This page is devoted to The Addams Family and The Munsters, two classic tv series from the 1960s that were continued as movies. The Addams Family is the older of the two, dating back to cartoons by Charles Addams. From 1932 until his death in 1988, Charles Addams contributed more than 1,300 cartoons and covers to The New Yorker. Most of them depicted "the ominous, lovable, dark, and infinitely hilarious Addams family."
The TV series starred John Astin, who went on to fame as the mad scientist in the Killer Tomato movies ("I'm not mad, I'm angry. I'm an angry scientist"),
Carolyn Jones as the original Morticia, after already costarring in the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and House of Wax (1953), and Jackie Coogan as Uncle Fester.
The movie versions in 1991 & 1993 starred Raul Julia, who had a varied career that started with the creepy "Eyes of Laura Mars" (1978, written by John Carpenter of Halloween fame), Anjelica Huston as Morticia, and Christopher Lloyd (more recently starring in the movie version of My Favorite Martian, but best known as Doc Brown in the Back To The Future movies) as the new Fester.
The Munsters tv series and movies starred Fred Gwynn (the great judge in "My Cousin Vinney") as Herman Munster, a Frankenstein creation, and Yvonne De Carlo, (who more recently was in "American Gothic") as wife Lillie, Butch Patrick as Eddie and Al Lewis as Grampa Munster, a centuries-old Count from Transylvania (Al Lewis is slightly younger). In addition to acting, Lewis wrote and directed the movie Our Miss Brooks movie and radio series. The Addams Family is also the subject of books. In 1973, a new animated Addams Family series came out based on the original cartoons. The Munsters is now on TV Land regularly, starting with the 1st episode 9-18-00. The original Addams Family tv series is not on anywhere right now, but the FOX Family Channel is showing episodes of the New Addams Family:
Monday - Friday, 7:00 - 7:30am, 5:00 - 5:30pm
"They're creepy and they're spooky...and they're back! The New Addams Family is an updated version of the popular mid-sixties series about a decidedly off-beat family who reside in an eerie mansion. In the series, the ghoulish characters are pitted against the mundane world - the school board, the truant officer and the mailman. To themselves, they are a normal family, but to others they are most frightening."
Click here for a list of all Addams Family videos available, or here for DVDs available. Here's a sample of the 1964 & 1973 tv series, and movies available:
The Munsters' Revenge (1981)
The Addams Family (1991)
Addams Family Values (1993)
Addams vs. Munsters: Family Feud & Reunion (1994)
Addams Family: The Circus Story (animated, 1973)
The Addams Family in New York (animated, 1973)
The Addams Family, V. 6 (2 eps, 1964)
Addams Family, V. 3 (2 eps, 1964)
Addams Family, V. 1 (2 eps, 1964)
Addams Family, V. 2 (2 eps, 1964)
Addams Family, V. 4 (2 eps, 1964)
Addams Family, V. 5 (2 eps, 1964)
Addams Family: Ghost Town (4 animated eps)
Addams Family: Left in the Lurch
(4 animated eps)
The Munsters (pilot episode)
This page has been updated. Addams Family broadcasts currently scheduled are on the new Addams Family page. The Sci-Fi channel and USA Network do have both families in their movie library.
The New Munsters (which is no longer on tv) really sucks despite Lee Meriwether as Lilly (she also played Catwoman in the 1966 Batman movie). The New Addams Family (on the FAM channel) is apparently using the original 1960s scripts, and even had John Astin in one ep as Grandpa Addams.
After an "I Dream Of Jeannie" Barbie (with miniature bottle), Wonder Woman Barbie and the recent release of Ken and Barbie as Gomez and Morticia Addams from the 1960s tv series, the new release for August, 2001, is Herman & Lily Munster for $79.99 at a toy or gift shop near you (or try eToys if they haven't been taken over by kbkids.com by now). TV Guide says it "captures the Transylvanian Ozzie & Harriet down to the bolts in his neck and the golden, bat-shaped choker around hers." No comment from Grampa Munster, last seen sulking in the basement and looking for a hex spell to put on the Barbie Collectibles line (don't laugh, he knows the guy who put the hoodoo on the Edsel in one episode).
"It's much better than most of the other ones I've seen," says Yvonne DeCarlo, 78, who played Lily in the 1964-66 series now seen on TV Land, "but the bat is wrong. It should be silver." Next up will be a Barbie Samantha Stephens from Bewitched for $39.99 - Ken couldn't decide between Dick York and Dick Sargent, so there's no Darren counterpart doll. And the senior product manager for Barbie Collectibles says they haven't run out of female icons for Barbie yet ...
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Addams Family biographies
