Wasn’t Gomez an investor? He had the ticker tape machine–It’s up, it’s really up, it’s going down, it’s really down…John Astin was so great in the role.
Gomez was a lawyer by training. I don’t think he worked much, or at all, since they had a big inherited treasure buried beneath the house somewhere. Probably ill-gotten. In my book, Gomez’s job title would be “wealthy excentric” or “charmingly depraved unselfconsciously gothic gentleman”. But yeah, he had the soul of an engineer - remember his train set?
Morticia’s job was to torture Gomez. “Gomez darling, don’t torture yourself. That’s my job.”
I’d just like to throw in that the names of the Addamses were strictly a TV invention – the characters in the Charles Addams cartoons were never named. And the TV writers did a great job – Pugsley? Lurch? Wednesday? (which I presume to be a reference to “Wednesday’s child is full of woe”) Brilliant.
I believe the names were actually invented by Addams himself at the producers’ request. His original name for Pugsley was Pubert (too risqué for the time) and he offered two choices for the head of the family; John Astin chose Gomez (don’t remember what the other choice was).
This is how I always thought of the two shows as well. When I was a kid I got into a friendly argument about the Munsters vs. the Addamses, and I remember I favored the Addamses because “The Munsters just look weird. The Addams Family actually is weird.”
Despite supposedly being vampires, Lily and Grandpa Munster never seemed to drink anyone’s blood. I don’t think Morticia ever drank blood either, but I have a much easier time imagining her doing so than Lily Munster! But Morticia wouldn’t do it because she needed to, she’d do it because she wanted to. She was just that kind of gal. Lily was more like a regular housewife who forgot to change out of her Halloween costume.
Interesting! (if true – I’ve never heard this before). In the movie sequel “Addams Family Values”, Gomez & Morticia have a baby named…Pubert.
Wednesday Addams may also have been named as a spoof of actressTuesday Weld.
There was definitely a sadomasochistic thing going on. The Munsters were wholesome; the Addamses definitely not.
Walloon - I can’t believe I never made the Tuesday Weld connection before. Nice.
Here is a cite.
I wonder: if they ever were to meet, would the Addamses like the Munsters? Or would they look on them as a bunch of poseurs? And would the Munsters be as freaked out by the Addamses as everyone else is?
[QUOTE=Nonsuch]
I wonder: if they ever were to meet, would the Addamses like the Munsters? Or would they look on them as a bunch of poseurs?QUOTE]
Nonsuch! You spoke French!
Aw, man, that’s twice in one thread I’ve mucked up the coding on the quotes. :smack:
But the character’s name is Addams, so barring unusual circumstances*, though, he wouldn’t be Hispanic, which gives the name “Gomez” a similar “off-the-wall” value as the other names. Moreover, is “Gomez” ever a first name IRL?
*Yet, I know it can happen. I once knew a half-Chinese/half Filipino person whose last name was Gargantos. You’d think that it must have been his mother who was Chinese, with so many Filipinos having Spanish names, but it was his father who was named Gargantos, and was Chinese.
Gomez: “They say that a man who represents himself in court has a fool for a client. And with God as my witness, I am that fool!”
Re: is he Spanish?
“Tish, when you speak French, you set my Castilian blood on fire!”
So, I’d say yes, at least in ancestry.
The Addamses seem to like most everybody. Part of it is probably the fact they think everybody is like them, and take insults/declarations of horror as compliments.
The Munsters…would be freaked out. They’re normal…aside from being monsters. They’d be as freaked out as much as any other normal person.
I’m too young to have seen the Addams Family TV show, but it’s one of the first movies I remember seeing. I absolutely loved it, and I still do. They did have that detached lunacy about them, they were cooler for not trying to be like everybody else. I did watch The Munsters, but it was basically just another show on Nick at Nite as far as I was concerned.
I must disagree.
The Munsters met several people from “the Old Country”, & got along with them quite well.
But, after some initial cordiality, the Addamses would cool towards the Munsters. Herman’s boisterousness, & the constant bickering would persuade Gomez & Morticia that the Munsters were simply too, too tacky.
Thus, it boils down to Blue Collar vs. White Collar.
The Addams Family had a much better pinball game
I bet Fester and Grandpa would get along well.
Whoa, now THERE’S an idea for a movie. Quick, someone call the Wayans brothers.