Creepy Facts About The Addams Family That Fans Will Love
Who doesn’t adore the spooky family? What started out as a comic strip in a newspaper has turned into a TV show and multiple movies that are all globally adored. The Addams family started in 1938s as a one-panel cartoon in The New Yorker by Charles Addams. The gothic comedy comic became a TV show later on in 1964 and this family has been around ever since. Whether it’s a movie, a TV show, or an animated film inspired by the comic, The Addams family is just as relevant now as it almost a century ago. Like many things in life, there is plenty that you might not know about the morbid family. So, we’re going to take a look at some kooky and spooky facts about the Addams family.
The Characters Had No Names
Up until the TV show was made, the characters in the Addams family had no names. While Charles Addams did suggest a few names for some of the characters, they didn’t come to be until the sitcom was in the making. While most of the names were decided by Charles, the name Wednesday was not. Her name was given to her by a toy-making company. They created the name based on an old nursery rhyme, ‘Monday’s Child’. In it, Wednesday’s child is said to be ‘full of woe’.
Manic Astin
John Astin, who played Gomez in the iconic sitcom, created a specific expression for Gomez. That slightly manic look that he had was inspired by his early years living in a rough part of New York City. That’s when he discovered that if he’d act insane on the walk to the subway, he would be left alone. So, he used that for his character, and we must say, it was perfectly fitting!
Cousin It
Cousin It is the only character that wasn’t created by Charles Addams. Producer David Levy suggested the character and so, Charles Addams drew the character for the show. Unlike the other family members, It didn’t live in the mansion with them, but he still had his own room whenever he came to visit.
Gibberish
We all know how no one but the family could understand what Cousin It ever said. The way he spoke sounded a lot like gibberish, so to create his voice, a producer would speak nonsense into a tape recorder. Then, they would play it back at high speed.
Strange Pets
It’s no surprise that the family had some odd choices for pets. They had a pet lion named Kitty Cat, Pugsley had an octopus named Aristotle and Wednesday had a black widow spider named Homer and an anole named Lucifer.
The Correct Shade
The original show was shot in black and white. So, in order to get the right shades of grey and black to show up on the screen, the sets were painted shades of pink and red. The complete opposite of what you’d think!
Lined Pockets
One of Gomez’s familiar traits was his love of smoking cigars. He would place lit cigars in his jacket pockets. In reality, you’d expect that to be a rather difficult feat to pull off without burning the suit. To prevent his suit from burning, the prop department lined his jacket pockets with asbestos. You can imagine how that wouldn’t work nowadays.
