1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,400 Speaker 1: Too Much Information is a production of My Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:12,240 Speaker 1: Hello everyone, and welcome to Too Much Information, the show 3 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:15,240 Speaker 1: that brings you the secret histories and little loan fascinating 4 00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:19,280 Speaker 1: facts and figures behind your favorite TV shows, movies, music 5 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:22,160 Speaker 1: and more. We are your two Da Da da Dat 6 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: of the Deep Dive. I'm Alex Heigel Incredible and I'm 7 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:33,200 Speaker 1: Jordan run Talk and I can't compete with that. Well, 8 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:35,920 Speaker 1: you went overboard with some of the actual language, so 9 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 1: I figured I had to make it a like a 10 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:42,599 Speaker 1: multimedia one like that exact exactly and Jordan's Today we're 11 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: talking about one of the most curiously deathless franchises in 12 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:50,240 Speaker 1: American culture, the family that has transcended both the printed 13 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 1: page and screens big and small for nearly a century. 14 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 1: That's right, we're talking about the Adams Family, with Wednesday 15 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:01,520 Speaker 1: apparently one of the most watched Netflix properties of all time. 16 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 1: At this point, we hear it too much Information To help, 17 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:06,679 Speaker 1: we take a fond look back down cemetery Lane for 18 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 1: an overview of the original weirdos from their origins is 19 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 1: missingthropic New Yorker cartoons to mid century TV stars, nineties 20 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:21,319 Speaker 1: movie stars, and now Zoomer beloved streaming icons. We weren't recording, 21 00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:22,840 Speaker 1: but I went on a long ran about how much 22 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:25,480 Speaker 1: I love The Cramps. So I'm sure everyone and their 23 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:29,800 Speaker 1: mother has seen that general ortego Wednesday dance scene on 24 00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:32,880 Speaker 1: YouTube or TikTok or whatever. But just go listen to 25 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:34,760 Speaker 1: the p s A. Everyone, go listen to the Cramps. 26 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:37,200 Speaker 1: I was like the exact right age to get into 27 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:39,560 Speaker 1: Adams Family when those movies came out, I would have 28 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 1: been five or six, and I think the reruns were 29 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:46,399 Speaker 1: probably on TV Land or one of those places, Like 30 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:49,200 Speaker 1: I definitely remember seeing those the black and white reruns 31 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:52,560 Speaker 1: because I had a big old crush on Carolin Jones 32 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:57,720 Speaker 1: who plays Mortisha, and then an even bigger crush on 33 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:01,360 Speaker 1: Christina Ricci as Wednesday. And it's not creepy for me 34 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:04,280 Speaker 1: to say that because I was five and she was twelve, 35 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:09,480 Speaker 1: so it would have worked and she was in Casper. 36 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:13,680 Speaker 1: Such a crush on Christina Ricci still do. Don't tell 37 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:18,920 Speaker 1: my wife. She doesn't listen to these, but my father 38 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:23,760 Speaker 1: in law does. Jordan's I'm gonna go ahead and take 39 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:25,799 Speaker 1: a wild swing, and as with a lot of these, 40 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 1: bet that Adams Family is not your wheelhouse, right your 41 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:33,200 Speaker 1: Gilligan's Island family, aren't you you Gilligan silence, Yeah, we 42 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:35,880 Speaker 1: we were. We were in NiCoT Night household as opposed 43 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:37,799 Speaker 1: to a TV Land household and nick A Knight. I 44 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 1: don't think had the Adams Family. Uh no, you're right. 45 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:43,359 Speaker 1: My crushes in this era are indicative of my media 46 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:47,359 Speaker 1: consumption habits. They are in order. Madeline, the little red 47 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:50,639 Speaker 1: headed French orphan. That's my first crush. Uh. Second crush 48 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:52,960 Speaker 1: was the woman on the Mandarin Ora's unless she'll season 49 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:56,200 Speaker 1: these tea box not the bear, not not the bear. 50 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 1: Third crush was Penny from the Inspector Gadget cartoon. And finally, 51 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:06,760 Speaker 1: after graduating from animated characters to actual humans, Winnie Cooper 52 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:09,440 Speaker 1: from The Wonder Years. And I will stand by that one. 53 00:03:09,919 --> 00:03:12,680 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, um but yeah, you know, the Adams Family 54 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:16,600 Speaker 1: was never really uh on I think or I lived, 55 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 1: I don't remember ever seeing it on TV. And uh 56 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 1: I never really had the horror Bug. So the movies 57 00:03:21,639 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 1: never appealed to me when we were kids. I think, 58 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:27,960 Speaker 1: I I don't really were they less like I remember 59 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:32,240 Speaker 1: them being pretty big actually yeah right, but soon just 60 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 1: never for you know, I just creepy things frightened me. 61 00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:40,320 Speaker 1: I was an easily scared kid, and yeah, I just 62 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:43,920 Speaker 1: I that energy, Uh didn't appeal to me. I was 63 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 1: too busy watching my National geographic Titanic documentaries. Um, I 64 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 1: wasn't learning about frozen bodies being pulled from the Atlantic. 65 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 1: But you were like women with black hair. No, I'm trying. Yeah, 66 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:00,520 Speaker 1: it was more like fantasy stuff or like like Alison 67 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: Wonderland type of things, which kind of my It was 68 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 1: kind of my thing. So yeah, this is a total 69 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 1: blind spot for me. Um. I also think I had 70 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:11,600 Speaker 1: more exposures to the monsters in this era, so I 71 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:14,960 Speaker 1: think I always thought of them as the original mistakenly. 72 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 1: So it's like the old led Zeppelin versus the whole situation. 73 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:21,599 Speaker 1: Who got to me first? So my allegiance was with them, 74 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:23,719 Speaker 1: and then I always thought led Zeppelin kind of seemed 75 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:27,679 Speaker 1: like imitators. Um. In this analogy, I guess the monsters 76 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:30,719 Speaker 1: of the Who, which what do you think of that comparison? 77 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: The monsters like, yeah, yeah, the Who are a little 78 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:40,960 Speaker 1: bit more cartoonish, you know, uh, and and a little 79 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:47,840 Speaker 1: bit less sinister. Um. You know, Jimmy Page did a 80 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:52,159 Speaker 1: lot of heroin and bought Alistair Crowley's mansion and was 81 00:04:52,279 --> 00:04:57,880 Speaker 1: probably a statutory allegedly a statutory rapist. Uh So, I 82 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:00,359 Speaker 1: just that makes him more of a Charles Adams character 83 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:06,240 Speaker 1: than a then a recycled Universal Monsters archetype. I do 84 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 1: like the Monsters. I just think they were so like like, 85 00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:11,040 Speaker 1: the sensibility is just so different. And I think we'll 86 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:13,680 Speaker 1: talk about this, but like those original Charles Adams cartoons 87 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:16,880 Speaker 1: are some of them are very dark. We'll talk about 88 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:20,800 Speaker 1: the one he never got published. Um of Edward Gory 89 00:05:20,839 --> 00:05:24,719 Speaker 1: a little bit. Yes, very much, so, very much so well, 90 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:29,080 Speaker 1: from the real life cartoonists brief time dating Jackie Oh, 91 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:32,679 Speaker 1: to the battle between the beloved nineteen sixties TV show 92 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:37,000 Speaker 1: and the pale imitators of the Monsters, and to how 93 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:41,000 Speaker 1: director Barry Soddenfeld escape dealing with Nightmare producer Scott Ruden 94 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:45,520 Speaker 1: for movie. Here is everything you didn't know about the 95 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:56,240 Speaker 1: Adams family. Charles Samuel Adams was born in Westfield, New Jersey, 96 00:05:56,279 --> 00:05:59,200 Speaker 1: on January seventh, nineteen twelve. Oh, should you just turn 97 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:02,760 Speaker 1: a hundred last year? The son of Charles Huey Adams, 98 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 1: a piano company executive, and Grace M. Spear. He was 99 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:10,920 Speaker 1: distantly related to John Adams and John Quincy Adams, despite 100 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:14,680 Speaker 1: the different spellings of their last name, and Suffragette Jane Adams, 101 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 1: which is funny. There's a lot. There's a biography of 102 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:19,880 Speaker 1: him called A Cartoonist's Life that just that came out 103 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:22,839 Speaker 1: a few years back, is really really in depth. So 104 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:24,920 Speaker 1: there you go. Charles Adams has roots in the actual 105 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:30,120 Speaker 1: founding of the country. The Adams family are America. The 106 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:34,599 Speaker 1: real America is the Adams family. Fascinated by the Macabra. 107 00:06:34,839 --> 00:06:37,080 Speaker 1: Early on, a young Charles Adams spent a lot of 108 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:41,800 Speaker 1: time visiting the Presbyterian Cemetery on Mountain av in Westfield. 109 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:45,200 Speaker 1: He also enjoyed pranking and scaring people. He recalled an 110 00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:47,520 Speaker 1: interview once, we had a dumb waiter in our house, 111 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:49,840 Speaker 1: and I'd get inside on the ground floor, and then 112 00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:52,880 Speaker 1: very quietly, I'd haul myself up to grandmother's floor, and 113 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:54,800 Speaker 1: then I'd knocked on the door, and when she came 114 00:06:54,839 --> 00:06:56,680 Speaker 1: to open the door, I jump out and scare the 115 00:06:56,680 --> 00:06:59,200 Speaker 1: wits out of her. At the age of eight, he 116 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:01,680 Speaker 1: was caught breaking into a Victorian mansion near his home, 117 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:04,679 Speaker 1: and when America entered World War One, a young Charles 118 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:09,240 Speaker 1: Adams began drawing pictures of Kaiser Wilhelm the second being stabbed, shot, 119 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:12,120 Speaker 1: run over by a train, or boiled in oil. He 120 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:17,840 Speaker 1: loves boiling people in oil, he sure does. And trains, 121 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:21,520 Speaker 1: isn't That's like something like Jeffrey Dahmer would do. Barry 122 00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:24,800 Speaker 1: Snenfeld is his director. Cameo in the first movie is 123 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:27,480 Speaker 1: as a passenger on one of the trains that Gomez 124 00:07:27,520 --> 00:07:31,000 Speaker 1: crashes from almost the time he could hold a crayon 125 00:07:31,080 --> 00:07:33,960 Speaker 1: in his chubby baby hand. Charlie had begun drawing with 126 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:37,160 Speaker 1: a happy vengeance. Linda H. Davis writes in the biography 127 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:39,960 Speaker 1: I just mentioned, Uh, he was encouraged by his father 128 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:42,080 Speaker 1: to draw, and a young Charles did cartoons for the 129 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:45,000 Speaker 1: Westfield High School paper before going on to study at 130 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: a succession of schools, Colgate University, then University of Pennsylvania, 131 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:51,480 Speaker 1: and then the Grand Central School of Art in New York, 132 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:55,960 Speaker 1: which yes was located a top Grand Central station. Um 133 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:58,080 Speaker 1: And as soon as he saw the New Yorker, supposedly 134 00:07:58,120 --> 00:08:00,320 Speaker 1: he thought, that's the magazine that I want to work for. 135 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:04,080 Speaker 1: But he deed toured getting there via the pulp magazine 136 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:07,000 Speaker 1: True Detective, which is where the show gets its name. 137 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:13,880 Speaker 1: His job there entailed lightning bloodstains and using x IS 138 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:17,480 Speaker 1: to mark the locations of bodies in crime scene photos 139 00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:23,440 Speaker 1: and illustrations, which is so appropriate. But he was relatively 140 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:27,080 Speaker 1: unfulfilled by that gig and left that mag after selling 141 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:30,080 Speaker 1: a few cartoons to The New Yorker. Supposedly, his very 142 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:33,360 Speaker 1: first cartoon for The New Yorker was in February of two, 143 00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:37,160 Speaker 1: a sketch of a window washer, which he made seven fifty, 144 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:39,959 Speaker 1: which seems like a lot. His most famous one for 145 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:44,560 Speaker 1: the magazine is definitely a nineteen cartoon which is getting 146 00:08:44,559 --> 00:08:47,360 Speaker 1: into the full's air end of describing a visual medium 147 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:51,000 Speaker 1: in podcasting, But it's the famous one where you see 148 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:53,920 Speaker 1: there's one skier looking down a hill and he sees 149 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:56,360 Speaker 1: another guy who has just gone down the same hill, 150 00:08:56,880 --> 00:09:00,360 Speaker 1: and the tracks of this second man's skis go round 151 00:09:00,440 --> 00:09:03,400 Speaker 1: a tree, and it's just like such a neat little 152 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:05,720 Speaker 1: visual gag that you just like go, you kind of 153 00:09:05,720 --> 00:09:07,880 Speaker 1: do a double take of it, almost like a mad 154 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:11,800 Speaker 1: magazine thing kind of Yeah yeah, but it um that 155 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:15,280 Speaker 1: generated more reprint requests for The New Yorker than any 156 00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:20,040 Speaker 1: other that year. Um it's his most famous work for them. Uh. Supposedly, 157 00:09:20,440 --> 00:09:22,320 Speaker 1: two months after it was published, he got a letter 158 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:25,680 Speaker 1: from a psychologist in Illinois who told him that she 159 00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:29,440 Speaker 1: had been using this image to determine the intelligence of 160 00:09:29,559 --> 00:09:33,440 Speaker 1: people that she was evaluating. She would ask them why 161 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:35,719 Speaker 1: the image was funny, and if they didn't get it, 162 00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:37,920 Speaker 1: she said, you are not as smart as a nine 163 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:42,800 Speaker 1: year old child, So that's just a psychiatry. In the 164 00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:45,959 Speaker 1: first half of the twentie century, Folks friend of the 165 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:53,120 Speaker 1: pod archaic psychiatric evaluations, um Abbot Costello film hit the 166 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:56,480 Speaker 1: Ice recreated it as a visual gag. So very funny. 167 00:09:56,640 --> 00:10:00,520 Speaker 1: Just a series of of of visual lineage of that 168 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:05,000 Speaker 1: particular New Yorker cartoon that is great. The first Adams 169 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:08,760 Speaker 1: Family cartoon appeared in ninety eight and featured only Mortitia 170 00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:11,079 Speaker 1: and Lurch being pitched by a clearly out of his 171 00:10:11,160 --> 00:10:14,880 Speaker 1: depth vacuum cleaner salesman. The characters were not named at 172 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:17,160 Speaker 1: the time and only got names once the television show 173 00:10:17,240 --> 00:10:19,760 Speaker 1: hit the air in nineteen sixty four. I didn't realize 174 00:10:19,760 --> 00:10:25,160 Speaker 1: that Adams preferred Repelli, a pay on repellent, instead of Gomez, 175 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:29,240 Speaker 1: and he originally suggested the name Pubert instead of Pugsley. 176 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:32,760 Speaker 1: Which didn't pass network sensors, but they did use it 177 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:35,000 Speaker 1: as the name of the baby and Adams Family values, 178 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:38,120 Speaker 1: so it did maybe in there after all. Yeah, it's 179 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:43,200 Speaker 1: such a gross sounding word. Yeah, he named Wednesday after 180 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:46,439 Speaker 1: the nursery rhyme Monday's Child, which includes the line Wednesday's 181 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:49,240 Speaker 1: Child is full of woe. And according to a longtime 182 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:52,600 Speaker 1: New Yorker cartoon editor Robert Mankoff, Adams only drew about 183 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:55,600 Speaker 1: two dozen Adams family cartoons, very few, if any, of 184 00:10:55,640 --> 00:10:58,640 Speaker 1: which feature all family members. Wait, he only drew like 185 00:10:58,679 --> 00:11:02,520 Speaker 1: twenty four. Well, that's what I'm not sure about. I 186 00:11:02,559 --> 00:11:05,200 Speaker 1: was trusting the New Yorker because this was from the 187 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:07,640 Speaker 1: New Yorkers, from their cartoon editor. I would believe him. 188 00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:10,960 Speaker 1: But Mancoff might actually be referring to the number that 189 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:13,440 Speaker 1: we're actually published in the New Yorker. And Charles Adams 190 00:11:13,559 --> 00:11:15,880 Speaker 1: was a New Yorker contributor for like decades, but he 191 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:18,640 Speaker 1: didn't always his cartoons weren't always starring his family. They 192 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:21,400 Speaker 1: would just be other like weird little one off site 193 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:23,160 Speaker 1: gags or whatever. And he drew a bunch of covers 194 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:27,520 Speaker 1: for them, sixty eight something, and he published between twelve 195 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:31,440 Speaker 1: and cartoons of the New Yorker. But I have only 196 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:34,640 Speaker 1: seen I've seen the total number of Adams Family cartoons 197 00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:39,600 Speaker 1: UH pegged from like fifty eight to a hundred and 198 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:42,880 Speaker 1: fifty I think so. But he published books of them 199 00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:45,559 Speaker 1: like so and collections, so that it's like a weird 200 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:48,600 Speaker 1: situation of like how many actually made it into the archives. Also, 201 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:50,520 Speaker 1: they were never called the Adams family. That was like 202 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:52,160 Speaker 1: a thing that came up when the show came on, 203 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:54,599 Speaker 1: Like they were never never named any of them that 204 00:11:54,880 --> 00:11:56,840 Speaker 1: it wasn't like it didn't come up in the New 205 00:11:56,920 --> 00:11:59,679 Speaker 1: Yorker as like next from the Adams Family, like they 206 00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:02,720 Speaker 1: were just one off cartoons. Wow, that is so interesting. 207 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:05,520 Speaker 1: I didn't realize how much of the identity of the 208 00:12:05,559 --> 00:12:08,000 Speaker 1: Adams family was from the TV show. I thought a 209 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:11,240 Speaker 1: lot of that was in place for the cartoons. The 210 00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:15,080 Speaker 1: character of Gomez was Charles Adams attack on Thomas E. Dewey, 211 00:12:15,120 --> 00:12:18,079 Speaker 1: who was then the Republican governor of New York, while 212 00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:20,960 Speaker 1: the family member added the last uncle, Fester, was the 213 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:24,440 Speaker 1: one he later said he related to the most. Thomas E. Dewey. 214 00:12:24,480 --> 00:12:26,040 Speaker 1: That was the guy who was supposed to who was 215 00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:29,840 Speaker 1: slated to beat Harry Truman. Truman right, and if you 216 00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:33,080 Speaker 1: look up pictures of him, he has the Gomez mustache. 217 00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:35,559 Speaker 1: Oh I didn't realize that. Yeah, there's that really doesn't know. 218 00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:38,360 Speaker 1: There's that famous picture of Harry Truman standing victorious on 219 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:42,040 Speaker 1: the podium after the election of He's holding an early 220 00:12:42,160 --> 00:12:46,439 Speaker 1: edition of some local paper that's mistakenly printed Dewey beats Truman, 221 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:49,080 Speaker 1: because I guess no one thought he'd win. The family 222 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:53,360 Speaker 1: got up to all sorts of misanthropic shenanigans. They poured 223 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:56,360 Speaker 1: boiling oil on Christmas carollers, They asked their neighbors for 224 00:12:56,400 --> 00:12:59,280 Speaker 1: a cup of cyanide, and their idea of child's play. 225 00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:03,280 Speaker 1: It was the role holders onto passing cars. William Shawn 226 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:06,640 Speaker 1: New Yorkers second editors said of Charles Adams cartoons, he 227 00:13:06,679 --> 00:13:13,160 Speaker 1: translates something which is already fairly frightening into something almost cozy, which, yeah, 228 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:16,800 Speaker 1: that's fair. Man Coff and other New Yorker editor added 229 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:20,040 Speaker 1: to Charles Adams quote tapped into that vein of American 230 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:23,080 Speaker 1: Gothic that has a touch of paranoia about it, seeing 231 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:26,920 Speaker 1: behind every comforting facade the uncomfortable truth about the duality 232 00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:30,199 Speaker 1: of human nature. But where Gothic literature usually combined these 233 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:34,280 Speaker 1: themes with romance. Adams made the horror hilarious, disturbing, but 234 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:38,360 Speaker 1: at the same time friendly, identifiable, and acceptable. So he 235 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:42,160 Speaker 1: worked for the Signal Corps during World War Two making 236 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:45,640 Speaker 1: like propaganda, cartoons and animation. One of his co workers 237 00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:49,160 Speaker 1: was a pre Marvel comics Stan Lee in New York. 238 00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:52,760 Speaker 1: Uh so, yes, there is a world in which Stanley 239 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:57,080 Speaker 1: and Charles Adams like hung out. Um. But he never 240 00:13:57,080 --> 00:13:59,600 Speaker 1: stopped working as a cartoonist for The New Yorker, and 241 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:02,760 Speaker 1: as his celebrity grew, sort of played up a lot 242 00:14:02,840 --> 00:14:05,360 Speaker 1: of the bits about him. Alfred Hitchcock was a fan 243 00:14:05,640 --> 00:14:08,440 Speaker 1: who showed up his place in Manhattan. He owned two 244 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:11,800 Speaker 1: original the cartoons. And there's a name drops Charles Adams 245 00:14:11,800 --> 00:14:13,760 Speaker 1: in north By Northwest. I think it's care Grant. He 246 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:16,280 Speaker 1: says something like the two of you sitting there, that's 247 00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:18,760 Speaker 1: a that's an image that only Charles Adams could have 248 00:14:18,760 --> 00:14:22,360 Speaker 1: come up with. Their friendship makes so much sense to me, 249 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:27,600 Speaker 1: especially like the TV show Hitchcock did like that dour dry, 250 00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:30,320 Speaker 1: like turning to face the camera with like an axe 251 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:32,360 Speaker 1: in his head and stuff like that. I guess some 252 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:38,480 Speaker 1: purpose yeah, Yeah, Rumors about his eccentricities abounded. Much of 253 00:14:38,520 --> 00:14:42,080 Speaker 1: the decoration of the Adams home in the TV show 254 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:46,200 Speaker 1: was basically pulled from his apartment. He decorated his apartment 255 00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:49,960 Speaker 1: with suits of armor. He had a huge collection of 256 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:55,520 Speaker 1: medieval weaponry like spears and swords, flintlock rifles, working crossbows. 257 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:58,200 Speaker 1: He had a coffee table made from a Civil War 258 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:01,920 Speaker 1: era embalming table. Uh. He had a human thigh bone 259 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:04,800 Speaker 1: lying around. This is just a grab bag of stuff 260 00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:07,640 Speaker 1: I read from a bunch of our magazine articles about him. 261 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:09,520 Speaker 1: I didn't realize that he was this much of like 262 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:12,800 Speaker 1: an eccentric character or like a known character. Like he 263 00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:16,080 Speaker 1: seems like he was like almost a society figure. Yeah, 264 00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:19,880 Speaker 1: he apparently he was quite the like schmoozer and bond 265 00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:23,040 Speaker 1: vivante like he was. Really, it's so weird to think 266 00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:26,400 Speaker 1: of like the Adams family guy being this like John 267 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:31,480 Speaker 1: John cheeversque, like mid century Frannie and Zoe New York 268 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:33,680 Speaker 1: high society guy. But he was very much like a 269 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:38,440 Speaker 1: man about town. That is wild. Wow. But he did 270 00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:41,440 Speaker 1: play up some of his eccentric reputation. He'd respond to 271 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:44,320 Speaker 1: fan mail on letterhead inscribed the Gotham Rest Home for 272 00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:48,480 Speaker 1: mental defectives. He wore flaming red pajamas or knights templar 273 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:51,120 Speaker 1: robes to parties, and he dressed as a Lincoln for 274 00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:56,360 Speaker 1: an awards ceremony that was not a costumed event, but 275 00:15:56,520 --> 00:15:59,280 Speaker 1: his biographer Linda Davis said that it was tremendously difficult 276 00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:01,720 Speaker 1: to find anyone had anything bad to say about him, 277 00:16:01,760 --> 00:16:04,840 Speaker 1: and by all accounts, Charles Adams was a very lovely man. 278 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:08,160 Speaker 1: I just love this. He's a claustrophobic who was afraid 279 00:16:08,160 --> 00:16:11,320 Speaker 1: of snakes for all of his spooky, ooky gooey stuff 280 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:14,600 Speaker 1: or whatever the words are in the song, uh didn't 281 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:18,760 Speaker 1: like snakes having Indiana Jones. Charles Adams once told James 282 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:21,680 Speaker 1: Thurber's fellow New Yorker cartoonist, I've gotten a lot of 283 00:16:21,760 --> 00:16:24,360 Speaker 1: letters about my work, most of them from criminals and 284 00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:27,720 Speaker 1: subhumans who wants to sell me ideas. Some of the 285 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:32,920 Speaker 1: worst ideas come from a minister in Georgia. And incidentally, 286 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:35,680 Speaker 1: there was one Adams cartoon that supposedly didn't make it 287 00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:38,760 Speaker 1: to The New Yorker. A nurse handing a swaddled baby 288 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:41,400 Speaker 1: over to a sinister person in an alleyway with the 289 00:16:41,440 --> 00:16:44,200 Speaker 1: caption don't wrap it. I'll eat it on the way home. 290 00:16:45,120 --> 00:16:51,440 Speaker 1: That's incredible. That is incredible. According to the Adams Chronicles 291 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:55,680 Speaker 1: by Stephen Cox, another Adam's biography, Adams repeatedly submitted this 292 00:16:55,760 --> 00:16:58,520 Speaker 1: cartoon to the New Yorker magazine and was turned down 293 00:16:58,600 --> 00:17:02,360 Speaker 1: every single time. Supposedly it was like a bellweather of 294 00:17:02,440 --> 00:17:04,720 Speaker 1: like how his mental health was doing at any point, 295 00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:08,080 Speaker 1: Like basically colleagues would like start talking about, like Charles 296 00:17:08,119 --> 00:17:11,320 Speaker 1: was in a bad place again he submitted the Baby's cartoon. 297 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:16,920 Speaker 1: This would just go happen repeatedly, but in cycles. Um, yeah, 298 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:18,639 Speaker 1: I don't want to dwelt too much longer on him, 299 00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:20,560 Speaker 1: but I would like to talk about his love life. 300 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:23,240 Speaker 1: There's very interesting stuff there. He was his big car 301 00:17:23,320 --> 00:17:26,000 Speaker 1: aficionado and in fact died behind the wheel of his 302 00:17:26,080 --> 00:17:30,639 Speaker 1: car in Manhattan. And he his big date thing was 303 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:34,160 Speaker 1: to take women on drives down into Pennsylvania and and 304 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:37,199 Speaker 1: beyond from New York, doing like eighty on the highway. 305 00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:41,440 Speaker 1: And he was linked to Hollywood stars like Greta Garbo 306 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:47,560 Speaker 1: and Joan Fontaine and incredibly, a post assassination, Jackie Kennedy 307 00:17:47,960 --> 00:17:50,080 Speaker 1: Linda Davis talked about it a bit. There was this 308 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:52,000 Speaker 1: sense that like they knew it was never going to 309 00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:54,800 Speaker 1: let go anywhere, but they did date repeatedly, and there 310 00:17:54,880 --> 00:17:57,399 Speaker 1: was this funny story where they were at a party. 311 00:17:57,440 --> 00:17:59,200 Speaker 1: They had been invited to someone's house to stay over 312 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:02,359 Speaker 1: him because the sixties, and her husband had just been 313 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:09,199 Speaker 1: shut in my head publicly. Um, there was spoiler alert, 314 00:18:09,800 --> 00:18:18,400 Speaker 1: spoilers sixties. Um. They were supposed to be in separate bedrooms, 315 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:22,199 Speaker 1: and uh, someone like came into their their Jackie's room, 316 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:24,240 Speaker 1: and Charles Adams was like sitting on the bed in 317 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:27,359 Speaker 1: like full nineteen sixties old man like pajamas and a 318 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:29,919 Speaker 1: smoking jacket, like fully clothed. Nothing. They weren't caught like 319 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:34,159 Speaker 1: in flagrante or anything, but they was still like oh goodness. 320 00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:37,520 Speaker 1: And they left and Jackie's supposedly turned to him was like, well, 321 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:42,840 Speaker 1: I'll be invited back, but you won't. Um. It has 322 00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:44,800 Speaker 1: long been rumored that his first wife was a woman 323 00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:47,199 Speaker 1: named Barbara Geane. Dave was the basis for Mortisia, but 324 00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:48,600 Speaker 1: I think it was kind of a chicken or the 325 00:18:48,600 --> 00:18:50,800 Speaker 1: egg situation, Like I think he just liked women with 326 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:54,000 Speaker 1: dark hair. And then after the Adams family blew up 327 00:18:54,720 --> 00:18:57,000 Speaker 1: his wives just started to dress like that, like to 328 00:18:57,080 --> 00:19:00,920 Speaker 1: play everything up. His second wife, though, a woman named 329 00:19:00,960 --> 00:19:04,200 Speaker 1: is Stell b Barb, who I think later married into 330 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:07,120 Speaker 1: like becoming like actual royalty or like one of those 331 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:10,640 Speaker 1: weird like inbred twelve generations down the line like royalty 332 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:14,159 Speaker 1: and name only Habsburg situation. Uh. He married her nineteen 333 00:19:14,800 --> 00:19:17,479 Speaker 1: and she was a little more Lady Macbeth than more Tisha. 334 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:21,000 Speaker 1: She was a practicing lawyer and faked a pregnancy to 335 00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:23,439 Speaker 1: get Charles Adams to marry her, and then faked a 336 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:27,879 Speaker 1: miscarriage Uh, and proceeded to convince him to sign away 337 00:19:27,960 --> 00:19:30,640 Speaker 1: his rights to a lot of his work and repeatedly 338 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:33,480 Speaker 1: physically abused him. She threw one of his African spears 339 00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:35,600 Speaker 1: at him. She hit him with a high heel over 340 00:19:35,600 --> 00:19:37,560 Speaker 1: the head and sent him to the hospital for stitches. 341 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:40,200 Speaker 1: Uh wound up in control of the rights to the 342 00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:43,639 Speaker 1: Adams family, his portion of the Adams family like TV rights, 343 00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:48,200 Speaker 1: and even conned him into signing over houses to him 344 00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:50,960 Speaker 1: and taking out a one hundred thousand dollar life insurance 345 00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:55,399 Speaker 1: policy on himself that would pay out to her. UM. 346 00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:58,920 Speaker 1: Linda Davis quotes his lawyer a letter his lawyer wrote 347 00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:01,400 Speaker 1: to him. Uh, the said I told him. The last 348 00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:03,040 Speaker 1: time I had word of such a move was in 349 00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:07,720 Speaker 1: the picture Double Indemnity, which stars Barbara Standwick as a 350 00:20:07,760 --> 00:20:10,679 Speaker 1: woman plotting to murder her husband for the insurance money. 351 00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:14,080 Speaker 1: But M. Davis writes a lot about how she was 352 00:20:14,119 --> 00:20:16,600 Speaker 1: just shocked by how much, how much this was like 353 00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:20,119 Speaker 1: a textbook abusive relationship, Like she really put him through 354 00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:23,720 Speaker 1: the ringer, and he was just like okay, like I 355 00:20:23,840 --> 00:20:26,560 Speaker 1: just like he remained in touch with her after all 356 00:20:26,560 --> 00:20:31,200 Speaker 1: of this. Yeah, so she's uh. But but his third wife, Maryland, 357 00:20:31,240 --> 00:20:34,480 Speaker 1: whose nickname is Tuh, they married in a pet cemetery 358 00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:39,200 Speaker 1: in In five they moved out of New York, although 359 00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:43,800 Speaker 1: he kept his Manhattan apartment uh to Saga Ponic, which 360 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:47,399 Speaker 1: I assume is in Long Island with that name um, 361 00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:50,119 Speaker 1: where they lived the rest of their lives. Charles Adams 362 00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:54,199 Speaker 1: loved dogs and never had or wanted children, which is 363 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:57,480 Speaker 1: the reason his first marriage broke up. There's a Washington 364 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:00,680 Speaker 1: Post profile two that had a great anecdote about a 365 00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:03,600 Speaker 1: dog he adopted. The dog's current owner said, I'll tell 366 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:07,040 Speaker 1: you the truth, Mr Adams, this dog detests children, and 367 00:21:07,119 --> 00:21:11,800 Speaker 1: Charles Adams said, I'll take it. Uh, he got the 368 00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:14,200 Speaker 1: rights to his work back, and before she died in 369 00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:17,560 Speaker 1: two thousand two, she established the teen Charles Adams Foundation 370 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:21,119 Speaker 1: that is dedicated to, you know, preserving and archiving his work. 371 00:21:21,560 --> 00:21:24,560 Speaker 1: And the ashes of those two Tea and Charles and 372 00:21:24,640 --> 00:21:27,680 Speaker 1: all of their pets are interred at the Pet cemetery 373 00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:31,199 Speaker 1: at the Swamp, the Saga Ponic property, which is just 374 00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:34,520 Speaker 1: such an adorable little coda to his life that at 375 00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:37,359 Speaker 1: the end of it, he was happily married for eight 376 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:40,359 Speaker 1: years and his wife got all of his rights back, 377 00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:42,919 Speaker 1: and he's he's buried with all of his dogs in 378 00:21:43,040 --> 00:21:45,600 Speaker 1: his Saga Ponic. I can't stop saying that word has 379 00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:49,600 Speaker 1: such a great mouth. Feel well, Uh, since I already 380 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:51,919 Speaker 1: went on an unprompted rant talking about the rise of 381 00:21:52,119 --> 00:21:55,040 Speaker 1: monster culture in the fifties and sixties and our Monster 382 00:21:55,119 --> 00:21:58,280 Speaker 1: Mash episode, I would like to look at the bizarre 383 00:21:58,320 --> 00:22:01,840 Speaker 1: coincidence of having both the Adams Family and the Monsters 384 00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:05,080 Speaker 1: on air within weeks of each other through the lens 385 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:08,800 Speaker 1: of the other sitcoms airing at the time. Obviously, you know, 386 00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:11,240 Speaker 1: you can just say, okay, yeah, monster culture, like that's 387 00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:14,240 Speaker 1: why we got those shows. But there's another interesting trend 388 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:17,000 Speaker 1: in sitcoms at the time, which was the period following 389 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:19,160 Speaker 1: World War Two, gave rise to the birth of these 390 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:22,800 Speaker 1: domestic sitcoms. Right, you're thinking, father knows best, leave it 391 00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:26,000 Speaker 1: to beaver Assie and Harriet Donna reed that we're kind 392 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:30,240 Speaker 1: of these combination of advertisements for all kinds of household 393 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:34,640 Speaker 1: stuff and etiquette manuals and like how to raise your 394 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:38,679 Speaker 1: kid basically just like playing on the whole man in 395 00:22:38,680 --> 00:22:44,520 Speaker 1: the Great Flannel Suit, American post war prosperities, suburbia tropes, etcetera, etcetera. 396 00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:49,320 Speaker 1: Of the four hundred sitcoms aired between nineteen and nineteen, 397 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:53,560 Speaker 1: over half of them were these like domestic situations. So 398 00:22:54,119 --> 00:22:57,240 Speaker 1: that is the milieu that was just slightly in the 399 00:22:57,320 --> 00:22:59,919 Speaker 1: review mirror when the Adams Family Monsters came out, because 400 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:03,040 Speaker 1: as just as quickly as that was sort of the 401 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:05,400 Speaker 1: dominant culture, you do get the kind of beat nick 402 00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:10,040 Speaker 1: proto hippie uh backlash to that, like um that people 403 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:13,280 Speaker 1: are like, oh, you know Squaresville man like moving into 404 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:16,160 Speaker 1: the suburbs, death and I like jazz and I'm gonna 405 00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:19,639 Speaker 1: do a bunch of speed and write bad novels. Um, 406 00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:23,480 Speaker 1: that's my Jack caroract impression, have troublesome views on race. 407 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:29,520 Speaker 1: That's my normal mail or impression. Um, So TV sitcoms. 408 00:23:29,560 --> 00:23:31,119 Speaker 1: Where I'm getting at with all this is that at 409 00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:35,000 Speaker 1: some point TV sitcoms, uh start portraying this like influence 410 00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:38,320 Speaker 1: of the counterculture coming at the suburbs, but they do 411 00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:41,240 Speaker 1: it in the most off kilter, in bizarre way where 412 00:23:41,240 --> 00:23:45,600 Speaker 1: they have all of these outsider characters, like coded outsiders 413 00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:48,639 Speaker 1: just move into the suburbs and be wacky, so like 414 00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:52,480 Speaker 1: not have yeah, green Acres, the monsters in the Adams 415 00:23:52,520 --> 00:23:56,119 Speaker 1: Family where they are literal either like goth missing thropes 416 00:23:56,280 --> 00:24:00,600 Speaker 1: or actual literal movie monsters. And then you have Witched 417 00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:04,520 Speaker 1: and I dream of Genie with Witchcraft, Beverly Hill Billies again, 418 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:08,320 Speaker 1: and then alien literal aliens my favorite Martian or Lost 419 00:24:08,359 --> 00:24:12,479 Speaker 1: in Space, which is like the Atomic Family transplanted into space, 420 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:19,440 Speaker 1: and also my mother of the Car. Yeah, but um yeah, 421 00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:21,840 Speaker 1: it's just that's that's what's just so funny about it 422 00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:24,000 Speaker 1: to me is that they were like, well, rather than 423 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:26,800 Speaker 1: directly critique these things, let's have a father who's a 424 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:30,240 Speaker 1: Frankenstein and a mother's who is a Dracula, and a 425 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:33,000 Speaker 1: child who's Awarewolf as one of my favorite Simpsons quotes 426 00:24:33,119 --> 00:24:35,560 Speaker 1: when they have Eddie from the Munsters on The Simpsons, 427 00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:38,480 Speaker 1: and Who's like, if your mother was a Dracula and 428 00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:41,600 Speaker 1: your father was a Frankenstein, why were you awarewolf? Doesn't 429 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:44,520 Speaker 1: make sense? Um. The Adams Family beat The Munsters to 430 00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:47,920 Speaker 1: air by six days in September of sixty four, But 431 00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:50,960 Speaker 1: the concept for the Munsters is like very hotly debated. 432 00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:54,120 Speaker 1: It might have actually originated as early as the mid fourties, 433 00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:56,200 Speaker 1: when a guy named Bob Clampett, who was like a 434 00:24:56,240 --> 00:24:59,960 Speaker 1: big Looney Tunes animator, He pitched an idea called the 435 00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:03,600 Speaker 1: Monster Family, in which the dad was a Frankenstein's Monster 436 00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:08,280 Speaker 1: character and the mother was a vampire, and supposedly um 437 00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:10,399 Speaker 1: according to a book by Donald F. Glutt called The 438 00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:13,240 Speaker 1: Frankenstein Archive, that got as far as a pilot which 439 00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:17,360 Speaker 1: went to an unnamed major studio but never went anywhere. 440 00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:21,480 Speaker 1: So then about two decades later, Chris Hayward and Alan Burns, 441 00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:24,280 Speaker 1: who are working on the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show in Nie, 442 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:27,920 Speaker 1: come up with their version of that exact same thing. 443 00:25:28,359 --> 00:25:30,800 Speaker 1: So I don't know if it's a case of intellectual 444 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:35,280 Speaker 1: property theft by an untoward studio or just a lazy pitching. 445 00:25:35,720 --> 00:25:39,320 Speaker 1: But Burns, who also then went on to the Mary 446 00:25:39,359 --> 00:25:43,480 Speaker 1: Tyler Moore Show, UM probably his bigger success. Uh said 447 00:25:43,480 --> 00:25:46,000 Speaker 1: in this book Funny, you should ask the oral histories 448 00:25:46,040 --> 00:25:49,520 Speaker 1: of classic sitcom storytellers by guy named Scott Luin, Chris 449 00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:51,399 Speaker 1: and I came up with the idea of something called 450 00:25:51,520 --> 00:25:55,200 Speaker 1: Meet the Monsters. We envisioned this family of very weird people. 451 00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:58,320 Speaker 1: And here's the underlined part. We sort of stole the 452 00:25:58,359 --> 00:26:01,359 Speaker 1: idea from Charles Adams and his New Yorker cartoons about 453 00:26:01,359 --> 00:26:03,639 Speaker 1: these weird looking people who lived in this house, and 454 00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:06,760 Speaker 1: we're just bizarre. So Burns explained that he and Hayward 455 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:09,760 Speaker 1: were pitching this agent named Les Colodney, who in turn 456 00:26:09,840 --> 00:26:13,000 Speaker 1: took their pages and fed them to two writers at Universal, 457 00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:16,080 Speaker 1: normally Mean and Ed Hoss. Those writers did not know 458 00:26:16,119 --> 00:26:18,439 Speaker 1: that they were not this guy's ideas, so he was 459 00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:22,000 Speaker 1: basically stealing ideas, passing them off as his own, and 460 00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:25,919 Speaker 1: got this greenlit. And because Universal owned the rights to 461 00:26:26,040 --> 00:26:30,160 Speaker 1: Frankenstein and Dracula, they were like, well, let's make these 462 00:26:30,200 --> 00:26:34,240 Speaker 1: characters instead of these weird instead of like Charles Adams archetypes, 463 00:26:34,359 --> 00:26:38,199 Speaker 1: Let's make them Uh, you know Frankenstein's Monster and the 464 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:41,880 Speaker 1: Bride of Dracula. Uh, And that infuriated Burns and Hayteward. 465 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:44,359 Speaker 1: They took it to the Writer's Guild and it became 466 00:26:44,359 --> 00:26:46,320 Speaker 1: this whole thing where they ultimately wound up with a 467 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:49,520 Speaker 1: credit like created by credit on the show and chunk 468 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:51,760 Speaker 1: of the merchandise in cash. So there's all this drama 469 00:26:51,800 --> 00:26:57,280 Speaker 1: around the monsters. Anyway, NBC executive David Levy, who became 470 00:26:57,480 --> 00:27:00,560 Speaker 1: vice president of Programming in nine and sickly turned the 471 00:27:00,560 --> 00:27:02,280 Speaker 1: network around at the time, but it shows like Dr 472 00:27:02,359 --> 00:27:06,800 Speaker 1: Kilderry and Bonanza and brought Johnny Carson to the Tonight Show. Uh. 473 00:27:06,800 --> 00:27:09,200 Speaker 1: He was walking down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan when he 474 00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:12,800 Speaker 1: saw a copy of the collected Adams cartoon Homebodies in 475 00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:15,760 Speaker 1: a bookstore window, which he bought and basically just got 476 00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:18,200 Speaker 1: in contact with Charles Adams through the New Yorker, set 477 00:27:18,240 --> 00:27:20,520 Speaker 1: up some meetings with him about adapting the cartoons into 478 00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:23,359 Speaker 1: a TV show. Was like, hey, can you get me 479 00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:27,480 Speaker 1: names a couple more sketches of characters, and was like okay. 480 00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:30,400 Speaker 1: And then in the Adams Chronicles that book, Levy told 481 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:33,959 Speaker 1: the author Stephen Cox, Adams never had much further input 482 00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:37,919 Speaker 1: or feedback after those first meetings. Uh, Charles didn't even 483 00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:39,919 Speaker 1: want his name on the show. They they were literally 484 00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:42,640 Speaker 1: like I think it got as far as them being like, well, 485 00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:45,080 Speaker 1: like what should we call it? Like they have to 486 00:27:45,119 --> 00:27:47,280 Speaker 1: have names, right, And he was like, I don't care. 487 00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:50,119 Speaker 1: I'm like, all right, we're gonna call the Adams family. 488 00:27:50,119 --> 00:27:52,600 Speaker 1: And he was like fine, and he went back to 489 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:58,879 Speaker 1: sleeping with JACKIEO, a bereaved Jackie O. Which who among 490 00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:07,359 Speaker 1: us commercial break. We're going to take a quick break, 491 00:28:07,520 --> 00:28:10,080 Speaker 1: but we'll be right back with more too much information 492 00:28:10,119 --> 00:28:23,199 Speaker 1: in just a moment. The first casting choice for the 493 00:28:23,240 --> 00:28:27,280 Speaker 1: Adams family was John Aston, father of Seawan Aston, star 494 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:31,000 Speaker 1: of the Goonies and various lord of the Rings Things 495 00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:34,080 Speaker 1: and a personal favorite of mine. Why do you love 496 00:28:34,160 --> 00:28:37,600 Speaker 1: John Aston? I love Shawn Aston because the Goonies John Auston. 497 00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:40,320 Speaker 1: I like him as the dad in the original Freaky 498 00:28:40,320 --> 00:28:43,400 Speaker 1: Friday with Joy Foster. Um. I don't know, it just 499 00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:45,280 Speaker 1: seems cool. I like his suits and I like his 500 00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:50,520 Speaker 1: gum mess suits, uh asbestos line go mess suits. He's 501 00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:54,760 Speaker 1: cool and he's still alive, which, yeah, out live pretty cool. 502 00:28:56,080 --> 00:28:59,960 Speaker 1: The other personalities in this John Aston to Whole authors 503 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:02,160 Speaker 1: Stephen Cox, that during the first meeting you had with 504 00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:05,120 Speaker 1: the team behind the show, producer Marty Ransohoff told him 505 00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:07,240 Speaker 1: that they wanted to build the series around the character 506 00:29:07,280 --> 00:29:09,880 Speaker 1: of the Butler, whom they wanted John Aston to play. 507 00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:13,120 Speaker 1: But NBC executive David Levy found John Aston after that 508 00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:16,000 Speaker 1: initial meeting and I guess coral Leman for another meeting, 509 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:18,720 Speaker 1: where he told John Aston that he wanted him as Gomez, 510 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:21,840 Speaker 1: explaining that he quote really saw the show as father 511 00:29:21,920 --> 00:29:25,000 Speaker 1: knows best with different people. In an interview with the 512 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:28,200 Speaker 1: Television Academy Foundation, John Aston said the producers gave him 513 00:29:28,200 --> 00:29:30,360 Speaker 1: a lot of leeway in terms of shaping the character 514 00:29:30,360 --> 00:29:33,920 Speaker 1: of Gomez, which is where the character's Spanish Latin roots 515 00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:36,680 Speaker 1: came from. But he did battle the network over wanting 516 00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:40,479 Speaker 1: to shave his hair to resemble the cartoon, and I 517 00:29:40,520 --> 00:29:43,280 Speaker 1: love this. The pockets of his Gomez suit wereligned with 518 00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:47,120 Speaker 1: asbestos to safeguard against this habit of constantly putting his 519 00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:52,360 Speaker 1: lit cigars into them. John Aston told author Stephen Cox, 520 00:29:52,560 --> 00:29:55,120 Speaker 1: we never wanted Gomez to use a short cigar. It 521 00:29:55,240 --> 00:29:57,640 Speaker 1: wasn't elegant if we got to take two three or 522 00:29:57,680 --> 00:30:00,120 Speaker 1: four and the cigar ash was getting too long, I 523 00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:02,960 Speaker 1: would have to light up another cigar. And probably it's 524 00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:05,280 Speaker 1: not a coincidence that one of the show's sponsors was 525 00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:10,640 Speaker 1: cigar brand Dutch Masters. Despite having the highly kercinogenic asbestos 526 00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:12,960 Speaker 1: in his pocket, which is rumored to have killed fellow 527 00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:16,640 Speaker 1: Spook enthusiast Warn Zevon, John Austen has at age nine 528 00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:20,960 Speaker 1: two outlived nearly everyone else from the show, including Ken Weatherwax, 529 00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:24,000 Speaker 1: who played Pugsley and his successor as Gomez, and the 530 00:30:24,040 --> 00:30:27,280 Speaker 1: Adams Family Movies Raoul Julia, who died after wrapping the 531 00:30:27,320 --> 00:30:32,120 Speaker 1: sequel to the first film, Adams Family Values. Um Caroline 532 00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:35,800 Speaker 1: Jones uh Mortisia, the original Mortia she was then married 533 00:30:35,840 --> 00:30:39,440 Speaker 1: to and in the process of divorcing Aaron Spelling. U 534 00:30:39,760 --> 00:30:42,200 Speaker 1: was not the first choice to but to play Morticia. 535 00:30:42,640 --> 00:30:46,239 Speaker 1: Levy initially wanted Joan Huntington, who was an actress who 536 00:30:46,240 --> 00:30:50,600 Speaker 1: would later pivot to writing, including appropriately a documentary on 537 00:30:50,720 --> 00:30:54,600 Speaker 1: Charles Manson, but Caroline Jones, who had been nominated for 538 00:30:54,600 --> 00:30:57,160 Speaker 1: an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for a movie 539 00:30:57,200 --> 00:30:59,840 Speaker 1: called The Bachelor Party. A couple of Golden Globes. She 540 00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:01,600 Speaker 1: was the network's choice because she was more of a 541 00:31:01,680 --> 00:31:06,000 Speaker 1: known quantity um. She split with Aaron Spelling before the 542 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:09,000 Speaker 1: show premiered. There was a New York Times report on 543 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:12,480 Speaker 1: their divorce from August of sixty four that explained the 544 00:31:12,480 --> 00:31:17,760 Speaker 1: reason in charmingly vague pr terms. Mr Spelling stayed out 545 00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:22,040 Speaker 1: late at night without explanation. I bet he did. Uh, 546 00:31:22,200 --> 00:31:25,120 Speaker 1: Funnily enough, Carolin Jones had actually already met Charles Adams 547 00:31:25,120 --> 00:31:28,640 Speaker 1: on a film set once, which was an occasion marked 548 00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:34,280 Speaker 1: when her poodle Contessa bait him. After she agreed to 549 00:31:34,280 --> 00:31:37,760 Speaker 1: do the series, Charles Adams sent her a telegram that read, 550 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:40,640 Speaker 1: I know you will make a Darling Mortisia, but please 551 00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:44,360 Speaker 1: leave Contessa at home. John Aston has said that he 552 00:31:44,480 --> 00:31:47,280 Speaker 1: and Caroline Jones were instantly attracted to each other, but 553 00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:52,080 Speaker 1: managed to keep things professional, which made their electrifying on 554 00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:55,400 Speaker 1: screen chemistry so true to life and such a definable 555 00:31:55,440 --> 00:31:58,680 Speaker 1: part of the franchise moving forward, such a degree that 556 00:31:58,760 --> 00:32:00,600 Speaker 1: I actually just sort of assumed whom they had an 557 00:32:00,600 --> 00:32:05,120 Speaker 1: affair because or we're actually together, because they just act 558 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:10,440 Speaker 1: like a pouly couple we used to do. Right. Oh yeah, no, 559 00:32:10,560 --> 00:32:12,240 Speaker 1: I mean that's like the big thing about this is 560 00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:15,280 Speaker 1: that they were like the first television couple to like 561 00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:19,080 Speaker 1: actually be physically affectionate with each other and and you know, yeah, 562 00:32:19,080 --> 00:32:20,520 Speaker 1: they're the couple on the other side of the bar 563 00:32:20,760 --> 00:32:27,880 Speaker 1: like one of my they we like your vibe, um, 564 00:32:27,960 --> 00:32:30,320 Speaker 1: John Aston said. We used to do joke promos for 565 00:32:30,360 --> 00:32:32,360 Speaker 1: the show where I'd say my wife and I are 566 00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:35,600 Speaker 1: the best adjusted couple on television him talking to the 567 00:32:35,600 --> 00:32:39,600 Speaker 1: Baltimore Sun, which is kind of true. But the fact 568 00:32:39,600 --> 00:32:42,360 Speaker 1: that gum as a Mortisia got obviously excited about one 569 00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:45,120 Speaker 1: another was something the studio got letters on, which was 570 00:32:45,200 --> 00:32:49,200 Speaker 1: kind of stupid. He added, it smells I'm worth noting 571 00:32:49,240 --> 00:32:51,760 Speaker 1: that the two characters never get into a fight on screen, 572 00:32:51,920 --> 00:32:55,760 Speaker 1: so yeah, again, he's kind of right. Aston told author 573 00:32:55,760 --> 00:32:58,720 Speaker 1: Stephen Cox. Both of us, meaning Caroline Jones and himself, 574 00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:02,240 Speaker 1: had an idealistic attitude towards marriage. Caroline had a marriage 575 00:33:02,240 --> 00:33:05,320 Speaker 1: that wasn't working out, and I too had some marrible problems. 576 00:33:05,320 --> 00:33:07,560 Speaker 1: Both of us really wanted a good marriage, and both 577 00:33:07,560 --> 00:33:09,760 Speaker 1: of us really loved our mates. At the time, each 578 00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:11,640 Speaker 1: of us probably wished we could have a marriage free 579 00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:13,680 Speaker 1: of problems, and both of us played that out in 580 00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:17,680 Speaker 1: the show Work Spouse Goals. I know, it's so cute, 581 00:33:17,760 --> 00:33:20,840 Speaker 1: and it's like there's something about them show because this 582 00:33:20,920 --> 00:33:23,080 Speaker 1: show was only two seasons, right, so there's just something 583 00:33:23,080 --> 00:33:25,760 Speaker 1: about them getting this little like short oasis of time 584 00:33:25,800 --> 00:33:28,920 Speaker 1: where their marriages were crumbling and then just sublimating their 585 00:33:29,040 --> 00:33:32,560 Speaker 1: mutual attraction into making like one of the most adorable 586 00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:38,320 Speaker 1: on screen couples of all time. Custom designer Nolan Miller 587 00:33:38,400 --> 00:33:41,080 Speaker 1: said that Martitious outfit was the most difficult one he 588 00:33:41,200 --> 00:33:44,280 Speaker 1: ever had the design because it was so tight, especially 589 00:33:44,280 --> 00:33:46,800 Speaker 1: around the feet, which also made it hard for actress 590 00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:50,560 Speaker 1: Caroline Jones to walk. They made dozens of identical versions 591 00:33:50,560 --> 00:33:53,160 Speaker 1: of the dress for her, which took Jones twenty minutes 592 00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:55,640 Speaker 1: to get in and out of, and I guess her 593 00:33:55,680 --> 00:33:59,040 Speaker 1: wig and makeup took another hour and a half, Yeah, 594 00:33:59,160 --> 00:34:02,120 Speaker 1: two hours to get into Mortitia's look. And they they 595 00:34:02,360 --> 00:34:04,760 Speaker 1: just velcroder in and out of it um, which is 596 00:34:04,760 --> 00:34:07,560 Speaker 1: a tradition that they not the velcro, but the incredibly 597 00:34:07,560 --> 00:34:12,200 Speaker 1: restrictive stuff that they continued with Angelica Houston in the 598 00:34:12,560 --> 00:34:16,799 Speaker 1: which we'll get into later. Jackie Coogan, I had no 599 00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:20,120 Speaker 1: idea he was in this. Yeah, It's so funny too, 600 00:34:20,160 --> 00:34:22,719 Speaker 1: because like when you look at that, like Christopher Lloyd 601 00:34:22,719 --> 00:34:26,440 Speaker 1: plays the character completely differently, like Jackie Coogan has actually 602 00:34:26,560 --> 00:34:30,080 Speaker 1: very off putting, high pitched voice. But it's crazier that 603 00:34:30,160 --> 00:34:34,440 Speaker 1: Jackie Coogan was like a child star alongside Charlie Chaplin. 604 00:34:34,520 --> 00:34:36,200 Speaker 1: He was in the Kid and he was like one 605 00:34:36,239 --> 00:34:39,880 Speaker 1: of the earliest richest children child He was basically mcaulay Culkin. 606 00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:41,640 Speaker 1: He was the first kid star. I can't think of 607 00:34:41,680 --> 00:34:44,040 Speaker 1: a young of like a more famous child star, and 608 00:34:44,160 --> 00:34:48,400 Speaker 1: made like an ungodly amount of money, like adjusted for inflation, 609 00:34:48,480 --> 00:34:53,759 Speaker 1: like fifty million dollars, which his parents squandered. Sued his 610 00:34:53,840 --> 00:34:57,760 Speaker 1: mother and stepfather Um over their mismanagement of his career, 611 00:34:58,239 --> 00:35:00,960 Speaker 1: resulting in the creation of a of the legislation called 612 00:35:00,960 --> 00:35:04,480 Speaker 1: the California Child Actor's Bill. He really wanted to play 613 00:35:04,560 --> 00:35:07,200 Speaker 1: Uncle Fester. He was a fan of the Adams cartoons. 614 00:35:07,760 --> 00:35:11,359 Speaker 1: Um his daughter told Cox in the Adams Chronicles book. 615 00:35:11,600 --> 00:35:14,799 Speaker 1: Jack went in and wasn't offered the part. He went home, 616 00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:17,480 Speaker 1: gott in a costume, shaved his whole head, did his 617 00:35:17,520 --> 00:35:19,640 Speaker 1: makeup the way he pictured it would be, went in 618 00:35:19,719 --> 00:35:22,319 Speaker 1: with the high pitched voice, the makeup the costume all 619 00:35:22,360 --> 00:35:25,680 Speaker 1: on his own. The producers sent everyone else home. I 620 00:35:25,719 --> 00:35:27,520 Speaker 1: love all of these stories about actors who are like, 621 00:35:27,560 --> 00:35:35,080 Speaker 1: I'm getting this part and yeah yeah uh. Director Sydney 622 00:35:35,120 --> 00:35:37,440 Speaker 1: Landfield got into an argument with Jackie Coogan at one 623 00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:41,600 Speaker 1: point in an early episode and Coogan yelled, don't with me. Sydney, 624 00:35:41,640 --> 00:35:46,920 Speaker 1: I sued my own mother. Um. Jackie Coogan had a wild, 625 00:35:47,120 --> 00:35:51,239 Speaker 1: wildlife even after the child star stuff man he um 626 00:35:51,280 --> 00:35:54,200 Speaker 1: he enlisted in World War Two and demanded to be 627 00:35:54,239 --> 00:35:58,280 Speaker 1: put in the front lines. Became the first glider pilot 628 00:35:58,320 --> 00:36:01,560 Speaker 1: to land Allied troops behind ye Japanese lines during the 629 00:36:01,560 --> 00:36:05,680 Speaker 1: Burma campaign. Um so, like Jimmy Stewart, he got into 630 00:36:05,680 --> 00:36:07,880 Speaker 1: the war and was like, none of this propaganda stuff 631 00:36:07,920 --> 00:36:11,520 Speaker 1: put me in combat and this is insane. One of 632 00:36:11,560 --> 00:36:15,279 Speaker 1: his buddies was a guy named Brooke Hart who was 633 00:36:15,320 --> 00:36:19,279 Speaker 1: the sort of wealthy kid in San Jose. And this 634 00:36:19,360 --> 00:36:21,680 Speaker 1: kid was kidnapped and murder It was like a Lindbergh 635 00:36:21,760 --> 00:36:26,919 Speaker 1: baby situation, and an enormous mob thousands of people went 636 00:36:26,960 --> 00:36:30,919 Speaker 1: to the jail where the kidnapper and murderers were being carcerated, 637 00:36:31,080 --> 00:36:33,279 Speaker 1: took them out of the jail and murdered them in 638 00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:35,959 Speaker 1: the streets. They lynched them, and Jackie Coogan was there 639 00:36:36,080 --> 00:36:40,759 Speaker 1: and involved, supposedly, so oh, and I forgot about this. 640 00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:43,680 Speaker 1: He survived a car crash in Mexico that killed his 641 00:36:43,800 --> 00:36:48,600 Speaker 1: father and his father's best friend. So Jackie Coogan, Um, 642 00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:55,480 Speaker 1: I saw a lot of combat pilot, murderer, car crash survivor, 643 00:36:56,200 --> 00:37:01,000 Speaker 1: and your uncle Fester. He was so cute as a kid. Wow, 644 00:37:01,320 --> 00:37:04,160 Speaker 1: And then he was Uncle Fester as for the kids 645 00:37:04,200 --> 00:37:07,400 Speaker 1: in the show. Ken Weatherwax, who played Pugsley, had barely 646 00:37:07,440 --> 00:37:10,200 Speaker 1: acted before. The biggest thing on his resume was a 647 00:37:10,200 --> 00:37:13,640 Speaker 1: series of toothpaste commercials. But his uncle by marriage was 648 00:37:13,680 --> 00:37:18,160 Speaker 1: Al Jolson and his half brother was in the first 649 00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:21,120 Speaker 1: three seasons of Lassie. And his uncle's were two guys 650 00:37:21,200 --> 00:37:24,520 Speaker 1: named Frank and Rudd weather Wax, who were Lassie's trainers 651 00:37:24,640 --> 00:37:26,359 Speaker 1: and the owners of the first dog to play the role. 652 00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:30,440 Speaker 1: So uh yeah, Lassie Adams family connection. There you go. 653 00:37:30,800 --> 00:37:36,560 Speaker 1: Very nice. Lisa Loring, who played Wednesday Toll NBC executive 654 00:37:36,640 --> 00:37:39,880 Speaker 1: David Levy at the audition, I don't read and handed 655 00:37:39,880 --> 00:37:42,520 Speaker 1: in the script back and he thought she was being 656 00:37:42,560 --> 00:37:46,120 Speaker 1: a diva much like Leonardo DiCaprio during auditions with James 657 00:37:46,120 --> 00:37:49,600 Speaker 1: Cameron for Titanic. Turned out she actually literally could not 658 00:37:49,719 --> 00:37:54,040 Speaker 1: read because she was six years old. So Levy read 659 00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:56,120 Speaker 1: all of her lines out to her and she repeated 660 00:37:56,160 --> 00:37:59,200 Speaker 1: them back. It worked. Louren would later say that she 661 00:37:59,280 --> 00:38:04,000 Speaker 1: was discouraged from smiling on set to keep her character consistent. Yeah, 662 00:38:04,040 --> 00:38:05,960 Speaker 1: she and Carolyn Jones got very close. She had a 663 00:38:05,960 --> 00:38:10,200 Speaker 1: sad life. She um, I guess it's turned out well. 664 00:38:10,960 --> 00:38:14,680 Speaker 1: Her mother was like an alcoholic and she had a 665 00:38:14,719 --> 00:38:18,680 Speaker 1: kid at sixteen. Um, she married, Uh, she had a 666 00:38:18,680 --> 00:38:21,919 Speaker 1: bunch of She basically married a porn star and who 667 00:38:21,960 --> 00:38:24,800 Speaker 1: she met while doing makeup on one of his movies. 668 00:38:25,480 --> 00:38:28,640 Speaker 1: She did had her own struggles with drugs and alcohol. 669 00:38:29,160 --> 00:38:31,400 Speaker 1: It was bad. She had a but but you know, 670 00:38:31,600 --> 00:38:38,760 Speaker 1: they divorced and she is I guess turned her life around. 671 00:38:39,640 --> 00:38:44,120 Speaker 1: Uh sorry, Okay. The six ft nine pound Ted Cassidy 672 00:38:44,160 --> 00:38:48,600 Speaker 1: played Lurch, being cast with virtually no professional acting experience. 673 00:38:49,320 --> 00:38:50,920 Speaker 1: Oh wait, he was the guy that was in the 674 00:38:50,920 --> 00:38:53,799 Speaker 1: opening of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Yeah, he 675 00:38:53,920 --> 00:38:57,880 Speaker 1: was always playing like the heavy um in in like 676 00:38:58,239 --> 00:39:01,959 Speaker 1: in Brown Face Sundance. When this is over, if he's dead, 677 00:39:02,040 --> 00:39:05,239 Speaker 1: you can stay sundance. I don't want to be a 678 00:39:05,239 --> 00:39:07,439 Speaker 1: poor loser. But when this is over, if I'm dead, 679 00:39:07,840 --> 00:39:13,160 Speaker 1: kill him love to. That's a great scene. Casside was 680 00:39:13,160 --> 00:39:16,839 Speaker 1: an accomplished keyboardist, and his hand he was the thing. 681 00:39:16,960 --> 00:39:20,239 Speaker 1: He was the disembodied hand thing that is always popping out. Yeah, 682 00:39:20,280 --> 00:39:22,800 Speaker 1: that's his hand. He would swap right in left hands 683 00:39:22,800 --> 00:39:24,600 Speaker 1: just to sometimes to see if anyone would notice. No 684 00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:29,080 Speaker 1: one ever did. Um, that's great. Yeah, but he was 685 00:39:29,200 --> 00:39:32,160 Speaker 1: actually kind of sadly like typecast by this and just 686 00:39:32,280 --> 00:39:35,640 Speaker 1: haunted by it. Um. John Aston called him the giant 687 00:39:35,680 --> 00:39:38,800 Speaker 1: who wanted to play Hamlet, which will be the title 688 00:39:38,840 --> 00:39:44,399 Speaker 1: of my memoirs, the saddest children's book ever. Yeah, exactly. Um. 689 00:39:44,560 --> 00:39:46,919 Speaker 1: He wasn't supposed to speak at all, but he ad 690 00:39:46,960 --> 00:39:50,759 Speaker 1: libbed the line you rang in in his audition and 691 00:39:50,800 --> 00:39:53,680 Speaker 1: they were like, that's hilarious and started writing lines for him. 692 00:39:53,800 --> 00:39:56,000 Speaker 1: He moved into voice over work in the seventies. He 693 00:39:56,120 --> 00:39:59,440 Speaker 1: voiced the Hulk in seventies six episodes of The Lufer 694 00:39:59,440 --> 00:40:03,040 Speaker 1: ignoble Xby show. He died ninety nine, and he was 695 00:40:03,080 --> 00:40:06,600 Speaker 1: cremated and buried in the backyard of his Woodland Hills 696 00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:09,640 Speaker 1: home he shared with his girlfriend, and then she moved 697 00:40:10,320 --> 00:40:15,080 Speaker 1: and his cremains went missing. They were either not relocated 698 00:40:15,120 --> 00:40:17,840 Speaker 1: and found after the fact or or according to the 699 00:40:17,840 --> 00:40:20,080 Speaker 1: guys in the Daily Departed podcast, which I haven't been 700 00:40:20,120 --> 00:40:23,520 Speaker 1: able to verify, some groundskeepers were like doing yard work 701 00:40:23,600 --> 00:40:27,000 Speaker 1: and like found the urn and and made off with 702 00:40:27,080 --> 00:40:31,440 Speaker 1: it or something. I go I was surging around in 703 00:40:31,480 --> 00:40:34,000 Speaker 1: a few years back. There was a um a go 704 00:40:34,239 --> 00:40:37,360 Speaker 1: fund me to like get him a proper resting place 705 00:40:37,440 --> 00:40:40,839 Speaker 1: or fine, it did not reach completion. So that's that's 706 00:40:40,920 --> 00:40:43,480 Speaker 1: very sad. So they don't know where Lurch his ashes are. 707 00:40:44,040 --> 00:40:49,399 Speaker 1: But another fun Monster Mash connection in Cassidy as Lurch 708 00:40:49,800 --> 00:40:53,319 Speaker 1: cut a pop record with Gary S. Paxson, the absolutely 709 00:40:53,360 --> 00:40:58,200 Speaker 1: insane producer of Monster Mash, called the lurch uh and 710 00:40:58,239 --> 00:41:01,680 Speaker 1: he did it on Shin Dig with um No that 711 00:41:01,800 --> 00:41:03,920 Speaker 1: was was that the episode that he did with with 712 00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:07,759 Speaker 1: Boris Karloff. Yes, that is the same episode. It is 713 00:41:07,800 --> 00:41:10,920 Speaker 1: in which Boris Karloff does Monster Mash and then they 714 00:41:10,920 --> 00:41:14,640 Speaker 1: all do the lurch. Do you know how to do 715 00:41:14,680 --> 00:41:17,160 Speaker 1: the lurch? I assume it's like the holly Gully or 716 00:41:17,160 --> 00:41:19,399 Speaker 1: the Twist. Let's actually listen to this. I didn't listen 717 00:41:19,440 --> 00:41:25,800 Speaker 1: to the frog, the frug, the first fruit, the fruit, 718 00:41:26,960 --> 00:41:31,399 Speaker 1: the bird. We already said the bird, the trash. I'm 719 00:41:31,440 --> 00:41:36,920 Speaker 1: just naming things, naming things that make you feel happy, birds, trash, 720 00:41:37,480 --> 00:41:56,279 Speaker 1: mashed potatoes. That's poor guy, knowing that he had his 721 00:41:56,719 --> 00:42:00,960 Speaker 1: aspirations to play Hamlet. This is so much work. That's 722 00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:06,240 Speaker 1: got more votown vibes than I would have thought. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um. 723 00:42:06,360 --> 00:42:08,520 Speaker 1: Someone who did not get his own novelty dance was 724 00:42:08,840 --> 00:42:13,960 Speaker 1: cousin It. Actor Felix Sillah said of the role, a 725 00:42:14,040 --> 00:42:17,560 Speaker 1: producer dreamed it up in some nightmare, which is also 726 00:42:17,640 --> 00:42:21,560 Speaker 1: the title of my memoirs. They over duped the voice. 727 00:42:21,640 --> 00:42:23,279 Speaker 1: Later I think it was actually might have been David 728 00:42:23,360 --> 00:42:25,640 Speaker 1: Levy someone There was a producer who just overdone and 729 00:42:25,640 --> 00:42:30,120 Speaker 1: then they like double timed out with tape for the um. 730 00:42:30,160 --> 00:42:32,759 Speaker 1: That was incredible. I wow, I just I was not 731 00:42:32,880 --> 00:42:36,600 Speaker 1: expecting that to come out of you, my cousin in voice. Yeah. 732 00:42:36,680 --> 00:42:38,520 Speaker 1: And they would just walk around on set in a 733 00:42:38,560 --> 00:42:42,000 Speaker 1: full length wig. But that was real human hair, which 734 00:42:42,040 --> 00:42:45,400 Speaker 1: was a problem because it was super heavy and super flammable, 735 00:42:45,440 --> 00:42:47,600 Speaker 1: and because this was the sixties and everyone was smoking 736 00:42:47,680 --> 00:42:51,279 Speaker 1: all of the time. They eventually changed it to synthetic care, 737 00:42:52,280 --> 00:42:56,839 Speaker 1: probably dipped an asbestos. In the movie, it's the kid 738 00:42:56,960 --> 00:43:00,759 Speaker 1: from the Creepy Kid from Children of the Horn who 739 00:43:00,800 --> 00:43:07,080 Speaker 1: play yeah, which is so much more terrifying. You pull 740 00:43:07,120 --> 00:43:09,080 Speaker 1: off the cousin in hair and it's the It's the 741 00:43:09,200 --> 00:43:12,640 Speaker 1: kid from Tonal of the Corn. We have your woman 742 00:43:12,880 --> 00:43:19,080 Speaker 1: outlanda um okay. By March of the show's pilot had 743 00:43:19,120 --> 00:43:23,160 Speaker 1: been filmed at a mildly redressed set left over from 744 00:43:23,280 --> 00:43:28,400 Speaker 1: The Unsinkable Molly Brown Friend Pod The Unsinkable Molly Brown. 745 00:43:29,280 --> 00:43:33,080 Speaker 1: While the family's fictional address was zero zero one Cemetery Lane, 746 00:43:33,360 --> 00:43:36,719 Speaker 1: the Monsters was mocking Bird Lane for those of you 747 00:43:36,840 --> 00:43:39,360 Speaker 1: in the bar trivia circuit. The house scene in the 748 00:43:39,360 --> 00:43:43,160 Speaker 1: show was located at twenty one Chester Place in Los Angeles, 749 00:43:43,760 --> 00:43:47,279 Speaker 1: Originally built in seven for Henry Gregory new Hall of 750 00:43:47,360 --> 00:43:50,520 Speaker 1: the gold Rush rich new Hall family. The home was 751 00:43:50,560 --> 00:43:54,320 Speaker 1: eventually sold to Los Angeles oil tycoons and philanthropists Edward 752 00:43:54,360 --> 00:43:59,440 Speaker 1: and Estelle Doheni. You will possibly recognize that name because 753 00:43:59,680 --> 00:44:03,080 Speaker 1: they rented out the Chester Place apartment and lived in 754 00:44:03,120 --> 00:44:06,560 Speaker 1: what is today the Doheny Mansion down the street. Grace 755 00:44:06,560 --> 00:44:10,440 Speaker 1: Stone Manor, which is the mansion that David Lynch lived 756 00:44:10,560 --> 00:44:12,719 Speaker 1: in while completing a racer Heads owned by the a 757 00:44:12,800 --> 00:44:15,640 Speaker 1: f I, and uh Doheny was the guy who There 758 00:44:15,680 --> 00:44:18,960 Speaker 1: Will Be Blood is somewhat based on I believe they 759 00:44:19,040 --> 00:44:22,400 Speaker 1: may have filmed it in that mansion's bowling alley, like 760 00:44:22,440 --> 00:44:25,200 Speaker 1: the climactic scene of The Will Be Blood might actually 761 00:44:25,239 --> 00:44:29,360 Speaker 1: be filmed there. Anyway. When as Sildoheny died in Night, 762 00:44:29,480 --> 00:44:32,719 Speaker 1: she willed all the land in Chester Place to the 763 00:44:32,840 --> 00:44:36,840 Speaker 1: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, who made it a 764 00:44:36,840 --> 00:44:40,359 Speaker 1: new satellite campus of Mount St. Mary's in ninety two. 765 00:44:40,920 --> 00:44:44,120 Speaker 1: The Adams Family Mansion was a part of the Catholic 766 00:44:44,200 --> 00:44:47,759 Speaker 1: Archdiocese of Los Angeles. I don't know if that's appropriate 767 00:44:47,880 --> 00:44:51,000 Speaker 1: or counterintuitive. I'm surprised they didn't burst in the flames 768 00:44:52,120 --> 00:44:56,000 Speaker 1: right well. For the show, production composited the lower half 769 00:44:56,000 --> 00:44:59,000 Speaker 1: of the house with some Gothic touches for the exterior shots. 770 00:44:59,760 --> 00:45:02,319 Speaker 1: For this also meant there was no reason to use 771 00:45:02,360 --> 00:45:05,880 Speaker 1: the house ever again, and by nineteen seven Mount St. 772 00:45:05,880 --> 00:45:09,480 Speaker 1: Mary's incorporated many of chester Places historic homes into the college, 773 00:45:09,920 --> 00:45:12,560 Speaker 1: but the Adams Family House didn't make the cut and 774 00:45:12,640 --> 00:45:15,719 Speaker 1: it was demolished and paved to put up a parking lot. 775 00:45:16,520 --> 00:45:21,759 Speaker 1: S were punching Joni Mitchell doing Big Yellow Taxi the 776 00:45:21,840 --> 00:45:25,200 Speaker 1: Fakess laugh and recorded music You're I'm talking about right, 777 00:45:25,320 --> 00:45:28,960 Speaker 1: of course, of course I do, sir, Julia Roberts laugh. 778 00:45:30,760 --> 00:45:33,799 Speaker 1: Oh man, remember and Counting Crows covered that song. Yeah, 779 00:45:33,800 --> 00:45:41,759 Speaker 1: but they'll laugh, they admitted to laugh. Yes, it needs 780 00:45:41,800 --> 00:45:43,760 Speaker 1: to be a new recurring bit on the show. We 781 00:45:44,000 --> 00:45:49,440 Speaker 1: punch in Joni Mitchell's big yellow Taxi laugh. Yeah. I 782 00:45:49,440 --> 00:45:51,560 Speaker 1: mean that's because we should have been in Titanic when 783 00:45:51,600 --> 00:45:54,200 Speaker 1: they just destroyed the grand staircase and just scrapped it. 784 00:45:55,000 --> 00:46:00,800 Speaker 1: Anytime something that's like it just gets callously destroyed. This 785 00:46:01,000 --> 00:46:06,080 Speaker 1: recurring segment another in the Big Yellow Taxi corner of 786 00:46:06,120 --> 00:46:12,279 Speaker 1: the show. Uh. Since the nineteen eighties, the land where 787 00:46:12,320 --> 00:46:14,719 Speaker 1: the Adams family home used to be has been the 788 00:46:14,719 --> 00:46:18,480 Speaker 1: track and field for Frank D. Lanternman High School, and 789 00:46:18,520 --> 00:46:21,120 Speaker 1: today the only original piece of the home still standing 790 00:46:21,440 --> 00:46:23,600 Speaker 1: is the six globe street lamp built in front of 791 00:46:23,600 --> 00:46:27,680 Speaker 1: the homes driveway back in nineteen o three m Most 792 00:46:27,719 --> 00:46:29,560 Speaker 1: of the other props sourced for the show, like the 793 00:46:29,640 --> 00:46:32,680 Speaker 1: children's playroom where they had like a guillotine and stuff. 794 00:46:33,320 --> 00:46:35,480 Speaker 1: That was the work of the set decorator Ruby Levitt, 795 00:46:35,480 --> 00:46:39,040 Speaker 1: who did the sound of music and Chinatown Um. The 796 00:46:39,160 --> 00:46:41,560 Speaker 1: Massive Bear, though, has a funny story in it that 797 00:46:41,600 --> 00:46:44,560 Speaker 1: was found by production manager Herb Brower, who told Cox 798 00:46:44,640 --> 00:46:47,239 Speaker 1: that he to get that bear. He got ahold of 799 00:46:47,239 --> 00:46:49,800 Speaker 1: a guy who was a multi millionaire hunter who hunted 800 00:46:49,840 --> 00:46:52,920 Speaker 1: polar bears. He had a bear in storage in Seattle. 801 00:46:53,400 --> 00:46:56,440 Speaker 1: It was the largest bear ever shot in Alaska up 802 00:46:56,520 --> 00:46:59,520 Speaker 1: until that time. The only reason we got that bear 803 00:46:59,840 --> 00:47:02,799 Speaker 1: was the hunter had shot a slightly bigger bear, so 804 00:47:02,840 --> 00:47:05,560 Speaker 1: this one was now superfluous. That is all he cared 805 00:47:05,600 --> 00:47:08,920 Speaker 1: about having the biggest bear. And funnily enough, despite the 806 00:47:08,920 --> 00:47:12,640 Speaker 1: show's reputation as the your text for goths everywhere, the 807 00:47:12,680 --> 00:47:15,880 Speaker 1: walls of the Adams House were bright pink. If you 808 00:47:15,880 --> 00:47:18,760 Speaker 1: look up color set photos of it, it's this hideous, 809 00:47:18,800 --> 00:47:22,759 Speaker 1: garish interior. It's like incredibly gaudy. They were also the 810 00:47:22,760 --> 00:47:25,880 Speaker 1: first sitcom family to own a home computer, which is 811 00:47:25,920 --> 00:47:30,200 Speaker 1: a big Univax style piece of machinery that was named 812 00:47:30,239 --> 00:47:34,719 Speaker 1: Wizzo and Uh and appeared in two episodes predicting the 813 00:47:34,760 --> 00:47:38,520 Speaker 1: results of horse races and an upcoming election, and supposedly 814 00:47:39,040 --> 00:47:42,919 Speaker 1: the wicker chair that Mortitius sits in was from From 815 00:47:42,920 --> 00:47:49,279 Speaker 1: Here to Eternity, which I was yeah, because that was 816 00:47:49,480 --> 00:47:53,799 Speaker 1: partially filmed in Was it in Hawaii or California? It 817 00:47:53,800 --> 00:47:57,080 Speaker 1: was the same beach where they did the opening of Greece, right, yes, 818 00:47:57,480 --> 00:48:00,680 Speaker 1: But so the the whole vogue in in your decoration 819 00:48:00,719 --> 00:48:02,920 Speaker 1: at the time was these was retan and so they 820 00:48:02,960 --> 00:48:08,200 Speaker 1: had that big, big plume backed retan chair. Anyway, I 821 00:48:08,280 --> 00:48:10,440 Speaker 1: guess they gave it to Caroline Jones afterwards and she 822 00:48:10,520 --> 00:48:12,720 Speaker 1: kept it in her house for the rest of her life. 823 00:48:12,920 --> 00:48:15,839 Speaker 1: When the show was canceled, people just descended on the 824 00:48:15,960 --> 00:48:19,160 Speaker 1: on the set and basically rated everything that wasn't bolted down, 825 00:48:19,800 --> 00:48:23,239 Speaker 1: like Teed Cassie took, like the thing box and it's 826 00:48:23,280 --> 00:48:25,359 Speaker 1: just a bunch of ships like that. I'm looking at 827 00:48:25,360 --> 00:48:27,400 Speaker 1: the color photos of the set and it looks like 828 00:48:27,440 --> 00:48:31,279 Speaker 1: Peewee's Playhouse, Like it's so weird looking. It's not the 829 00:48:31,600 --> 00:48:34,840 Speaker 1: you know, black and browns that I thought, Yeah, funny, 830 00:48:34,840 --> 00:48:37,360 Speaker 1: you should mention that. Because Tim Burton was supposed to 831 00:48:37,400 --> 00:48:38,840 Speaker 1: one of the people that was approached to do the 832 00:48:38,880 --> 00:48:40,600 Speaker 1: Adams Family movie and he turned it down to do 833 00:48:40,719 --> 00:48:48,160 Speaker 1: Batman Returns. He chose equally yeah, um, other than maybe 834 00:48:48,239 --> 00:48:51,520 Speaker 1: Wednesday now at this point, in arguably the most famous 835 00:48:51,520 --> 00:48:54,680 Speaker 1: thing about the Adams Family is Vic Mizzy's all time 836 00:48:54,920 --> 00:48:58,359 Speaker 1: banger of a theme song, supposedly the first TV show 837 00:48:58,360 --> 00:49:02,440 Speaker 1: to feature a harpsichord, which tracks like why would you 838 00:49:02,440 --> 00:49:04,880 Speaker 1: have a harpsich or not? Well, you know it's funny 839 00:49:04,880 --> 00:49:07,360 Speaker 1: too because he he also did the theme to Green Acres, 840 00:49:07,520 --> 00:49:11,560 Speaker 1: and Green Acres has like fuzz guitar on very early 841 00:49:11,680 --> 00:49:15,080 Speaker 1: as far as having that effect actually on electric guitar 842 00:49:15,360 --> 00:49:17,719 Speaker 1: in like on purpose. You know, this is still at 843 00:49:17,719 --> 00:49:21,400 Speaker 1: the stage when people are like like cutting speaker CoNb 844 00:49:21,600 --> 00:49:25,879 Speaker 1: and stuff to get David Yeah, Dave Davies. Uh he 845 00:49:26,320 --> 00:49:28,279 Speaker 1: or it was link Ray who stabbed it with a 846 00:49:28,320 --> 00:49:32,960 Speaker 1: pencil to get that. Um. The Monster's theme also kind 847 00:49:32,960 --> 00:49:38,480 Speaker 1: of whips. The Monster's theme does whip? Was that sampled 848 00:49:38,520 --> 00:49:42,560 Speaker 1: in like some fall Up Boys song or something? Ah, 849 00:49:43,960 --> 00:49:47,920 Speaker 1: yes You're right a song called Uma Thurman. Yeah I 850 00:49:47,960 --> 00:49:52,200 Speaker 1: hate that. Oh. The Monster's Theme was nominated for Grammy 851 00:49:52,480 --> 00:49:58,960 Speaker 1: Good as it should have been. Um. Vic Busy was 852 00:49:59,000 --> 00:50:01,239 Speaker 1: born in Brooklyn. He took organ lessons when he was 853 00:50:01,280 --> 00:50:04,040 Speaker 1: just twelve, had a couple of World War Two era 854 00:50:04,160 --> 00:50:07,800 Speaker 1: hits recorded by like Doris Day, Dinah Shore, the Andrews Sisters, 855 00:50:07,880 --> 00:50:11,160 Speaker 1: Louis Prima uh and then Broken a television circa nine. 856 00:50:12,000 --> 00:50:15,960 Speaker 1: He did the music for Shirley Temple's storybook, the themes 857 00:50:16,000 --> 00:50:18,160 Speaker 1: for a bunch of shows I've Never heard of called 858 00:50:18,239 --> 00:50:21,960 Speaker 1: Moment of Fear, Klondike, Kentucky Jones, and also the Don 859 00:50:22,040 --> 00:50:26,479 Speaker 1: Rickles show Friend of the Pod Don Rickles. Originally film 860 00:50:26,520 --> 00:50:28,680 Speaker 1: Ways was going to film Ways. The production company was 861 00:50:28,680 --> 00:50:32,240 Speaker 1: going to use canned music, Mizzy told Stephen Cox under deadline. 862 00:50:32,280 --> 00:50:35,080 Speaker 1: Mizzy composed the theme, which he debuted live at the 863 00:50:35,080 --> 00:50:38,480 Speaker 1: studio in front of all the executives, uh, snapping his 864 00:50:38,520 --> 00:50:41,799 Speaker 1: fingers at the appropriate time, which is apparently they just 865 00:50:41,920 --> 00:50:46,480 Speaker 1: rolled this piano out of a closet and he was like, uh, 866 00:50:47,040 --> 00:50:50,879 Speaker 1: like there you go. Um. Film Ways was too cheap 867 00:50:50,920 --> 00:50:53,640 Speaker 1: to give him background singers, So all the voices on 868 00:50:53,680 --> 00:50:57,880 Speaker 1: that are him and his music editor overdubbing themselves, singing repeatedly, 869 00:50:58,320 --> 00:51:01,120 Speaker 1: and also Ted Gassidy the voice of Lurch saying neat, 870 00:51:01,160 --> 00:51:03,840 Speaker 1: sweet petite, that's what he says in that That's weird. 871 00:51:03,840 --> 00:51:06,520 Speaker 1: I don't know, I don't like that. Uh. Also, he 872 00:51:06,560 --> 00:51:09,600 Speaker 1: supposed to coined the word ki you know for the 873 00:51:09,680 --> 00:51:14,240 Speaker 1: rhyme for spooky. Um. Mizzy also stage directed the show's 874 00:51:14,280 --> 00:51:16,879 Speaker 1: opening sequence with the cast. It was just not very 875 00:51:16,920 --> 00:51:18,840 Speaker 1: bizarre for a composer to do. He came out of 876 00:51:18,880 --> 00:51:21,440 Speaker 1: the set and had them all he brought a metronome 877 00:51:21,480 --> 00:51:24,120 Speaker 1: onto the set and had them all snap in time 878 00:51:24,160 --> 00:51:26,759 Speaker 1: for it for the opening credits. I mean, I guess 879 00:51:26,760 --> 00:51:28,560 Speaker 1: the court would be able to get people to snap 880 00:51:28,560 --> 00:51:34,160 Speaker 1: in time, but I guess we actors. He said they 881 00:51:34,200 --> 00:51:38,920 Speaker 1: didn't about one take, so um. He held onto ownership 882 00:51:38,960 --> 00:51:41,520 Speaker 1: of the song's publishing rights, which it proved very lucrative 883 00:51:41,560 --> 00:51:44,000 Speaker 1: for him later because it's become like a sporting event thing, 884 00:51:44,000 --> 00:51:47,720 Speaker 1: which I completely always forget until I the Blue Moons 885 00:51:47,760 --> 00:51:52,520 Speaker 1: when I do take in the sporting airs. Uh why, 886 00:51:52,960 --> 00:51:55,400 Speaker 1: I don't know. It's like seven Nation Army dude. It's 887 00:51:55,400 --> 00:51:58,120 Speaker 1: like gets played at baseball games all the time, and 888 00:51:58,160 --> 00:52:00,560 Speaker 1: people were just like, yeah, but yeah, I don't know. 889 00:52:00,600 --> 00:52:03,320 Speaker 1: It just he made so much stamp to this. Yeah, 890 00:52:03,400 --> 00:52:06,080 Speaker 1: well it really but he apparently made a boatload of 891 00:52:06,120 --> 00:52:09,279 Speaker 1: money just from that, more than like the actual themes thing. 892 00:52:09,320 --> 00:52:12,319 Speaker 1: He said an interview years later, That's why I'm living 893 00:52:12,320 --> 00:52:15,040 Speaker 1: in bel Air two finger snaps and you live in 894 00:52:15,080 --> 00:52:18,000 Speaker 1: bel Air. Uh. In addition to writing the theme of 895 00:52:18,040 --> 00:52:21,759 Speaker 1: The Adams Family, Vic Mizzy produced the full LP of 896 00:52:21,800 --> 00:52:24,719 Speaker 1: the original Adams Family soundtrack music, which was released in 897 00:52:24,800 --> 00:52:30,040 Speaker 1: nineteen six five. That same year, Sonny Bono, of all people, 898 00:52:30,160 --> 00:52:33,680 Speaker 1: expanded on the Thing, musical cue from the show. I 899 00:52:34,320 --> 00:52:37,960 Speaker 1: basically expanded it into an entire instrumental song, which Vick 900 00:52:38,040 --> 00:52:41,640 Speaker 1: Missy then successfully sued to have blocked from being released. 901 00:52:42,120 --> 00:52:46,080 Speaker 1: Sonny Bono talked about this. He said, Vic Mizzy got pissed. 902 00:52:46,400 --> 00:52:48,480 Speaker 1: He was called the Thing, and I did it with 903 00:52:48,560 --> 00:52:51,040 Speaker 1: Charlie and Brian, my two managers. We thought it was 904 00:52:51,040 --> 00:52:53,480 Speaker 1: gonna be a hit. I liked the song, it was fun. 905 00:52:53,680 --> 00:52:56,120 Speaker 1: We recorded it, but I don't think it got pressed up. 906 00:52:56,600 --> 00:52:59,680 Speaker 1: And later Sonny Bono, with members of the famous Wrecking 907 00:52:59,719 --> 00:53:03,960 Speaker 1: Crew session musicians, including iconic drummer how Blaine, who's played 908 00:53:04,000 --> 00:53:07,440 Speaker 1: with Everybody, played with Everybody, did the famous opening from 909 00:53:07,480 --> 00:53:11,239 Speaker 1: the Ronets be My Baby, Brian Wilson, Beach Boys, Pet 910 00:53:11,320 --> 00:53:15,000 Speaker 1: Sounds stuff. Uh. They built themselves as the themes and 911 00:53:15,120 --> 00:53:17,480 Speaker 1: released a version of the theme song from the Adams 912 00:53:17,480 --> 00:53:20,600 Speaker 1: Family under the title thank You Thing, published by Phil 913 00:53:20,640 --> 00:53:34,839 Speaker 1: Specter's mother, Bertha Music That's Swings. I know well how 914 00:53:34,880 --> 00:53:38,840 Speaker 1: Blaine Baby Mizzy was upset that he wasn't tapped to 915 00:53:38,880 --> 00:53:41,400 Speaker 1: do the Adams Family movie soundtracks in the es, but 916 00:53:41,440 --> 00:53:44,560 Speaker 1: he never stopped working. Released a compilation of his works 917 00:53:45,000 --> 00:53:50,080 Speaker 1: with the excellent title Songs for the Jogging Crowd on 918 00:53:50,200 --> 00:53:54,839 Speaker 1: his own label, Vixta Records as recently as two thousand three, 919 00:53:54,920 --> 00:53:57,640 Speaker 1: and they died in two thousand nine. We salute you 920 00:53:57,640 --> 00:54:01,560 Speaker 1: for your service, even though I will begrudgingly concede that 921 00:54:01,560 --> 00:54:06,239 Speaker 1: the Munster's theme song is better. The Adams Family did 922 00:54:06,280 --> 00:54:08,880 Speaker 1: well in the ratings and occasionally even beat out Bob 923 00:54:08,920 --> 00:54:12,560 Speaker 1: Hope's NBC show, but it was canceled after just two seasons, 924 00:54:13,000 --> 00:54:15,040 Speaker 1: and part of the problem was the public's fatigue with 925 00:54:15,080 --> 00:54:18,759 Speaker 1: horror adjacent spooky culture stuff. And one of the other 926 00:54:18,840 --> 00:54:20,799 Speaker 1: problems was that for a lot of the public it 927 00:54:20,880 --> 00:54:23,480 Speaker 1: was easy to confuse the Adams Family with the Munsters, 928 00:54:24,200 --> 00:54:26,600 Speaker 1: and there was a cartoon in Family Circus in nineteen 929 00:54:26,640 --> 00:54:30,080 Speaker 1: sixty six where there's a middle aged couple squinting at 930 00:54:30,080 --> 00:54:32,400 Speaker 1: a TV set with the caption. It looks like we 931 00:54:32,480 --> 00:54:36,360 Speaker 1: tuned into either The Munsters, the Adams Family or Phillis Diller. 932 00:54:36,520 --> 00:54:40,840 Speaker 1: Oh that's mean, I mean that that sounds like a 933 00:54:40,920 --> 00:54:44,520 Speaker 1: Charles Adams cartoon, though it sort of does. That's like 934 00:54:44,840 --> 00:54:49,319 Speaker 1: oddly mean for family circus. Wow. Bill Keane Savage must 935 00:54:49,320 --> 00:54:52,200 Speaker 1: have been in his drinking years. Yeah, or he just 936 00:54:52,239 --> 00:54:59,800 Speaker 1: hated Charles Adams or John Aston told The Capital Times 937 00:54:59,800 --> 00:55:02,839 Speaker 1: in nine five how much he hated seeing the two 938 00:55:02,880 --> 00:55:05,799 Speaker 1: shows lumped in the same category. He said, you see, 939 00:55:05,840 --> 00:55:08,960 Speaker 1: the Monsters are monsters on the outside, but perfectly normal 940 00:55:09,040 --> 00:55:11,759 Speaker 1: people in every other respect. The Adams Family, on the 941 00:55:11,800 --> 00:55:14,760 Speaker 1: other hand, are not monsters at all, but terribly daffy 942 00:55:14,800 --> 00:55:18,520 Speaker 1: in almost every respect. Like the Adams cartoons are shows 943 00:55:18,560 --> 00:55:22,000 Speaker 1: an attack on the cliches of life, a reverse joke. 944 00:55:23,239 --> 00:55:25,600 Speaker 1: That's an interesting way of putting in a reverse joke. 945 00:55:26,719 --> 00:55:30,239 Speaker 1: John Aston loved being in the Adams Family, you like 946 00:55:30,480 --> 00:55:35,520 Speaker 1: he loved being with Caroline Jones. Yeah, I know, that's 947 00:55:35,560 --> 00:55:40,600 Speaker 1: so cute. But ultimately, both the Adams Family and The 948 00:55:40,640 --> 00:55:45,480 Speaker 1: Monsters were defeated by completely different competitors rather than each other. 949 00:55:45,920 --> 00:55:50,040 Speaker 1: ABC's newly launched Batman soundly beat CBS is the Monsters 950 00:55:50,040 --> 00:55:52,880 Speaker 1: and the Ratings, and CBS is New World War Two comedy. 951 00:55:52,920 --> 00:55:56,440 Speaker 1: Hogan's heroes defeated ABC's Adams Family when they went up 952 00:55:56,440 --> 00:55:59,440 Speaker 1: against each other in their respective time slots in James 953 00:55:59,480 --> 00:56:03,200 Speaker 1: Pliance by biography of Caroline Jones in Mortissa's Shadow, he 954 00:56:03,320 --> 00:56:05,960 Speaker 1: quoted the actress as hanging the cancelation of on the 955 00:56:06,040 --> 00:56:09,560 Speaker 1: firing of ABC executive Edgar J. Sherrick. It would be 956 00:56:09,560 --> 00:56:11,480 Speaker 1: one of the people instrumental and getting the show on 957 00:56:11,520 --> 00:56:14,759 Speaker 1: the air, as the networks president, she says in the 958 00:56:14,800 --> 00:56:17,200 Speaker 1: book the minute he had been fired, all his shows 959 00:56:17,200 --> 00:56:19,160 Speaker 1: were taken off and we went off the air with 960 00:56:19,200 --> 00:56:23,560 Speaker 1: the thirty two share, which I believe is very high. 961 00:56:23,840 --> 00:56:27,240 Speaker 1: I have no idea. I found all these quotes about 962 00:56:27,239 --> 00:56:29,080 Speaker 1: them being canceled, and they were using a lot of 963 00:56:29,360 --> 00:56:35,600 Speaker 1: TV terms that I didn't understand. Um. For example, Jackie 964 00:56:35,600 --> 00:56:39,719 Speaker 1: Coogan in the nine interview for Cinema Texas, a publication 965 00:56:39,760 --> 00:56:42,360 Speaker 1: from the Communication Arts Department at the University of Texas 966 00:56:42,400 --> 00:56:44,880 Speaker 1: at Austin, he said, we had a good show going, 967 00:56:45,160 --> 00:56:47,880 Speaker 1: but the president's wife of ABC had one favorite in 968 00:56:47,920 --> 00:56:52,160 Speaker 1: show business. His name was Milton Burrow. So she begged 969 00:56:52,200 --> 00:56:55,360 Speaker 1: her husband to hire Milton Burrow. Our show was canceled 970 00:56:55,360 --> 00:56:57,920 Speaker 1: with an eighteen and a half rating, and they brought 971 00:56:57,960 --> 00:57:04,080 Speaker 1: Milton Burrow in, so blame Batman and Milton Borough is huge. 972 00:57:06,360 --> 00:57:11,880 Speaker 1: Is famously anaconda. As he called this, thirty two means 973 00:57:11,880 --> 00:57:15,520 Speaker 1: that having a thirty two share means that of all 974 00:57:15,760 --> 00:57:21,480 Speaker 1: television consumption was on the Adams Family, which sounds like 975 00:57:21,520 --> 00:57:24,000 Speaker 1: a lot, but I guess considering there were three television 976 00:57:24,000 --> 00:57:27,920 Speaker 1: networks plus maybe PVS or a local channel, I guess 977 00:57:27,960 --> 00:57:30,560 Speaker 1: that's a part of course. But these days people would 978 00:57:30,640 --> 00:57:34,560 Speaker 1: kill for probably a ten share. Right. Batman had come 979 00:57:34,560 --> 00:57:37,600 Speaker 1: on opposite the Monsters. John Aston told the Television Academy 980 00:57:37,640 --> 00:57:40,160 Speaker 1: a lot of programming people thought about Adams and Monsters 981 00:57:40,240 --> 00:57:42,520 Speaker 1: is the same kind of show. Batman came on with 982 00:57:42,560 --> 00:57:44,800 Speaker 1: a big rush. It was a storm and tough to 983 00:57:44,800 --> 00:57:47,400 Speaker 1: go up against. I think there was some thinking that 984 00:57:47,440 --> 00:57:50,320 Speaker 1: the Adams Family would go away, but he actually appeared 985 00:57:50,400 --> 00:57:54,840 Speaker 1: in Batman as the Riddler. Uh and Ted Cassidy also 986 00:57:54,920 --> 00:57:59,200 Speaker 1: made a guest appearance. Sixties TV was a small place. Uh. 987 00:57:59,240 --> 00:58:02,040 Speaker 1: The only expert nation I ever got from anybody at ABC, 988 00:58:02,320 --> 00:58:07,320 Speaker 1: her Brower told Cox was quote demographics at the time 989 00:58:07,640 --> 00:58:10,200 Speaker 1: the systems. I was just about to say, it's like 990 00:58:10,280 --> 00:58:13,440 Speaker 1: plastics of the graduate. At this time, the system was 991 00:58:13,480 --> 00:58:16,520 Speaker 1: just sprouting, and every other word was demographics. Show this 992 00:58:16,640 --> 00:58:20,760 Speaker 1: at demographics, don't show this. It was demographics time. They 993 00:58:20,800 --> 00:58:22,920 Speaker 1: felt the ratings had dropped and if they kept it 994 00:58:22,960 --> 00:58:25,280 Speaker 1: on the air, they would continue to drop. Despite the 995 00:58:25,280 --> 00:58:27,760 Speaker 1: show's central role in creating the popular image of the 996 00:58:27,800 --> 00:58:30,959 Speaker 1: Adams family, there weren't that many material rewards and being 997 00:58:30,960 --> 00:58:34,120 Speaker 1: in the show, even as it aired repeatedly in reruns. 998 00:58:34,320 --> 00:58:36,000 Speaker 1: We've talked about this, I forget. We were just talking 999 00:58:36,040 --> 00:58:39,880 Speaker 1: about this recently. People in those days were paid for 1000 00:58:40,040 --> 00:58:42,320 Speaker 1: the episodes they filmed, and that was kind of it. 1001 00:58:42,960 --> 00:58:45,120 Speaker 1: John Auston said, in those days, we got paid for 1002 00:58:45,200 --> 00:58:50,640 Speaker 1: five reruns and that was it. This also included series, 1003 00:58:50,720 --> 00:58:55,200 Speaker 1: you know, Nominalady series creator Charles Adams. He said to 1004 00:58:55,240 --> 00:58:57,680 Speaker 1: the Washington Post, they gave me money each week, but 1005 00:58:57,720 --> 00:59:00,880 Speaker 1: after the first runs ended, I didn't get anything, no residuals. 1006 00:59:01,160 --> 00:59:03,240 Speaker 1: That was a mistake made by the big old fat 1007 00:59:03,320 --> 00:59:05,840 Speaker 1: law firm I let represent me. I believe I had 1008 00:59:05,840 --> 00:59:08,640 Speaker 1: four percent of the gross. I remember seeing some document 1009 00:59:08,760 --> 00:59:11,960 Speaker 1: reporting one point something million dollars with a rundown like this, 1010 00:59:12,360 --> 00:59:16,840 Speaker 1: four thou dollars foreign sales, seven thousand dollars something else, etcetera, etcetera. 1011 00:59:17,120 --> 00:59:20,520 Speaker 1: Mr Adams Share Twitter and eighteen dollars and eleven cents. 1012 00:59:21,000 --> 00:59:24,040 Speaker 1: It was just a classic error, that's all not getting residuals. 1013 00:59:24,320 --> 00:59:29,320 Speaker 1: So it was a lesson for cartoonists. Yeah, lessons for 1014 00:59:29,360 --> 00:59:32,600 Speaker 1: all of the rabid subsection of t m I fans, 1015 00:59:32,640 --> 00:59:41,040 Speaker 1: professional cartoonists angling for a TV network. Yeah, as you 1016 00:59:41,080 --> 00:59:43,600 Speaker 1: meditate on that, We'll be right back with more too 1017 00:59:43,640 --> 00:59:56,800 Speaker 1: much information after these messages, and now we must coome 1018 00:59:56,880 --> 01:00:02,600 Speaker 1: to the real monster of our story, producer Scott Rude. Um. 1019 01:00:02,640 --> 01:00:05,040 Speaker 1: The Adams family lay dormant for the next twenty years 1020 01:00:05,120 --> 01:00:08,920 Speaker 1: or so. Until Scott Ruden it was a very successful 1021 01:00:09,560 --> 01:00:13,920 Speaker 1: Hollywood and Broadway producer and a terrible awful human being allegedly, 1022 01:00:14,960 --> 01:00:21,160 Speaker 1: uh for legal reasons, although off the record not You 1023 01:00:21,160 --> 01:00:23,360 Speaker 1: can call someone a terrible person, and I think that's 1024 01:00:23,480 --> 01:00:26,240 Speaker 1: I think it's an opinion that falls under opinion. Okay, well, 1025 01:00:26,280 --> 01:00:31,800 Speaker 1: creative licensed. Scott Ruten is a tremendous piece of um. 1026 01:00:31,840 --> 01:00:33,920 Speaker 1: He was then at twentieth Century Fox, and he apparently 1027 01:00:33,960 --> 01:00:35,600 Speaker 1: was coming back from a screening with a bunch of 1028 01:00:35,640 --> 01:00:38,760 Speaker 1: other exacts. Um. He told the l A Times this 1029 01:00:39,840 --> 01:00:41,959 Speaker 1: Barry Diller, who was the studio chief at the time, 1030 01:00:42,720 --> 01:00:46,439 Speaker 1: Leonard Goldberg marketing chief Tom Shirek, and he said, when 1031 01:00:46,480 --> 01:00:49,960 Speaker 1: Tom's kids started singing the Adams Family theme and suddenly 1032 01:00:50,040 --> 01:00:52,720 Speaker 1: everyone in the van was singing the theme letter perfect 1033 01:00:52,880 --> 01:00:55,320 Speaker 1: note for note. So then the very next day he 1034 01:00:55,360 --> 01:00:57,720 Speaker 1: had lunch with Diller and Goldberg and was like, what's 1035 01:00:57,720 --> 01:01:00,640 Speaker 1: making Adams Family movie? And they were like, sure, why not? 1036 01:01:01,720 --> 01:01:04,280 Speaker 1: The problem was there that Orion Pictures, who was one 1037 01:01:04,320 --> 01:01:07,400 Speaker 1: of the most famous boom and bust stories in all 1038 01:01:07,440 --> 01:01:10,440 Speaker 1: of Hollywood. Um, at this point they were still riding high. 1039 01:01:10,480 --> 01:01:14,680 Speaker 1: They had done Amadeus four Platoon and Hannah and her 1040 01:01:14,680 --> 01:01:19,160 Speaker 1: sisters in six Mississippi Burning, and then like what, five 1041 01:01:19,240 --> 01:01:21,600 Speaker 1: years later, they wouldn't exist. Yeah. I don't know what 1042 01:01:21,640 --> 01:01:25,080 Speaker 1: happened to them, financial mismanagement, but they had the rights, 1043 01:01:25,120 --> 01:01:28,440 Speaker 1: they had bought the Film Ways Productions archives, and they 1044 01:01:28,440 --> 01:01:30,440 Speaker 1: were holding out hope of doing their own Adams Family 1045 01:01:30,480 --> 01:01:34,000 Speaker 1: reboot on TV. So that got hung up for a while, 1046 01:01:34,480 --> 01:01:38,080 Speaker 1: and Scott Reuten approached Barry Sonnenfeld, one of my favorite 1047 01:01:38,400 --> 01:01:40,760 Speaker 1: under the radar sort of directors. Barry Sondfeld does not 1048 01:01:40,760 --> 01:01:43,960 Speaker 1: get enough credit. Man, Well, I mean it was I 1049 01:01:43,960 --> 01:01:46,400 Speaker 1: think it was Wild Wells was what killed him. He 1050 01:01:46,480 --> 01:01:49,480 Speaker 1: did uh yeah, he did the Adams Family movies, he 1051 01:01:49,560 --> 01:01:52,520 Speaker 1: did the Men in Black movies, Blah blah blad West, 1052 01:01:52,720 --> 01:01:56,240 Speaker 1: and then he didn't get Shorty. You know, he was 1053 01:01:56,240 --> 01:01:58,919 Speaker 1: what about after Wild Wild West? Nine? Like? What did 1054 01:01:58,920 --> 01:02:10,080 Speaker 1: he do? RV with Robert Williams, oh Christ and Nine Lives? 1055 01:02:10,320 --> 01:02:13,640 Speaker 1: But Dave Barry adaptation starting Tim Allen called Big Trouble. 1056 01:02:14,240 --> 01:02:17,000 Speaker 1: I read that book. I loved Dave Barry. Dave Berry 1057 01:02:17,120 --> 01:02:18,960 Speaker 1: was like the five people that maybe want to be 1058 01:02:19,040 --> 01:02:23,680 Speaker 1: a writer. Nine Lives. Oh, man, god, this really did 1059 01:02:23,680 --> 01:02:27,280 Speaker 1: tank his career to this s yeah, because I always 1060 01:02:27,320 --> 01:02:29,440 Speaker 1: forget that he got his start with the Coen Brothers. 1061 01:02:29,480 --> 01:02:32,640 Speaker 1: He did Blood Simple and Raising Arizona. He did Big, 1062 01:02:32,680 --> 01:02:35,040 Speaker 1: he did when Harry met Sally, he did Miller's Crossing, 1063 01:02:35,160 --> 01:02:39,520 Speaker 1: he did Misery. He was cinematographer on all these incredible movies. Anyway, 1064 01:02:39,760 --> 01:02:42,560 Speaker 1: I think that's how Ruten knew him from Big and 1065 01:02:42,640 --> 01:02:46,480 Speaker 1: Raising Arizona. Uh. And he approached Barry Sonfield with the 1066 01:02:46,520 --> 01:02:49,840 Speaker 1: first draft of the script by Caroline Thompson and Larry Wilson, 1067 01:02:49,920 --> 01:02:52,840 Speaker 1: who had written Edward Scissor Hands. One thing I do 1068 01:02:52,920 --> 01:02:56,280 Speaker 1: have to note about Barry Sonofeld he told sci Fi 1069 01:02:56,600 --> 01:02:58,400 Speaker 1: that he was more of a fan of the Adams 1070 01:02:58,400 --> 01:03:02,360 Speaker 1: cartoons and preferred the monsters, so he's not dead to me. 1071 01:03:03,720 --> 01:03:06,000 Speaker 1: But he didn't like the first draft of the script, 1072 01:03:06,040 --> 01:03:09,800 Speaker 1: and he told Scott Retten as much. Hollywood Reporter did 1073 01:03:09,920 --> 01:03:13,480 Speaker 1: oral history of the first Adams Family film, and um 1074 01:03:13,960 --> 01:03:16,160 Speaker 1: SnO Fel says, I tell Scott all the reasons why 1075 01:03:16,200 --> 01:03:18,240 Speaker 1: the script is no good, and he says, that's the 1076 01:03:18,280 --> 01:03:20,560 Speaker 1: reason you should direct, because you're right about all of 1077 01:03:20,640 --> 01:03:24,160 Speaker 1: those issues. He also told told various SnO felt that 1078 01:03:24,200 --> 01:03:27,160 Speaker 1: Tim Burton and Terry Gilliam had both already turned this 1079 01:03:27,240 --> 01:03:33,120 Speaker 1: project down, which is counterintuitive negotiation. In his memoirs, and 1080 01:03:33,160 --> 01:03:36,520 Speaker 1: Fell writes that Orion executives had one very specific hang 1081 01:03:36,640 --> 01:03:41,240 Speaker 1: up about this, which was the thing they were like. 1082 01:03:41,720 --> 01:03:44,960 Speaker 1: He said, this is him quoting them. Our first concern 1083 01:03:45,600 --> 01:03:48,240 Speaker 1: is we recently did a movie, The Hand with a 1084 01:03:48,320 --> 01:03:51,400 Speaker 1: disembodied hand in the lead, and we lost a lot 1085 01:03:51,440 --> 01:03:54,040 Speaker 1: of money on it. That movie cost six and a 1086 01:03:54,120 --> 01:03:56,000 Speaker 1: half million and we made two point four at the 1087 01:03:56,040 --> 01:03:59,280 Speaker 1: box office, and that didn't include Prince and advertising. It 1088 01:03:59,400 --> 01:04:04,000 Speaker 1: was a disaster here, but Scott Borden assuaged their fears 1089 01:04:04,040 --> 01:04:06,880 Speaker 1: about having a disembodied hand at the center of their picture, 1090 01:04:07,440 --> 01:04:11,680 Speaker 1: and the project moved into casting. Uh Senfeld told The 1091 01:04:11,680 --> 01:04:14,840 Speaker 1: Guardian in that Scott and I both agreed on Angelica 1092 01:04:14,880 --> 01:04:17,880 Speaker 1: Houston and Raoul Julia, who had been a big Broadway guide, 1093 01:04:17,880 --> 01:04:20,160 Speaker 1: and kissing the Spider Woman and some other stuff as 1094 01:04:20,200 --> 01:04:24,120 Speaker 1: more Titia and Gomez. The studio wanted share, but we 1095 01:04:24,200 --> 01:04:27,360 Speaker 1: felt that would unbalance the film. We didn't want it 1096 01:04:27,400 --> 01:04:31,880 Speaker 1: to be about stars. And then, hilariously, in that same article, 1097 01:04:32,080 --> 01:04:36,080 Speaker 1: Angelica Houston tells them Barry Sandenfield, Scott Routine and I 1098 01:04:36,120 --> 01:04:38,680 Speaker 1: met for lunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel. They said, 1099 01:04:38,840 --> 01:04:41,640 Speaker 1: we'd really like you to play more Titia Adams. I said, 1100 01:04:41,840 --> 01:04:47,360 Speaker 1: if you don't mind me asking, why not share? This 1101 01:04:47,400 --> 01:04:50,040 Speaker 1: is right around when she was in um Mermaids with 1102 01:04:50,400 --> 01:04:53,800 Speaker 1: Christine with Christina Ricci. Yeah, and it's just so hilarious 1103 01:04:53,840 --> 01:04:56,240 Speaker 1: to me that people were like, oh, get sharing it. 1104 01:04:58,280 --> 01:05:00,440 Speaker 1: And then so with Angelica Houston says, I don't know 1105 01:05:00,480 --> 01:05:04,520 Speaker 1: what possessed me to suggest another actress, but they said, no, 1106 01:05:04,640 --> 01:05:07,080 Speaker 1: we'd like you to do it. She based the character 1107 01:05:07,160 --> 01:05:12,800 Speaker 1: on her friend Jerry hall Way of married to Tagger. Yes, 1108 01:05:13,560 --> 01:05:15,840 Speaker 1: she said, I've always seen Jerry as a perfect example 1109 01:05:15,880 --> 01:05:19,320 Speaker 1: of motherhood, although in the in the l a Times 1110 01:05:19,400 --> 01:05:21,280 Speaker 1: article from around the time in the making of the film, 1111 01:05:21,360 --> 01:05:23,840 Speaker 1: she said that she also based them on the Beals, 1112 01:05:24,240 --> 01:05:28,480 Speaker 1: who were the Kennedy or Bouvier I guess um extended 1113 01:05:28,480 --> 01:05:34,160 Speaker 1: Bouvier family, who are portrayed in the iconic documentary Grey Gardens, 1114 01:05:34,720 --> 01:05:39,400 Speaker 1: which makes the second appearance of of of the family 1115 01:05:39,560 --> 01:05:44,880 Speaker 1: family in the Charles Adams Extended Universe. Um, yeah, but 1116 01:05:44,880 --> 01:05:47,280 Speaker 1: this is crazy, she she talks in The Guardian Things. 1117 01:05:47,320 --> 01:05:49,520 Speaker 1: She said, I've never really liked looking normal, and I've 1118 01:05:49,560 --> 01:05:52,600 Speaker 1: always liked a faintly bleached outlook. So I was really 1119 01:05:52,640 --> 01:05:54,880 Speaker 1: happy about the way the cameraman lit me his more Tissha. 1120 01:05:55,440 --> 01:05:58,560 Speaker 1: The makeup was very intense. I had stickers attached to 1121 01:05:58,560 --> 01:06:02,000 Speaker 1: my temples, rubber bands that met behind my head, and 1122 01:06:02,040 --> 01:06:05,480 Speaker 1: then on top of that the wig, fake nails, eyelashes, 1123 01:06:05,520 --> 01:06:09,120 Speaker 1: and the corset. Individually they add up to something monumental. 1124 01:06:09,600 --> 01:06:12,240 Speaker 1: It was hard to move. There were certain things one 1125 01:06:12,280 --> 01:06:15,360 Speaker 1: could do with one's hands, but that was about it. Fortunately, 1126 01:06:15,400 --> 01:06:18,480 Speaker 1: I wanted to keep Mortisia very iconic and still I 1127 01:06:18,560 --> 01:06:20,800 Speaker 1: had a bonfire of the vanities at the end of 1128 01:06:20,800 --> 01:06:23,000 Speaker 1: the movie where I took all the fake stuff, made 1129 01:06:23,000 --> 01:06:25,600 Speaker 1: a pile and set it on fire. It holds a 1130 01:06:25,640 --> 01:06:27,880 Speaker 1: lot of sentimentality for me because I grew up reading 1131 01:06:27,960 --> 01:06:31,160 Speaker 1: Charles Adams in the Bathroom aged six, pretending I was 1132 01:06:31,200 --> 01:06:35,120 Speaker 1: Mortisia in the Mirror, which is so cute. She they 1133 01:06:35,160 --> 01:06:37,000 Speaker 1: said she could film for like a couple of hours 1134 01:06:37,040 --> 01:06:38,760 Speaker 1: and then she would have to go lay down because 1135 01:06:38,760 --> 01:06:40,880 Speaker 1: of this course in the dress that they put her in. 1136 01:06:41,720 --> 01:06:44,680 Speaker 1: But this is crazy. Another interview for comic book dot com, 1137 01:06:44,720 --> 01:06:47,760 Speaker 1: son And told told Uh. He said that the Mortisia's 1138 01:06:47,760 --> 01:06:49,600 Speaker 1: look at the film was not limited to make up 1139 01:06:49,720 --> 01:06:52,800 Speaker 1: or wardrobe. He said when he interviewed Owen Roisman, who 1140 01:06:52,800 --> 01:06:56,960 Speaker 1: was their cinematographer, he very specifically said to him, Uh, 1141 01:06:56,960 --> 01:07:00,640 Speaker 1: there's this thing called motivated light in film lighting, where 1142 01:07:00,680 --> 01:07:03,520 Speaker 1: if someone is standing and there's a window to their left, 1143 01:07:03,600 --> 01:07:05,760 Speaker 1: the left side of their face will be brighter. It's 1144 01:07:05,800 --> 01:07:09,440 Speaker 1: motivated from the window. Basically, you used light sources. That 1145 01:07:09,520 --> 01:07:12,480 Speaker 1: makes sense. And he said that when he interviewed Owen. 1146 01:07:13,440 --> 01:07:15,080 Speaker 1: He said, I want more Tissia to have her own 1147 01:07:15,120 --> 01:07:18,360 Speaker 1: motivated light. I don't care if she's standing right by 1148 01:07:18,360 --> 01:07:20,959 Speaker 1: a window her lighting even in the scene with other 1149 01:07:21,040 --> 01:07:23,760 Speaker 1: people in the scene, everyone can be lit from the window. 1150 01:07:24,080 --> 01:07:26,560 Speaker 1: But I want more Tissia to be lit totally differently, 1151 01:07:26,840 --> 01:07:29,760 Speaker 1: as if she has her own motivated light wherever she goes. 1152 01:07:30,360 --> 01:07:32,760 Speaker 1: And this guy, Owen Roisman said, I love that idea. 1153 01:07:34,200 --> 01:07:36,640 Speaker 1: He said that he one of his visual inspirations was 1154 01:07:36,920 --> 01:07:40,400 Speaker 1: a still photographer, like the old studio silent era black 1155 01:07:40,440 --> 01:07:42,960 Speaker 1: and white film photography, where he said, I wanted to 1156 01:07:42,960 --> 01:07:45,120 Speaker 1: look like she's always in a photograph where you darken 1157 01:07:45,160 --> 01:07:48,320 Speaker 1: the forehead and the chin and you accentuate their eyes 1158 01:07:48,480 --> 01:07:52,480 Speaker 1: and add filtration and butterfly effect. I think I think 1159 01:07:52,520 --> 01:07:55,080 Speaker 1: they called it. And he said, that's what Owen, that's 1160 01:07:55,080 --> 01:07:56,680 Speaker 1: what this guy did. And you know, I was watching 1161 01:07:57,000 --> 01:08:01,720 Speaker 1: clips from this movie. It's not gray like actually funnily 1162 01:08:01,800 --> 01:08:05,680 Speaker 1: enough and would get skipping ahead here. But the second movie, 1163 01:08:05,720 --> 01:08:08,920 Speaker 1: Adams Family Values, is better reviewed, Like people really did 1164 01:08:08,920 --> 01:08:10,960 Speaker 1: not like this movie that much. Roger Ebert gave her 1165 01:08:11,000 --> 01:08:12,520 Speaker 1: like two out of four stars. It only has like 1166 01:08:12,560 --> 01:08:16,479 Speaker 1: a sixty something and Rotten tomatoes, but holy crap, does 1167 01:08:16,520 --> 01:08:21,880 Speaker 1: it look beautiful the wardrobe, the interiors, the mansion, this 1168 01:08:22,040 --> 01:08:25,200 Speaker 1: lighting that they gave it, Like man, stuff from this 1169 01:08:25,320 --> 01:08:28,120 Speaker 1: era like not to show on Wednesday again, but like 1170 01:08:28,160 --> 01:08:30,880 Speaker 1: stuff from this era, like it just has it's it's 1171 01:08:30,920 --> 01:08:34,120 Speaker 1: shot on film, it's well lit. There's just like a 1172 01:08:34,200 --> 01:08:39,439 Speaker 1: baseline level of like tactile craft to this stuff that 1173 01:08:39,520 --> 01:08:42,120 Speaker 1: even when the plot and whatever it's all of all 1174 01:08:42,120 --> 01:08:44,400 Speaker 1: the other stuff doesn't necessarily add up to the best 1175 01:08:44,479 --> 01:08:47,760 Speaker 1: like masterpiece level, You're still just like, holy crap, that 1176 01:08:47,960 --> 01:08:53,720 Speaker 1: is a beautiful world that they built digression over it 1177 01:08:53,880 --> 01:08:55,800 Speaker 1: is I mean, but did you watch any eclipse of it? 1178 01:08:56,680 --> 01:09:00,200 Speaker 1: Oh man, it's just away from the movie. Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, 1179 01:09:00,240 --> 01:09:04,479 Speaker 1: I thought that Wednesday beautiful. That I mean, it's I'm 1180 01:09:04,520 --> 01:09:06,800 Speaker 1: sure it's fine, but it's just all like they just 1181 01:09:06,840 --> 01:09:09,080 Speaker 1: do everything digitally now and it's just like done in 1182 01:09:09,080 --> 01:09:11,879 Speaker 1: in this with this like all of these lighting effects, 1183 01:09:11,880 --> 01:09:14,640 Speaker 1: like you're they're just like get some non union animator 1184 01:09:14,720 --> 01:09:18,240 Speaker 1: to do it. After the fact, some guy dying of 1185 01:09:18,520 --> 01:09:21,000 Speaker 1: you know, lack of air circulation in a warehouse in 1186 01:09:21,120 --> 01:09:24,120 Speaker 1: Santa Barbara, Like get him to do it. Don't don't 1187 01:09:24,680 --> 01:09:29,240 Speaker 1: hire a cinematographer who knows the history of film lighting. Sorry, 1188 01:09:29,360 --> 01:09:34,800 Speaker 1: Grandpa's Grandpa's yelling at the clouds again. Well, now we 1189 01:09:34,840 --> 01:09:37,759 Speaker 1: got to talk about Gomez, who is played by Raoul Julia, 1190 01:09:37,840 --> 01:09:40,360 Speaker 1: who has done a big Broadway star Barry sona Felt 1191 01:09:40,400 --> 01:09:44,080 Speaker 1: told The Hollywood Reporter the character loves life, loves death, 1192 01:09:44,240 --> 01:09:47,559 Speaker 1: loves pain, loves joy, loves his family. The great thing 1193 01:09:47,560 --> 01:09:50,479 Speaker 1: about rules Gomez you can see the joy. Whether he's 1194 01:09:50,520 --> 01:09:53,800 Speaker 1: happy or angry or sad, he's still joyfully, full of 1195 01:09:53,840 --> 01:09:56,920 Speaker 1: life and friend of the pod. Dan Hideia is in 1196 01:09:57,120 --> 01:10:00,320 Speaker 1: Adams Family the first as family as well it hero 1197 01:10:00,600 --> 01:10:03,080 Speaker 1: Julie is a joy in this film. I mean he 1198 01:10:03,200 --> 01:10:07,519 Speaker 1: there's there's uh. He meets his lawyer, Dan Hidella Lewis 1199 01:10:07,600 --> 01:10:10,160 Speaker 1: Tully and and they have like a sword fight, and 1200 01:10:11,520 --> 01:10:13,840 Speaker 1: louis till he's like look behind you and then like 1201 01:10:13,960 --> 01:10:17,599 Speaker 1: throws his briefcase at him and actually just comes up 1202 01:10:17,600 --> 01:10:22,480 Speaker 1: and he's like dirty pool, old man. I love it. 1203 01:10:22,479 --> 01:10:26,000 Speaker 1: It's just it's such a such a zest for life 1204 01:10:26,000 --> 01:10:28,400 Speaker 1: in it. It's so great. You know, who doesn't have 1205 01:10:28,439 --> 01:10:33,160 Speaker 1: a zest for life in this? Christina Rishi has Wednesday. 1206 01:10:33,600 --> 01:10:36,080 Speaker 1: She was fresh off her star making turn in Mermaids. 1207 01:10:35,960 --> 01:10:39,559 Speaker 1: As I mentioned earlier, opposite share, and she impressed everyone 1208 01:10:39,720 --> 01:10:42,960 Speaker 1: at auditions and on the set, with Angelica Houston telling 1209 01:10:43,000 --> 01:10:45,719 Speaker 1: the Guardian, I felt like I was playing Christina's daughter 1210 01:10:45,800 --> 01:10:49,519 Speaker 1: most of the time. He was incredibly informed, smart arch 1211 01:10:49,640 --> 01:10:52,799 Speaker 1: and really knew how to stare and Sona felt continued 1212 01:10:52,800 --> 01:10:55,120 Speaker 1: to the Hollywood Reporter, whenever the cast had a problem, 1213 01:10:55,120 --> 01:10:56,960 Speaker 1: they would go to Christina Rishi because she was the 1214 01:10:56,960 --> 01:11:02,360 Speaker 1: most articulate and intellectually gifted of any cast. Just love 1215 01:11:02,479 --> 01:11:05,880 Speaker 1: that so much, and this reverence to Christina re she 1216 01:11:05,960 --> 01:11:08,759 Speaker 1: really came to bear and in an incident that occurred 1217 01:11:08,840 --> 01:11:12,639 Speaker 1: during the first table read, where the cast all decided 1218 01:11:12,680 --> 01:11:15,320 Speaker 1: that they hated the scripted ending in which it was 1219 01:11:15,360 --> 01:11:19,360 Speaker 1: revealed that Christopher Lloyd's uncle Fester is actually an impostor, 1220 01:11:19,600 --> 01:11:22,960 Speaker 1: though the family winds up adopting him anyway. In the movie, 1221 01:11:23,000 --> 01:11:25,960 Speaker 1: as it stands, he's introduced as an impostor, and then 1222 01:11:26,000 --> 01:11:27,680 Speaker 1: he gets his memory back at the end when he 1223 01:11:27,760 --> 01:11:34,280 Speaker 1: is struck by lightning. Just so, the cast all gathered 1224 01:11:34,320 --> 01:11:37,120 Speaker 1: in a circle and told Christina Rihi all the reasons 1225 01:11:37,120 --> 01:11:39,040 Speaker 1: why they thought this was a bad idea, and then 1226 01:11:39,040 --> 01:11:41,960 Speaker 1: they sent her to go talk to director Barry sonam 1227 01:11:42,000 --> 01:11:45,240 Speaker 1: Felt and Sonifeld said, give us a minute. So Scott 1228 01:11:45,280 --> 01:11:48,320 Speaker 1: Ruden's screenwriter Paul Rudnick and director Barry Sonifld what into 1229 01:11:48,320 --> 01:11:51,519 Speaker 1: the corner. Barry Sonifeld said, I think she's kind of right, 1230 01:11:52,600 --> 01:11:55,880 Speaker 1: and Rudnick and Ruden agreed. They asked Christopher Lloyd, who 1231 01:11:55,920 --> 01:11:58,160 Speaker 1: was playing Fester, you care if he's the real Fester 1232 01:11:58,320 --> 01:12:00,840 Speaker 1: or the fake Fester? And Christopher Lloyd's it man, I 1233 01:12:00,840 --> 01:12:04,479 Speaker 1: don't care. I don't care. So we rewrote the ending 1234 01:12:04,479 --> 01:12:07,960 Speaker 1: based on the cast disagreement. Uh. Speaking of Christopher Lloyd, 1235 01:12:08,120 --> 01:12:11,400 Speaker 1: sna Felt told Comic book dot com, I think the 1236 01:12:11,439 --> 01:12:14,280 Speaker 1: hardest role the cast was Fester. We started going down 1237 01:12:14,280 --> 01:12:17,600 Speaker 1: the road of dumpy rounder more fester looking actors. We 1238 01:12:17,640 --> 01:12:19,880 Speaker 1: talked to Robbie Coltrane for a little while, and there 1239 01:12:19,920 --> 01:12:23,080 Speaker 1: were some others. Robbie Coltrane played Hagrid. I believe in 1240 01:12:23,120 --> 01:12:28,479 Speaker 1: the Harry Potter movies and uh and the rest. The 1241 01:12:28,479 --> 01:12:30,280 Speaker 1: only other movie I can recall off him is he 1242 01:12:30,320 --> 01:12:32,679 Speaker 1: was in Nuns on the Run. I think with Eric 1243 01:12:32,720 --> 01:12:37,479 Speaker 1: Idol that is correct. But yes, most famous for playing Hagrid, 1244 01:12:37,800 --> 01:12:40,800 Speaker 1: Barry Sono Fell continued, Then we thought Christopher Lloyd would 1245 01:12:40,800 --> 01:12:43,120 Speaker 1: be really good. But Chris is tall and thin, and 1246 01:12:43,200 --> 01:12:46,120 Speaker 1: Fester is drawn very differently. We actually did a film 1247 01:12:46,120 --> 01:12:48,280 Speaker 1: test where we hired Chris and then we gave him 1248 01:12:48,280 --> 01:12:51,320 Speaker 1: these prosthetics to make his face round. We shot the 1249 01:12:51,360 --> 01:12:53,320 Speaker 1: test and we shot an actual scene with him and 1250 01:12:53,360 --> 01:12:56,240 Speaker 1: Elizabeth Wilson, and he looked terrible. He looked like he 1251 01:12:56,280 --> 01:12:58,920 Speaker 1: was from a different movie because no one else had prosthetics. 1252 01:12:59,360 --> 01:13:01,839 Speaker 1: Chris Is make up in prosthetics just looked all wrong. 1253 01:13:02,080 --> 01:13:04,519 Speaker 1: But Chris really wanted it. He really likes to hide 1254 01:13:04,520 --> 01:13:07,240 Speaker 1: behind the prosthetics to create a character. But we didn't 1255 01:13:07,240 --> 01:13:11,080 Speaker 1: want it. And Christopher Lloyd talked about his long standing 1256 01:13:11,160 --> 01:13:13,080 Speaker 1: love of the Adams Family and The Guardian, and he said, 1257 01:13:13,200 --> 01:13:14,519 Speaker 1: when I was a kid, I used to get this 1258 01:13:14,600 --> 01:13:17,040 Speaker 1: magazine full of cartoons and there was always an Adams 1259 01:13:17,080 --> 01:13:21,000 Speaker 1: Family strip, and I got really involved, get involved with 1260 01:13:21,040 --> 01:13:25,760 Speaker 1: the Adams Family's script. Okay if you're Christopher, yeah, And 1261 01:13:25,800 --> 01:13:27,559 Speaker 1: I got really involved when I was eight or nine. 1262 01:13:27,640 --> 01:13:29,920 Speaker 1: Of Uncle Fester. I just thought he was the best. 1263 01:13:30,200 --> 01:13:33,000 Speaker 1: He's slightly evil, he's funny to look at. He was 1264 01:13:33,040 --> 01:13:35,840 Speaker 1: a character. So when decades later, out of the Blue. 1265 01:13:35,920 --> 01:13:39,840 Speaker 1: Paul Rudnick, who was the screenwriter and of I think 1266 01:13:39,880 --> 01:13:42,840 Speaker 1: both Adams Family movies, asked me to be Uncle Fester 1267 01:13:42,920 --> 01:13:45,360 Speaker 1: in this movie. I just jumped on it. Kind of 1268 01:13:45,360 --> 01:13:51,200 Speaker 1: see him was like being related to Judge Doom. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. 1269 01:13:51,200 --> 01:13:53,640 Speaker 1: It is so unnerving to see him with hair in 1270 01:13:53,680 --> 01:13:55,960 Speaker 1: the first scene of this movie, when he's introduced as 1271 01:13:56,000 --> 01:13:59,880 Speaker 1: the the impostor. There's this great anecdote that buries On 1272 01:14:00,000 --> 01:14:03,000 Speaker 1: and Felt tells um about the screen test when they 1273 01:14:03,000 --> 01:14:05,280 Speaker 1: had him do that with a prosthetics. He said, we 1274 01:14:05,320 --> 01:14:07,280 Speaker 1: called Chris to the screening room to show him the test, 1275 01:14:07,560 --> 01:14:09,200 Speaker 1: to show him that we didn't want to do it, 1276 01:14:09,720 --> 01:14:12,240 Speaker 1: And unfortunately Chris didn't know exactly what our issue was. 1277 01:14:12,280 --> 01:14:14,559 Speaker 1: When we came to the studio to look at the test, 1278 01:14:15,200 --> 01:14:19,400 Speaker 1: cinematographer Owen Roisman was interviewing stand ins for Fester and 1279 01:14:19,479 --> 01:14:21,519 Speaker 1: Chris had to go past all these people in the 1280 01:14:21,560 --> 01:14:24,720 Speaker 1: hallway who looked like Fester. So we get in and 1281 01:14:24,800 --> 01:14:26,880 Speaker 1: screen footage for Chris Lloyd and I say, well, what 1282 01:14:26,920 --> 01:14:29,680 Speaker 1: do you think and Chris says, well, I can do 1283 01:14:29,720 --> 01:14:32,839 Speaker 1: it better. Well what are you talking about? He goes, well, 1284 01:14:33,160 --> 01:14:34,640 Speaker 1: it was a test. I didn't know. It was like 1285 01:14:34,640 --> 01:14:37,679 Speaker 1: an audition. I said, no, Chris, what are you talking about? 1286 01:14:37,880 --> 01:14:40,599 Speaker 1: He goes, well, I saw all these actors in line. 1287 01:14:41,439 --> 01:14:43,479 Speaker 1: I said, no, we're not replacing you, we're looking for 1288 01:14:43,479 --> 01:14:47,360 Speaker 1: a stand in. Christopher Lloyd thought he was being marched 1289 01:14:47,360 --> 01:14:50,800 Speaker 1: in front of all of his over replacements. But Barry 1290 01:14:50,800 --> 01:14:53,639 Speaker 1: Sinfield told Sci Fi Chris did an amazing job. Between 1291 01:14:53,640 --> 01:14:56,160 Speaker 1: the time we would slate and say roll camera and 1292 01:14:56,200 --> 01:14:59,120 Speaker 1: be ready to shoot, which was four seconds, he would 1293 01:14:59,120 --> 01:15:01,639 Speaker 1: come out and lose two ft of height and gained 1294 01:15:01,680 --> 01:15:04,479 Speaker 1: fifty pounds of body weight, and his face went from 1295 01:15:04,560 --> 01:15:07,800 Speaker 1: narrow and thin to round just instantly. I don't know 1296 01:15:07,840 --> 01:15:09,880 Speaker 1: how he did it. I guess he scrunched his head 1297 01:15:09,880 --> 01:15:12,759 Speaker 1: into his shoulders, but he did an amazing job playing Fester, 1298 01:15:12,880 --> 01:15:15,519 Speaker 1: because he doesn't look anything like that. That is correct. 1299 01:15:15,720 --> 01:15:18,680 Speaker 1: He did just suck his neck into his into the 1300 01:15:19,520 --> 01:15:22,200 Speaker 1: wardrobe that they had, which went up to auction recently 1301 01:15:22,200 --> 01:15:25,000 Speaker 1: and didn't sell. Maybe not recently, but a while ago 1302 01:15:25,080 --> 01:15:28,280 Speaker 1: I found a Hollywood Heritage Heritage auctions. They sold a 1303 01:15:28,280 --> 01:15:32,519 Speaker 1: bunch of Adam's family stuff. Um. He's also apparently bending 1304 01:15:32,560 --> 01:15:35,599 Speaker 1: his knees slightly in every shot to appear shorter, which 1305 01:15:35,640 --> 01:15:39,439 Speaker 1: must have been agony and I've been unable to verify 1306 01:15:39,520 --> 01:15:41,679 Speaker 1: this fact, but I love it so much. The fat 1307 01:15:41,720 --> 01:15:44,400 Speaker 1: suit that he wears under the coat is supposedly the 1308 01:15:44,400 --> 01:15:48,599 Speaker 1: same one worn by Bruno Kirby and Godfather Part two, 1309 01:15:49,680 --> 01:15:55,880 Speaker 1: which I wasn't able Tomza Yes. Rounding out the family 1310 01:15:55,920 --> 01:15:59,360 Speaker 1: in this film is Canadian magician Christopher Hart as thing 1311 01:16:00,080 --> 01:16:03,960 Speaker 1: Um and in demand seven foot Dutch guy Carol Strukin, 1312 01:16:04,680 --> 01:16:09,160 Speaker 1: who is the tall Dutch dude in Twin Peaks as 1313 01:16:10,800 --> 01:16:14,080 Speaker 1: um what is it? I don't remember the kid's name 1314 01:16:14,479 --> 01:16:17,719 Speaker 1: who plays Pugsley, but it's my favorite bit of casting 1315 01:16:17,760 --> 01:16:20,439 Speaker 1: for him because they found him when his sister came 1316 01:16:20,479 --> 01:16:24,759 Speaker 1: into audition Wednesday. They just look out in the waiting 1317 01:16:24,840 --> 01:16:27,800 Speaker 1: room at presumably a sea of dark haired young women 1318 01:16:27,840 --> 01:16:30,320 Speaker 1: who are gonna play auditioning to play Wednesday, and they 1319 01:16:30,439 --> 01:16:33,479 Speaker 1: just see his kids sitting there reading magazine and they're like, yeah, 1320 01:16:33,520 --> 01:16:37,559 Speaker 1: you you're Pugsley. He's like me and his sisters like, 1321 01:16:38,080 --> 01:16:44,320 Speaker 1: am I Wednesday? And they're like, no, leave didn't that. 1322 01:16:44,640 --> 01:16:47,639 Speaker 1: I mean, that's a whole like listical of people who 1323 01:16:47,720 --> 01:16:50,840 Speaker 1: got roles in film because they went with somebody else 1324 01:16:50,880 --> 01:16:53,000 Speaker 1: that was like, somebody in Greece get one of the 1325 01:16:53,240 --> 01:16:56,200 Speaker 1: one of the t birds. I think, didn't somebody ending that? 1326 01:16:57,360 --> 01:17:01,360 Speaker 1: Oh it was Jackass, wasn't it. I don't have that dog, 1327 01:17:01,400 --> 01:17:08,160 Speaker 1: Handy jim Workman, Jimmy Workman was his name. Yeah, Pugsley 1328 01:17:08,200 --> 01:17:11,679 Speaker 1: the like the most forgettable memory of Adams Family. Oh wait, 1329 01:17:11,720 --> 01:17:15,879 Speaker 1: he's the older brother of Ariel Winter from Modern Family. 1330 01:17:16,000 --> 01:17:19,120 Speaker 1: I wonder if she was the one audition Yeah, wait, no, no, 1331 01:17:19,160 --> 01:17:21,920 Speaker 1: there's no way she's a yeah. The the eight year 1332 01:17:21,920 --> 01:17:25,599 Speaker 1: old Workman had accompanied his older sister, oh Chanel Uh 1333 01:17:25,640 --> 01:17:29,599 Speaker 1: to audition for the part of Wednesday Adamsachristina Rishi. Okay, 1334 01:17:29,760 --> 01:17:33,960 Speaker 1: so currently she's the voice of Wendy in Wendy's commercials. 1335 01:17:35,560 --> 01:17:37,640 Speaker 1: Oh this Jimmy Workman guy who played Pugsley was in 1336 01:17:37,720 --> 01:17:44,280 Speaker 1: as good as it gets too. Well. Also, according to 1337 01:17:44,320 --> 01:17:48,200 Speaker 1: Angelica Houston, the woman who played Grandmama in the first 1338 01:17:48,200 --> 01:17:52,160 Speaker 1: film as a German born actress named Judith Malina, she 1339 01:17:52,320 --> 01:17:56,800 Speaker 1: founded the radical political theater Troupe The Living Theater, which 1340 01:17:57,720 --> 01:18:04,280 Speaker 1: is in that's in West Village, right. Yeah, anyway, she 1341 01:18:04,360 --> 01:18:07,559 Speaker 1: was high on this whole thing, Like Houston said, she 1342 01:18:07,720 --> 01:18:11,360 Speaker 1: coped with the extensive makeup by smoking an endless series 1343 01:18:11,400 --> 01:18:14,320 Speaker 1: of joints. In her trailer, I was I believed to 1344 01:18:14,320 --> 01:18:19,080 Speaker 1: the Guardian Ah, and we return as the Ark of 1345 01:18:19,080 --> 01:18:23,400 Speaker 1: the Universe does to Scott Bruten's in Humanity to Man. 1346 01:18:24,560 --> 01:18:27,679 Speaker 1: The Adams Family movie was Barry sona Feld's directorial debut, 1347 01:18:27,920 --> 01:18:30,280 Speaker 1: and he did not have a good time making it. 1348 01:18:30,720 --> 01:18:33,360 Speaker 1: You put an exclamation in that on that sentence, which 1349 01:18:33,400 --> 01:18:36,240 Speaker 1: I've never seen you do, so you know it's serious. 1350 01:18:38,160 --> 01:18:42,000 Speaker 1: As Barry sona Felt told Empire Magazine back in I 1351 01:18:42,080 --> 01:18:44,920 Speaker 1: lost thirteen pounds in the first ten weeks alone, and 1352 01:18:44,960 --> 01:18:47,920 Speaker 1: the tension was just incredible. And in that same interview 1353 01:18:47,920 --> 01:18:52,080 Speaker 1: he mentioned passing out on the set and coming to weeping. 1354 01:18:52,160 --> 01:18:59,680 Speaker 1: While he did, he said, I remember Beggar so neurotic. 1355 01:19:00,160 --> 01:19:03,120 Speaker 1: His end quote in this is really my favorite. Sorry 1356 01:19:03,120 --> 01:19:06,519 Speaker 1: go ahead. I remember begging Scott Ruden, please let me 1357 01:19:06,520 --> 01:19:08,360 Speaker 1: get up and get going again. If we have to 1358 01:19:08,400 --> 01:19:10,639 Speaker 1: stop every time I faint or cry, we'll never get 1359 01:19:10,640 --> 01:19:15,360 Speaker 1: this movie done. And a fun prank Scott Ruden pulled 1360 01:19:15,479 --> 01:19:18,599 Speaker 1: was having a different director's name on Barry Sonofeld's chair 1361 01:19:18,920 --> 01:19:22,120 Speaker 1: every time a reporter came to the set. He put 1362 01:19:22,160 --> 01:19:24,720 Speaker 1: Tim Burton on the chair. He put Joe Dante's name 1363 01:19:24,760 --> 01:19:27,080 Speaker 1: on the chair. He put Terry Gilliam's name on the chair, 1364 01:19:27,120 --> 01:19:30,040 Speaker 1: and David Lynch's name on the chair. Seeing Rob Ryder's 1365 01:19:30,080 --> 01:19:32,080 Speaker 1: name on the chair, one day, Barry Sono Feld equipped 1366 01:19:32,080 --> 01:19:34,479 Speaker 1: to the reporter, Rob wouldn't have done this movie. He's 1367 01:19:34,479 --> 01:19:40,479 Speaker 1: not that crazy. And now, my friend, you gotta take this. 1368 01:19:40,520 --> 01:19:43,960 Speaker 1: Then set it up, Set me up, Set me up. 1369 01:19:44,720 --> 01:19:47,360 Speaker 1: Barry Sonfeld wrote in his memoir that Scott and I 1370 01:19:47,439 --> 01:19:52,240 Speaker 1: disagreed on many aspects of the cast, sets, props, and wardrobe. Ruden, 1371 01:19:52,400 --> 01:19:55,120 Speaker 1: screenwriter Paul Rudnick, and I would meet in his office 1372 01:19:55,320 --> 01:19:58,200 Speaker 1: and Scott would charmingly lie about everything we had opposing 1373 01:19:58,240 --> 01:20:03,240 Speaker 1: opinions about, or he would yell at me. So Barry 1374 01:20:03,280 --> 01:20:07,160 Speaker 1: Sono felt developed what is probably my all time favorite 1375 01:20:07,160 --> 01:20:11,920 Speaker 1: Hollywood coping mechanism to deal with with these moments. He said, 1376 01:20:11,920 --> 01:20:13,799 Speaker 1: the I realized, I think this is in his memoir. 1377 01:20:13,920 --> 01:20:16,639 Speaker 1: I realized the only because he's told this anecdote multiple times, 1378 01:20:16,720 --> 01:20:19,960 Speaker 1: which is what I love it that much. I realized 1379 01:20:19,960 --> 01:20:21,479 Speaker 1: the only way to deal with it was two out 1380 01:20:21,560 --> 01:20:24,240 Speaker 1: juvenile Scott. When he would start to scream at me, 1381 01:20:24,360 --> 01:20:26,240 Speaker 1: I would get off the couch and remove all the 1382 01:20:26,280 --> 01:20:29,400 Speaker 1: bolsters and pillows. Using the back and bottom bolsters as 1383 01:20:29,439 --> 01:20:32,120 Speaker 1: building box, I would turn them into walls and build 1384 01:20:32,120 --> 01:20:34,720 Speaker 1: a fort on top of the couch. Crawling into one 1385 01:20:34,840 --> 01:20:37,000 Speaker 1: end I had left open, I'd stuff a pillow into 1386 01:20:37,000 --> 01:20:39,720 Speaker 1: the gap and yell, I can't hear you, I'm in 1387 01:20:39,760 --> 01:20:42,560 Speaker 1: the fort. The part of this that amazed Rudnick in 1388 01:20:42,640 --> 01:20:45,000 Speaker 1: me was that Ruden would never invade the sanctity of 1389 01:20:45,040 --> 01:20:50,479 Speaker 1: my fort. He'd bend over and scream at me, but 1390 01:20:50,560 --> 01:20:55,280 Speaker 1: he'd never remove a pillow. He also tells of one 1391 01:20:55,320 --> 01:20:58,320 Speaker 1: horrifying anecdote where his wife was his is His wife 1392 01:20:58,360 --> 01:21:00,800 Speaker 1: was hospitalized at the time. They thought she was very 1393 01:21:00,880 --> 01:21:05,080 Speaker 1: seriously ill, and they were shooting in New York, I 1394 01:21:05,120 --> 01:21:07,880 Speaker 1: think or he had to get on a plane to 1395 01:21:07,920 --> 01:21:10,160 Speaker 1: New York and they were shooting a film with a 1396 01:21:10,160 --> 01:21:15,160 Speaker 1: bunch of kids, and he's trying to wrap and he's like, okay, 1397 01:21:15,400 --> 01:21:18,559 Speaker 1: we're done, and Scovered's like, uh no, we're not done, 1398 01:21:18,600 --> 01:21:20,920 Speaker 1: and we need pick up shots of these kids crying, 1399 01:21:22,240 --> 01:21:26,360 Speaker 1: which is an amazing pool quote for his career. Scodrod 1400 01:21:26,479 --> 01:21:30,200 Speaker 1: needed children crying, and so he was like, I don't 1401 01:21:30,200 --> 01:21:33,880 Speaker 1: care how you do it make those children cry? And 1402 01:21:33,960 --> 01:21:35,760 Speaker 1: so Barry started if it went over to the kids 1403 01:21:35,800 --> 01:21:37,960 Speaker 1: and he was like, well, kids, good news is we're 1404 01:21:38,000 --> 01:21:40,920 Speaker 1: done filming. Bad news is you all have to get 1405 01:21:41,000 --> 01:21:45,920 Speaker 1: measles shots now. And he before he did this, he 1406 01:21:46,080 --> 01:21:48,280 Speaker 1: told this, He told the cameraman. He was like, I'm 1407 01:21:48,520 --> 01:21:50,280 Speaker 1: set up shots on each one of those kids face. 1408 01:21:50,280 --> 01:21:52,000 Speaker 1: I'm gonna go talk to them and then when they 1409 01:21:52,000 --> 01:21:54,880 Speaker 1: start crying and film them. So he whatever and told 1410 01:21:54,960 --> 01:21:57,080 Speaker 1: all of them that they had to get measles shots 1411 01:21:57,240 --> 01:21:59,599 Speaker 1: and the kids started crying and that is the take 1412 01:21:59,680 --> 01:22:02,479 Speaker 1: you see the movie. And then he went to visit 1413 01:22:02,520 --> 01:22:09,439 Speaker 1: his hospitalized wife. UM filming problems continued to mount. With 1414 01:22:09,600 --> 01:22:13,480 Speaker 1: three months left of filming, It's Owen Roisman, the afrementioned 1415 01:22:13,520 --> 01:22:16,800 Speaker 1: director photographer, quit to go on another film. A guy 1416 01:22:16,880 --> 01:22:19,759 Speaker 1: named Gail Tattersall, the new DP, came on to finish 1417 01:22:19,760 --> 01:22:22,920 Speaker 1: it and was hospitalized within a few weeks, and Sannenfeld 1418 01:22:23,000 --> 01:22:26,479 Speaker 1: had to take on director of photography duties and also 1419 01:22:26,560 --> 01:22:30,040 Speaker 1: direct Raoul Julia had to miss filming for several days 1420 01:22:30,040 --> 01:22:33,439 Speaker 1: when a blood vessel burst in his eye and then Oriyan, 1421 01:22:33,600 --> 01:22:36,759 Speaker 1: who was in its death spiral. At this point decided 1422 01:22:36,840 --> 01:22:39,479 Speaker 1: to sell the film but with however long left in 1423 01:22:39,479 --> 01:22:44,600 Speaker 1: production to Paramount Um, and didn't tell Rudden and sanenfeld 1424 01:22:44,680 --> 01:22:48,320 Speaker 1: They found it out from a Hollywood reporter, reporter named 1425 01:22:48,360 --> 01:22:52,200 Speaker 1: Andrea king Um. The budget for this film was not crazy. 1426 01:22:52,360 --> 01:22:54,400 Speaker 1: It only went up from what they told them from 1427 01:22:54,439 --> 01:22:57,160 Speaker 1: twenty five mil to thirty mile with a couple of rewrites. 1428 01:22:57,479 --> 01:22:59,800 Speaker 1: But what happened was that Hook was coming out in 1429 01:22:59,800 --> 01:23:02,800 Speaker 1: the holiday season and O Ryan was concerned that Hook 1430 01:23:02,880 --> 01:23:05,600 Speaker 1: was going to come out and steamroll everything else, and 1431 01:23:05,600 --> 01:23:07,439 Speaker 1: they basically thought they were going to take a huge 1432 01:23:07,439 --> 01:23:09,960 Speaker 1: loss on this and were decided to cut their losses 1433 01:23:10,000 --> 01:23:12,920 Speaker 1: and sold it to Paramount, which was a big dumb 1434 01:23:12,960 --> 01:23:16,120 Speaker 1: mistake and may have saved them, may have saved the 1435 01:23:16,160 --> 01:23:19,400 Speaker 1: studio had they hung onto it. Uh Sanenfeldt told sci 1436 01:23:19,439 --> 01:23:22,000 Speaker 1: Fi they sold the film halfway through to someone at Paramount. 1437 01:23:22,400 --> 01:23:25,120 Speaker 1: That person later that same day was fired for other 1438 01:23:25,200 --> 01:23:28,720 Speaker 1: reasons Hollywood. It's a magical industry. And the person that 1439 01:23:28,800 --> 01:23:31,040 Speaker 1: replaced them didn't like our movie, and we were still 1440 01:23:31,080 --> 01:23:34,320 Speaker 1: only halfway done shooting. And then this is funny. Once 1441 01:23:34,360 --> 01:23:37,120 Speaker 1: we finished it, and Barry London and Arthur Cohen, who 1442 01:23:37,120 --> 01:23:39,639 Speaker 1: were marketing and distribution guys at Paramount saw the movie. 1443 01:23:39,840 --> 01:23:42,240 Speaker 1: They loved it. They were the ones who said, we'll 1444 01:23:42,280 --> 01:23:44,880 Speaker 1: give you more money if you can get mc hammer 1445 01:23:44,920 --> 01:23:47,480 Speaker 1: to write a song for us, which is an incredibly 1446 01:23:48,600 --> 01:23:51,439 Speaker 1: to say, so, santon Felt continued, I knew he was 1447 01:23:51,479 --> 01:23:54,479 Speaker 1: a car collector, so I parked my nineteen two Lincoln 1448 01:23:54,520 --> 01:23:57,240 Speaker 1: Continental in front of the entrance where we were meeting him. 1449 01:23:57,280 --> 01:23:59,000 Speaker 1: And when the meeting was over, I walked to the 1450 01:23:59,000 --> 01:24:01,479 Speaker 1: elevator downstairs with him and I said how many cars 1451 01:24:01,479 --> 01:24:04,479 Speaker 1: do you have? He said eleven, and I said I 1452 01:24:04,520 --> 01:24:07,200 Speaker 1: think it's going to be twelve. And he said, wait, 1453 01:24:07,439 --> 01:24:10,280 Speaker 1: that's not your Lincoln, is it? And I said yeah, 1454 01:24:10,360 --> 01:24:13,080 Speaker 1: And I sold him my Lincoln in the elevator. The 1455 01:24:13,160 --> 01:24:16,200 Speaker 1: next day he came and paid cash for it. So 1456 01:24:16,400 --> 01:24:22,599 Speaker 1: Adams Groove, the second single from mc hammer to Legit Quit, 1457 01:24:23,120 --> 01:24:26,360 Speaker 1: his fifth and last top ten single in the US 1458 01:24:27,240 --> 01:24:31,320 Speaker 1: and the recipient of the Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst 1459 01:24:31,360 --> 01:24:38,240 Speaker 1: Original Song at Razzies. Anyway, one last indignity for the film, 1460 01:24:38,360 --> 01:24:41,920 Speaker 1: Oh I'm sorry. The second to last indignity for the film. 1461 01:24:42,040 --> 01:24:45,639 Speaker 1: Uh Sneville wanted to drop this big, old fashioned musical 1462 01:24:45,720 --> 01:24:47,960 Speaker 1: number into it, and so he films a scene in 1463 01:24:47,960 --> 01:24:51,439 Speaker 1: which Fester and Gomez do this dance called the Mamushka 1464 01:24:51,720 --> 01:24:54,880 Speaker 1: that was written by Betty Kombden and Adolph Green, who 1465 01:24:54,880 --> 01:24:58,719 Speaker 1: are these actual Broadway legends who were involved in, among 1466 01:24:58,960 --> 01:25:02,240 Speaker 1: many other things, over decades, singing in the rain Mark 1467 01:25:02,280 --> 01:25:05,280 Speaker 1: Shaman is an oscar short of an egot. He wrote 1468 01:25:05,320 --> 01:25:08,400 Speaker 1: the music and co wrote the lyrics to hair Spray, 1469 01:25:08,640 --> 01:25:11,080 Speaker 1: So they wrote his musical number, they filmed it, and 1470 01:25:11,120 --> 01:25:14,760 Speaker 1: then test audiences didn't like it, so they hacked like it. 1471 01:25:15,240 --> 01:25:18,680 Speaker 1: Oh and then David Levi, David Levy who's still alive, uh, 1472 01:25:18,800 --> 01:25:21,840 Speaker 1: sued them as the show's TV show's original producer. Yes, 1473 01:25:21,920 --> 01:25:26,440 Speaker 1: he he sued them, I believe, kind of correctly, alleging 1474 01:25:26,560 --> 01:25:30,200 Speaker 1: that since so much of the show originated a lot 1475 01:25:30,240 --> 01:25:32,840 Speaker 1: of the concepts that you see in the movie, he 1476 01:25:32,960 --> 01:25:36,320 Speaker 1: was owed rights to it, and Paramount agreed. They settled 1477 01:25:36,360 --> 01:25:39,200 Speaker 1: out of court. But so that was the last hurdle 1478 01:25:39,200 --> 01:25:41,440 Speaker 1: of that finish line was being sued by the original 1479 01:25:42,120 --> 01:25:46,360 Speaker 1: creative team behind it. Well, despite its torture production, the 1480 01:25:46,400 --> 01:25:49,719 Speaker 1: Adams Family hauled in an impressive twenty four million dollars 1481 01:25:49,720 --> 01:25:54,080 Speaker 1: on its opening weekend doubling. It's already healthy projection. Titanic 1482 01:25:54,120 --> 01:25:56,720 Speaker 1: only did point six million in its opening weekend, so 1483 01:25:56,840 --> 01:25:59,880 Speaker 1: that's not bad. Barry sono Felt told The Hollywood Reporter 1484 01:26:00,240 --> 01:26:02,639 Speaker 1: there have been months and months of flops, and everyone 1485 01:26:02,640 --> 01:26:04,920 Speaker 1: thought the Adams family would do really well and open 1486 01:26:05,040 --> 01:26:08,360 Speaker 1: to twelve million. WHI was a really big opening. I 1487 01:26:08,400 --> 01:26:11,240 Speaker 1: should have enjoyed it more, he continued. I remember getting 1488 01:26:11,280 --> 01:26:14,439 Speaker 1: calls from famous people all weekend, mainly about the box office. 1489 01:26:14,640 --> 01:26:16,920 Speaker 1: I remember getting a call from any of the pod 1490 01:26:17,000 --> 01:26:20,160 Speaker 1: Jeffrey Katzenberg, who told me how great the movie was, 1491 01:26:20,360 --> 01:26:22,639 Speaker 1: and I kept saying, well, it's not my movie, it's 1492 01:26:22,680 --> 01:26:24,960 Speaker 1: Paramounts movie, and they did a great job of marketing 1493 01:26:25,000 --> 01:26:27,880 Speaker 1: and distributing it. Then Scott Rudin called me on Sunday 1494 01:26:27,960 --> 01:26:30,439 Speaker 1: night and said, what do you think? I said, paramount 1495 01:26:30,479 --> 01:26:33,439 Speaker 1: did a great job, and Scott interrupted me and said, Barry, 1496 01:26:33,479 --> 01:26:35,800 Speaker 1: if you can't be happy this weekend, your mother one. 1497 01:26:37,400 --> 01:26:42,519 Speaker 1: It is an all time quote. The film, unfortunately, wasn't 1498 01:26:42,560 --> 01:26:45,360 Speaker 1: a huge critical hit. Roger Ebert, as you mentioned earlier, 1499 01:26:45,439 --> 01:26:47,240 Speaker 1: only gave it two out of four stars, and it 1500 01:26:47,280 --> 01:26:50,600 Speaker 1: currently sits at sixty seven percent on Rotten Tomatoes. But 1501 01:26:50,640 --> 01:26:52,840 Speaker 1: It went on to make a hundred and ninety one 1502 01:26:52,880 --> 01:26:57,240 Speaker 1: point five million dollars worldwide, which pretty much guaranteed its sequel, 1503 01:26:57,320 --> 01:27:01,080 Speaker 1: Adams Family Values. Weirdly, as you also mentioned earlier, a 1504 01:27:01,200 --> 01:27:03,639 Speaker 1: much better reviewed film, though it made a lot less, 1505 01:27:04,000 --> 01:27:06,640 Speaker 1: Angelica Houston, was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for 1506 01:27:06,680 --> 01:27:09,400 Speaker 1: Best Actress and the film was nominated for an Academy 1507 01:27:09,439 --> 01:27:13,880 Speaker 1: Award for Achievement in Cost of Design. Following the wave 1508 01:27:14,000 --> 01:27:18,760 Speaker 1: of interest in the franchise, animated television series notably saw 1509 01:27:18,840 --> 01:27:22,240 Speaker 1: John Aston reprised his role as Gomez, almost thirty years 1510 01:27:22,280 --> 01:27:24,759 Speaker 1: after his first appearance in the role. That was nominated 1511 01:27:24,800 --> 01:27:28,560 Speaker 1: for four Daytime Emmys, including one for Aston, while a 1512 01:27:28,680 --> 01:27:32,360 Speaker 1: much less well received directed video film, The Adams Family Reunion, 1513 01:27:32,439 --> 01:27:35,519 Speaker 1: which notably does start Tim Curry as Gomez, was released 1514 01:27:35,520 --> 01:27:40,200 Speaker 1: in but the family kept lumbering on. There was a 1515 01:27:40,240 --> 01:27:43,719 Speaker 1: Broadway and touring musical that was critically savaged but apparently 1516 01:27:43,840 --> 01:27:47,680 Speaker 1: very profitable in two thousand two thousand eleven, two animated 1517 01:27:47,680 --> 01:27:52,640 Speaker 1: films released in one and now, of course, Netflix is Wednesday, 1518 01:27:52,680 --> 01:27:56,639 Speaker 1: which is supposedly the streamers third most popular English language 1519 01:27:56,640 --> 01:28:01,559 Speaker 1: series of all time, and one last completely out of 1520 01:28:01,600 --> 01:28:05,719 Speaker 1: nowhere success story for the Adams Family. You're a pinball guy, 1521 01:28:06,040 --> 01:28:09,040 Speaker 1: I say, with nothing to back that up based on 1522 01:28:09,120 --> 01:28:16,440 Speaker 1: your love of the Who and analog era toys. Sure, yeah, 1523 01:28:16,640 --> 01:28:20,120 Speaker 1: the Bally Adams Family Pinball Machine is the best selling 1524 01:28:20,160 --> 01:28:24,000 Speaker 1: pinball machine of all time. Would you have guessed to that? 1525 01:28:24,520 --> 01:28:27,920 Speaker 1: Would you have guessed they were making pinball machines? They 1526 01:28:27,920 --> 01:28:31,240 Speaker 1: were because home video arcades were still doing really well. 1527 01:28:31,320 --> 01:28:34,559 Speaker 1: Home video consoles had not really taken over at this 1528 01:28:34,600 --> 01:28:39,080 Speaker 1: point in arcades. We're still doing big, big money units 1529 01:28:39,240 --> 01:28:42,400 Speaker 1: sold of that. And it's funny because it's one of 1530 01:28:42,400 --> 01:28:45,240 Speaker 1: these things that hits at such a bizarre nexus of 1531 01:28:45,320 --> 01:28:49,599 Speaker 1: cultural trends. Apparently, pinball technology was at an all time 1532 01:28:49,720 --> 01:28:53,320 Speaker 1: high in the early nineties, and there was a wave 1533 01:28:53,439 --> 01:28:58,280 Speaker 1: of nostalgia for mid century kitch. Right, Twilight Zone tales 1534 01:28:58,320 --> 01:29:01,960 Speaker 1: from the Crypt were also be pinball machine successes at 1535 01:29:02,000 --> 01:29:04,160 Speaker 1: the time. I got this from just reading like Popular 1536 01:29:04,160 --> 01:29:08,639 Speaker 1: Mechanics and Smithsonian mag about the Adams Family pinball Machine, 1537 01:29:08,760 --> 01:29:11,920 Speaker 1: which I had no idea about. Scott porches at Popular 1538 01:29:11,920 --> 01:29:15,360 Speaker 1: Mechanics right, The Adams Family pinball Machine featured plenty of 1539 01:29:15,479 --> 01:29:19,320 Speaker 1: next gen features, such as a moving mechanical thing that 1540 01:29:19,439 --> 01:29:22,559 Speaker 1: picked up the balls an enormous number of scoring modes. 1541 01:29:22,840 --> 01:29:26,120 Speaker 1: New dialogue recorded by the film stars specifically for the game, 1542 01:29:27,280 --> 01:29:31,080 Speaker 1: and he says virtually every pinball game since has taken 1543 01:29:31,120 --> 01:29:35,280 Speaker 1: design cues from it. So don't bet against James Cameron, 1544 01:29:35,760 --> 01:29:38,280 Speaker 1: don't bet against the Adams family. But the real legacy 1545 01:29:38,320 --> 01:29:42,680 Speaker 1: of the Adams Family was the pinball machine, didn't That's 1546 01:29:42,680 --> 01:29:48,200 Speaker 1: an m Night Shamalan worthy twist. Um, Yeah, you know, 1547 01:29:48,320 --> 01:29:50,320 Speaker 1: what what do you say about Adams family? Man, it's 1548 01:29:50,320 --> 01:29:54,040 Speaker 1: such a such a neat, weird property. People were like 1549 01:29:54,280 --> 01:29:57,960 Speaker 1: sort of Monday morning quarterbacking, like the success of Wednesday 1550 01:29:57,960 --> 01:29:59,640 Speaker 1: being like, of course it was going to be a 1551 01:29:59,720 --> 01:30:02,719 Speaker 1: huge hit. Like there's a TikTok dance scene in Jenna 1552 01:30:02,840 --> 01:30:06,280 Speaker 1: Ortega is super hot right now, But like, I don't 1553 01:30:06,360 --> 01:30:09,400 Speaker 1: actually think that there's any reason you could bet on 1554 01:30:09,760 --> 01:30:13,400 Speaker 1: this bizarre popularity of this franchise like it is. You 1555 01:30:13,400 --> 01:30:15,360 Speaker 1: could argue that in kind of a cynical way that 1556 01:30:15,400 --> 01:30:19,559 Speaker 1: it's sort of like Tim Burton hot topic, like goth Light, 1557 01:30:20,200 --> 01:30:23,160 Speaker 1: like it sort of has this veneer of counterculturalism without 1558 01:30:23,160 --> 01:30:26,880 Speaker 1: being particularly insidious. But it is so weird and so 1559 01:30:26,960 --> 01:30:32,080 Speaker 1: deeply specific and such a specific aesthetic to have clung 1560 01:30:32,200 --> 01:30:36,920 Speaker 1: on for a century, like nearly a century. The Adams 1561 01:30:36,960 --> 01:30:39,639 Speaker 1: Family has been in part of American culture. I love 1562 01:30:39,720 --> 01:30:42,200 Speaker 1: that John Aston will to go out one of his 1563 01:30:42,280 --> 01:30:44,599 Speaker 1: quotes and his Television Academy interview, which is like four 1564 01:30:44,640 --> 01:30:47,080 Speaker 1: hours long and incredible. You should look it up. What 1565 01:30:47,200 --> 01:30:49,720 Speaker 1: the Adams Family says is it doesn't matter what you're 1566 01:30:49,760 --> 01:30:54,120 Speaker 1: like outside, it's inside that counts. That's why people who 1567 01:30:54,160 --> 01:30:57,360 Speaker 1: are disowned by society like the show so much. Real 1568 01:30:57,680 --> 01:31:00,639 Speaker 1: values are there underneath. During the run of the show, 1569 01:31:00,680 --> 01:31:03,759 Speaker 1: psychiatrists wrote articles about how it was the healthiest show 1570 01:31:03,880 --> 01:31:07,960 Speaker 1: on the air and echoing what Barry Stenfield said about 1571 01:31:08,000 --> 01:31:11,519 Speaker 1: ral Julia as Gomez, Sean Aston calls the adit. John 1572 01:31:11,560 --> 01:31:16,280 Speaker 1: Aston calls the Adams Family an affirmation of life. I 1573 01:31:16,280 --> 01:31:18,599 Speaker 1: can't think of anything better to say about it, folks, 1574 01:31:18,960 --> 01:31:21,760 Speaker 1: Thank you for listening. This has been too much information. 1575 01:31:22,160 --> 01:31:25,280 Speaker 1: I'm Alex Hegel and I'm Jordan Runtalg We'll catch you 1576 01:31:25,360 --> 01:31:32,760 Speaker 1: next time. Too Much Information was a production of I 1577 01:31:32,880 --> 01:31:36,120 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. The show's executive producers are Noel Brown and 1578 01:31:36,200 --> 01:31:40,000 Speaker 1: Jordan run Talk. The show's supervising producer is Michael Alder June. 1579 01:31:40,280 --> 01:31:43,360 Speaker 1: The show was researched, written, and hosted by Jordan Runtalg 1580 01:31:43,439 --> 01:31:46,400 Speaker 1: and Alex Heigel, with original music by Seth Applebaum and 1581 01:31:46,439 --> 01:31:48,880 Speaker 1: the Ghost Funk Orchestra. If you like what you heard, 1582 01:31:48,960 --> 01:31:51,599 Speaker 1: please subscribe and leave us a review. For more podcast 1583 01:31:51,680 --> 01:31:55,000 Speaker 1: on iHeart Radio, visit the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, 1584 01:31:55,280 --> 01:32:01,120 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows that that 1585 01:32:01,560 --> 01:32:05,720 Speaker 1: Man Want to Know. A back Pasty and