They're Creepy and Kooky, Mysterious and Spooky
Charles Addams created a series of cartoons in the 1930's that would serve as inspiration for the 1964 TV series, The Addams Family starring John Astin and Carolyn Jones as Gomez and Morticia Addams.
It would last for two years, from 1964 to 1966, with a total of 64 episodes.
It would last for two years, from 1964 to 1966, with a total of 64 episodes.
A Look At Charles Addams
The Addams Family Creator
Charles Addams came into this world January 7, 1912 and as a kid made his home in Westfield New Jersey. He was an only child and when he was 12 years old his father died. As a kid he enjoyed reading books by Edgar Allen Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle. He also enjoyed drawing and did a lot drawing of monsters.While a student at Manhattan's Grand Central School of Art, he submitted to the magazine,The New Yorker, one of the cartoons he had drawn. He didn't have much faith in it being accepted, and was surprised to discover that it was to published in the February 6, 1932 issue. His cartoons were popular throughout the 1930's and it was in 1937 or thereabouts, the Addams Family series of cartoons were born, although Addams himself had never given them a name.
Once his cartoons were selling well enough, he quit his day job at MacFadden Publications and began to freelance as an artist and remained as such the rest of his life.
Addams explained the inspirations for some of the Addams characters;
At the time he created Morticia she was his ideal of womanhood. Her eyes were slightly up-centered, and she had dank, snake like hair. She was the strength behind the family. Addams claimed that he never patterned her off anyone he knew, but that it was possible that she had a little bit of Gloria Swanson in her.
Addams felt that Uncle Fester was a cartoon version of himself. He always thought that Fester looked like him, except that Addams had more hair.
Grandmamma was a based a little on Addams' own grandmother whom he admits to liking to scare when he was a little boy. Hiding in the dumbwaiter and jumping out at her to frighten her always gave him a thrill; not certain what it did for his grandmother.
On September 28, 1988, after returning from a trip to visit friends in Connecticut, Charles came home parked his car in front of his house and died of heart failure, never making it out of the car. He was 76.
Charles Addams: A Cartoonist's Life
Davis dispels the myths surrounding the cartoonist and challenges facile assumptions that Addams was the archetype of his own creepy creations. Though fascinated by "the aberrations of life," he loved Aston Martins and Bugattis, cigars, drinking and beautiful women (he often dated famous ones, including Greta Garbo, Joan Fontaine and Jackie Kennedy). Addams,whose living room centerpiece was a draining device for corpses called a "drying out table"-gleefully perpetuated the myths surrounding him. He liked to imagine "that if he hadn't been a cartoonist, he might have been a criminal." This book, which includes previously unpublished artwork, photographs and personal drawings, is sure to interest Addams fans and New Yorker history buffs.
Release Date: 10/24/2006
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A Look At John Astin (Gomez Addams)
Born in Baltimore Maryland, March 30, 1930. He studied mathematics at John Hopkins University, but discovered that he liked acting better than crunching numbers.In 1961 he got a small role in the movie "West Side Story" and did some other roles before being cast as Gomez Addams in 1964. He continued to work on TV and in movies and has a cult film to his credit, the TV movie "Evil Roy Slade" from 1972. He has had variety of comedic roles staring in films like "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes", "The Killer Tomatoes Strike Back", and "The Killer Tomatoes Eat France." He has also did 10 episodes the TV series "Night Court", playing Judge Harry Stone's father between 1984-90.
He has been married 3 times, once to Patty Duke. His sons Sean and MacKenzie are actors in their own right.
He likes to do one play a year to keep himself in theatrical shape as he calls it. He is a strict vegetarian.
The character Gomez is a non practicing lawyer. He was very happy to have been voted the least likely to pass the bar. He likes to smoke cigars and practices Zen Yogi and has gotten quite good at standing on his head. He is wealthy and seems to delight in losing money on the stock market. He keeps money at home and the really big stashes of money are up stairs in his mattress. He is of Castelian (Spanish) decent. He is passionate about crashing his model trains and in his love for his wife, Morticia. He goes wild with passion when she speaks French or any other foreign language for that matter.
John as Evil Roy Slade
Western Spoof With An All-Star Cast!
Evil Roy Slade
Evil Roy Slade: An all-star cast headlines this hilarious made-for-television movie spoof on the western genre. John Astin (The Addams Family) plays Evil Roy Slade, the meanest villain in the West. The good guys do not have a chance, as Evil Roy turns the tables on the classic western story of good triumphing over evil. Western veteran Pat Butram narrates, and Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn, Henry Gibson, Edie Adams, Pamela Austin, Milton Berle, Pat Morita, Ed Begley Jr., Dom Leluise and Penny Marshall co-star.
Release Date: 01/08/2008
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A Look At Carolyn Jones (Morticia Addams)
Carolyn was born in Texas, April 28, 1929. Her first professional acting job was at the Pasadena Community Playhouse where she lied about her age in order to join the summer stock series.Appearing in a play by Tennessee Williams, not only did she catch the eye of a Paramount Studios talent scout but also that of a theater actor, writer and director, by the name Aaron Spelling.
In 1952 she starred in the Turning Point which lead to other roles. On April 10, 1953 Carolyn married Aaron Spelling and when years later she was offered the role of Morticia Addams , he encouraged her to take it. During the first season of the show, she and Aaron divorced.
Carolyn married two more times and continued to act in tv shows and films and her last acting job lasted one year on the daytime soap opera "Capital" where she played schemer Myrna Clegg. Sadly, Carolyn fell ill and was diagnosed with colon cancer and had to leave the show. She died August 3, 1983 at the age of 54.
The character Morticia was originally a Frump. Her mother is Hester Frump. She has an older sister Ophelia. Morticia is artistic and can paint and sing beautifully as well as play musical instruments. She enjoys knitting and gardening. She loves to clip the rose buds off their stems so she can create a lovely stem bouquet.
A Look At Jackie Coogan (Uncle Fester)
He was born John Leslie Coogan in Los Angeles CA, October 26, 1914. His parents were in show business and within 2 years they had gotten Jackie into the entertainment business via a movie called "Skinner's Baby."It was Jackie's role as "The Kid" in a 1921 Charlie Chaplin film that gained him his most fame and money. The world fell in love with this little orphan and Jackie's parents collected huge sums of money by merchandising his image on toys, pictures, clothing and more.
Jackie continued to make movies until he was in his early teens when his appeal began to fade and he finally stopped making films.
Before he was 21 his father was killed in a car accident. When it came time for Jackie to collect the money that he made during his acting days, his mother and the family's business manager, Arthur Bernstein, refused to give him the money. At that time in California, a minor's earning became property of the parents. Jackie took his mother to court and along battle raged on with Jackie finally winning. He was given $126,000, a paltry sum compared to the estimated 4 million dollars he had made during his career as a child star.
Because of this lawsuit, the state of California created what is known as the Child Actor's Bill which makes it mandatory that 50% of the earnings of a child actor are to be put in a trust fun or saving account for the child for when he becomes of age to collect it.
In 1937 Jackie married leggy blond sex symbol, Betty Grable and by 1939, the marriage fell apart. He would marry three more times.
Jackie served in World War II and came back to Hollywood to work in B films. In the 1950's he started to get work on television and this led him to starring in a 1962 comedy series called "McKeever and the Colonel" and finally as Uncle Fester in the "Addams Family" in 1964.
After the cancellation of the show, Jackie was never without work, staring in TV shows and movies.
On March 1, 1984, Jackie died of a heart attack, he was 70 years old.
The character Uncle Fester is electrically charged or so it seems as he can put a light bulb in his mouth and it will light up. He is bald and heavy set. He has a devilish grin and a child like personality. He has been known to go sulk in his tree house when things don't go his way. He suffers from headaches and finds that having his head squeezed tightly in a vice alleviates the pain or adds to it??
Jackie Was Married To Betty Grable
A Look At Ted Cassidy (Lurch)
You Rang?
Ted was born July 31, 1932 in Pittsburgh PA, but grew up in Philippi West Virginia.At 6'9" tall and 250 pounds, Ted was a natural athlete in school but while he was good at sports, his real interest was acting.
Ted graduated from Stetson University in Florida with a degree in speech and drama. After graduating from college he had an invitation to join the Spike Jones group as a singer but he turned the offer down so he could pursue his great love...acting.
In 1956, Ted married his college sweetheart, Margaret Helen Jesse, whom he lovingly referred to as "Jess". They had two children, Sean and Lynn. Soon after Lynn's birth, Ted picked up his family and moved them to California in 1964. Jess and Ted divorced in 1972.
During the second and final season of The Addams Family, Ted was becoming disgruntled with his role as the towering butler Lurch. He began to realize that he was being typecast and was privately relieved when the series was canceled.
After the cancellation of the series, Ted went on to guest star in various TV shows as well as movies. His booming voice allowed him to do voice overs and voice work in cartoons. He was lured back to do the TV reunion movie of the Addams Family in 1977, saying that the pay was good and that it was nice to touch base with the old gang. The movie was not well received. He also agreed to do the voice for Lurch in the Hannah Barbara cartoon version of the Addams Family.
Sadly, after heart surgery complications claimed the life of this gentle giant. He died January 16, 1979, at the young age of 46.
The character Lurch is a gentle giant of a butler who loves to play the harpsichord and organ and does so with great flair. He is silent much of the time except for the occasional "you rang" uttered when he is summoned by Gomez or Morticia.
The Lurch: Ted Cassidy's Novelty Song
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Ted Cassidy as Bigfoot In The Bionic Woman
A Look At Blossom Rock (Grandmama)
Grandmama
Blossom Rock was her real name and she was born August 21, 1896 in Philadelphia PA. She married Clarance W. Rock in 1926 and together they had a vaudeville act known as "Rock and Blossom." She was married to Clarence until 1960, the year of his death.In 1930 she signed with studio MGM and changed her name to Marie Blake which is what the bulk of her movie work is credited under. She left MGM in the early 40's and freelanced during the remainder of her career.
In 1964, she won the role of Grandmama on the Addams Family and after the series ended, two years later, she retired from acting. In the early 70's she suffered a massive stroke that affected her speech. She was too ill to take part in the 1977 TV reunion movie.
She passed away at the age of 82 on January 14, 1978.
The character Grandmama is a frizzy haired, shawl wearing witch. She likes to cook and one of her best recipes is Yak stew. She also likes to work with potions and spells. For relaxation she likes to engage in a bit of knife throwing.
Grandmama's Alter Ego---Blossom Rock
A Look At Lisa Loring (Wednesday Addams)
Lisa Loring, aka Wednesday Addams was born February 16, 1958. She auditioned for the role of Wednesday when she was 6 years old. She couldn't yet read, but repeated the lines when read to her. After the Addams Family was canceled, she married at 15, had a baby at 16 and was divorced at 17. Beginning in 1980, and lasting for four years, she had a role as "Cricket Montgomery" on the CBS soap opera "As the World Turns".She married a second time and then a third, in 1987 to Paul Seiderman, who was known in the porn industry as Jerry Butler. The marriage lasted until 1992.
The character of Wednesday is a somewhat quiet and sad child. She likes dolls and her favorite one is named Marie Antoinette whose head she lopped off on purpose.
A Look At Ken Weatherwax (Pugsley Addams)
Ken Weatherwax, known as Pugsley, was born September 29, 1955. In the early 1960's his claim to fame was as "Chester" in a series of Gleem toothpaste ads. Ken wasn't very interested in acting and after the Addams Family ended he worked only one more time in front of the camera, that was on the 1977 tv reunion movie, "Halloween with the New Addams Family".Ken works behind the scenes now, as a set builder on numerous tv shows and movies.
Pugsley is older than Wednesday. He is a little bit chubby. He looks and acts fairly "normal" in comparison to the rest of his family, but he can hang from a tree branch by his teeth. He likes to experiment with dynamite.
Addams Family Halloween
1977 Halloween Special
Most of the original cast returned in this movie that received ok ratings, but it the reviews were terrible. Producer David Levy had this to say about the final product, " That movie is a good example of network bureaucratic interference depriving audiences of the values that were inherent in the project."
Ted Cassidy, who had tried for years to shake of his Lurch role agreed to work in the project for several reasons; he was paid a large sum of money, he got to connect again with his old friends from the original series, and he didn't want to let down his friends and colleagues who had agreed to do the show.
The premise of the special was that Gomez has decided to go off to Tombstone Arizona, but is hesitant to let his brother, Poncho, stay and keep an eye on Morticia. Meanwhile, a group of thieves have decided they want to rob the Addams of their fortune, by dressing up like Gomez and Morticia, and mingling in with the guest at the families Halloween party. Eventually, the thieves are scared off and the family fortune saved.
Ted Cassidy, who had tried for years to shake of his Lurch role agreed to work in the project for several reasons; he was paid a large sum of money, he got to connect again with his old friends from the original series, and he didn't want to let down his friends and colleagues who had agreed to do the show.
The premise of the special was that Gomez has decided to go off to Tombstone Arizona, but is hesitant to let his brother, Poncho, stay and keep an eye on Morticia. Meanwhile, a group of thieves have decided they want to rob the Addams of their fortune, by dressing up like Gomez and Morticia, and mingling in with the guest at the families Halloween party. Eventually, the thieves are scared off and the family fortune saved.
Addams Family Halloween 1977 Special intro only
Scooby Doo Meets the Addams Family
The New Scooby Doo Movies "Wednesday Is Missing"
Four of the original cast members provide the voices... John Astin, Carolyn Jones, Jackie Coogan and Ted Cassidy. Their first animated appearance was in an episode of the New Scooby Doo movies. It aired in September of 1972.
The Addams Family Cartoon (1973)
Addams Family Doing A Public Service Announcement From 1974
Addams family psa forest fires prevention.
The Addams Family Cartoon 1992-95
The Addams Family
Some Trivia About The Addams Family
No "official" reason was given for the cancellation of the show. It was believed by the cast and crew that a third season would happen. The only explanation that was hinted at was that falling rating during the second season made the network nervous about ordering a third. They believed the decline in ratings would continue if a third season was filmed, so the series was simply scrapped after two years
Ted recorded, in 1965, a record called "The Lurch".
Ted Cassidy was the narrator and the growl of the Hulk in the 1977 TV series, The Incredible Hulk starring the late Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno
Ted Cassidy donned the Bigfoot costume in 1976 for a two part episode of the Bionic Woman called "The Return of Bigfoot".
Ted Cassidy was cremated and his ashes buried in the backyard of his house that he shared with his wife. Shortly after his death, his widow sold the house and never bothered to dig the ashes up and take them with her.
Charles Addams had two phobias, the fear of snakes and he was claustrophobic.
Blossom Rock was the older sister of actress Jeanette MacDonald.
"Thing" was actually Ted Cassidy's hand and when a scene required that Thing and Lurch be in the same room, the hand duty fell to assistant director Jack Voglin.
Alice Pearce who was the original Gladys Kravitz on "Bewitched" auditioned for the role of Grandmama but was turned down because she was too young.
Lurch was never supposed to speak, "you rang" was an ad lib done by Ted.
John Astin was originally considered for the part of Lurch
The hair on Cousin Itt's costume was made from real hair... then it was changed to synthetic hair when someone in the costume department realized that since a lot of the cast and crew smoked, it was possible that it could accidentally catch fire if someone were to drop a cigarette or match.
Felix Silla who played Cousin Itt, went on to wear the costume for Twiki the robot in "Buck Rogers In The 25th Century" TV series.
It's no coincidence that Gomez Addams might remind you of Groucho Marx... Nat Perrin, producer of the Addams Family, did some of his earliest screen writing credits working with the Marx Brothers on "Duck Soup" and "The Big Store"
Pugsley's pet octopus was named Aristotle.
Wednesday's pet tarantula was named Homer and she also had a pet salamander that she named Lucifer.
The vulture perched in the corner in the living room was named Zelda.
Ted recorded, in 1965, a record called "The Lurch".
Ted Cassidy was the narrator and the growl of the Hulk in the 1977 TV series, The Incredible Hulk starring the late Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno
Ted Cassidy donned the Bigfoot costume in 1976 for a two part episode of the Bionic Woman called "The Return of Bigfoot".
Ted Cassidy was cremated and his ashes buried in the backyard of his house that he shared with his wife. Shortly after his death, his widow sold the house and never bothered to dig the ashes up and take them with her.
Charles Addams had two phobias, the fear of snakes and he was claustrophobic.
Blossom Rock was the older sister of actress Jeanette MacDonald.
"Thing" was actually Ted Cassidy's hand and when a scene required that Thing and Lurch be in the same room, the hand duty fell to assistant director Jack Voglin.
Alice Pearce who was the original Gladys Kravitz on "Bewitched" auditioned for the role of Grandmama but was turned down because she was too young.
Lurch was never supposed to speak, "you rang" was an ad lib done by Ted.
John Astin was originally considered for the part of Lurch
The hair on Cousin Itt's costume was made from real hair... then it was changed to synthetic hair when someone in the costume department realized that since a lot of the cast and crew smoked, it was possible that it could accidentally catch fire if someone were to drop a cigarette or match.
Felix Silla who played Cousin Itt, went on to wear the costume for Twiki the robot in "Buck Rogers In The 25th Century" TV series.
It's no coincidence that Gomez Addams might remind you of Groucho Marx... Nat Perrin, producer of the Addams Family, did some of his earliest screen writing credits working with the Marx Brothers on "Duck Soup" and "The Big Store"
Pugsley's pet octopus was named Aristotle.
Wednesday's pet tarantula was named Homer and she also had a pet salamander that she named Lucifer.
The vulture perched in the corner in the living room was named Zelda.
Addams Family Complete Series on DVD
The Addams Family - The Complete Series
Based on the original Goth cartoons by Charles "Chas" Addams that ran for decades in the New Yorker magazine, The Addams Family television sitcom portrayed an odd family whose moribund physical appearances were counteracted by each family member's exuberance for passion and adventure. This TWo Volume DVD contains twenty-one episodes, including the last of season one and the whole of season two, plus commentaries, and a featurette about the cinematic impact The Addams Family had on American television culture.
Release Date: 11/13/2007
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