The Addams Family is an American television series based on the characters in Charles Addams' New Yorker cartoons. The 30 minute series was shot in black-and-white and aired for two seasons in 64 installments on ABC from September 18, 1964 to April 8, 1966. It is often compared to its working-class rival, The Munsters, which ran for the same two seasons and achieved somewhat higher Nielsen Ratings. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article is about a genre of comedy. ... Charles Samuel Addams (January 7, 1912–September 29, 1988) was an American cartoonist known for his particularly black humor and macabre characters. ... David H. Levy is an American astronomer. ... Carolyn Jones (April 28, 1930 — August 3, 1983) was an American actress, she is best remembered for playing the role of Morticia Addams in the classic TV Series The Addams Family. ... John Allen Astin (born March 30, 1930) is an Oscar nominated American actor who has appeared in numerous films and television shows, but is best known for the role of Gomez Addams on The Addams Family television series and similarly eccentric comedic characters. ... John Leslie (Jackie) Coogan (October 26, 1914 – March 1, 1984) was an American actor who began his movie career as a child actor in silent films. ... Theodore Crawford Ted Cassidy (born July 31, 1932 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - January 16, 1979 in Los Angeles, California) was an American actor who played Lurch (in which role he was able to demonstrate his genuine skill on the harpsichord) and Thing on The Addams Family. ... Credited as Blossom Rock and Marie Blake, Edith Marie Blossom (McDonald) Rock (1895-1978) was an American actress and older sister of actress Jeanette MacDonald. ... Kenneth Weatherwax (born September 29th 1955) is an American actor. ... Lisa Loring (born Lisa Ann DeCinces on February 16, 1958 on Kwajalein, Marshall Islands) is an American actress. ... Vic Mizzy, born January 9, 1916 (or 1922), in Brooklyn, New York, is an American composer for television and movies whose best known works are the themes to the 1960s television shows Green Acres and The Addams Family. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... David H. Levy is an American astronomer. ... Nat Perrin (March 15, 1905-May 9, 1998) was a comedy writer who contributed gags and story lines to several Marx Brothers films, cowrote the play Hellzapoppin that became a film, and was the producer of the television series The Addams Family. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... Black-and-white or black and white) can refer to a general term used in photography, film, and other media (see black-and-white). ... Label for 1. ... is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year (99th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... Charles Samuel Addams (January 7, 1912–September 29, 1988) was an American cartoonist known for his particularly black humor and macabre characters. ... For the TV series, see The Addams Family (TV series). ... Black-and-white or black and white) can refer to a general term used in photography, film, and other media (see black-and-white). ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year (99th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... The Munsters is an American television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of monsters. ... When TV viewers or entertainment professionals in the United States mention ratings they are often referring to Nielsen Ratings, a system developed by Nielsen Media Research to determine the audience size and composition of television programming. ...

It was originally produced by Filmways, Inc. at General Service Studios in Hollywood, California. Successor company MGM Television (via The Program Exchange for broadcast syndication, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment for home video/DVD) owns the rights to the show. Filmways, Inc. ... Greetings from Hollywood Hollywood is a district of the city of Los Angeles, California, U.S.A., that extends from Vermont Avenue on the east to just beyond Laurel Canyon Boulevard above Sunset and Crescent Heights Boulevards on the west; the north to south boundary east of La Brea Avenue... MGM Television Entertainment logo MGM Television (first known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television, and later MGM/UA Television) is an American television production/distribution company that was launched in 1955 and a subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. ... The Program Exchange is a company that specializes TV programs of childrens entertainment like The Bullwinkle Show, Sailor Moon, Garfield and Friends and others. ... 20th Century Fox logo Fox Plaza, the company headquarters. ...

Premise

The Addamses are a close-knit extended family with decidedly macabre interests. They all have supernatural abilities, although no rationale for their powers is ever explicitly given. Extended family (or joint family) is a term with several distinct meanings. ... For other uses, see Macabre (disambiguation). ...

The very wealthy, endlessly enthusiastic Gomez Addams is madly in love with his refined wife Morticia. Along with their two children, Wednesday and Pugsley, Uncle Fester and Grandmama, they reside in an ornate, gloomy mansion, attended by their servants, Lurch, the towering butler, and Thing, a hand that usually appears out of a small wooden box. Occasionally, episodes would feature relatives or other members of their weird subculture, such as Cousin Itt or Morticia's older sister Ophelia. For other uses, see Butler (disambiguation). ...

Much of the humor derives from their "culture clash" with the rest of the world. They invariably treat normal visitors with great warmth and courtesy, even though their guests often have evil intentions. They are puzzled by the horrified reactions to their good-natured, if extremely bizarre behavior. Contrarily, they view the tastes of the normal world with generally tolerant suspicion. For example, Fester once cites a neighboring family's meticulously maintained petunia patches as evidence that they are "nothing but riff-raff."

Characters

Main characters

• Gomez Addams (John Astin). Gomez is passionately in love with his wife. His ardor is greatly intensified when she speaks French (a quirk that first appears in the eleventh episode, "The Addams Family Meet the V.I.P.s"). He is wealthy and charming, but doesn't seem to have money as a priority in life; indeed, he tends to squander his fortune quite cavalierly, yet somehow manages to remain wealthy. He does however spend a great deal of time with his family. His family background is referenced as "Castilian" and he occasionally uses Spanish words or phrases. He becomes passionate when his Wife, Morticia, speaks French (it can literally be anything in French) and he immediately begins kissing her arm.
• Morticia Addams (Carolyn Jones). The cultivated and beautiful Morticia dabbles in art, raises man-eating plants, and trims her roses by clipping off the buds and saving the stems in a vase ("Oh, the thorns are lovely this year"). With her aristocratic detachment, she remains the cool, calm center in the middle of the chaotic events that continually swirl around the family. She is the one most readily offended when outsiders are taken aback by their lifestyle. She occasionally uses French words or phrases, which excites Gomez.
• Uncle Fester (Jackie Coogan), Morticia's kind and eccentric uncle who has a strange ability to conduct electricity. His standard gag is to place a lightbulb in his mouth, where it instantly activates. When angered by outsiders, he may grab for a blunderbuss and announce that he will shoot the offender in the back.
• Lurch (Ted Cassidy). Morticia and Gomez summon him by means of a bell pull in the form of a hangman's noose, which produces a crashing gong that shakes the house. When Lurch appears (usually immediately thereafter), he responds with an unnaturally deep-voiced "You rang?" According to IMDb, Lurch was intended to be a nonspeaking part, as the Charles Addams cartoon character was silent; however, Cassidy improvised the line during his audition, and it was so well-received that it became a feature of the character. When questions are posed to him, Lurch's primary response is a throaty rumbling sound, which the Addams' seem to understand the nuances of. Despite his hulking appearance, Lurch occasionally plays the harpsichord (the music is actually played by Addams Family composer Vic Mizzy).
• Grandmama Addams (Blossom Rock), Gomez's mother. She is a witch who conjures up potions, spells and hexes. She dabbles in fortune-telling, though it is obvious that she is a charlatan.
• Wednesday Addams (Lisa Loring), Gomez and Morticia's daughter - who has the middle name of Friday. The youngest member of the family, she is a strange yet sweet-natured little girl who pursues such hobbies as raising spiders, beheading dolls, and practicing ballet in a black tutu
• Pugsley Addams (Ken Weatherwax), Gomez and Morticia' son and Wednesday's older brother. Kind hearted and smart, he shares a close bond with his parents and sister, the latter whom he often plays with. He also enjoys engineering various machines (sometimes with Gomez), playing with blasting caps, and his pet octopus, Aristotle.
• Thing (Ted Cassidy, except in scenes where both Thing and Lurch appear), a disembodied hand that appears out of boxes and other conveniently placed containers.

John Astin as Gomez in The Addams Family television series. ... John Allen Astin (born March 30, 1930) is an Oscar nominated American actor who has appeared in numerous films and television shows, but is best known for the role of Gomez Addams on The Addams Family television series and similarly eccentric comedic characters. ... A Very Important Person, or VIP is a person who is accorded special privileges due to his or her status or importance. ... A former kingdom in modern-day Spain, Castile (Spanish: Castilla; usually pronounced Cast-EEL in English) now compromises the regions of Old Castile in the north-west, and New Castile in the center of the country. ... Four major characters from the original television adaptation: Thing (foreground) with Uncle Fester, Morticia and Gomez Addams The Addams Family is the creation of American cartoonist Charles Addams. ... Carolyn Jones (April 28, 1930 — August 3, 1983) was an American actress, she is best remembered for playing the role of Morticia Addams in the classic TV Series The Addams Family. ... For the author who uses this as a pseudonym, see Uncle Fester (author) Uncle Fester Uncle Fester is a member of the fictional Addams Family. ... John Leslie (Jackie) Coogan (October 26, 1914 – March 1, 1984) was an American actor who began his movie career as a child actor in silent films. ... An English flintlock blunderbuss A blunderbuss is a muzzle-loading firearm with a flared, trumpet-like barrel and is the predecessor to the shotgun. ... Lurch is the fictional manservant to The Addams Family created by cartoonist Charles Addams. ... Theodore Crawford Ted Cassidy (born July 31, 1932 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - January 16, 1979 in Los Angeles, California) was an American actor who played Lurch (in which role he was able to demonstrate his genuine skill on the harpsichord) and Thing on The Addams Family. ... Scandinavian patterned bell pull A bell pull is a woven textile, cord, handle, knob, or other object that connects with a bell or bell wire, and which rings a bell when pulled. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) [1] is an online database of information about actors, movies, television shows, television stars and video games. ... Harpsichord in the Flemish style A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. ... Vic Mizzy, born January 9, 1916 (or 1922), in Brooklyn, New York, is an American composer for television and movies whose best known works are the themes to the 1960s television shows Green Acres and The Addams Family. ... Grandmama Addams is a fictional member of The Addams Family, created by cartoonist Charles Addams. ... Credited as Blossom Rock and Marie Blake, Edith Marie Blossom (McDonald) Rock (1895-1978) was an American actress and older sister of actress Jeanette MacDonald. ... Lisa Loring as Wednesday in The Addams Family television series. ... Lisa Loring (born Lisa Ann DeCinces on February 16, 1958 on Kwajalein, Marshall Islands) is an American actress. ... Performers wearing Tutus. ... Ken Weatherwax as Puglsey in The Addams Family television series. ... Kenneth Weatherwax (born September 29th 1955) is an American actor. ... Thing (foreground) with Uncle Fester, Morticia and Gomez Addams Thing was a fictional character in the television series The Addams Family (1964-66) , the revived series The New Addams Family (1998), and in the related movies The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993). ...

Recurring characters

• Cousin Itt (Felix Silla), a short creature completely hidden by his hair (according to Felix Silla's commentary on the DVD release, the voice for Cousin Itt was recorded by a member of the crew in post-production). Gomez once asks him what is under it all; Itt answers, "Roots."
• Ophelia, Morticia's sister. Gomez was originally engaged to her in an arranged marriage, but when he saw Morticia (dressed in a grown-up version of Wednesday's clothing), he fell in love with her. Played by Carolyn Jones in a blonde wig (a staple of 1960's sitcom twins). One quirk of Ophelia's is that the flower growing in her hair had roots that travelled down into her foot.

This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Actor Felix Silla (left), visits with artist Doug Kincaid during a Sept. ... Lisa Loring as Wednesday in The Addams Family television series. ... Carolyn Jones (April 28, 1930 — August 3, 1983) was an American actress, she is best remembered for playing the role of Morticia Addams in the classic TV Series The Addams Family. ...

Reunions

A TV reunion movie, Halloween with the New Addams Family^[1], aired on CBS in October 1977. It featured most of the original cast, except Blossom Rock, who had played Grandmama but was very ill at the time; she was replaced by Jane Rose. This article is about the broadcast network. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... The year 1977 in television involved some significant events. ... Credited as Blossom Rock and Marie Blake, Edith Marie Blossom (McDonald) Rock (1895-1978) was an American actress and older sister of actress Jeanette MacDonald. ...

Addams Family vs. Munsters

The two shows might seem similar on the surface, but actually have different premises. The Addams Family is about a family of wealthy recluses, who only meet strangers on their own terms. The Munsters are a working-class clan, odd in their own right, but generally friendly and open to outsiders.

In the television series, the Addams' rarely leave their mansion, apparently home-schooling their children. They actively discourage their kids from interacting with other children, deeming "normal" kids a bad influence (In the movies however, it indicates from the school performance that Gomez and Morticia do send the children to a regular school and look upon "normal" children with pity rather than disdain). Gomez works from home, where he has a ticker-tape machine and seemingly keeps track of his various stocks and other investments via telephone. They eat strange foods that Morticia admits have to be obtained from "specialty shops." Regular people come to their world, and are generally scared by it. Given that most visitors are greeted by Lurch, their hulking butler, or Thing, a disembodied hand, doesn't help matters. The Addams' do not understand that the rest of society doesn't live like them.

The Munsters, on the other hand, consider themselves to be well-integrated members of the broader society. Their son, Eddie, attends public school and has a few friends. Herman has an hourly wage job at a funeral parlor, but thinks of himself as a regular working stiff. Lily shops at regular grocery stores, and assumes the stares she receives from the locals are due to her great beauty and taste in fashion. Their home life is different that other people, but they don't believe it to necessarily be superior.

In the final tally, more people could relate to The Munsters, which had higher ratings.

DVD releases

MGM Home Entertainment is releasing The Addams Family on DVD in Region 1 for the first time. Thus far, it has released all three volumes, featuring all 64 episodes. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is a popular optical disc storage media format. ...

References