14 Facts About The TV Series “The Addams Family” That Even The Most Fans May Not Know

Almost 60 years ago, when TV was still taking its first steps, there was the habit of producing content with the aim of bringing healthy entertainment to the whole family. Among these productions was The Addams Family, a series full of satirical humor starring a family of eccentric millionaires who appreciated the more exotic and dark things in life. For years, the series followed the daily lives of many people. Even though it was shot in black and white, it has established itself as a great source of entertainment.

O incredible.club It gathered several little-known facts about the so famous production, taking the opportunity to awaken nostalgia in those who were lucky enough to spend part of the day in front of the TV and with the company of the Addams.

The Addams Family began broadcasting in 1964, based on a comic strip created by caricaturist Charles Addams and published in The New Yorker from 1938 to 1964. in the 20th century: it was headed by a wealthy aristocrat who reveled in the macabre. In addition to the TV series, the work inspired movies, video games, books and songs, exerting great influence on pop culture.

When they appeared in the newspaper, the characters had no name. They were named by the producers of the TV series. For the patriarch of the family, the creator of the original drawings suggested the name Gomez, which in the first version shown in Brazil was named Covas. The wife was called Morticia (in both the English and Brazilian versions).

The eldest son was baptized Pugsley, (Eddie, in the first Brazilian dub of the original series, and Feioso, in the second). As for the couple’s daughter, Charles Addams thought of Wednesday (“Wednesday”), based on a children’s rhyme. In Brazil, she initially became Benenilda, later changing to Vandinha. They were joined by the butler Lurch (Footman in the first version and Stumble in the second), Uncle Fester (first Uncle Funéreo and later Uncle Chico), Grandma Addams and Thing (in the first version, it was Your Thing. In the second , became Little Hand).

In the original design, Gomez had a grotesque appearance, with a broad body, a prominent nose, crooked teeth and an inward chin. He looked nothing like the actor who played him on the small screen, named John Astin. The artist was very well known at the time, having acted in several films.

John was given complete creative freedom to develop his character. In the face of this, he took his own ideas to the producers, who accepted them and started to defend them before the owners of the station. One of those ideas was to make Gomez an attractive man, a kind of “Latin lover”, a stereotype of the heartthrob at that time.

Carolyn Jones, who gave life to Morticia, was an actress who had already worked with big names, such as Alfred Hitchcock, Elvis Presley and several others. For her role on The Addams Family, she underwent intense makeup sessions, in addition to wearing a wig made from natural hair. After all, the artist had blonde locks, and not straight or so long. During the show’s two seasons, she also played Lady Fingers and her character’s twin sister, Ophelia Frump.

Originally, Minion would only let out a few grunts, but during the filming of the first episode, Ted Cassidy, the actor behind the character, known for his large stature (2.06m) and deep voice, improvised the line “Did they call me?”. This happened in a scene in which the family rang a bell to summon the servant. The producers liked it so much that, in every episode, they added short, repetitive lines for the character.

Initially, Jackie Coogan had his name refused to live Uncle Funéréo. However, upon returning home from the audition, he shaved his head, created his own wardrobe and makeup, returning to reapply for the job. And that’s how he got the upper hand. Coogan has had a long career as an actor in Hollywood, acting since he was a child. One of his most memorable roles was that of the boy who accompanies Charlie Chaplin in The Kid, a 1921 classic.

The character Seu Coisa, the hand that helped the family with everyday tasks, was played by the same actor who played Lacaio. It was usually the artist’s right hand, although Ted had a habit of switching to the left, just to see if anyone would notice. In the series, it was also possible to see the character’s entire arm, like the moment when he needed to reach something out of his box. In episode 23 it was revealed that the full name of the hand, in the original, was Thing T. Thing (something like Thing C. Thing).

In one chapter, Gomez reveals the desire to travel to the moon on vacation, so he uses his personal computer to calculate the cost of the trip. The machine carries out the mathematical operation and, in the end, results in the amount of 1 billion and 21.30 dollars.

The Addams family has always been a parody of eccentric millionaires with exotic interests. According to an analysis by Forbes magazine, Gomez Addams was descended from royalty from the Spanish region of Castile and British aristocrats. He was a very lucky man, as he invested money in buying a swamp that later turned out to be a source of oil. In addition, he acquired a mummified hand, later discovered to be a priceless Egyptian antiquity.

Thanks to all this, he owned an insurance company, a salt mine, a tombstone factory and a vulture farm. Adding up all the assets, his fortune reached 2 billion dollars (or more than R$ 10 billion).

In a 2018 interview, John Astin, the actor who played Gomez, revealed that he and Carolyn Jones (Morticia) were attracted to each other from the beginning. This helped the actors build a more natural rapport on camera. The duo decided to give both characters a “great romance” feel to counteract the bland couples that were seen in comedy productions at the time.

Still, although Gomez kissed Morticia on the arm and spoke to her in French, no kiss on the mouth ever took place.

One of the characters created for the TV series was Cousin It, a short, hair-covered creature who spoke a language understood only by his family. In one chapter, the Addamses try to make Cousin It learn to speak more slowly and understandably, but he has an unpleasant reaction. Thus, Morticia purposely irritates the character so that he would return to normal and speak quickly.

Cousin It was part of a list of many relatives mentioned throughout the series, but which were never shown. Still, it hinted that Gomez’s family was quite extensive.

Since its debut in 1964, the series has competed against Os Monstros, released a week apart. However, the production always had lower audience ratings compared to the competitor. Two years later, when Monsters was cancelled, The Addams Family also came to an end.

In 1991, director Barry Sonnenfeld and the creators of MIB — Men in Black made a more modern adaptation of The Addams Family, keeping the same tone of sarcastic humor, but with a current focus. For the main roles, Raul Julia (Gomez), Anjelica Huston (Morticia), Christopher Lloyd (Uncle Chico) and Christina Ricci (Vandinha) were cast. The film was very well received by critics and audiences, so much so that it led to the release of another feature film a few years later. In this second work, Morticia has another child.

At the end of 2021 it was announced that renowned director Tim Burton has been working on a series based on the characters of the Addams family, but focused on Vandinha. The idea is to launch the production in 2022, with actress Jenna Ortega in the lead role, giving life to an already adolescent Vandinha, almost an adult. At the same time, the new film with The Monsters, directed by Rob Zombie, should be released at the same time, resuming the rivalry experienced in 1964.

Did you ever see the original series about the Addams on TV? If so, do you remember any iconic moments? And in films starring the family, which part do you like the most?