Top 10 Darkest Things You Didn't Know About the Addams Family

WatchMojo

They're creepy, they're kooky, and they're harboring some mysterious secrets! Join us as we uncover the macabre truths lurking behind America's most ghoulish family. From demolished mansions to asbestos-lined pockets, these spine-tingling facts will make you see the beloved characters in a whole new light!

Transcript

00:00Eye of newt and toe of frog, wool of bat and polywog.

00:06Stop, stop, you're making me hungry.

00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we'll be looking at the most interesting tidbits surrounding our favorite macabre family.

00:15May I have the salt?

00:19What do we say?

00:22Now.

00:25Number 10. The Addams Family House Was Real.

00:28While the mansion the Addams Family resided in definitely looked like it was built on a soundstage, it wasn't.

00:35You mean you want to come in?

00:37If you don't mind.

00:41The creepy dwelling was a real house.

00:44Located on 21 Chester Place in Los Angeles, the house was used solely for exterior shots.

00:50The crew did spook it up a bit with props and special effects, including a third floor tower, which gave it a more Victorian aesthetic.

00:57Sadly, you can't actually visit the house today.

01:01We really ought to buy another house, just for emergencies like this.

01:06Since it was technically part of Mount St. Mary's College, the school tore down the home in order to build a parking lot.

01:12They literally tore down spooktacular paradise and put in a parking lot.

01:17But that's ridiculous. How can you get fired from your own home?

01:20That's an interesting question.

01:21Number 9. The Addams Family Made Their First Animated Appearance On Scooby-Doo

01:27It's pretty fitting that the members of Mystery Incorporated would be the ones to introduce the Addams Family.

01:32I think we'd better be leaving.

01:34Leaving, whatever for?

01:36Both groups are used to being around ghosts and creepy crawlies, although admittedly in different contexts.

01:52That does it. I don't know about the Addams Family, but the Shaggy Family is ready to split.

01:57In 1972, Hanna-Barbera presented the Addams to the Scooby gang in a fun little narrative

02:02that gave Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby quite the mystery to solve.

02:08Where is Wednesday Addams?

02:10Look! Wednesday! She's gone!

02:14Someone left a note!

02:15The crossover was such a hit that the Addams ended up getting their very own Saturday morning cartoon the following year in 1973.

02:22Number 8. The idea for the 1991 live-action movie came from a car ride.

02:29Once you get the Addams Family theme song stuck in your head, it's nearly impossible to get it out.

02:36They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky.

02:40It's so catchy that it's actually the reason why the 1991 film exists in the first place.

02:46To live without you, only that would be torture.

02:49Scott Rudin, who was the head of production for 20th Century Fox at the time,

02:53was riding in a van with other company executives when one of the executive's children started to sing the theme song.

03:00Everyone in the van joined in for a sing-along, which sparked an idea.

03:04What if they brought the Addams Family back?

03:06And the rest is movie history.

03:08How long has it been since we've waltzed?

03:12Oh, Gomez.

03:18Ours.

03:20Number 7. Anthony Hopkins was almost Uncle Fester in the 1991 movie.

03:25In an alternate timeline somewhere, Hannibal Lecter and Uncle Fester are one and the same.

03:30Haven't you ever slaughtered anyone?

03:33He's only a child.

03:34No excuse!

03:36Aim for a major archery.

03:38That juggler!

03:39While we all know and love Christopher Lloyd as Fester,

03:42it was Anthony Hopkins who was originally tapped to play the character.

03:46Hopkins would have to turn down the role though,

03:49opting instead to play Hannibal Lecter after none other than Sean Connery passed on it.

03:53So, the oddball character of Fester then went to Lloyd,

03:57who was better known at the time as Doc Brown from Back to the Future.

04:01Calm down, Marty. I didn't disintegrate anything.

04:03The molecular structure of both Einstein and the car are completely intact.

04:07Hopkins went on to win an Oscar for his performance as the sinister Lecter,

04:11and Lloyd's take on Fester perfectly fit the character.

04:15So we figure things worked out for the best.

04:18Have you been having a good time?

04:19Yes, I have.

04:21It was marvelous.

04:23I sang up a storm and danced till I dropped a mouska!

04:30Number 6.

04:31Angelica Houston studied Grey Gardens to play Morticia.

04:35Although Houston had been acquainted with the Charles Adams comics,

04:38she didn't grow up watching the TV series.

04:41So she decided to turn to a rather different form of inspiration for her role as Morticia,

04:46Grey Gardens.

04:47The infamous 1975 documentary follows the aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy,

04:52who lived in a horribly filthy mansion.

04:56Stop that silly nonsense! Quit it!

04:58I can't have any fun.

04:59Go away! You had enough fun all your life.

05:02I never had a minute's fun, not a minute!

05:04Their strange behavior certainly seemed to fit with the Adams,

05:08so it's understandable why Houston would choose to do her homework on them.

05:11Interestingly, Cher was also looking to cop the role,

05:28but producer Scott Rudin had his sights set on Houston.

05:31I was so proud.

05:33Weren't we all?

05:35Wednesday, play with your food.

05:37Number 5.

05:38Gomez's Crazed Expression

05:40One of the most memorable parts of John Astin's take on Gomez Adams was his manic expression.

05:46Something strange is coming over me.

05:48What?

05:50For the first time in my life,

05:53my sinuses are clear!

05:54In the original comics, Gomez didn't have a frenzied face.

05:58The crazed look can be accredited to Astin himself,

06:02but he actually didn't come up with it exclusively for the role.

06:05Prior to becoming a hotshot actor,

06:07Astin lived in a rather questionable area of New York City.

06:11His act insane bit was sort of a survival mechanism

06:14to get people to leave him alone on his walks home.

06:17Dr. Adams has work to do.

06:19Darling, you always come up with such practical solutions.

06:23Since Gomez is also a bit unbalanced,

06:26the actor drew from his NYC experiences for his character's signature look.

06:30Friends, Romans, countrymen, that's it!

06:33Number 4.

06:34Ted Cassidy Played Two Roles

06:36You rang?

06:38While Ted Cassidy is mostly known for playing the Adams' solemn butler Lurch,

06:43that wasn't the only character he played in the show.

06:46Well, we always think of you as one of the family, Lurch.

06:49A servant.

06:50Very good servant.

06:53Cassidy also lent a hand, literally, and played Thing.

06:58So whenever you say Thing on screen, yep, that's Cassidy's hand.

07:02Unless, of course, Thing and Lurch were in the same scene together.

07:06When that was the case, associate producer Jack Vogelin would substitute.

07:09It's unfair.

07:11Thank you, Thing.

07:19While it's rather tricky to give something like a hand so much life,

07:23Cassidy managed to do so expertly.

07:25His two characters also had very opposing personalities,

07:29which is quite the testament to the actor's range.

07:32What can I do?

07:33You're a real friend thing.

07:48Number 3.

07:49John Astin's suit pockets were lined with asbestos.

07:52Another quirk of Gomez Adams was his penchant for cigars,

07:56which he never bothered to put out in an ashtray.

07:59Instead, they went in his suit pockets, still lit.

08:02Darling, you are nervous.

08:06Perhaps a little fencing will make you relax.

08:09Since this, first and foremost, is a fire hazard,

08:12the props department lined Astin's suit pockets with asbestos

08:15to help out with the character's habit.

08:17While this bit of movie magic is definitely a little risky,

08:21it's also brilliantly unconventional and seemed to work well enough.

08:25Oh, darling, are you sure I'm ready for this?

08:29You gotta eat it.

08:30I've taught you all my mastery of the bullwhip.

08:32Surely flicking the ash off a cigar should be child's play.

08:35Interestingly, Astin himself was a cigar smoker,

08:38so perhaps having a convenient place to put them out was helpful for the actor.

08:43Mr. Hans, sit down.

08:47Miriam, you're smoking.

08:49Oh, no, I see for later.

08:53Number 2.

08:54The theme song is just multiple tracks of the same singer.

08:57Vic Mizzy was the genius who wrote the iconic Addams Family theme song.

09:02And not only did he write it, he also sang all three parts of it.

09:06They really are a scream, the Addams Family.

09:10The studio was eager to cut costs at every corner,

09:13so Mizzy was the only musician they hired.

09:16In order to solve this conundrum,

09:17the composer multi-tracked his voice to give the illusion of a trio of singers.

09:22Overnight becomes a smash.

09:26Show.

09:27Big.

09:28And everybody's gone around saying,

09:29did you see the Addams Family with the music?

09:32Da-da-da-da.

09:33The end results are crazy impressive,

09:35and definitely had us fooled through the decades.

09:38Mizzy, if you're curious,

09:39is also responsible for the Green Acres theme.

09:42Green Acres is the place to be.

09:46Before we continue,

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10:02Number 1.

10:03Teen Girls Loved Lurch.

10:06Lurch, the Addams Family's straight-faced butler,

10:08was originally supposed to be mute.

10:11One day, he ad-libbed the line,

10:14You're right.

10:15which cracked up the director

10:16and got him a more prominent role in the show.

10:19Ted Cassidy would end up receiving endless fan letters

10:22and was even told that he was cuter than the Beatles.

10:25This had to have inspired the episode titled

10:28Lurch, the Teenage Idol,

10:29because its plot actually follows Lurch gaining fame.

10:33Isn't that sweet?

10:36They really love you, Lurch.

10:37He becomes a pop star thanks to his skills on the harpsichord,

10:41but soon decides celebrity life isn't for him

10:43after being mobbed by adoring fans.

10:46Apparently, teen girls are drawn to the strong and not-so-silent type.

10:50Did we miss any altogether ooky facts about the Addams Family?

11:15Let us know in the comments.

11:17Let us know in the comments.

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