Talk:The Addams Family

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Almost the entire Premise section is completely reinterated in the "cast" section. Why don't we move any extra cast info into the respective cast sections and refocus the premise more generally on the family at large.--The_stuart 19:21, 12 August 2005 (UTC)

Not sure why Chrisitina Ricci is the only actress listed next to a character considering the broad range of respected performers who have portrayed Addamses in entertainment history?

Contents

[edit] Grandmama

I know that IMDb lists the woman who played Grandmama as Marie Blake but according to the book 'The Addams Chronicles' by Stephen Cox, published in 1991, she was born Blossom MacDonald. She was the sister of Jeanette MacDonald. She married Clarence Rock in 1926. She took the professional name of Marie Blake in 1937. The IMDb page for her does go into some of this. Finally, to quote from the book "...she settled on Blossom Rock as her legal and professional name in the 1960's. Thus my change to the cast listing on the main page. Should anyone ever edit a page on her here at Wikipedia maybe they can flesh all of this out.MarnetteD | Talk 14:43, 4 Jun 2005 (UTC)

[edit] the new addams family

What about? "the new addams family"

[edit] The House

The Addam's house was built in a 19th century French style of known as "Second Empire." As far as I know there is no style called "Victorian Gothic." There is Gothic Revival which is English ( see Wiki article). The Addam's house is somewhat iconic, so I thought it was worth the correction. The house is a classic example of the American variation on the Second Empire style (very creepy, molder nicely).

If you click on the Wiki link for 'Charles Addams' and click on the External Link at the bottom, you can see a picture of the house that apparently inspired the one in the original New Yorker Cartoon. Does anyone know if the house illustration used in the show was based on a real house?

C.H. Young 13:58, 22 September 2005 (UTC)C.H. Young

[edit] The Film

I wrote an article about the Addams Family Film which has since been deleted as some idiot seems to think that the "The Addams Family(Film)" and "The Addams Family" are the same thing. Grr...

Is there any way to bring the article back? I'm still sort of new to this, and was wondering. They're obviously not the same thing. Couldn't it have been renamed, and so lost?
The article still exists in the History. I'll bring it back and undo the redirect. Wavy G 23:55, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] "New animated show"???

Why is it there are constant references to some "upcoming future animated series" listed here, yet I can't find anything about this so-called new series anywhere on the Internet? IMDB shows nothing, and I searched Google for "Tom Kenny"+Addams and the only things that came up were Wikipedia, a mirror site, and a bunch of unrelated sites? Can somebody verify this new show, before I go ahead and delete all references to it? Love, Wavy G 03:23, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

I warned you. No one spoke up. Going...going...GONE. Wavy G 22:55, 1 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] The Third Film

The continuity and placement of the third film, in between the two, depends on two things: Fester being present and Morticia not yet showing. While neither is untrue, Morticia does not show at all during her pregnancy (part of her mystery), the absence of Pubert would probably grant this, but considering other continuity changes (the house, most significantly) there's really not much that ties the third film two the other two... So I guess I'm saying, the assumption can't really be made that the third video is supposed to happen in the same "universe" as the previous two, considering complete cast changes and the continuity problems described. More likely it was a separate "universe" just as the series, the animated show, and the newer Fox Family show are.Rainman420 04:59, 19 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Character names & the original cartoons

I believe the second name choice for Gomez was "Repelli", not "Repello". At least that is how John Astin recalls in the foreword he wrote to "The Addams Family Chronicles" by Stephen Cox (2nd edition; 1st?). There's also no mention in this book that the choice was pending on whether the character was decided to be Spanish or Italian. Astin says "Gomez" was his preferred choice and nothing else about the decision.

Also I'm a little confused where Grandmama's name: "Eudora" came from. I've also heard "Esmerelda" (also mentioned in the article) and "Griselda" (not mentioned; middle name?). In "The New Addams Family" I do recall her being "Eudora Addams" as mother to Gomez and Fester (again brothers like the movies) and Hester Frump, Morticia's mother's name in the original series, was renamed to "Griselda Frump", which is likely to lose the similarity to "Fester" as they are no longer brother and sister. Is "Eudora" mentioned in the original series? If so was this a name that either Charles Addams gave or approved?

Also it'd be great if anyone knowledgeable about the original cartoon strips and their history were to contribute or even something to the article for Charles Addams, which is still a stub. I only own one book at the moment. Wednesday, from what I've seen, was apparently first given the name "Friday" in the books and Mortica, from what I hear, was the only to have a final name before the show.

Thing or at least what looks to be him in the original comic strips is not a disembodied hand, but something more human. He appears to be a creature that possibly lacks a midsection/torso and legs, wears a robe, and drags itself close to the floor. A Charles Addams comment in "The Addams Family Chronicles" says he imagined Thing as disembodied head, which somewhat matches this description, but didn't think it'd work well for TV. Given how often this creature appears in the original cartoons strips and on book covers (it's hidden in most), it likely is the original Thing. EvilJerk 06:05, 9 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Itt

OK, this article lists Cousin Itt as 3 and 4 feet tall. The "Itt" article lists it as 3 1/2 feet tall, approximately. Which is it for real?

Not sure. There is no consistancy, seeing as how the character appeared in a comic strip, a live-action sitcom, a series of animated shows, and a bunch of movies. Even if there is an answer, I don't know which one is correct. Perhaps it should be reworded "short-statured," since it is merely a fictional character, and there is not likely to be an actual "height" given for him throughout his many appearances. Wavy G 02:07, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Notice to editors

There's a lot of extra information being added to this article regarding the individual characters. A brief description of each character is plenty for the main Addams Family article. Please note that each Addams Family character has their own article (see the template at the bottom of the page), where more in-depth descriptions on the character's should go. If you have something additional to add to a character, please add it to the character's individual article, not here. We already have more than enough enough basic information (descriptions in the "Premise" section, as well as invidual sections on each character at the bottom is borderline overkill) on the characters here. Wavy G 19:59, 24 June 2006 (UTC)

Borderline overkill? This page is a mess! Get pruning, editors! 172.166.13.132 03:40, 28 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Infoboxes

I just added an infobox for the 1960s TV show. Because this article covers multiple media including TV shows and movies, I'm not sure this is the right thing to do, and how to handle all of the releases.

Perhaps there should be TV show infoboxes and movie infoboxes for each release. That might be considered a bit cluttered, though.

Thoughts? Jordan Brown 20:24, 1 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Un-reverting re-org

I'm unreverting Wavy G's reversion of 63.215.28.49's reorg.

Wavy G says in a change comment:

Revert major overhaul of the article. Who is "Wart"? Google doesn't seem to know either. Changes completely unnecessary. Wikipedia is not the place for fan-fiction. Write a blog.

If you look at the before-and-after text, the only part of that comment that's appropriate is "Changes completely unnecessary". I don't know who Wart is either, but he was added to the article on 23 November; in this diff.

That reorg was a pretty pure reorg; I see only two new sentences, added to introduce the "characters" section:

The Addams family consists of Gomez, Morticia, Pusley, Wednesday, Uncle Fetser, Grandmama, who are attended by their butler, Lurch, and their servant, Thing. Another son, Wart, was mentioned, and various houseguests and neighborss also made appearances in the cartoon and the television series that was based on it.

This mentions Wart, but is not the original reference to Wart in the article. He's mentioned here:

The Addamses had a fourth child who never made it in the comics or on screen but was often refered to usually to scare the other 3 children. He was the oldest child called Wart and was an very mean and grumpy child, he was very bad tempered in the mornings that actually didn't end till he went to bed! The Addamses did their best with the child but finally gave him up for adoption when he changed his name to Warren Bailey vowing to one day return to take his rightful place as first child.

Note: I'm *not* the person who made the change in question.

Was the reorg necessary and appropriate? I'm not sure. It does seem a bit more organized, but that's a matter of taste. However, it was clearly not random scribbling, so let's reset a bit and, if necessary, talk about it.

Okay. The reorg is fine; I just saw it as a pretty major change, with no discussion or edit summary. It's hard to see the changes that were made when the whole article is rearranged like that. And I guess the addition of the phoney character came to my attention in the process of the reorg. I was unaware it was here before that. For some reason, this article gets a lot of false information--fan-fiction, or whatever you want to call it. Wavy G 21:04, 4 December 2006 (UTC)
I will remove the references to "Wart" unless someone can provide some source that this is actually a real character. The "never made it in the comics or on screen but was often refered to" comment doesn't help. I should point out that a running gag on the tv series was Gomez referring to his many distant "cousins," which were always named "(Something gross or absurd) Addams." Giving the anon user the benefit of the doubt, this may be what they were thinking of when they came up with "Wart," (if it was not outright vandalism). Wavy G 00:22, 5 December 2006 (UTC)
I have no references for "Wart", and the "Warren Bailey" line doesn't sound like something that would come from the show, so that's OK with me.
I agree that it's hard to track changes in a reorg like that. (Always a problem with text differencers; only a few know how to detect moves.) I figured that you'd made a mistake like that.
Jordan Brown 19:00, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] changes needed

the first thing i notice is that there isn't a page for the addams familt tv show. there should be an individual page for it not as part of this page. also there are two sections that gives bios for each character which are redundant, which are redundant. needs a general clean up too. i feel like a jerk saying all this should be done blah blah blah but i call it when i see it. if you're really into this topic please help improve it. i myself am not. --Tainter 00:02, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

I shall do my best. Wavy G 00:20, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] melding of different versions

I'm most familiar with the old comics, and it was odd to read this and suddenly reach "Gomez has no profession... yada yada ticker tape machine". Of course Wikipedia should cover all the different versions of the Addams Family, but it's confusing and unhelpful to meld them all together. Unfortunately I don't have my old comics on hand, so I'm not sure exactly where to begin sorting them apart. Sorry for suggesting issues for other editors and not actually helping fix them. =( — coelacan talk — 05:44, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the heads up. I went ahead and removed the speculative comment about his profession and the source of their wealth, and moved the rest (stock market, ticker tape machine--basically stuff from the TV series) to the section about Gomez. It is hard to meld all the different versions of the family to make a cohesive description. Wavy G 08:55, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] the plural possessive

A recent editor changed the possessive Addamses’ to Addams’ throughout, but left the nominative Addamses. This is perverse. Since when is a possessive formed by deleting a suffix? —Tamfang 09:22, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

It's not. I reverted, and now I will have to go back and add all the recent changes back in (It is easier than going through and finding which spelling is supposed to be plural, posessive, or otherwise). Wavy G 07:42, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] A(nother) reorganization called for

Why does The Addams Family (TV series) redirect to The Addams Family and why is this article about the cartoon, the series, the films, and more? This article should be a paragraph or so that says "The Addams Family was originally a cartoon that got turned into a series which spawned movies and more" with links to dedicated articles about each of those items. And those dedicated articles should, in turn, reference all the other components in a mere line-with-a-link without going into redundant and distracting detail. The Addams Family (TV series) should be its own independent article specifically about the series. IMO. 68.221.125.196 02:39, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

I'm going to WP:Be bold and split it off. Clarityfiend 02:17, 2 July 2007 (UTC)
Is it just me or is there no article specifically for the animated cartoons? I would think the '90s series would deserve its own article as well as those before it. This article also seems very lengthy. Maybe another article could be created, such as List of Addams Family characters. Obviously, putting more effort into the individual movie and cartoon articles would allow this one could be greatly condensed as well. Cale 07:51, 22 July 2007 (UTC)
I agree, it is very confusing if I am looking for information on the original Charles Addams cartoon, only to discover a lot of stuff from the TV show and movies mixed in. There should be separate articles, with as little cross-contamination as possible.--Edgewise (talk) 14:09, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Pet lion

In the television series, the pet lion is often referred to as "Kitty."

[edit] Cousin Itt drives a Messerschmitt KR-175

I added the following line to the section about Cousin Itt: Cousin Itt drives a 3-wheeled car: a Messerschmitt KR-175[1]. I just saw the movie and was intrigued by the "car" in which Itt drove to the Fester gala dance, and was able to find a page on a 3-wheeler enthusiast website, which named the car. If anyone wants to move the inserted material to a different place in the paragraph or the article, feel free to do so. Hi There 14:42, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Interesting Time-line For Fester

In the beginning of the Addams Family Movie, as Tully Alford walks through the mansion to meet Gomez, he passes by a picture of Fester with a lighted candle. Under the picture is a small plate that says "Uncle Fester 1947-????". This would make Fester 17 when the series originally aired in 1964 and 19 when it went off the air in 1966. Working backwards, the movie was released in 1991, and Fester had been missing for 25 years, that is to say, since 1966 - when he was 19 years old and the original series was canceled! Of course, I am not sure that this needs to be or should be incorporated into the article Hi There 14:47, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

In the WP Uncle Fester article, there is mention of a "book" by "Sharkey" which states that Fester was ordered to report to a Selective Service Center, which could be proof for a draft-age Fester in the mid-60's, but I have not read the book and in fact would rather lose my eyesight than do so, as it seems QUITE stupid Hi There 14:54, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

I have a copy of that book, as a matter of fact. Jack Sharkey wrote some good original Addams Family tales -- not stupid at all but very much in keeping with the spirit of the television series. His portrayal of Wednesday was closer to foreshadowing the film version. I'll have to go look this up to make sure, but I believe Fester received a draft notice by mistake and decided to volunteer. At the induction center, the usual hijinks ensue, the highlight being the guy who pokes Fester's chest and hears a "skwoosh" sound. Finally he revealed his real age (he said he was the spider in the cave with Robert Bruce) and was told he was too old to be in the Army, just so they could get rid of him. --Bluejay Young (talk) 05:54, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Scooby doo episode

Has the scooby doo addams family episode been released on VHS Or DVD? I want to see it again.

67.141.208.122 03:15, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Addams Family Fun-House - Apparent Error/Prank

In late 1972, ABC produced a pilot for a musical variety show titled The Addams Family Fun-House. The cast included Jack Riley and Liz Torres as Gomez and Morticia (the pair also co-wrote the special), Stubby Kaye as Uncle Fester, Pat Riley as Lurch and Butch Patrick as Pugsley. The pilot aired in 1973, but was not picked up for a series.

The article provides a link for Pat Riley to the article for the head coach of the Miami Heat. I can find no evidence that Pat Riley was ever in this show. I have found at least one reference to Pat McCormick playing Lurch in the special, though I cannot find an IMDB page for the show. Riles would have still been a player during the time this show was shot.

Can anybody confirm or disprove this?

--JoeIcarus (talk) 03:39, 19 March 2008 (UTC)