Remember The Addams Family's Spooky Charm? | Retro Saturday Morning

Written By Ken Hulsey

It's truly exciting to dive into the intricacies of the human mind! Over the past two weeks, I’ve been on a joyful journey researching early 1970s cartoons for my Retro Saturday Morning feature, and it’s been like a treasure hunt as I rediscover a plethora of shows that filled my childhood with laughter and good times. What’s most captivating? The astonishing speed at which our minds can reignite memories and emotions from long ago, simply triggered by a familiar image or tune.

 

"Shoot 'em in the back!" - The Addams Family Trivia

From IMDB

This show and its rival series, The Munsters, both debuted within a week of one another in September 1964. At the end of that year's TV season, The Munsters ranked #18 in the Nielsens, with a rating of 24.7, while this show came in at #23, with a 23.9 rating. At the time, Nielsens indicated what percentage of American TV households tuned in to any given program. By the end of the following year, both series were canceled.

It took Carolyn Jones two hours every day to put on Morticia's make-up. Topping it all off, she wore a wig made of human hair.

Cousin Itt's voice was done by producer Nat Perrin, who recited gibberish into a tape recorder and played it back at a higher speed.

Charles Addams never named his characters, but he had to come up with names for the characters on the TV show (it was one of the few contributions he made to the series). Within a week he decided on all of them - except for Mr. Addams, who almost wound up being called Repelli (for "repellent") instead of Gomez.

Thing, the disembodied hand/arm limb, was usually played by Ted Cassidy. When Lurch had to be on camera at the same time as Thing, however, associate producer Jack Voglin lent his hand. A third actor also played Thing on occasion, but his identity is not known.

Thing was usually a right hand. Ted Cassidy (Lurch) occasionally used his left hand just to see if anybody would notice. Thing also had an arm, which was seen when it reached outside for something while in its box.

The Addamses' version of a cuckoo clock was a wolverine that popped out and growled the hours of the day.

Gomez's favorite food was eye of newt.

The doorbell sound was a foghorn.

Wednesday Addams' name is a reference to the nursery rhyme that says, "Wednesday's child is full of woe."

Gomez and Morticia Addams were the first married couple on American TV implied to have a sex life.

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The Monstrous Movie Clip Of The Day: It's The Dance Craze Sweeping The Nation "The Lurch"

Written By: Ken Hulsey

"You Rang?"

Hey there hipsters it's another Saturday night and you know what that means! It's time to get down and party like it's ... um ... 1965?

Hmmm .... maybe not? Anyway I have dug up an incredibly strange clip from 1965 for you this evening that stars everyones favorite butler turned dancing queen, Lurch from The Addams Family.

Apparently somebody over in the publicity department at ABC (The network that aired The Addams Family television program) decided that the show needed to reach out to a younger crowd so on Halloween night in 1965 actor Ted Cassidy was marched out onto the floor of the ultra-mod music program "Shindig!" to perform a new dance called "The Lurch". What would follow could be described as "surreal", "unsettling" and just plain strange.

Give this a look:



The Lurch (So you can sing along at home)

Lurch: (Gong) You Rang?
Singers: Hi, Lurch!
Lurch: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Singers: Hey, Lurch, we just heard the news around town
Lurch: Newwwwwwwws?
Singers: And we’re here to see what you’re putting down
Lurch: Ahhhhhhhhh ha-ha-ha!
Singers: We thought you might give us a chance
And teach us how to do the Lurch daaaance annnn-ance
Lurch: My pleasure
Singers: Hey, Lurch, teach us how to do the Lurch dance
Lurch: Your servant
Singers: Yeah, Lurch, we wanna learn to do the Lurch dance
Lurch: ……….Follow me
Lurch: Yah ah ah ah ahhh -ah ah ah ahh. It’s a brand new bag! Yeah!
Lurch: Yah ah ah ah. Don’t just stand there! Lurch!
Lurch: Ah ah aha. Good. Now you got it!
Singers: Hey, Lurch, thanks a lot for turning us on!
Lurch: You’re welcome!
Singers: To a dance that we can do to any song.
Lurch: Any time!
Singers: Now everybody, c’mon and do it
It’s easy and there's really nothing to it! oooooh
Lurch: Ah ah ah ah
Singers: Hey, Lurch, we’re really glad we learned to Lurch.
Lurch: To know it is to love it!
Singers: Hmm hmmm, we’re really glad we learned to Lurch.
Do the Lurch!
Lurch: Satisfaction, jubilation!
Singers: Hmm hmmm, we’re really glad we learned to Lurch.
Do the Lurch!

The fact that Cassidy just stands there throughout most the song leering at the young ladies dancing around him really kinda creeps me out and the dubbed in mumbled voice over lyrics by the actor doesn't help. Then again the way he starts dancing (if you can call it that) during the chorus is sorta cool ... in strange sort of way.

Singers: Hey, Lurch, thanks a lot for turning us on!
Lurch: You’re welcome!

Anyway you slice it the whole thing is just weird.

Of course an album was released by Capitol Records so little monsters and hipsters alike could "Lurch" around their far-out pads on their own time.

Unfortunately for ABC "The Lurch" never quite caught on like the "Mashed Potato" or "The Twist".

Damn, Chubby Checker milked that thing for decades didn't he!

If you can't get enough of Lurch strutting his stuff on the dance floor ... and who really could honestly? Check out this bonus clip from The Addams Family television program:



Here's some trivia from Wikipedia:

Lurch makes a momentary appearance in the Batman TV episode entitled "The Penguin's Nest" (1966), when he opens a window and sticks his head out and observes Batman and Robin climbing the wall to the Penguin's kitchen.