The Addams Family (1973 TV series)



The Addams Family is an animated sitcom adaptation of the Charles Addams cartoons produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1973. Jackie Coogan and Ted Cassidy who played Uncle Fester and Lurch respectively from the 1960s television series returned in voice-over roles.

Plot
The Addams Family consists of husband and wife, Gomez and Morticia Addams, their children, Wednesday and Pugsley, as well as Grandmama, Uncle Fester, and their butler, Lurch. The Addamses are a close-knit extended family with decidedly macabre interests and supernatural abilities. No explanation for their powers is explicitly given in the series.

This series depicts the Addamses on a cross-country road trip, exploring the United States in their Victorian-style camper. Along the way, they stop off at various locations and venues. They inadvertently cause mayhem wherever they go due to their unusual interests and mannerisms, their willingness to trust those who probably shouldn't be trusted, and their getting swept up in criminal schemes or problems without their knowledge.

Voice Cast

 * Lennie Weinrib – Gomez Addams
 * Janet Waldo – Morticia Addams, Grandmama
 * Jackie Coogan – Uncle Fester
 * Cindy Henderson – Wednesday Addams
 * Jodie Foster – Pugsley Addams
 * Ted Cassidy – Lurch
 * John Stephenson – August, Cousin Itt
 * Pat Harrington, Jr. – Various roles
 * Bob Holt – Various roles
 * Herb Vigran – Various roles

Scooby-Doo! appearance
The Addams Family's first animated appearance was on the third episode 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 on September 23, 1972. John Astin, Carolyn Jones, Jackie Coogan, and Ted Cassidy provided the voices for their respective Addams Family characters while voice actors were used to voice Grandmama, Wednesday, Pugsley, and Cousin Itt. The episode details 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.

The Addams Family get their own show
The first animated series ran on Saturday mornings from 1973–1975 on NBC. In a departure from the original series, this series took the Addams' on the road in a Victorian-style RV. This series followed the relationships of the original Addams cartoons in that Fester is Gomez's brother, and Grandmama is Morticia's mother. Many cast members from the original series and the Scooby-Doo episode reprise their roles in the series, with the exceptions of Astin and Jones whose characters were voiced by Lennie Weinrib and Janet Waldo. The show also introduces the Addams Family's animal companions Ali the alligator, Ocho the octopus and Mr. V the vulture.

Music
The theme music was mostly different, except for the four-noted tune from the live-action series.

Public service announcements
Concurrently with their series, the animated Addams characters appeared in public service announcements for the Boy Scouts of America (featuring Pugsley as a Scout), the four nutritious food groups then promoted by the USDA, and forest fire prevention for the United States Forest Service.

Broadcast history

 * Telecast: NBC Saturday Morning 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)

Home media
On October 19, 2010, Warner Archive released The Addams Family: The Complete Series on DVD in region 1 as part of their Hanna-Barbera Classics Collection. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and Amazon.com. The series is also available for purchase at the iTunes Store.

Comics
Gold Key Comics 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.