In our journey on finding random things on Tubi (at the time of writing this was on there, not sure if it is at the time of publishing) we've found at 1977 special with The Addams Family. One of my favorite adaptations from the comics by Charles Addams was the 1964 TV series, and this is special is based from that. "The Addams Family: Halloween Special" or "Halloween with the New Addams Family" (which is a title, why is there a new there, when the new Addams Family series didn't even come out yet)
The special does have the cast of the 1964 series, mostly, like John Astin (Gomez), Carolyn Jones (Morticia) , Jackie Coogan(Uncle Fester), Ted Cassidy(Lurch), Lisa Loring (Wednesday) Ken Weatherwax (Pugsley) and Felix Silla (as cousin Itt).
It first aired on October 30, 1977 on NBC, which is a different network than which aired the series. being ABC. This must have been a surprise to the people who watched the '64 series in black and white now seeing things in color, it's kind off in a way. They also chose to do theme without words and little off putting, so I guess it works for the Addams Family.
We also see that the characters have aged, but Gomez and Morticia has seemed to stay ageless. To be a little dower, this was the last time Jones would play Morticia as she would pass away in 1983 from cancer at the age of 53.
Needs a third person here for a joke/ Copyright MGM
Gomez is going away to meet with his lodge in Tombstone, Arizona (where else?) so I'm glad our Addams Family reunion special here won't have one of main actors for the special that's smart. Anyway, Gomez's brother Pancho (played by Henry Darrow) is staying with them and Gomez worries that his brother will take his wife away from him. Ohhhhh (ohhh)
The special does remember that Gomez and Morticia's love is tight. Back to Pancho,
he's playing with the kids and Uncle Fester. What I mean by kids are Wednesday and Pugsley, I mean Wednesday Jr. and Pugsley Jr. which is a decision and one that opens more questions than I want to ask. He's going to tell them the legend of cousin Shy. (Good, I hope something happens, because this thing is 10 minutes in and nothing has happened in this 74 minute special.)
Juniors/ Copyright MGM
Cousin Shy's story sounds like Linus hearing about Santa getting confused thinking up the Great Pumpkin, and there's a boy who wanted to find out if Cousin Shy was real and he carved a face on the pumpkin and talks to him through pumpkin and how he'll leave gifts under good kids scarecrows. So really, Linus' story is real. (run!)
The MGM lion shows up and Gomez leaves in a car, he's on this trip until 6PM, the next day. (It makes it funnier that he's acting like he's leaving for longer) Meanwhile, the plot shows up, to some guys watching the same special. They apparently are crooks who want the Addams Family fortune. (Random)
The proper way to watch this special/ Copyright MGM
This is a Halloween special, somewhere, and there's a family Halloween party being prepared. Most of the jokes are like hey "Aren't the Addams Family odd, they must be speaking in code" and Gomez's brother keeps falling for his sister-in-law because funny. The pacing is woof. (and rough) They also make a Mikey likes it reference, which I'm sure the writers were just laughing about. The crooks are planning to enter the Addams' house to steal money somehow. Back the pacing we are 20 minutes in, so far only getting to not just setting up stuff. One of the crooks sends Mikey to investigate the house. We do get the classic reaction from the series of when someone being surprised by Lurch and disturbed by the house.
Forget phones, suitcases are the future/ Copyright MGM
Mikey meets Morticia, and she has Grandmama show him around the house. (The original Grandmama actress didn't appear in this production and passed away a few months after this aired; they had Jane Rose play the part.) Wednesday is home (Uh Wednesday Sr.) from musical academy. (I'm not asking questions though) Yes the special is keeping to the series main thing where a stranger/outsider is perplexed by the weirdness of the family. It's just feels like this one is dragging it out.
The other crooks are confused as to why Mikey is responding to their briefcase calls. Later Mikey meets Kitty Cat, and he goes mad and runs out of the house. Meanwhile, Pugsley Sr. is home, he's in medical school to be a witch doctor.
The special isn't that bad, guy/ Copyright MGM
Mikey comes back the crooks, babbling, and I think he quit being a crook. (Good for him) Anyway, they have two buff men , a fake Gomez, and a fake Morticia as part of their plans to get the money from the safe. Which seems like a lot of work. We also get a joke about the kids not being doing their weird stuff. (Generations) Gomez returns home, earlier than planned, meaning the crooks' plan hasn't worked. I'm glad we got Gomez's jealous feelings over in like 1 minute.
The main crook, "Bones" Lafferty. dresses up as John Quincy Addams (get it?) So the plan is crooks dress up like they are family members while the fake Morticia and Gomez are supposed to present themselves as the real people. Which I'm glad works.
Gomez's brother and Morticia's sister grab the fake Morticia and Gomez , because they are in love with them, not the fake ones, but yeah. The real ones are tied by the strongmen. Then Gomez uses his piccolo send Morse code, Wednesday get the message and tells Cousin Itt to go check it out. Gomez is free.. but the guys grab him again. This is an odd special when things aren't being slow. Then again they repeat Gomez getting captured like 2 more times so it's tedious.
The jealousy bit comes back when Gomez sees the Pancho with his wife , then they really like the Gomez likes French gag. This special is just tedious. Lurch scares off scaring the buff men because he thinks they want the girl he likes, who is one of the crooks dressed like a woman, and the
Then Bones is brought to the rack and ends up confessing he's a crook. Then he runs out, steps on Kitty Cat's tail.... Anyway the police show up for the noise, and the crooks get arrested, also Lurch is sad.
Apparently, Cousin Shy has shown up and the special wants the Pancho plot to die where Gomez overhears the man talking good about him, yay. There's a Halloween carol, finally. They have Halloween Christmas and there we go.
Halloween needs Christmas traditions/ Copyright MGM
Like, I said there's not much in this special, it's very stretched, padded and doesn't feel like it's going anywhere. The sitcom was shorter, but also had tight writing, but also knew it was goofy a little. Here it tries to capture that, but it does get a little weak and the plot feels like it's just meandering. It's trying to be fun and playing with it's source but it's just feels lacking. The acting is alright, but the special just feels like it's there. I do think a younger child might enjoy the goofiness of it. Kind of a shame, because I do like the 64 series, but yeah. It kind of works as background thing to have during Halloween that's just there but not really there to be fully watched, or for younger kids to enjoy, I guess. I feel kind of bad if I'm mean to it, it's not terrible it's just long.
That's it for now, tune in next time, when we visit the Addams family and not pet the lion.
