Gomez and Morticia are total couple AND parent goals. Not only do they have a loving, supportive marriage, but they encourage their children to embrace their weirdness.
I've seen many researchers say that the Addams Family and the Munsters actually had the best family interactions of any sitcom of the period. They were healthy, non toxic and always empathetic and honest. Shame all that got lost with people focusing only on the macabre aspects of the shows.
This is why I don’t really like the Wednesday show, the family dynamics got kind of petty and underhanded, it seemed like they didn’t understand or respect each other as much, when they were always such an amazing unit overall. Like they might do some kooky crud to each other but you could always tell there was a deep love even between the siblings. It might not have been that bad if they weren’t such amazing examples of a non-toxic family in the other portrayals, but it seemed like the focus was only on the surface level spooky and kookiness which does enough for a lot of people but left me a little disappointed.
This. I love the family bonding and values in both shows. In fact you can find a speech by Herman Munster about accepting people as they are instead of appearances. I have no doubt I could find a similar scene for either Gomez or Morticia.
@@RandomGreymaneI do remember a scene where Gomez was on the phone, and he said, "Yes. . . yes. . . yes. That's an interesting point of view!" He hung up, and Fester asked him, "So what did he say?" Gomez replied, "He said I was a nut!"
I love John Astin so much. Not only did he give us such an iconic character but he helped raise Sean Astin to be the gentle, kind man we know and love.
I don’t know if John has any blame in Patty leaving him for a month (early mental health break?), but it’s one of her best decisions if we got Sean out of it. Bonus that the men don’t hold a grudge against each other and Sean calls them both dad.
Our family dressed up as the Adams family for Halloween years ago. We had a speaker in my suit jacket playing the theme and we still use the BW pics we took as decorations every Halloween. My son had a cigar and my daughter had a rubber hand for Thing. We looked great
Luckily they were in pretty much non-stop reruns, I think daily, throughout the seventies for kids to grow up with. Definitely caused part of their staying power.
Monsters were huge at that time in American culture...especially with children. Monsters in comic books movies illustrated magazines statues model kits. It was the golden age of monsters.
@@benderbendingrodriguez420 when you're a kid everything seems longer bigger bolder. 15 minutes for them is a lifetime, whereas 15 years seems to have gone by in a few minutes for me. I suspect that only gets worse the closer you get to the grave.
Gómez & Morticia have to be the greatest on screen couple of all time. I love their interactions and I like to emulate them with my wife as we go about our lives. They’re the perfect couple.
John Astin said that he discovered that "wild eyed" look for Gomez when he first moved to New York. He lived in a dangerous neighborhood and not having a car, had to ride the subway or walk everywhere. He learned that if he looked crazy, people would leave him alone. So whenever he was on foot in the neighborhood, he'd adopt those wild eyes and mutter to himself. He never got mugged or harassed. I'm told enough to remember the show when it was on. Both my parents would have been kids. I always liked the Munsters too, but they had a REASON for being ghoulish. They were just monsters. The Addams were just regular people who were also ghoulish. That spoke to my little, gothic heart as an adolescent. I was 8, the same age my Dad was, when the movies came out. I was Wednesday one year for Halloween. My mother still wonders why I "turned out" the way I did. Oh, I duno, Mom. Maybe because you were addicted to horror movies and I pretty much kept The Crow on repeat. I have sense made the typical evolution from goth to modern vintage lol. I still know how to decorate with safety pins though lol.
Thanks, minty. On Wednesday's name: it's from an old rhyme about the day you're born on, "Mondays child is fair of face, Tuesdays child is full of grace, Wednesdays child is full of woe, Thursdays child has far to go..."❤
Ted Cassidy ad-libbed the words, "You rang," the first time he appeared on set alongside John Astin. EVERYONE, cast and crew, laughed UPROARIOUSLY! That's how those two words became Lurch's signature line.
The films were edgier in many ways. Darker humor. And the chemistry just wasn't there with Gomez and Morticia, though I DID love Raul Julia and thought he resembled the original cartoon. Angelica Huston wasn't glamorous at all, just severe.
The real difference between The Munsters and The Addams Family is that the Munsters are people that look like monsters and the Addams Family are monsters that look like people.
Interesting to learn that John Astin originally auditioned for the role of Lurch as, originally, Lurch was mute. He was never supposed to speak until Ted Cassidy ad-libbed, "You rang?" The producers and director loved it so much they made Lurch talk. BTW, Ted Cassidy not only played Lurch. He also played Thing.
On the original Star Trek Cassidy was the voice of Balok, the commander of an immense spaceship that dwarfs the Enterprise (ultimately revealed to be a tiny alien played by five year-old Clint Howard). Later that same year he appeared onscreen as Ruk, a seven foot tall badass android.
In the 60s series, when they went to name the characters, Addams wanted Pugsley's name to be Pubert, but the studio thought it was too "sexual." However, for the 1993 movie, when Morticia and Gomez had their third child, he was named, Pubert, as a throwback to Charles Addams.
I used to watch both The Addams Family and The Munsters, but of the two shows, The Addams Family was always my favorite. John Astin, the original Gomez Addams, is the only cast member still alive. He's 94 and still working. He's really about the only actor from any show I watched as a child, who's still alive.
References to The Addams Family popped up in two sitcoms: The Dick Van Dyke Show episode: The Man From My Uncle. In Richie's bedroom you can see a Morticia and Uncle Fester hand puppet on the wall to the right of the door. Gilligan's Island episode: Ring Around Gilligan. Towards the end of the episode, Dr. Balinkoff (as played by Vito Scotti - who also appeared a few times on The Addams Family,) is telling the castaways how to behave, uses the words Neat, Sweet, Petite.
There was also a short-lived animated series by Hanna Barbara in the 70s that followed the Addams Family as they traveled the US in a scary mobile home. I didn't really remember this as I was still in my single digits, but I did watch it on the Tubi streaming service.
Here's the thing about "thing"... Addams drew a picture of "thing" and depicted it as a giant root, which lived deep beneath the house. The root had several tentacles, each of which had a hand at the end, which reached various locations throughout the house. "Thing" is NOT a disembodied hand but was turned into one so "hand" could be on hand (pun intended) for scenes outside of the house. Since it's, obviously, a hand, why is it called "thing"? Never understood that. Love your videos❤.
Wow, all these years and I did not know that. I don't suppose you know where I can find that image do you? I'd love to see it and share it with a dear friend that also loves the series.
As a kid in the 1970s with a love for Universal horror, I preferred The Munsters. As a grown man, I find The Addams Family infinitely more appealing. It's far more clever and original than its garish counterpart. Thanks for an excellent mini-documentary on the Addams(es)!!
While I have only seen them in reruns, I never confused the two shows. The Addams family is about a rich clan basically finding things to occupy their days. The Munsters is about a blue collar family that actually has money issues and has to live in the 'real world' to survive. That's not a knock on either, but I don't see where the confusion comes in. Also, the composer of The Addams Family theme song made (and makes) so much money off of royalties he bought a house in Bel Air, CA (probably $10 million now) and tons of other stuff. Off of one song that I think he said took him a few minutes to write. Very cool.
Another interesting royalty story: though Johnny Mandel wrote the music, it was director Robert Altman’s fourteen year-old son Mike who penned the lyrics to “Suicide is Painless,” the theme song to the movie version of M*A*S*H. Those lyrics were never used in the TV show, but Mike got half the royalties for the use of the song anyway, which over eleven seasons netted him far more money from M*A*S*H than his father ever did!
Minty, another great episode. Many years ago, I saw a documentary where Florence Henderson, the mom from The Brady Bunch, talked about how The Brady Bunch was the first TV show to display a married couple sharing the same bed. However, Robert Reed, the dad, pointed out that The Munsters beat them to it. Meanwhile, The Addams Family was, without a doubt, the first TV show to depict whip play between consenting adults. I'm sure we can all agree that this has to eclipse the other record.
@@FUBARguy107I went to school with someone whose surname was Cock (presumably derived from some variant of Koch?). I kid you. Ot: He was adopted by the Roach family.
Caroline Jones was absolutely perfect, she was born to play Morticia! I also love Grandma, using the lamp as a crystal ball and randomly reciting Shakespeare, what a fun old lady
Yeah, I heard it was really garish in person, and had only seen a couple color muted pics of the set. This is the most I have seen of it in vivid color.
Maybe in a different style but they're still out there. Don't fall into the trap of only loving the past. You gotta adapt with change which can be fun.
You forgot to mention that Fester was originally Morticia's uncle in the comics and this TV show. But in the original movie and later incarnations, they made him Gomez's brother.
And I can't remember exactly but Grandmama was something like Morticia's grandmother in the first show but later became Gomez's mother, or vice versa. I like to think, as a joke, she was both, which would make Gomez and Morticia related by blood - very Addams 😈
I always thought of the Munsters as the go bots of the genre - I can’t believe that show only lasted 2 seasons. That’s insane I thought it was a 6-8 year run
Back then, a full season was 30-40+ episodes, depending on the production. They would only break for major holidays. So we only got two seasons, but 64 episodes. I grew up thinking most 30-60 minute shows were 25+ episode seasons, that dropped to 20-22 by late 80s, but now it’s leaning toward British production standards of 6-10. Sherlock only had three episode seasons.
It's funny as a 80s kid in the UK I had little to no knowledge of the Adams family until a year or so before the film came out due to its pre marketing. The Munsters on the other hand were a staple of my child hood and I was a massive fan.
@@ShaunStephens777 sounds about right I kinda remember 1st seeing the Adams family popping up a bit around 1990-1991 and then being very well known and shown on channel 4 sometime around 93-94. 😂 I remember the Munsters Today , it wasn't as good as the original but I still really enjoyed them
Happy Halloween, Minty! Thanks for the wonderful video! Were you even born when these were on? I was in Junior High, and John Astin actually came to our school in Glendale and gave a talk to a whole auditorium full of enraptured kids. He was a delight. He told a story about being in a play- was it on Broadway?- and his pants ripped just before the show. The wardrobe mistress was sewing them up and his scene was fast approaching. Agonized, he said to her "'Hurry up! Please! What'll I do without my pants?'" And she was a salty old soul," he said, mimicking calm sewing, "she said, 'Ad lib 'em.''"
Blossom Rock, who played Grandmama, was originally Blossom Macdonald and was the older sister of famous MGM 1930s/40s musical star, Jeanette MacDonald. At one stage, David Levy wanted Jeanette (who loved the show) in a guest star role for the show, but she became ill with a heart ailment and died in January 1965.
The Addams Family also had a live-action musical variety show called The Addams Family Fun-House in 1973 that featured Butch Patrick who played Eddie Munster in the Munsters playing Pugsly Addams. It only aired once and is lost media.
I grew up watching reruns of The Munsters, but quickly became an Addams Family fan when I saw the movie and discovered the original comics. This was a fun video! Lots I didn’t know, but what really made it delightful was that film score by Marc Shaiman. I never realized how great it was but it’s ironic!
“The Addams Family” has been noted in discussions about the Civil Rights, Gay Rights and Women’s Rights movements of the time. In the 1960s, desegregation was increasing and the typical suburban status quo was changing. People across the country suddenly had new and different neighbors. The Addams represented these “awkward intrusions” as funny and relatable for both sides. The American marriage was also becoming more egalitarian and openly sexual. Gomez and Morticia treat each other as equals and express tons of healthy sexuality and love. They raise their children (and accept their strange cousins) without judgement.
Along with the Munsters, the TV family were a metaphor for European immigrants displaced by WWII who came to the US after the war and brought their cultural differences with them. Many of them had been on the side of the Germans during the war, thus previously having been seen as monsters.
Addams Family is like The Three Stooges where both will always be popular in any era. I remember the series having 5 movies, 3 cartoons if you counted the episodes of Scooby-Doo, and 3 live action TV shows but that being said I bought 3 DVD sets on Amazon because there was a good sale going on where I got the sets for a discount as well they had a buy 2 get 1 free about a week ago.
Awesome show this and the munsters are amazing. This show centers more around the spookyness of the house as every episode shows the same stuff carnivorous plant swordfish the neauces all over to ring for lurch thing. Two headed tortoise while also having something different happening to the family it's done extremely well. Not sure wich one i like better the munsters is more about them and adventures or being around people. All done by the perfect actors for those roles impossible to replicate even though those adams family films especially values are really good
My late sister used to say that the opening for the Munsters was a take off of the Donna Reed show with Lilly playing the part of Donna Reed saying goodby to her family as they left for the morning.
I can definitely see that being the blueprint. Love Fred Gwynne's goofiness in it. They marathoned both shows on TV land when I was a kid, and that instantly endeared Fred to me (and was the original reason I watched Pet Semetary).
I'm rewatching that series now, I vaguely remember it from decades ago, and the cast is what got me interested. I was pleasantly surprised when in episode one John Austin was in the opening credits. Gomez, Ash, and Sho'Nuff in one show? Sold!
13:25 Luckily asbestos is only a hazard when it's airborne particles, like how they used to spray the stuff. And how when you're tearing down older houses, you really gotta be careful to not breathe in the dust. edit: 15:43 Jesus H that handbag jumpscared me. I am so used to historical pics of that art on, like postcards and crap. Didn't realize it stretched into fashion accessories.
This is copied from IMDB. Originally, Lurch was supposed to be largely silent, with only groaning. However, during shooting, Ted Cassidy improvised the line, “You rang?” in a scene where the family rang the servant bell. The perfect timing and Cassidy's deep voice in that line went over so well that Lurch was rewritten to have dialogue, mainly short, repetitive sentences.
Only on a legal technicality, maybe? John raised Sean (and Mack) as his own son. It wasn’t until Sean was in his 30s that something came up and they realized they were not blood related. Patty had left John for a month, shacked up with Sean’s bio-dad, then returned to John, unaware she was now pregnant. Sean calls both men dad, and they all get along. So Patty either assumed she got pregnant with John either right before she left or right after she returned. I don’t know the exact dates for that break up, or how close Sean was born to his presumed arrival (early? Late?).
I sometimes feel like the only person who watched and loved that show. Very underrated. I've been a fan of Ellie Harvie (Morticia) ever since. She's hilarious. She had a small part in Stargate, one of my favorite shows, then played Aurora Teagarden's coworker in all those movies. I'm jealous your mom knew her!
Yeah, pretty much everyone balked at the second name option, preferring Gomez. I don’t know about Astin’s ethic background, but Raul and Luis being Latino help sell the name.
As I watch your great video, I mentioned to my wife “When I was a kid preferred the silly slapstick comedy of Munsters, but as I grew up, I preferred the more adult innuendos of The Addams Family. It’s a classic 👍
Morticia is one of the sexiest characters ever, still needs the right actress to complete her though. * The New Addams Family series is well known in Canada and I think is a Canadian production. It is a faithful and amazing series YOU NEED to watch.
As a child of the 90s, my first experience with the Adams family is the 1991 movie and I love it deeply but I have also seen the original tv series and it is indeed a fantastic show. I find it very funny and entertaining. I also like how the characters are kooky and strange but also want to make friends with most of their neighbors. I can respect why the creator doesn’t like the changes from his original comics but I agree with the sentiment that it was for the better to make them more friendly on television and it ultimately helped improve the TV series.
There is a 3rd spooky family that always gets overlooked. Ray Bradbury and Charles Addams had brainstormed ideas for a family of monsters for a while prior to the Addams Family cartoon strip. Bradbury created The Elliots. His short stories about them were published in serial formats, often with accompanying art by Addams. They were all collected and reprinted in 2001, with some unpublished stories about them in an anthology called "From the Dust Returned". Any fan or either the Munsters or Addams family should check it out.
It amazes me that, for most of their original runs, The Addams Family and The Munsters aired on rival networks in the same time slot. They should have been on the same network or at least have one at 7 and one at 7:30. The Addams Family song in played at baseball games to get the fans to clap.
Hi Minty, another great production. A couple of days ago I bought the I'm Dickens, He's Fenster on dvd, starring John Astin. Will be watching it soon. In regards to early computer appearances on tv shows, Time Tunnel springs to mind.
The Addams Family Was Basically The Boondocks of the 1960's with the former being based on the New Yorker Comic Strips being adapted for TV while The Boondocks was based on the Aaron McGruder Comic Strip being adapted for Adult Swim In the mid 2000's not the same but similar In my opinion
As for Ted Cassidy playing Thing, that is true. However, if the scene required Gomez and Thing and not Lurch, Ted would then play Thing. But if the Scene required Lurch, Thing, and not Gomez, then John Astin (Gomez) would play Thing.
@@TheoRae8289 There was never an alternate. Like I said, if Gomez and Thing were on the screen and Lurch was not, Lurch was thing. And if Lurch and Thing were on the screen and Gomez was not, Gomez was thing. Lurch, Gomez, and Thing were never on the screen simultaneously.
I had heard that Thing was a contortionist, to help hide his body under a small table and still make the gag work? I guess I got the tv series and movie Things confused over the years, as I know Movie Thing was a magician, who body was digitally erased as he “ran” down halls while laying on a skateboard.
@@kbramlett6877 Alternate as in "I knew Cassidy played Thing, but I didn't know who switched with him if Lurch and Thing were needed for a scene together."
Another reason that Charles Addams might have had to dislike the TV series, was the editor of the New Yorker would no longer accept cartoons with these characters, because now that they were associated with television, the editor considered it too vulgar for the humor magazine.
I loved watching both Addams Family and the Muntsters. But hands down, my absolute favorite was the Addams Family. I was disappointed when it was canceled. I continue to watch any version and rerun of them but, like you, have seen heard anything about the "new" Addams Family until you mentioned it. Great video 🫰🫰
Gomez and Morticia are total couple AND parent goals. Not only do they have a loving, supportive marriage, but they encourage their children to embrace their weirdness.
100% fiction
@@cj548yeh!!! All these idiots acting like it’s a reality show and REAL life 🤷♂️
@@blakelyhall8191 we call them sheep 😄
My wife and I have friends that call us Gomez & Morticia as nicknames and we totally embrace it as a badge of honor.
You know how everybody is into weirdness right now?
I've seen many researchers say that the Addams Family and the Munsters actually had the best family interactions of any sitcom of the period. They were healthy, non toxic and always empathetic and honest. Shame all that got lost with people focusing only on the macabre aspects of the shows.
This is why I don’t really like the Wednesday show, the family dynamics got kind of petty and underhanded, it seemed like they didn’t understand or respect each other as much, when they were always such an amazing unit overall. Like they might do some kooky crud to each other but you could always tell there was a deep love even between the siblings. It might not have been that bad if they weren’t such amazing examples of a non-toxic family in the other portrayals, but it seemed like the focus was only on the surface level spooky and kookiness which does enough for a lot of people but left me a little disappointed.
Never thought of it that way but you seem to have hit on something
@lisahoshowsky4251 a sign of our times and downward spiral as a society
This. I love the family bonding and values in both shows. In fact you can find a speech by Herman Munster about accepting people as they are instead of appearances. I have no doubt I could find a similar scene for either Gomez or Morticia.
@@RandomGreymaneI do remember a scene where Gomez was on the phone, and he said, "Yes. . . yes. . . yes. That's an interesting point of view!" He hung up, and Fester asked him, "So what did he say?" Gomez replied, "He said I was a nut!"
I love John Astin so much. Not only did he give us such an iconic character but he helped raise Sean Astin to be the gentle, kind man we know and love.
I don’t know if John has any blame in Patty leaving him for a month (early mental health break?), but it’s one of her best decisions if we got Sean out of it. Bonus that the men don’t hold a grudge against each other and Sean calls them both dad.
@@TheoRae8289 only thing I don't like that John astin did was he took the place of Frank gorshin as Riddler on Batman.
@mikemclean5454 surprisingly I've never seen his riddler
@@brainlock72 Patty's bipolar disorder definitely played a role. Sean's been pretty open about it. John adopted Sean legally iirc
Samwise Gamgee the true hero of Lord of the Rings not fucking Frodo LOL
One of the greatest original feel-good family tv shows... ever.
Another fun tidbit, Morticia's mother was played by Margaret Hamilton, who was none other than the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz.
😮 never seen it till this comment 😅 it clicked instantly 👌🏽
Our family dressed up as the Adams family for Halloween years ago. We had a speaker in my suit jacket playing the theme and we still use the BW pics we took as decorations every Halloween. My son had a cigar and my daughter had a rubber hand for Thing. We looked great
❤ it 👌🏽
Minty should've dressed as Fester Addams.
because he is bald?
@@animeknight8958 because of his wacky personality.
@@wstine79 🤣😂🤣😂
@@wstine79both.gif
@@wstine79 In the TV series he was Morticia's uncle, not Gomez's brother. That would make him Fester Frump.
I’m currently watching all of the Munsters in order. Crazy how iconic these shows were considering their very brief runs
Luckily they were in pretty much non-stop reruns, I think daily, throughout the seventies for kids to grow up with. Definitely caused part of their staying power.
It's like finding out the original Scooby Doo only had like 26 episodes. Could've sworn there were so much more 😂
Monsters were huge at that time in American culture...especially with children. Monsters in comic books movies illustrated magazines statues model kits. It was the golden age of monsters.
@@benderbendingrodriguez420 when you're a kid everything seems longer bigger bolder. 15 minutes for them is a lifetime, whereas 15 years seems to have gone by in a few minutes for me. I suspect that only gets worse the closer you get to the grave.
Gómez & Morticia have to be the greatest on screen couple of all time. I love their interactions and I like to emulate them with my wife as we go about our lives. They’re the perfect couple.
John Astin said that he discovered that "wild eyed" look for Gomez when he first moved to New York. He lived in a dangerous neighborhood and not having a car, had to ride the subway or walk everywhere. He learned that if he looked crazy, people would leave him alone. So whenever he was on foot in the neighborhood, he'd adopt those wild eyes and mutter to himself. He never got mugged or harassed.
I'm told enough to remember the show when it was on. Both my parents would have been kids. I always liked the Munsters too, but they had a REASON for being ghoulish. They were just monsters. The Addams were just regular people who were also ghoulish. That spoke to my little, gothic heart as an adolescent. I was 8, the same age my Dad was, when the movies came out. I was Wednesday one year for Halloween. My mother still wonders why I "turned out" the way I did. Oh, I duno, Mom. Maybe because you were addicted to horror movies and I pretty much kept The Crow on repeat. I have sense made the typical evolution from goth to modern vintage lol. I still know how to decorate with safety pins though lol.
Crazy eyes makes me think of the character from The New Guy when hes teaching Gill to give anyone who steps to him the crazy eyes!
Imagine that. The classics DO hold up. I myself still avoid those people today if I can.
I used the same trick to walk home alone from the pub. Can confirm it works.
Thanks, minty. On Wednesday's name: it's from an old rhyme about the day you're born on, "Mondays child is fair of face, Tuesdays child is full of grace, Wednesdays child is full of woe, Thursdays child has far to go..."❤
I thought it was meant as a sequel to Tuesday Weld, a famous '60s actress.
@@ferociousgumby or a prequel to Robinson crusoes Friday, lol
@@Torgo-and-the-Lucifer-Cat 😄
Even as a child, I figured that one out. But other people didn't seem to know. :)
@janedoe5229 ask a young person to complete, "did you ever think when a hearse went by" and you get a blank stare. Lol
Ted Cassidy ad-libbed the words, "You rang," the first time he appeared on set alongside John Astin. EVERYONE, cast and crew, laughed UPROARIOUSLY! That's how those two words became Lurch's signature line.
The boiling oil gag was depicted in the 1991 film.
Yes it was.
@paulcowlishaw I think it was tar in the movie.
@Krucek6666 yes it was black tar. I remembering now.
The films were edgier in many ways. Darker humor. And the chemistry just wasn't there with Gomez and Morticia, though I DID love Raul Julia and thought he resembled the original cartoon. Angelica Huston wasn't glamorous at all, just severe.
The movies where just perfect ❤️🔥
They were actually the most well adjusted couple on TV, who visibly loved each item deeply.
A Crossover with the Munsters and the Addams family would’ve been awesome back in the day
Absolutely
Yeah, as a big fan of crossovers, I really wish that could have happened. The two most kooky and spooky families meeting up would have been awesome.
Hope it happens someday.
@@jesusromanpadro3853 I would have preferred the original Munsters/Addams Family. I worry about how modern day Hollywood these days would handle it.
Definitely would have been cool to see. But what music theme would you play?
First thing is first Minty. That's a DOPE Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hoodie
The real difference between The Munsters and The Addams Family is that the Munsters are people that look like monsters and the Addams Family are monsters that look like people.
Another difference I've noticed is a cultural one. The Addams Family are aristocratic, whereas the Munsters are more blue collar.
But the friendly type. And actually the Addamses aren't monsters. They're creepy and they're kooky. Mysterious and ookey.
John Austin is also the second riddler in the Batman 60s Batman TV series (I think)
You are correct.
And Carolyn Jones was Marsha Queen of Diamonds. Even Ted Cassidy appears in a Cameo as Lurch - "Citizen, you may return to your harpsicord."
Yup, season three. Gorshin was holding out for more money, so they called in Astin. Cesar and Burgess were the only villains they didn’t recast.
Ironically, Carolyn Jones was also one of three (I think) actresses to play Wonder Woman's mother Hippolyta on the Lynda Carter series.
I think you mean John Astin.
Interesting to learn that John Astin originally auditioned for the role of Lurch as, originally, Lurch was mute. He was never supposed to speak until Ted Cassidy ad-libbed, "You rang?" The producers and director loved it so much they made Lurch talk. BTW, Ted Cassidy not only played Lurch. He also played Thing.
I loved seeing Lurch as a cameo on the 1966 Batman show. He was playing on his harpsichord when they were wall climbing.
And he played Injun Joe. I think he was one of the basketball players in "The Absent-Minded Professor", which Ijust saw recently. :)
He also did the opening voice over for the incredible hulk TV show and the hulks growl until he died
On the original Star Trek Cassidy was the voice of Balok, the commander of an immense spaceship that dwarfs the Enterprise (ultimately revealed to be a tiny alien played by five year-old Clint Howard). Later that same year he appeared onscreen as Ruk, a seven foot tall badass android.
@@LadyOnikarasounds so funny😂
In the 60s series, when they went to name the characters, Addams wanted Pugsley's name to be Pubert, but the studio thought it was too "sexual." However, for the 1993 movie, when Morticia and Gomez had their third child, he was named, Pubert, as a throwback to Charles Addams.
Raul Julia killed it as Gomez😊 Rest in Peace 😢
So did Tim Curry, but considering what he had to work with, he was the only saving grace of that project.
Yeah, it is sad, and John Astin is the last one alive from the original series.
I used to watch both The Addams Family and The Munsters, but of the two shows, The Addams Family was always my favorite.
John Astin, the original Gomez Addams, is the only cast member still alive. He's 94 and still working. He's really about the only actor from any show I watched as a child, who's still alive.
Yeah my little girl loves that Wednesday show too! So much we even had a Wednesday Addams themed birthday party for her and it is actually pretty good
Great Video, as usual, Minty. John Astin/Gomez Addams, is still alive & in his 90s.
🙏🏾 legend
@dynadushi Thank You for your comment. Yes. From The West Side Story Movie all the way up
References to The Addams Family popped up in two sitcoms:
The Dick Van Dyke Show episode: The Man From My Uncle. In Richie's bedroom you can see a Morticia and Uncle Fester hand puppet on the wall to the right of the door.
Gilligan's Island episode:
Ring Around Gilligan.
Towards the end of the episode, Dr. Balinkoff (as played by Vito Scotti - who also appeared a few times on The Addams Family,) is telling the castaways how to behave, uses the words Neat, Sweet, Petite.
There was also a short-lived animated series by Hanna Barbara in the 70s that followed the Addams Family as they traveled the US in a scary mobile home. I didn't really remember this as I was still in my single digits, but I did watch it on the Tubi streaming service.
Here's the thing about "thing"... Addams drew a picture of "thing" and depicted it as a giant root, which lived deep beneath the house. The root had several tentacles, each of which had a hand at the end, which reached various locations throughout the house. "Thing" is NOT a disembodied hand but was turned into one so "hand" could be on hand (pun intended) for scenes outside of the house. Since it's, obviously, a hand, why is it called "thing"? Never understood that.
Love your videos❤.
Wow, all these years and I did not know that. I don't suppose you know where I can find that image do you? I'd love to see it and share it with a dear friend that also loves the series.
It's funny how both The Addams Family and The Munsters had a father known for TV work and a mother known for movies.
As a kid in the 1970s with a love for Universal horror, I preferred The Munsters. As a grown man, I find The Addams Family infinitely more appealing. It's far more clever and original than its garish counterpart. Thanks for an excellent mini-documentary on the Addams(es)!!
While I have only seen them in reruns, I never confused the two shows. The Addams family is about a rich clan basically finding things to occupy their days. The Munsters is about a blue collar family that actually has money issues and has to live in the 'real world' to survive. That's not a knock on either, but I don't see where the confusion comes in.
Also, the composer of The Addams Family theme song made (and makes) so much money off of royalties he bought a house in Bel Air, CA (probably $10 million now) and tons of other stuff. Off of one song that I think he said took him a few minutes to write. Very cool.
Another interesting royalty story: though Johnny Mandel wrote the music, it was director Robert Altman’s fourteen year-old son Mike who penned the lyrics to “Suicide is Painless,” the theme song to the movie version of M*A*S*H. Those lyrics were never used in the TV show, but Mike got half the royalties for the use of the song anyway, which over eleven seasons netted him far more money from M*A*S*H than his father ever did!
Thanks Minty for this blast from the past.
I still love Morticia till this day and the other Goth Women that would follow.
Minty, another great episode. Many years ago, I saw a documentary where Florence Henderson, the mom from The Brady Bunch, talked about how The Brady Bunch was the first TV show to display a married couple sharing the same bed. However, Robert Reed, the dad, pointed out that The Munsters beat them to it. Meanwhile, The Addams Family was, without a doubt, the first TV show to depict whip play between consenting adults. I'm sure we can all agree that this has to eclipse the other record.
Who remembered the episode where Lurch became a pop star?
I do remember him dancing with Wednesday to rock music.
Just in time, I was looking for something to watch
Do you mean Justin Time?
@toxicchipmunk134 My buddy from high school was Justin Case Tyme. No matter how they called his name it was a joke.
@@FUBARguy107 Oh my gosh 😆
@@FUBARguy107I went to school with someone whose surname was Cock (presumably derived from some variant of Koch?). I kid you. Ot: He was adopted by the Roach family.
Caroline Jones was absolutely perfect, she was born to play Morticia! I also love Grandma, using the lamp as a crystal ball and randomly reciting Shakespeare, what a fun old lady
Seeing pictures of the actress who played Grandma, she was a real fox earlier in her career.
I've just Googled Charles Samuel Addams and his wives did resemble Morticia😂😂😂
His 2nd wife that took all his shit was FINE AF!😂
The man had a type and knew what he liked!😂
So glad you're standing you're ground and not naking shorts to conform!!!
Everything on the set was pink because it looked better using black and white cameras
Yeah, I heard it was really garish in person, and had only seen a couple color muted pics of the set. This is the most I have seen of it in vivid color.
*sigh* they don't make quality shows like this anymore.
They don't make quality with a sense of wholesomeness any longer
Maybe in a different style but they're still out there. Don't fall into the trap of only loving the past. You gotta adapt with change which can be fun.
They're both so beloved that on programming blocked in syndication they were often shown back-to-back.
You forgot to mention that Fester was originally Morticia's uncle in the comics and this TV show. But in the original movie and later incarnations, they made him Gomez's brother.
And I can't remember exactly but Grandmama was something like Morticia's grandmother in the first show but later became Gomez's mother, or vice versa. I like to think, as a joke, she was both, which would make Gomez and Morticia related by blood - very Addams 😈
I always thought of the Munsters as the go bots of the genre - I can’t believe that show only lasted 2 seasons. That’s insane I thought it was a 6-8 year run
Back then, a full season was 30-40+ episodes, depending on the production. They would only break for major holidays.
So we only got two seasons, but 64 episodes.
I grew up thinking most 30-60 minute shows were 25+ episode seasons, that dropped to 20-22 by late 80s, but now it’s leaning toward British production standards of 6-10. Sherlock only had three episode seasons.
It's funny as a 80s kid in the UK I had little to no knowledge of the Adams family until a year or so before the film came out due to its pre marketing.
The Munsters on the other hand were a staple of my child hood and I was a massive fan.
If I remember, I think the Addams family had on Channel 4. I do remember seeing the munsters sequel in the 90s, on ITV
@@ShaunStephens777 sounds about right I kinda remember 1st seeing the Adams family popping up a bit around 1990-1991 and then being very well known and shown on channel 4 sometime around 93-94.
😂 I remember the Munsters Today , it wasn't as good as the original but I still really enjoyed them
Well, The Munsters did go to England on movie 🎬 🏴
Happy Halloween, Minty! Thanks for the wonderful video! Were you even born when these were on? I was in Junior High, and John Astin actually came to our school in Glendale and gave a talk to a whole auditorium full of enraptured kids. He was a delight. He told a story about being in a play- was it on Broadway?- and his pants ripped just before the show. The wardrobe mistress was sewing them up and his scene was fast approaching. Agonized, he said to her "'Hurry up! Please! What'll I do without my pants?'" And she was a salty old soul," he said, mimicking calm sewing, "she said, 'Ad lib 'em.''"
John is the only one left at this point. May the others RIP. Thanks for this episode.
He played Edgar Allan Poe in a one-man show years ago. Looked exactly like him, and captured his macabre spirit.
It's surprising and sad that he has outlived both of the actors who played his children.
Blossom Rock, who played Grandmama, was originally Blossom Macdonald and was the older sister of famous MGM 1930s/40s musical star, Jeanette MacDonald. At one stage, David Levy wanted Jeanette (who loved the show) in a guest star role for the show, but she became ill with a heart ailment and died in January 1965.
The Addams Family also had a live-action musical variety show called The Addams Family Fun-House in 1973 that featured Butch Patrick who played Eddie Munster in the Munsters playing Pugsly Addams. It only aired once and is lost media.
it's sad how my first thought was "has anyone told blameitonjorge about this?"
I grew up watching reruns of The Munsters, but quickly became an Addams Family fan when I saw the movie and discovered the original comics. This was a fun video! Lots I didn’t know, but what really made it delightful was that film score by Marc Shaiman. I never realized how great it was but it’s ironic!
the new addams family show was great, Uncle Fester once went to Judge Judy to ask her to marry him.
😂😂
If you can get Pluto TV in Australia the addams family has it's own dedicated channel
By the time Addams family and Munsters were going off the air in 1966, dark shadows TV series was starting on ABC.
“The Addams Family” has been noted in discussions about the Civil Rights, Gay Rights and Women’s Rights movements of the time. In the 1960s, desegregation was increasing and the typical suburban status quo was changing. People across the country suddenly had new and different neighbors. The Addams represented these “awkward intrusions” as funny and relatable for both sides. The American marriage was also becoming more egalitarian and openly sexual. Gomez and Morticia treat each other as equals and express tons of healthy sexuality and love. They raise their children (and accept their strange cousins) without judgement.
Oh, I love this!
I was just a little girl loving the reruns in the 70s. ❤
Along with the Munsters, the TV family were a metaphor for European immigrants displaced by WWII who came to the US after the war and brought their cultural differences with them. Many of them had been on the side of the Germans during the war, thus previously having been seen as monsters.
Addams Family is like The Three Stooges where both will always be popular in any era.
I remember the series having 5 movies, 3 cartoons if you counted the episodes of Scooby-Doo, and 3 live action TV shows but that being said I bought 3 DVD sets on Amazon because there was a good sale going on where I got the sets for a discount as well they had a buy 2 get 1 free about a week ago.
Awesome show this and the munsters are amazing. This show centers more around the spookyness of the house as every episode shows the same stuff carnivorous plant swordfish the neauces all over to ring for lurch thing. Two headed tortoise while also having something different happening to the family it's done extremely well. Not sure wich one i like better the munsters is more about them and adventures or being around people. All done by the perfect actors for those roles impossible to replicate even though those adams family films especially values are really good
My late sister used to say that the opening for the Munsters was a take off of the Donna Reed show with Lilly playing the part of Donna Reed saying goodby to her family as they left for the morning.
I can definitely see that being the blueprint. Love Fred Gwynne's goofiness in it. They marathoned both shows on TV land when I was a kid, and that instantly endeared Fred to me (and was the original reason I watched Pet Semetary).
John Astin as Professor Wickwire in The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr. with Bruce Campbell. There's a good 10 Things You Didn't Know.
I'm rewatching that series now, I vaguely remember it from decades ago, and the cast is what got me interested. I was pleasantly surprised when in episode one John Austin was in the opening credits. Gomez, Ash, and Sho'Nuff in one show? Sold!
Minty, PLEASE DO 10 Things You Didn't Know About Addams Family Values.
Yes Minty PLEASE DO SO.
Sounds like the 2nd wife was the inspiration for the villains in the movies.
@@Justin_L_Smith_Comedian Dan Gould has a podcast where he did a segment on Addams' life and relationships. That wife was definitely out there!
I actually watched The New Addams Family and really love it when I was a kid.
I was born in 64...loved both.
Iirc, John Astin was given the chance to pick Gomez' name.
Yeah, because everyone hated the second option. 😂
Minty calling his niece a nerd was the funniest bit of irony in that review. That really cracked me up!
13:25 Luckily asbestos is only a hazard when it's airborne particles, like how they used to spray the stuff. And how when you're tearing down older houses, you really gotta be careful to not breathe in the dust.
edit: 15:43 Jesus H that handbag jumpscared me. I am so used to historical pics of that art on, like postcards and crap. Didn't realize it stretched into fashion accessories.
This is copied from IMDB.
Originally, Lurch was supposed to be largely silent, with only groaning. However, during shooting, Ted Cassidy improvised the line, “You rang?” in a scene where the family rang the servant bell. The perfect timing and Cassidy's deep voice in that line went over so well that Lurch was rewritten to have dialogue, mainly short, repetitive sentences.
I told Minty on a facebook post about Grandpa Addams played by Astin in that late 90's show.
John Astin is Sean Astin's (Goonies, Lord of the Rings) Stepfather
Only on a legal technicality, maybe?
John raised Sean (and Mack) as his own son. It wasn’t until Sean was in his 30s that something came up and they realized they were not blood related. Patty had left John for a month, shacked up with Sean’s bio-dad, then returned to John, unaware she was now pregnant. Sean calls both men dad, and they all get along. So Patty either assumed she got pregnant with John either right before she left or right after she returned. I don’t know the exact dates for that break up, or how close Sean was born to his presumed arrival (early? Late?).
So glad my grandparents had me grow up watching these classics in the 90s; loved both of these shows.
Great video Minty....now you just have to do a Munsters video now (and I'd definitely watch it)....
The Adams Family house can be seen in the background of one of the episodes of Leave it to Beaver.
John Astin played the PERFECT Gomez!
One of my favorite TV series from childhood ❤❤❤❤!!! 😊😊😊😊😊 thanks Minty! Please do the Munsters next!!!
I laughed so hard when he called his niece a geek for liking the show Wednesday. I was like, "who are you calling a geek, Minty?" 😂
The New Addam's Family was a Canadian Production... The actress who played Morticia in it was a friend of my Mother's
I sometimes feel like the only person who watched and loved that show. Very underrated. I've been a fan of Ellie Harvie (Morticia) ever since. She's hilarious. She had a small part in Stargate, one of my favorite shows, then played Aurora Teagarden's coworker in all those movies. I'm jealous your mom knew her!
Now I understand Luis Guzmán playing Gomez. They went back to the original in Wednesday.
Yeah, pretty much everyone balked at the second name option, preferring Gomez.
I don’t know about Astin’s ethic background, but Raul and Luis being Latino help sell the name.
Hi Minty. 👋🏽
This is a bit of the childhood in the 90s, the movie, the cartoon.
Recently i watched the Wednesday show, it's great!
Anyone else up for Minty covering The Waltons?
Ted Cassidy would occasionally use his left hand while playing Thing to see if anyone would notice.
It’s nice that Gomez speaks Spanish.
On a separate note, imagine if we had a “Munsters Meet the Addams Family.”
2:57 Thats How the First Addams Family Sonnefeld Movie Opens too.
I like the old serie and the new Addams serie. The episode with John Austin as grandpa was an eye candy
Fascinating episode now you make me curious about the munsters.
No mention of Margaret Hamilton as Mortisha Addams mother. Also, "Do not be alarmed we are only children".
TMNT hoodie and Addams Family in the same video!!! Yay!!
I loved watching both shows as a kid and as an adult. Great video.
As I watch your great video, I mentioned to my wife “When I was a kid preferred the silly slapstick comedy of Munsters, but as I grew up, I preferred the more adult innuendos of The Addams Family. It’s a classic 👍
The Christmas card was the opening scene to the 90s movie. There was also a cartoon series in 1973
Morticia is one of the sexiest characters ever, still needs the right actress to complete her though.
* The New Addams Family series is well known in Canada and I think is a Canadian production. It is a faithful and amazing series YOU NEED to watch.
As a child of the 90s, my first experience with the Adams family is the 1991 movie and I love it deeply but I have also seen the original tv series and it is indeed a fantastic show. I find it very funny and entertaining. I also like how the characters are kooky and strange but also want to make friends with most of their neighbors. I can respect why the creator doesn’t like the changes from his original comics but I agree with the sentiment that it was for the better to make them more friendly on television and it ultimately helped improve the TV series.
There is a 3rd spooky family that always gets overlooked. Ray Bradbury and Charles Addams had brainstormed ideas for a family of monsters for a while prior to the Addams Family cartoon strip. Bradbury created The Elliots. His short stories about them were published in serial formats, often with accompanying art by Addams. They were all collected and reprinted in 2001, with some unpublished stories about them in an anthology called "From the Dust Returned". Any fan or either the Munsters or Addams family should check it out.
There are stage plays, like Wednesday Gets A Boyfriend and other Addams Family tales, that are a hoot for the whole family to see live! 🎭
It amazes me that, for most of their original runs, The Addams Family and The Munsters aired on rival networks in the same time slot. They should have been on the same network or at least have one at 7 and one at 7:30. The Addams Family song in played at baseball games to get the fans to clap.
Hi Minty, another great production. A couple of days ago I bought the I'm Dickens, He's Fenster on dvd, starring John Astin. Will be watching it soon. In regards to early computer appearances on tv shows, Time Tunnel springs to mind.
This is one of my favorite old tv shows, I wasn't born when this was made, but it did come on tv sometimes. I still love this show!! 😁
Please do Addams Family Values
& The Munsters
This show is a timeless classic
The Addams Family Was Basically The Boondocks of the 1960's with the former being based on the New Yorker Comic Strips being adapted for TV while The Boondocks was based on the Aaron McGruder Comic Strip being adapted for Adult Swim In the mid 2000's not the same but similar In my opinion
I agree! Garfield got similar 😅
As for Ted Cassidy playing Thing, that is true. However, if the scene required Gomez and Thing and not Lurch, Ted would then play Thing. But if the Scene required Lurch, Thing, and not Gomez, then John Astin (Gomez) would play Thing.
I was wondering who the alternate was.
@@TheoRae8289 There was never an alternate. Like I said, if Gomez and Thing were on the screen and Lurch was not, Lurch was thing. And if Lurch and Thing were on the screen and Gomez was not, Gomez was thing. Lurch, Gomez, and Thing were never on the screen simultaneously.
I had heard that Thing was a contortionist, to help hide his body under a small table and still make the gag work?
I guess I got the tv series and movie Things confused over the years, as I know Movie Thing was a magician, who body was digitally erased as he “ran” down halls while laying on a skateboard.
@@brainlock72 One thing I just remembered about the TV show, if you watch the end credits, It will say that Thing was played by Thing
@@kbramlett6877 Alternate as in "I knew Cassidy played Thing, but I didn't know who switched with him if Lurch and Thing were needed for a scene together."
Another reason that Charles Addams might have had to dislike the TV series, was the editor of the New Yorker would no longer accept cartoons with these characters, because now that they were associated with television, the editor considered it too vulgar for the humor magazine.
I loved watching both Addams Family and the Muntsters. But hands down, my absolute favorite was the Addams Family. I was disappointed when it was canceled. I continue to watch any version and rerun of them but, like you, have seen heard anything about the "new" Addams Family until you mentioned it. Great video 🫰🫰