# What was Gomez Addams? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 29, 2005, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-gomez-addams/337644 "2005-12-29T22:41:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-gomez-addams/337644/41 "2015-08-31T00:49:03Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Didn’t Morticia have “octopus legs” or something? [That was her dress.](http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/addamsfamily/images/4/4f/MorticiaAddams.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090503052145) But you never can tell for sure [from the cartoons](http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/27/c27975cb-2698-5397-baf4-1e824f917401/4e7b5819b2b0d.preview-1024.jpg?resize=620%2C483). ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-gomez-addams/337644/42 "2015-08-31T01:09:29Z")
The Addamses are what Goths are pretending/aspiring to be. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-gomez-addams/337644/43 "2015-08-31T01:16:26Z")
Hmmm… from widipeia: _Morticia is described as a witch; she is slim, with extremely pale skin and long flowing straight black hair. In one episode she is seen wearing a black pointed hat._ It also notes that in the cartoons, none of the family members had names, so this may be more representative of the TV show. And note that her mother is named “Hester”, harkening back to Hester Prynne (not a witch, but colonial MA). ---
**Author:** ![C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C.Montgomery_Burns)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-gomez-addams/337644/44 "2015-08-31T01:22:08Z")
I always thought Gomez was like a creepily insane version of Groucho Marx, and the rest of the family were likewise all insane. ---
**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:** [August 31, 2015, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-gomez-addams/337644/45 "2015-08-31T02:46:06Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > It also notes that in the cartoons, none of the family members had names, so this may be more representative of the TV show. Also from [Wiki:](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gomez_Addams) > [@](#): > > When The Addams Family 1964 television series was being developed, Charles Addams suggested naming the character either Repelli or Gomez. Addams left the final choice up to portrayer John Astin, who chose Gomez.[2] > [@](#): > > Like the other members of the family, Gomez’s personality became largely codified by the television series.[1] Gomez is descended from Castilian royalty and British aristocracy.[3] Charles Addams’ description for the series went like this: > > > [@](#): > > > > “ Husband to Morticia (if indeed they are married at all) … a crafty schemer, but also a jolly man in his own way … though sometimes misguided … sentimental and often puckish — optimistic, he is in full enthusiasm for his dreadful plots … is sometimes seen in a rather formal dressing gown … the only one who smokes.[4] ” > > > > — Charles Addams > > John Astin had long sessions with Addams and series producer David Levy, who gave him free rein in developing the character. Enlarging on Addam’s description of Gomez as a Latin lover type, Astin suggested the eye-rolling, pencil moustache, and ardent devotion to Morticia.[5] So in the cartoons Gomez was nothing in particular, just an odd looking character. He became a “latin lover” in the TV show. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-gomez-addams/337644/46 "2015-08-31T03:10:53Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Was Lurch a blood relative? Lurch’s mother appeared in the TV show. She was a feisty little spitfire played by Ellen Corby. Lurch had written to her and pretended to be the master of the household, so when she visited, Gomez and Morticia pretended to be the butler and maid so that Lurch wouldn’t be embarrassed. Mama Lurch was dissatisfied with their performances and dismissed them. ---
**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:** [August 31, 2015, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-gomez-addams/337644/47 "2015-08-31T03:17:57Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Lurch’s mother appeared in the TV show. She was a feisty little spitfire played by Ellen Corby. Lurch had written to her and pretended to be the master of the household, so when she visited, Gomez and Morticia pretended to be the butler and maid so that Lurch wouldn’t be embarrassed. Mama Lurch was dissatisfied with their performances and dismissed them. [Mama Lurch.](http://cdn.static.ovimg.com/episode/231549.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-gomez-addams/337644/48 "2015-08-31T04:13:26Z")
> [@scotandrsn](#): > > . . . I have to say that I’m sorry that the wide-eyed freak who was always staring down on the goings on from an upper floor was not included in the show. As long as we’re updating an old thread…in fact, yes, that character was the basis for “Thing.” That character was named “Thing” or “The Thing.” (Shame on the movies for formalizing that the hand was disembodied. I always preferred the slight aura of ambiguity involved. The hand might have belonged to someone hiding behind a wall or under a table.) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-gomez-addams/337644/49 "2015-08-31T04:19:20Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > (Shame on the movies for formalizing that the hand was disembodied. I always preferred the slight aura of ambiguity involved. The hand might have belonged to someone hiding behind a wall or under a table.) Of course it was someone hiding behind a wall or under a table, but they did it well. Thing would jump from box to hole almost instantly creating a different effect than can be achieved with the disembodied hand. I preferred to think of the box as another dimension with portals to our own. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-gomez-addams/337644/50 "2015-08-31T04:40:08Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Of course it was someone hiding behind a wall or under a table, but they did it well. More specifically, it was Ted Cassidy’s hand. Most of the time, Cassidy used his right hand, but from time to time, he would switch to his left hand just to see if people were paying attention. For those times both Lurch and Thing were in the same scene, a stagehand would play the part of Thing. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-gomez-addams/337644/51 "2015-08-31T04:53:04Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > Well, the sets were better, too. And a much, much hotter mom. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-gomez-addams/337644/52 "2015-08-31T05:52:44Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Other than better writing, better acting, and better casting, you mean? 🙂 And a better message: The Munsters was about denying your nature in order to fit in; The Addams Family was about embracing your differences. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-gomez-addams/337644/53 "2015-08-31T10:07:12Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > And a better message: The Munsters was about denying your nature in order to fit in; The Addams Family was about embracing your differences. Neither family believed themselves to be different from everybody else. That is the central joke of both shows. The Munsters thought themselves a typical blue collar family. The Addamses had inherited wealth and lived more lavishly, but still did not consider themselves different from their neighbors. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-gomez-addams/337644/54 "2015-08-31T11:39:17Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Lurch’s mother appeared in the TV show. She was a feisty little spitfire played by Ellen Corby. Lurch had written to her and pretended to be the master of the household, so when she visited, Gomez and Morticia pretended to be the butler and maid so that Lurch wouldn’t be embarrassed. Mama Lurch was dissatisfied with their performances and dismissed them. I loved that episode, especially when Gomez (training Lurch to act thhe part) presumed to tell Lurch the “right” way to read the newspaper. _“Not the funnies, Lurch, old boy; you want the stock market listings!”_ And Lurch’s perfect retort: a cold stare and “I _LIKE_ the funnies.” Honestly, Ted Cassidy delivered every line he ever got just exquisitely. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-gomez-addams/337644/55 "2015-08-31T11:41:29Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > And a much, much hotter mom. You can sy that again. Although, I was impressed as hell the time Lily sat down with a harp to play and sing _Shenandoah_. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-gomez-addams/337644/56 "2015-08-31T12:51:37Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > And a much, much hotter mom. Morticia was presented as a more overtly sexual character than Lily Munster, it is true. However, Yvonne De Carlo was [smoking hot](http://www.flickriver.com/photos/28326190@N08/5916853038/). Her character’s make-up and costume, alas, obscured that she was a beautiful woman. Carolyn Jones, also a hottie, had the benefit of a costume that accentuated her charms. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-gomez-addams/337644/57 "2015-08-31T12:52:49Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > And a much, much hotter mom. Here’s a link to a Thread I started as I was re-watching the show a few years back: [1964 Gomez and Morticia Addams: Horniest television couple to date?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=395985) …in which Thread, I said: > [@1964 Gomez and Morticia Addams: Horniest television couple to date?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1964-gomez-and-morticia-addams-horniest-television-couple-to-date/380164/1): > > When Morticia got horny, Carolyn Jones could do this thing with her eyes that told the audience that all the blood had just rushed to her vulva. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-gomez-addams/337644/58 "2015-08-31T14:20:44Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Tell me about it. I started to quote my own post, upthread, to agree with it and then I noticed the user-name. 🙂 I always get kinda pissed when I don’t realize it’s a zombie, and I want to post a response and as I’m scrolling through, I see that some doofus already said it… and it was me… ---
**Author:** ![Gothic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Gothic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gothic)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-gomez-addams/337644/59 "2015-08-31T17:16:17Z")
These days I see Gomez as a Dorian Gray character. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-gomez-addams/337644/60 "2015-08-31T17:22:11Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Morticia was presented as a more overtly sexual character than Lily Munster, it is true. However, Yvonne De Carlo was [smoking hot](http://www.flickriver.com/photos/28326190@N08/5916853038/). Her character’s make-up and costume, alas, obscured that she was a beautiful woman. Carolyn Jones, also a hottie, had the benefit of a costume that accentuated her charms. Take a look at[these](http://www.flickriver.com/photos/28326190@N08/tags/yvonnedecarlo/) other pics of Yvonne De Carlo. Out of character, Carolyn Jones had nothing on Yvonne. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-gomez-addams/337644.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-gomez-addams/337644.md?page=4)