The Addams Family (1973 animated series)
Encyclopedia
The Addams Family is an animated adaptation of the Charles Addams cartoons produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1973.
's first animated appearance was on Episode SDC-3 of Hanna-Barbera's The New Scooby-Doo Movies
, "Scooby-Doo Meets the Addams Family" (a.k.a. "Wednesday is Missing"), which first aired on CBS
Saturday morning
September 23, 1972. John Astin
, Carolyn Jones
, Jackie Coogan
, and Ted Cassidy
returned for the special which involved the Addams Family in a mystery with the Scooby-Doo
gang. The Addams Family characters were drawn to the specifications of the original Charles Addams
comics. After the episode aired, fans wanted more animated adventures featuring the Addamses, and Hanna-Barbera responded in kind.
. In a departure from the original series
, this series took the Addamses on the road in a Victorian-style RV
. This series also marked the point where the relations between characters were retcon
ned so that Fester was now Gomez' brother, and Grandmama was now Morticia's mother (though the old relations would be revisited in the 1977 TV-movie, to keep continuous with the original sitcom). The show also introduces the Addams Family's animal companions Ali the Alligator
and Ocho the Octopus
.
The theme music was mostly different, except for the four-noted tune from the live-action series.
published a 3-issue The Addams Family comic book series between October 1974 and April 1975, boasting stories adapted from episodes of the animated series.
released The Addams Family: The Complete Series on DVD in region 1 via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and only in the US.
Scooby-Doo appearance
The Addams FamilyThe Addams Family
The Addams Family is a group of fictional characters created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. As named by Charles Addams, the Addams Family characters include Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Lurch, Grandmama, Wednesday, Pugsley, and Thing....
's first animated appearance was on Episode SDC-3 of Hanna-Barbera's The New Scooby-Doo Movies
The New Scooby-Doo Movies
The New Scooby-Doo Movies is the second incarnation of the Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!. It premiered on September 9, 1972 and ran for two seasons on CBS as the only hour-long Scooby-Doo series...
, "Scooby-Doo Meets the Addams Family" (a.k.a. "Wednesday is Missing"), which first aired on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
Saturday morning
Saturday Morning
-Album credits:*All tracks produced by Ralph Sall for Bulletproof Recording Company Inc.*Executive Producer/Concept: Ralph Sall for Bulletproof Recording Company Inc.*Engineered by Peter McCabe and Larry Fergusson....
September 23, 1972. John Astin
John Astin
John Allen Astin is an American actor who has appeared in numerous films and television shows, and is best known for the role of Gomez Addams on The Addams Family, and other similarly eccentric comedic characters.-Early years:...
, Carolyn Jones
Carolyn Jones
Carolyn Sue Jones was an American actress.Jones began her film career in the early 1950s, and by the end of the decade had achieved recognition with a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Bachelor Party and a Golden Globe Award as one of the most promising actresses...
, Jackie Coogan
Jackie Coogan
John Leslie Coogan , known professionally as Jackie Coogan, was an American actor who began his movie career as a child actor in silent films. Many years later, he became known as Uncle Fester on 1960s sitcom The Addams Family...
, and Ted Cassidy
Ted Cassidy
Theodore Crawford Cassidy , known as Ted Cassidy, was an American actor who performed in television and films. At 6 ft 9 in in height, he tended to play unusual characters in offbeat or science-fiction series such as Star Trek and I Dream of Jeannie...
returned for the special which involved the Addams Family in a mystery with the Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo is an American media franchise based around several animated television series and related works produced from 1969 to the present day. The original series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, was created for Hanna-Barbera Productions by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears in 1969...
gang. The Addams Family characters were drawn to the specifications of the original Charles Addams
Charles Addams
Charles "Chas" Samuel Addams was an American cartoonist known for his particularly black humor and macabre characters...
comics. After the episode aired, fans wanted more animated adventures featuring the Addamses, and Hanna-Barbera responded in kind.
The Addams Family get their own show
The first animated series ran on Saturday mornings from 1973–1975 on NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. In a departure from the original series
The Addams Family (TV series)
The Addams Family is an American television series based on the characters in Charles Addams' New Yorker cartoons. The 30-minute series was shot in black-and-white and aired for two seasons in 64 installments on ABC from September 18, 1964, to April 8, 1966...
, this series took the Addamses on the road in a Victorian-style RV
Mobile home
Mobile homes or static caravans are prefabricated homes built in factories, rather than on site, and then taken to the place where they will be occupied...
. This series also marked the point where the relations between characters were retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
ned so that Fester was now Gomez' brother, and Grandmama was now Morticia's mother (though the old relations would be revisited in the 1977 TV-movie, to keep continuous with the original sitcom). The show also introduces the Addams Family's animal companions Ali the Alligator
Alligator
An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There are two extant alligator species: the American alligator and the Chinese alligator ....
and Ocho the Octopus
Octopus
The octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...
.
The theme music was mostly different, except for the four-noted tune from the live-action series.
Episode list
| Prod. code |
Title | Air date | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|
| AF-1 | The Addams Family in New York | 8 September 1973 | The Addams Family are offered a bargain: New York City's Central Park. To help them clean it up, they free animals from the zoo, but the policemen come and the Addams' are about to be placed into custody when Gomez produces unexpected proof that he is in fact the rightful owner of Central Park. The park was bequeathed to an ancestor, Van Dyke Addams, and a deed confirms that it is to be passed on to his heirs. But the cops still have a hard time with Gomez's story. |
| AF-2 | Left in the Lurch | 15 September 1973 | The Addams Family go to Nashville in search of dinosaur bones, but find themselves caught up in a pop festival instead. Lurch becomes a lead guitarist and vocalist for the group Freddie and The Frogs, but there is trouble ahead when he encounters a pen pal. |
| AF-3 | Boola Boola | 22 September 1973 | The rare Boola-Boola, it is said, can be found in the Black Lake, and The Addams Family have an exciting time when they join in on the search. But they have more to look for than the Boola-Boola when Ocho the Octopus is kidnapped. |
| AF-4 | The Fastest Creepy Camper in the West | 29 September 1973 | Petroleum shortage promises to be a thing of the past via. Uncle Fester Addams' new invention: "Festerine"—but The Addamses are caught up outwitting Count Evil and The Race Ace. When they succeed at this task, they win a million dollars for their favorite course: Vulture Culture at The Ghoul School Of Dracula University. |
| AF-5 | The Mardi Gras Story | 6 October 1973 | The Addams Family enjoy all the fun and gaiety of Mardis Gras in New Orleans, but it's difficult to recognize them in their funny masks. Tensions mount when a couple of crooks masquerade as Fester and Gomez. |
| AF-6 | Follow That Loaf of Bread | 13 October 1973 | Thing finds himself in trouble when Morticia is baking Eerie Egg Bread and he falls into the mixture. The bread wins a national bakeoff competition before the family knows what's going on. Then they embark on a desperate search for the bread containing Thing. |
| AF-7 | Aloha, Hoolamagoola | 20 October 1973 | The Addams' experience an exciting Hawaiian adventure in which they are mistaken for a stone age tribe: the lost Hoolamagoola, and Ocho Octopus discovers an underwater cave. |
| AF-8 | The Reluctant Astronauts' Trip to the Moon | 27 October 1973 | The Addams Family wins a piece of land on the moon. Preparations arise for a visit to inspect their new possession, and their rocket blasts off with a little help from Uncle Fester. Then comes the problem of trying to find a place to land. |
| AF-9 | The Great Balloon Race | 3 November 1973 | A balloon race is attracting a lot of attention, but Professor Orville Byrd's balloon is sabotaged during its entire route from New York City to Los Angeles by The Nasty Brothers. The Addams' decide to lend a helping hand to the imperiled professor. |
| AF-10 | Ghost Town | 10 November 1973 | Spooks are scaring everyone away from The Old Prodpector's Land and they try to scare off The Addams Family as well when they arrive, to no avail. The Addams Family enjoy themselves by outspooking the spooks. |
| AF-11 | The Circus Story | 17 November 1973 | The Addams' visit a circus which they discover as "The Worst Show On Earth". They decide to help when Honest John tells them of its troubles with a rival circus stealing its workers. |
| AF-12 | The Addams Family at Sea | 24 November 1973 | The Addams Family take their first ocean voyage, but the sight of Ali the alligator in the swimming pool has every passenger aboard spooked; so much so that they jump overboard. The crooked Lefty and Joe promptly steal all the valuables aboard as a result, but The Addams' are soon in hot pursuit of the thieves as they attempt a getaway in a speedboat. |
| AF-13 | The Voodoo Story | 1 December 1973 | Madame Hoodoo finds all her curses and spells fail miserably to frighten The Addams', and things digress from bad to worse for her when her love potion backfires and Granny puts a blessing on her. She decides to go back to Haiti for advanced Voodoo lessons. |
| AF-14 | The Roller Derby Story | 8 December 1973 | Wednesday Addams chooses to visit The Roller Derby for her birthday celebration, and The Addamses are soon involved between the bitter rivalry of The Angels and The Demons, resulting in The Addams' playing for The Angels and a gruesome battle of Demons versus Addamses. |
| AF-15 | The Addams Family Goes West | 15 December 1973 | Following the trail of the great pioneers, The Addams Family go to the wide open spaces of the West and find themselves outsmarting such characters as Wyatt Burp, Silly The Kid and Badmouth Ben. |
| AF-16 | The Addams Family at the Kentucky Derby | 22 December 1973 | Pugsley wants a horse for his birthday celebration so the Addamses go to Kentucky to buy one. They choose a worn-out old nag named Bones, but Granny's cooking does her so much good that she becomes a fast runner again, and is ridden by Pugsley to victory at The Kentucky Derby. |
Cast
- Ted CassidyTed CassidyTheodore Crawford Cassidy , known as Ted Cassidy, was an American actor who performed in television and films. At 6 ft 9 in in height, he tended to play unusual characters in offbeat or science-fiction series such as Star Trek and I Dream of Jeannie...
- Lurch - Jackie CooganJackie CooganJohn Leslie Coogan , known professionally as Jackie Coogan, was an American actor who began his movie career as a child actor in silent films. Many years later, he became known as Uncle Fester on 1960s sitcom The Addams Family...
- Uncle Fester - Jodie FosterJodie FosterAlicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress, film director, producer as well as a former child actress....
- Pugsley Adams - Pat Harrington, Jr.Pat Harrington, Jr.Pat Harrington, Jr., is an American voice, stage, and television actor most popularly known for his role as building superintendent "Schneider" on the CBS sitcom One Day At A Time. He is the son of Pat Harrington, Sr.- Biography :...
- - Cindy Henderson - Wednesday Addams
- Bob Holt -
- Don MessickDon MessickDonald Earl "Don" Messick was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. Perhaps his most well-known voice creations include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton Quest....
- - John StephensonJohn Stephenson (actor)John Stephenson is an American actor and voice actor. He has also been credited as John Stevenson...
- Cousin Itt - Herb VigranHerb VigranHerbert "Herb" Vigran was a well-known American character actor in Hollywood from the 1930s to the 1980s. Over his 50-year career, he made over 350 television and film appearances.-Career:...
- - Janet WaldoJanet WaldoJanet Waldo is an American actress and voice artist with a career encompassing radio, television, animation and live-action films. She is best known in animation for voicing Judy Jetson, Penelope Pitstop and Josie McCoy in Josie and the Pussycats...
- Morticia Addams, Grandmama - Lennie WeinribLennie WeinribLennie Weinrib was an American actor, voice actor and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show H.R...
- Gomez Addams
Gold Key Comics series
Gold Key ComicsGold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984.-History:...
published a 3-issue The Addams Family comic book series between October 1974 and April 1975, boasting stories adapted from episodes of the animated series.
DVD release
On October 19, 2010, Warner Bros.Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
released The Addams Family: The Complete Series on DVD in region 1 via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and only in the US.
Broadcast history
- Telecast: NBC Saturday MorningSaturday Morning-Album credits:*All tracks produced by Ralph Sall for Bulletproof Recording Company Inc.*Executive Producer/Concept: Ralph Sall for Bulletproof Recording Company Inc.*Engineered by Peter McCabe and Larry Fergusson....
September 8, 1973 - August 30, 1975
- Sept. - Dec. 1973, NBC Saturday 9:00-9:30 AM (EDT)
- Jan. - Aug. 1974, NBC Saturday 8:30-9:00 AM (EDT)
- Sept. 1974 - Aug. 1975, NBC Saturday 8:00-8:30 AM (EDT)
Production credits
- Executive Producers: William HannaWilliam HannaWilliam Denby Hanna was an American animator, director, producer, and cartoon artist, whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of people for much of the 20th century. When he was a young child, Hanna's family moved frequently, but they settled in Compton, California, by...
and Joseph BarberaJoseph BarberaJoseph Roland Barbera was an influential American animator, director, producer, storyboard artist, and cartoon artist, whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of fans worldwide for much of the twentieth century.... - Directed by Charles A. Nichols
- Produced by Iwao TakamotoIwao TakamotoIwao Takamoto was a Japanese-American animator, television producer, and film director. He was most famous as being a production and character designer for Hanna-Barbera Productions shows such as Scooby-Doo....
- Associate Producers: Paul Sommer, Maurice Pooley
- Story: Bill Raynor, Bud Atkinson, Jack Mendelsolm, Miles Wilder, Dick Conway, Gene Thompson
- Story Direction: Jim Carmichael, Carl Fallberg, Dave Hanan, Fred Crippen, Jan Green and Don Sheppard
- Character Design: Talutshi Masunaga
- Voices: Josh AlbeeJosh AlbeeJosh Albee is an American television actor, known for his work as a child actor during the 1970s, and for the role as the young, mute boy in the feature film, Jeremiah Johnson....
, Howard CaineHoward CaineHoward Caine , was a popular character actor, probably best known as Gestapo agent Major Wolfgang Hochstetter in the television series Hogan's Heroes....
, John CarverJohn CarverJohn Carver was a Pilgrim leader. He was the first governor of Plymouth Colony and his is the first signature on the Mayflower Compact.-Mayflower:...
, Ted CassidyTed CassidyTheodore Crawford Cassidy , known as Ted Cassidy, was an American actor who performed in television and films. At 6 ft 9 in in height, he tended to play unusual characters in offbeat or science-fiction series such as Star Trek and I Dream of Jeannie...
, Jackie CooganJackie CooganJohn Leslie Coogan , known professionally as Jackie Coogan, was an American actor who began his movie career as a child actor in silent films. Many years later, he became known as Uncle Fester on 1960s sitcom The Addams Family...
, Jodie FosterJodie FosterAlicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress, film director, producer as well as a former child actress....
, Pat Harrington, Jr.Pat Harrington, Jr.Pat Harrington, Jr., is an American voice, stage, and television actor most popularly known for his role as building superintendent "Schneider" on the CBS sitcom One Day At A Time. He is the son of Pat Harrington, Sr.- Biography :...
, Cindy Henderson, Bob Holt, Don MessickDon MessickDonald Earl "Don" Messick was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. Perhaps his most well-known voice creations include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton Quest....
, John StephensonJohn Stephenson (actor)John Stephenson is an American actor and voice actor. He has also been credited as John Stevenson...
, Herb VigranHerb VigranHerbert "Herb" Vigran was a well-known American character actor in Hollywood from the 1930s to the 1980s. Over his 50-year career, he made over 350 television and film appearances.-Career:...
, Janet WaldoJanet WaldoJanet Waldo is an American actress and voice artist with a career encompassing radio, television, animation and live-action films. She is best known in animation for voicing Judy Jetson, Penelope Pitstop and Josie McCoy in Josie and the Pussycats...
, Lennie WeinribLennie WeinribLennie Weinrib was an American actor, voice actor and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show H.R... - Animation Director: Carl Urbano
- Animation Supervisor: James A. Pabian
- Dialogue Director: Wally Burr
- Background Styling: F. Monteniegre
- Musical Director: Hoyt CurtinHoyt CurtinHoyt Stoddard Curtin was an American composer and music producer, the primary musical director for the Hanna-Barbera animation studio from its beginnings with The Ruff & Reddy Show in 1957 until his retirement in 1986, except from 1963-1973, when the primary music director was Ted Nichols...
- Music Supervisor: Paul DeKorte
- Unit Directors: Arthur Humberstone, Mike Salter, Terry Harrison
- Production Manager: Dennis Gardiner
- Supervising Editor: Mel Roberts
- Layouts: Ted Pettingell, Toni Bailey, Jolm Cooper and Mel Darsler
- Backgrounds: Geoff Channell, Caird Green, Chris Collingwood, Jane Penning, John Dick, Jake Tebbit
- Animation Co-ordination: Graeme Stubbings, David Thwaytes, Alma Sachs
- Trace and Paint Supervisor: Sally Walls
- Animators: Janet Nunn, Mike Pocock, Tom Barling, Peter Sachs, Bryan Foster, Joirn Swanson, Mike Murphy, Alan Simpson
- Created by David LevyDavid LevyDavid Levy may refer to:* David A. Levy , U.S. Representative from New York* David Benjamin Levy , American musicologist** 3673 Levy, an asteroid named in his honour* David H. Levy , Canadian astronomer and science writer...
- Based on the Cartoons by Charles AddamsCharles AddamsCharles "Chas" Samuel Addams was an American cartoonist known for his particularly black humor and macabre characters...
- A Hanna-Barbera Production
- © 1973 Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc.
- Characters © 1973 Charles AddamsCharles AddamsCharles "Chas" Samuel Addams was an American cartoonist known for his particularly black humor and macabre characters...