Fall TV in 1964 had two interesting shows premiere at only a few days apart from each other. They both had the same basic concept, but with different execution. Starting with September 18, 1964, that's when this sitcom "The Addams Family" first premiered on ABC. The episode was "The Addams Family Goes to School".
This is not going to be a post about the entire series, as there are reasons I couldn't do that in time, but I wanted to do something for the anniversary of the series. So a look at the very first episode but with some more added in to talk about the series as a whole.
Adaptation
This series was an adaptation of a single panel comic series by Charles Addams for The New Yorker. Addams began working at the magazine in 1932, the first Addams Family cartoon came out in 1938. He introduced characters one by one, starting with Morticia, then Gomez, Pugsley, Wednesday, and finally Uncle Fester. The Addams family is rich family with old money that delight in the things we find disturbing and grotesque. They have an unawareness that people find them strange or scary. I will mention that the names didn't really exist at first either. Morticia and Wednesday were named thanks to a doll collection. Gomez and Pugsley were named thanks to the 1964 series. Originally, Pugsley was called Pubert but network people didn't like the name and yeah Pugsley is better.
Television executive for NBC saw one of Addams' books at a bookstore and thought that be great for TV. Addams liked the idea and they thought up names for the characters. The comics were a little dark and the TV series decided to not take that approach, went for a sitcom with comedy and lighter elements. The series was developed by David Levy. The series also ended up airing on ABC.
Meet the Family
My first introduction to the Addams Family would have to be reruns of the cartoon series, though I either remember first seeing the 1973 animated series or the one that aired later. I also remember when they met Scooby Doo and the gang. A crossover that blew my mind. I didn't see the 1964 series until a little later when those reruns showed up again.
I feel that this series was probably a bigger introduction the characters for many before the 1990's movies came out. But does seem to get a little over shadowed thanks to those movies. Originally the series aired on ABC Friday night line up. Also a big night, where Jonny Quest also premiered. Then after that it was The Famer's Daughter, which had its second season premiere. A short 3 season run series, a short 3 run series with 101 episodes. (because TV was better then) After The Addams Family , ABC premiered a new series called Valentine's Day (not the best title)
I don't know if networks thought of flow scheduling then, but that's an awkward line up. I might be implying something here.
Let's talk about something that is really well known thanks to this series- the theme song. The song was written and arranged by Vic Mizzy. He also wrote the score for the The Green Acres theme. (New York is where I'd rather stay)
The First Episode
Let's dig into the first episode of the series, again called "The Addams Family Goes to School". It was co written by Seaman Jacobs and Ed James. This is the only episode Jacobs wrote, but he worked on other sitcoms.
The episode starts and throws the viewer right into the absurdity. Mailman comes by to deliver the mail into the mail box and gets greeted by a dethatched hand-that's Thing. Anyway a truant officer asks the mailman if the house belongs to the Addams family. The mailman says yes and things are going to happen.
Stupid self closing gates/ copyright MGM
I am using the first episode as a way to talk about the series. This is also very fits in with the 60's sitcom era. An era of sitcom that hasn't been matched since. A lot of 60's sitcoms, especially around this point, start to not reject, but move away from a more ridged 50's style of show. Sitcoms where the premise takes something a little off and runs with it. "My Favorite Martian" , a sitcom about a Martian who has come to Earth and that's not the strangest thing about that show. Coming out the same season, about 9 days after this show is "My Living Doll" a show about a guy helping a Julie Newmar robot help become more human.
The other kinds of shows that would exist in this era are shows that take a strange and pit them with a straight man or a force that'd we consider the normal going against the abnormal. Bewitched , which premiered one day before this show, takes the idea of the American married couple and decides to go what if one was a witch? It also takes the idea of a fighting contrast of the husband wanting his wife to do things and be "normal" against the force of her own family and even kind of her, to want to still do and be witch, which she is. The Addams Family are family that are strange to our ideals, but they see themselves as normal.
This episode has the truant officer encounter the house first. The viewer doesn't even see any of the Addams family characters, besides Thing, after the theme song for about 2 minutes. We see the funny things that happen around his encounters with the gate, and the funny doorknob. (Also laugh track, because 1960's sitcom) Then Wednesday answers the door . Wednesday is an interesting character mostly because the well noted depictions of her are from the 1990's movies and then the Netflix show that bares her name. She is more a cynical person and more emotionally disconnected. Shown to be more sadistic and embraces a darker edge of the darkness part of her family's enjoyment. That is not how she is in this series. Also, she's younger than later depictions.
Hello, are you a door to door salesman? / Copyright MGM
Here she answers the door, and there's not much that would give away the strangeness of the Addams Family- other than the funny gags that happened before- as besides having some outdated clothing, even for the 1960's children, she acts with warm and good nature to the guest at the door. Lisa Loring's Wednesday is still a great depiction. She lets him in and she doesn't do anything that makes it seem strange. That's the house's role where the man being our eyes sees the strange decorations of the house.
Knowing the show later usually opts for Lurch to answer the door and bring people in, I like how it's Wednesday letting Sam Hillard in. He's relies on her for ease since the house's strangeness is putting him at unease. While, I won't deny that the Lurch interactions are funnier, because of how the guest(s) are reacting to him and his reactions to them are just as funny. The interaction with Wednesday also gives a great hint to how the Addams's are as people with being warm and welcoming.
The next character the series shows is Pugsley. Who like Wednesday doesn't give off anything different than looking and seemingly like the average American boy. The character, overall, hasn't gotten as much love as the sister has in the various later years and incarnations. Of course, in this series the children aren't as used as much, this wasn't a "kid power lead show" like Dennis the Menace or Leave it To Beaver were. Also like that the siblings in the show also break from tradition of being annoyed by each other and do stuff together and help.
I gave your doll a face lift, but then it fell off/ Copyright MGM
We finally get to see Morticia. She's tending to her plants. Carolyn Jones played this role really well. She also set how the role would be played later , she brings a mixture good natured charm, and an appeal of beauty. In the series she does things you see wives do in a sitcom, but only to a point, she has tons of hobbies and interests. Here in this episode, she was working with her scary plants and defers Mr. Hillard to her husband as he takes the matters of law up in the household.
My plant hasn't fallen for a man in a long time/ Copyright MGM
But first we get to meet Lurch, the family butler. Ted Cassidy owns this role. He's imposing and dominating in away that none of the other characters are. He's not mean, but doesn't feel like someone you'd want to be mean to. He will be shown having a creative side and a very kind side through the series. Cassidy's voice is also prefect.
There's a man behind me isn't there?/ Copyright MGM
Gomez Addams is whom Hillard meets next. The Gomez character introduction is fun, he's playing a model train and wants them to crash and does that. He has a child like wonder to him and playfulness as a character. He, to me , seems to be the happiest character in the series. John Astin really makes this character, in fact, he's the one that made up the name Gomez for the character. He's a big character in how much he beams with energy. You first see him and he takes up the entire scene just by existing and his mannerisms.
I watch CNN for the fires/ copyright MGM
The episode does have a plot, but it's kind of just here to have Hillard react to the Addams Family. It's very much an introduction episode, it's even passing us along between the characters to introduce them to the audience. Probably since a lot of the audience might have not been readers of The New Yorker.
Another fun part is that the Addamses are rich, but that also works to be a good reason why they are able to just have plots at the house all the time and not have to have a bunch of sets and things. While, the episode is giving a tour of the house. The show may have paid a price later for not being in color, but it helps the show alot. The real set we see in black and white and it does give the show an ascetic, but the real house was pink and stuff.
Average house in the 1960's
Hillard runs away after he thinks Fester who is playing throwing knives was planning to actually get him. He goes to the officials begs not to go back. He wants the Addams kids left a alone. The earlier episodes don't have the Gomez falling for Morticia speaking French running gag. They are a very closely romantic couple from the start. It's a very sweet believable love they have for each other. Interestingly, a breath of fresh-air even from series on at the same time. The Munsters , a series I've so far not wanted to mention in this post, because the two shows are even sometimes confused for each other, and called copies, has a couple that does love each other, but there are plots that causes friction. The aforementioned Bewitched runs on the idea of contrasting couple of a man who really just doesn't want anything to do with a the witch stuff his wife brings in as a driving conflict. The Flintstones took the route of being a show where the husband and wife fighting or the husband doing something and getting worried about getting in trouble with the wife to heights. This show doesn't do that.
They have a genuine warm with each other. The show's writing doesn't say he is smarter than her or that she is smarter than him, or have them give a snide remark or joke about each other. It makes the show stand out even now for sitcom couples. The idea of a show where the husband and wife are invested in each other and like what the other does, lets them be themselves and still sweet and supportive, oddly being the one where the family that is odd and seen as scary makes one think. (The Big Think) If you liked the 1991 movie, and you liked how they are there, this series is a reason why. Lot of Addams Family in media owes this series a lot , because this , more than the comics, set what it was and the characterizations and names.
I also love how this show gives the Harpsichord the love it needs. Morticia thinks it would be alright to send the kids to school. Gomez doesn't like the idea, he thinks they well under the family homeschooling. She is easily able to convince him. I like Miss Comstock and Gomez's interaction because he's playing something straight and literally and she thinks it's a joke and plays along.
Another thing in this series, is how the parents are with the kids. They are very supportive of their kids' hobbies and things. Gomez in this episode doesn't want them to even go to school because he'll miss them. He waits for them like a dog at the door, for them come home. It's different from shows where it's kids vs parents and sometimes the parents being annoyed by the children.
Wednesday had a bad day at school. Because? Well, a fairy tale story where a dragon gets killed. The parents are also angered and want to do something about it. The Addamses want to see Mr. Hillard again, because they like him. He doesn't like them.
It is a funny show, I do have to point that out. The humor is very much on the reactions of non Addams family members interacting with the family, but there are good funny moments with the family themselves. Of course, Hillard thinking they are going to kill him is really funny. Though, would be a different kind of show. Gomez and Morticia talk to him about the book and saying it's violent. I like how they are mad that Hansel and Gretel kill an "innocent old woman".
I wonder if they would have liked the original version of Cinderella/ Copyright MGM
Uncle Fester and Grandmama don't stand out as much in this first episode. They don't want to throw too much at as in the first place. With Gomez, Morticia, the kids, they all pretty much could walk down the street and one wouldn't think too much about their appearance in a passing glance. Lurch stands out, but Uncle Fester is the most stand out of the main cast. He's hairless, kind of hunched over, has an interesting figure to him. His eyes are sunken, he's an eccentric and can do interesting things like stick a light bulb in his mouth and power it. Even though he looks like that he's kind and caring.
In this series he's Morticia's Uncle and seems to hang out alot with Grandmama who is Gomez's mother. In future media, they seem to make Fester related to Gomez, instead. I like the concept of him being related to Morticia more. Having each of them having a relative live with them is neat.
Uncle Fester is a very memorable character and for good reason. A little bit more he was played by Jackie Coogan. Coogan was an early child actor in the 1920's and there's a long detailed history about him. There's a whole law that's named for him because of what happened to his money thanks to his mom and step father. That would be too long for this post. For this role, Coogan was first rejected for the role, but he went home shaved his head, and tried again. Which is bold. He makes the part
Do You Remember Him ? This is him now, feel old yet?
If the internet existed in 1965.
Grandmama wasn't in the first episode that much, neither was Fester, but she was pretty neat. I like her almost witch like actions and movements. Blossom Rock does a great job with her.
That was the first episode, it just kind of ends with Mr. Hillard just running off and probably gone mad. The introduction to the Addams Family is entertaining. I do wonder what people in 1964 watching that night would have thought of the show, like a first reaction. This is an important show to the lore of the Addams Family, many of the hallmarks people know of them come from this exact show. While the show is does show the time it's made -all shows do- it also feels timeless in it's own way. A family that ,in a sense, rejects what we consider normal but also isn't heavily in disfunction or overly syrupy sweet.
This series ran for 2 seasons from 1964 to 1966 and amassed 64 episodes. Even with that lower number it was able to make it to reruns. (instead of the typical 100) The series was probably hampered by the idea of the networks wanting to go full color. I think that this series probably wouldn't have been as appealing in color. It did have a long lasting legacy.
In 1972, the family comes back to TV in a crossover with Scooby Doo, which led them to have their own animated series in '73. Which even had some of the live-action cast as voices in the series. The crossover had most of the cast, but the cartoon did swap out John Astin and Carolyn Jones. They had a Halloween Reunion special in 1977. The movies came out in the 90's, which brought on new founded interest into the characters. There was a new animated series that ran in 1992 and 1993. Even a new live-action show in 1998 from YTV and Fox Family called "The New Addams Family". In more recent times there have been two animated movies and a Netflix series based on Wednesday.
There's a lot owed to this show happening in the first place. Happy 60th!
That's it for now, tune in next time when we wonder how does wolfman get born?
No comments:
Post a Comment