive! So how many years did you play Eddie Munster?
Butch Patrick: [The Munsters] was only on two years. I was on both years.
PopHorror: And then you did the Made for TV movie?
Butch Patrick: Munsters Go Home! Well, that was not a Made for TV movie. That was actually a feature. That was made for movies to introduce The Munsters TV series, so then they would pick up syndication rights.
PopHorror: You also did a cameo with the other film with Christine Taylor?
Butch Patrick: The Munster movie? That would be Here Come The Munsters with Edward Herman. Yeah, we all did a cameo in that!
PopHorror: Was that a lot of fun? Any behind the scene stories?
Butch Patrick: That was interesting to see Yvonne DeCarlo and all of us at the table. Edward Herman did a great job, and it was fun to see his interpretation of the Herman Munster character.
PopHorror: Yeah, completely different than what you did.
Butch Patrick: Yeah, I liked it!
PopHorror: Do you have any upcoming projects? Any passion projects that you want your fans to know about?
Butch Patrick: Well, if you go to Munsters.com, you can see my schedule and where I’m going be, which is like every weekend and sometimes mid-week throughout the rest of the year into 2019. Seth Myers is looking to do a reboot of The Munsters and move the family to Brooklyn. I’ve offered my services as far as my cars. I gave him some storyline ideas also that he seemed to like. Another friend of mine has a new show in production called Toy Scouts where he goes all around the country purchasing toys and refurbishing them. He finds collections and hidden treasure type stuff for toy people. He wants me to be his sidekick.
The Munsters was a heavily merchandised show there’s a lot of Munsters toys out there. My vehicles and I travel around, do a lot of race track-related stuff. There may be a car show possibly in the works. But in the meantime, I have a haunted house. Legitimately, my house is haunted. I live in Missouri. I bought my grandma’s old house that I lived in during the 8th grade right after The Munsters. So, between the house and the cars and the travel, I keep pretty busy!
PopHorror: It sounds like it! What would you say has been your favorite project outside of The Munsters?
Butch Patrick: Basically. I am a gear head. I sell muscle cars, things of that nature.
PopHorror: So, it’s a passion?
Butch Patrick: It’s something I enjoy doing, yeah. I’ve made a lot of trips to Australia. I sell a lot of cars down there, so that’s good. The Munsters are international, so I’ve had a lot of trips around the world on The Munster dime. I’ve been to Transylvania. I went to Mexico City last year. I did London, and also the tattoo convention. So many people have Munster tattoos on them, so that falls into a lot of categories. And now here I am in Des Moines!
PopHorror: At the lovely….
Butch Patrick: Don’t make any excuses! Des Moines is very nice!
(both laugh)
PopHorror: If you lived here your whole life, you might think differently! (laughs) You were a child actor, so do you have any advice for kids that are getting into the business?
Butch Patrick: Sure. My main thing is that I just tell them to look at it as a hobby that may turn into a career. Do it because you love acting. Don’t look at it as something that can make you money because chances are, it won’t work out. It’s like professional sports or anything. Just do it for the love of the sport or the love of the acting, and if something good comes out of it, don’t take it too seriously, and it may turn out to be something good.
PopHorror: One more question for you?!
Butch Patrick: Sure!
PopHorror: What is your favorite horror movie?
Butch Patrick: Oh! That is a tough one. I’m sort of the old Universal classics type. The Creature From The Black Lagoon still holds up very well. The Shining, for a suspense thriller type of thing, is really good. Let me see, another horror movie that scared the bejeebies out of me… I like Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds a lot!]
Pophorror: Well, thank you so much!
Butch Patrick: Thank you!
Be sure to check out Munster.com for all of Butch’s upcoming appearances!
