# Anybody Remember the "Addams Family"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 26, 2004, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-the-addams-family/226132 "2004-01-26T09:29:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-the-addams-family/226132/21 "2004-01-27T15:40:00Z")
I always dug how they’d pull the cord, gong would sound, Lurch would immediately step into the scene, growl “You rang?”, get some inane request from Gomez, and roll his eyes and grumble “uhrrrrrrrr…” Domp de domdomdomdomp de domdomdomdomp click click ---
**Author:** ![Adjustable\_Beavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Adjustable\_Beavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adjustable_Beavis)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-the-addams-family/226132/22 "2004-01-27T17:25:19Z")
No one has mentioned “Grand Ma-ma” yet. Anyone remember who’s grandmum or mom she was? I used to love Uncle Fester running out with that old blunderbus… “I’ll shoot 'em the back!!” ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-the-addams-family/226132/23 "2004-01-27T18:08:39Z")
> [@Odinoneeye](#): > > Considering the number of odd stuffed creatures in the house, possibly one of their ancestors was a famous explorer. My favorite was the two-headed giant tortoise. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-the-addams-family/226132/24 "2004-01-27T18:53:03Z")
> [@rocking chair](#): > > you aren’t truely living unless you have a butler like lurch. what a guy. > > i am amazed that he was also thing and was able to fold himself under tables and whatnots. i believe he holds the title as tallest actor in series tv. AFICT, that would be 7’2" Richard Kiel. 6’9" Ted Cassidy is third after 7’ [Carel Struycken](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0835393/). ---
**Author:** ![Drogulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Drogulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drogulus)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-the-addams-family/226132/25 "2004-01-27T19:18:55Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > One question I never did think about as a kid, what was the source of the Addam’s family wealth? I mean, they were rolling in it, where did it come from? IIRC, in one episode Gomez said it came from his tapioca mines on Mount Everest. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-the-addams-family/226132/26 "2004-01-27T23:12:39Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I think Lurch was some sort of Frankenstein’s monster. > > I liked the movie, too. Not great, but they did a good job of capturing the feel of both the TV show and the cartoons that inspired it. No, Lurch was human. One of the shows was that hoary old plot where Lurch told his mother he owned the house. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2004, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-the-addams-family/226132/27 "2004-01-28T01:03:33Z")
i’m not counting tv guest appearances. i am blinded by my lurch luv. day in, day out, week in, week out, series actor. i only consider ted cassidy the true lurch. those other guys were perhaps distant lurch relations that would stand in for lurch when he went on butler conventions and the ilk. i always thought grand mama was blood related to gomez. gomez and morticia were very racy for that era of tv. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2004, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-the-addams-family/226132/28 "2004-01-28T02:22:45Z")
IIRC From the 2 parter in which Gomez and Moricia tell the children how they met and fell in love- Morticia’s maiden name is Frump. Her mother (name escapes me) was played by the actress best known as the Wicked Witch Of The West. Fester is also a Frump. M’Ma is Gomez’s mother. Itt is Gomez’s cousin (Gomez gets out of marrying Morticia’s sister Ophelia, by introducing her to Itt.) For all things Addams, I recommend The Addams Chronicles by Stephen Cox. As I’ve posted once before, I have a can of stewed tomatoes autographed by John Astin (He played Dr Gangrene in a few films in the Killer Tomato series, and the saturday morning cartoon). Not content with simply writing his name, he drew a Seal Of Disapproval and numerous warnings not to open the can or eat the contents. He was wacky, boisterous, and one heck of a nice guy. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2004, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-the-addams-family/226132/29 "2004-01-28T02:45:04Z")
Caroline Jones (who was, btw, one of the most stunningly beautiful women ever) also played Morticia’s sister, Ophelia Frump, with the long blond pigtails and judo mastery. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2004, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-the-addams-family/226132/30 "2004-01-28T02:47:08Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > One question I never did think about as a kid, what was the source of the Addam’s family wealth? I mean, they were rolling in it, where did it come from? I always heard Gomez had made a “killing” in the stock market. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2004, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-the-addams-family/226132/31 "2004-01-28T03:47:12Z")
> [@rocking chair](#): > > i’m not counting tv guest appearances. Then Mr. Struycken can be discounted. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2004, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-the-addams-family/226132/32 "2004-01-28T04:57:31Z")
I loved the show! I saw it first on Cable TV. Some trivia I remember: \*Uncle fester was none other than Jackie Coogan, he was famous first as the child in “The Kid” from Charles Chaplin \*The Lurch actor was also Thing! \*In the cartoons, Thing was actually a severed head! The producers of the TV show changed it to a hand, a less gruesome character! One favorite scene: In the episode Gomez got amnesia, he becomes a “normal” person! Morticia recommended something to drink that was disgusting as usual, but Gomez then requested from Lurch… a glass of milk! (Paraphrased) Lurch: (in a grunt): Miilk!?!? Gomez: Yes, you know? the white stuff in bottles? Lurch: (really insulted/worried) From… a _COW_?!?!? Gomez: Yes, and just a little bit warm! Lurch: (very slow and disgusted) Uuuuughhhh…… ---
**Author:** ![Patr100](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@Patr100](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patr100)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2004, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-the-addams-family/226132/33 "2004-01-28T11:22:43Z")
> [@Jeff Olsen](#): > > AFICT, that would be 7’2" Richard Kiel. 6’9" Ted Cassidy is third after 7’ [Carel Struycken](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0835393/). All three have the medical condition Acromegaly which accounts fro their great height. Also gave Lurch his deep voice due to thickening of the vocal chords. Ted Cassidy was the android “Rock” in the early (original) Star Trek episode “What are little Girls made of?” ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2004, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-the-addams-family/226132/34 "2004-01-28T11:42:22Z")
One of my favorite scenes is when Pugsley starts acting like a normal boy and they take him to a psychiatrist. The Dr. tells them to indulge his whims and he’ll grow out of it. When he comes to visit, they tell him to look at all the gastly stuff. Not looking at each other, Morticia picks up a baseball bat with a look of revusion and the Dr. looks at the two headed toroise. Each talks about how gastly the things in the house are. And I’ve noticed no one has mentioned Cleopatra yet. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2004, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-the-addams-family/226132/35 "2004-01-28T15:31:29Z")
**Patr100** , Carel Struycken, who you and others mentioned, played Lurch in the movies. On television Struycken played the recurring role of Mr Hom, Lwaxanna Troi’s servant, on ST-TNG. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2004, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-the-addams-family/226132/36 "2004-01-28T20:36:17Z")
> [@Patr100](#): > > All three have the medical condition Acromegaly which accounts fro their great height. Also gave Lurch his deep voice due to thickening of the vocal chords. Didn’t know it affects the vocal cords. I guess 6’8" Brad Garrett, most likely the tallest actor currently on TV as a series regular, has it as well. Thanks to **Baker** , I just remembered an NBA star played a Klingon once. Who was that? ::tried Google::[James Worthy](http://www.basketballreference.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=WORTHJA01). ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2004, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-the-addams-family/226132/37 "2004-01-28T23:37:42Z")
i had forgotten about the star trek gig. mr cassidy will still be no1 with me. odinneeye, there was an episode where morticia goes incognito wearing a suit, tights, and heels. good grief, did morticia hate that! carolyn jones was a very beautiful woman. esp. when sharing a screen with mr astin. her looks were one of the reasons i never warmed up to ms huston in the movies. perhaps they should have gone with ms kidman. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-the-addams-family/226132.md?page=1)