DVD Review: The Addams Family - Volume One

By Jeff Swindoll Oct 23, 2006, 14:32 GMT

The Addams Family is not your typical family: they take delight in most of the things that "normal" people would be terrified of. Gomez Adams is an extremely wealthy man, and is able to indulge his wife Morticia\'s every desire: be it cultivation of poisonous plants, or a candlelit dinner in a graveyard. People visiting the Addams Family just don\'t seem to appreciate the 7 foot tall butler "Lurch" or ...more

“You Rang?”

They’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky, and now they’re on DVD.  The Addams Family finally creeps onto the silver disc and fans of the show will be happy that this day has finally arrived (snap, snap). 

The Addams Family is the creation of cartoonist Charles Addams.  They’re a delightful bunch of creeps that enjoy the macabre, much to the dismay of anyone who happens to visit them.  Morticia (Carolyn Jones) and Gomez (John Astin) are the parental units and Wednesday (Lisa Loring) and Pugsley (Ken Weatherwax) are the kids.  The extended family consists of Uncle Fester (Jackie Coogan) and Grandmama (Marie Blake).  The household help consists of the looming Lurch (Ted Cassidy) and the ever helpful disembodied hand called Thing (also played by Ted Cassidy for the most part).  Together they’re the Addams Family (snap, snap). 

This is the first disc (well, that I’ve seen) to be distributed under the new MGM/Fox banner.  They bring the show out on 3 double sided discs.

Disc 1, Side A: “The Addams Family Goes to School”: When Gomez and Morticia keep Wednesday and Pugsley home from school, the truant officer pays a visit with predictably ghastly results.  “Morticia and the Psychiatrist”: Gomez and Morticia call in a child psychiatrist when they fear that Pugsley is becoming normal. “Fester’s Punctured Romance”: Uncle Fester is looking for love, but when a door-to-door saleslady comes knocking he mistakes her from his date. “Gomez the Politician”: The Addam’s family proud tradition of backing losing candidates continues when Sam Hilliard (the truant officer) runs for city council.

Disc 1, Side B: “The Addams Family Tree”: A family rivalry prompts Gomez to trace his family’s ancestry. “Morticia joins the Ladies League”: Morticia’s lunch with the Ladies League is disrupted by Pugsley’s new friend, a killer gorilla with a knack for doing laundry. “Halloween with the Addams Family”: Mistaking two robbers (one of which is Don Rickles) for trick or treaters, the family takes them in for a Halloween celebration that they’ll never forget. “Green-Eyed Gomez”: When an old friend of Morticia arrives for a visit, Gomez is jealous and decides to make her jealous in return.

The Addams Family (snap, snap)

Disc 2, Side A: “New Neighbors meet the Addams Family”: Once they meet the Addams family, the new neighbors understandably want to move immediately.  However, Gomez is dead set against it and won’t break the lease. “Wednesday Leaves Home”: Wednesday runs away from home after being scolded and the family drives the missing persons bureau batty. “The Addams Family meets the V.I.P.s”: Foreign dignitaries from the Iron Curtain want to meet the typical American family.  Whose name do they chose out of the phonebook?  Why the Addams Family of course. “Morticia, the Matchmaker”: Morticia and Gomez try vainly to find a match for cousin Melancholia.

Disc 2, Side B: “Lurch Learns to Dance”: With the annual Butler’s Ball fast approaching, Lurch takes some badly needed dance lessons. “Art and the Addams Family”: When the Addams need an art teacher they call Spain and get Picasso…Sam Picasso. “The Addams Family meets a Beatnik”: In their own unique way, the Addams help an injured motorcyclist to reconnect with his estranged father. “The Addams Family meets the Undercover Man”: After hearing strange radio signals emanating from the house, an undercover operative is convinced that the Addams are spies. 

Disc 3, Side A: “Mother Lurch visits the Addams Family”: Morticia and Gomez pose as Lurch’s maid and butler when his mother (Ellen Corby, Grandma Walton) comes for a visit and soon she’s driving everyone crazy. “Uncle Fester’s Illness”: When the family witch doctor is out of town, Uncle Fester has to visit a normal doctor. “The Addams Family Splurges”: The family’s new computer suggests that they take a vacation to the moon, so they decide to bet on the horses to raise the billion for the trip. “Cousin Itt visits the Addams Family”: Cousin Itt arrives for a visit and Gomez suggests him for a job at the local zoo, but Itt is mistaken for an animal and put on exhibit…that is until he escapes and the town is on red alert.

Disc 3, Side B: “The Addams Family in Court”: Grandma is arrested for telling fortunes and Gomez acts as her attorney.  Can you say disorder in the court? “Amnesia in the Addams Family”: A blow to the head brings out the “normal” in Gomez and the family has to cure him. 

John Astin is great as Gomez Addams

The Addams Family is just good, morbid family fun.  This and the Munsters were the networks attempts to being the horror genre and the sitcom together.  Both only lasted two seasons, but they’re fondly remembered (with the Addams making their way onto the big screen in a well received 1990s film). 

The cast is the thing.  Both Carolyn Jones and John Astin eat up their roles (with Astin eating up Jones’ dress every time she says something French).  Jackie Coogan is also a hoot as Uncle Fester and Ted Cassidy is lovably menacing as the towering Lurch.  Lisa Loring and Ken Weatherwax also shine in their roles.  Marie Blake doesn’t have much to do at first, but when she puts on her fortune telling costume in a later episode she also shines. 

Ever since Universal put the complete Munsters out on DVD, Addams Family fans have been clamoring to get their show onto DVD.  The new MGM/Fox label now gladly complies and puts some impressive extras onto the set.   However, there is a minor problem (some will think it major) in that two episodes are musically edited.  This sounds like a reason to hate lawyers to me. 

In Halloween with the Addams Family and The Addams Family meets the Undercover Man, Morticia sang a song to the tune of “It’s so Nice to have a Man Around the House” but substituted Thing for Man.  Personally this sounds like a parody to me and would’ve been covered under the law. 

However, lawyers are a skittish bunch and when the rights to the song could not be secured they cut it out of the episodes (it really sounds like it’s just seconds of footage).  This probably won’t be missed by most, but purists will cry fowl.  It’s my opinion that this is a fine set and the omission of the song doesn’t irk me too much, but I still am miffed that it’s out and all this music right clearance stuff just makes me mad.

Uncle Fester has an electrifying personality

I suppose that if you’re in a mood to be mad you might not like the way that MGM/Fox is releasing these.  They’re divvying the two seasons up into 4 volumes.  This doesn’t bother me too much but I hope that they follow the usual pattern (Good extras on Volume 1 with little to no extras on the continuing volumes). 

The Addams Family is presented in fullscreen as it was originally shown on television.  Special features include commentaries by Ken Weatherwax, Lisa Loring, Felix Silla (Cousin Itt), and author of “The Addams Family Chronicles” Stephen Cox on The Addams Family Goes to School, Morticia, the Matchmaker, and Cousin Itt visits the Addams Family.  There are also 4 featurettes. 

The first is the 12 minute “You Rang, Mr. Addams” and covers the unique Charles Addams and the Addams Family in print (which really didn’t start out as a family in his cartoons).  It interviews Kevin Miserocchi of the Tee and Charles Addams Foundation.  Second is the 5 minute “Snap, Snap” which covers the show’s theme song and interviews composer of the infectious tune Vic Mizzy.  Third is the 14 minute “Addams Family Portrait” and covers the cast.  It interviews John Astin, Ken Weatherwax, Lisa Loring, and Felix Silla. 

The last is the 1 minute “Theme Song Karaoke” where Thing conducts you and the words appear on the screen for you to sing along.  There are also two still galleries.  The first of a collection of Charles Addams’ drawings and the second is a collection of photos of Charles Addams.  There are no photos from the set of the TV show (I assume that will appear in other seasons). 

Lurch meets the truant officer

The Addams Family is a great show and I’m glad to be able to watch it (my local stations only ran the Munsters).  It has quite a following and the extras on the discs should make them happy.  Here’s hoping that we can get Gomez to sit down for some commentaries on the next volumes. It is definitely the right thing to get you in the mood for Halloween.  Snap, snap, snap, snap.

The Addams Family - Volume One is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.