1 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:14,880 Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, it's Mango here and I have great news. 2 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:20,040 Speaker 1: My friends Dana Zarin and Jason, people I really love, 3 00:00:20,239 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 1: are back with their show Very Special Episodes. There's a 4 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:27,120 Speaker 1: brand new season, and if you aren't familiar with the show, 5 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:29,600 Speaker 1: you need to get familiar because I'm a huge fan 6 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:32,240 Speaker 1: and I know you're gonna love it too. Jason was 7 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:35,960 Speaker 1: actually the editor in chief of Mental Floss, the vgazine 8 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 1: and I started, so I know him from forever ago. 9 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:40,560 Speaker 1: Dana used to write for us, and Zaren we worked 10 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:44,600 Speaker 1: on this amazing show called Black Cowboys together. They're really 11 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:47,800 Speaker 1: sort of like this supergroup anyway. They bring you one 12 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 1: incredible true story, like the real crime that inspired two 13 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:55,000 Speaker 1: young comic artists to create Superman, or the secret spy 14 00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 1: operation that ran out of a doll shop in New 15 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:01,400 Speaker 1: York City during World War Two, all sorts of insane 16 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:04,800 Speaker 1: and incredible history like that. And if you've ever wondered 17 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:07,640 Speaker 1: if the truth is stranger than fiction, this podcast is 18 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 1: absolutely your answer. So check out the new season right 19 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 1: now and subscribe to Very Special Episodes wherever you get 20 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:20,160 Speaker 1: your podcasts. You're listening to part Time Genius, the production 21 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 1: of Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio. Guess what gave? What's that mango? So? 22 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:34,039 Speaker 1: Cartoonist Charles Adams is best known for creating the endearingly 23 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:36,880 Speaker 1: morbid Adams Family, which I know you and I both 24 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:39,360 Speaker 1: know about. It kicked off a whole new genre of 25 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:43,040 Speaker 1: macabre humor in the US. But something I never realized 26 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:46,319 Speaker 1: before this week is that the Adams Family didn't appear 27 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:49,360 Speaker 1: that often in his work. In fact, out of the 28 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:52,520 Speaker 1: more than thirteen hundred comic strips that Adams published in 29 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 1: his lifetime, only about one hundred and fifty of them 30 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 1: featured his famous family. 31 00:01:57,320 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 2: That's a pretty impressive restraint on his part. Like for 32 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:02,480 Speaker 2: a lot of creators, you know, it feels like once 33 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:05,120 Speaker 2: in idea hits like that, the impulse is to go 34 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 2: back to the well, like over and over again to 35 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:08,280 Speaker 2: really milk it. 36 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:11,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, of course, but in this case it probably helped 37 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: the Adams never set out to create a big, enduring franchise, right, Like, 38 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:17,359 Speaker 1: most of his work ran in the New Yorker, and 39 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:20,240 Speaker 1: that meant it ran as like single panel strip, so 40 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:22,440 Speaker 1: it was like a newspaper comic that came out every 41 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:23,839 Speaker 1: day or every week. Right. 42 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:28,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, there wasn't a dedicated Adams Family strip like Peanuts 43 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:29,760 Speaker 2: or Garfielder. 44 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:35,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, or Hagar the Horrible shout out to Hagar Well. 45 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:38,360 Speaker 1: Adams was a regular contributor to The New Yorker for 46 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:41,040 Speaker 1: the first thirty years or so of his career, and 47 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 1: the vast majority of his strips featured one off scenarios 48 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:47,440 Speaker 1: and characters. The Adams Family proved the exception to that rule, 49 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:51,360 Speaker 1: but their development did come out organically. Over the course 50 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:54,079 Speaker 1: of eight years. The family members were invented one by 51 00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:57,680 Speaker 1: one based on the needs of each strip. So Martsha arrived, 52 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:00,959 Speaker 1: first appearing in a nineteen thirty eight cartoon that saw 53 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:03,600 Speaker 1: her as a mistress of a dirty old house. The 54 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 1: family butler Lurch, stood by her side in the strip, 55 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:09,359 Speaker 1: sporting a beard for some reason, and they both looked 56 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:11,680 Speaker 1: puzzled and kind of annoyed at this door to door 57 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 1: salesman who was trying to sell them a vacuum. Then 58 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 1: in nineteen foury two, Mortitia was joined by her husband Gomez. 59 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:21,400 Speaker 1: His squat pig nosed appearance was actually based on New 60 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:24,760 Speaker 1: York's then Governor Thomas Dewey, which is kind of amazing. 61 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:29,000 Speaker 1: The couple's son Pugsley debuted the following year, he was 62 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:33,959 Speaker 1: first seen building a coffin and shop class and their daughter, Wednesday, 63 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: arrived in nineteen forty four, and in her first strip, 64 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 1: Wednesday complains to her mother that Pugsley is trying to 65 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:43,480 Speaker 1: poison her, and Mortitia says, well, don't come winding to me, 66 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:46,920 Speaker 1: go tell him You'll poison him right back. That's perfect 67 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 1: A plus parenting for sure. Yeah. Well, how about Uncle Fester? 68 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:55,400 Speaker 1: When did he turn up? In true weird uncle style, 69 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 1: He was the last to arrive. His appearance was in 70 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:01,400 Speaker 1: a wordless one panel strip that ran in The New 71 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 1: Yorker in nineteen forty six. It shows an audience at 72 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:07,520 Speaker 1: the movies and every single person is either crying or 73 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:11,320 Speaker 1: on the verge of crying, except this one ghoulish, little 74 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 1: bald guy who is just laughing hysterically. So basically me. 75 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:21,680 Speaker 2: Last week at the third Tron movie. Everyone around me 76 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 2: was just checking their watch wondering why they came, and 77 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:25,279 Speaker 2: I'm just over. 78 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:28,359 Speaker 1: There lapping it up. So I was Uncle Fester. I 79 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:32,479 Speaker 1: guess maybe don't sound so proud when you say that, 80 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:36,120 Speaker 1: but seriously, that strip is a great example of what 81 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:39,080 Speaker 1: makes Charles Adams work so special. Even though the humor 82 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 1: is morbid, it's a little off kilter. The strips are 83 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:47,520 Speaker 1: grounded in everyday experiences like resolving family disputes or going 84 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:50,320 Speaker 1: to the movies. And Adam's had a real talent for 85 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:54,080 Speaker 1: finding unexpected intersections between the bizarre and the mundane. And 86 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 1: today we're celebrating all that spooky joy he brought the 87 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:01,040 Speaker 1: world by counting down nine of our favorite fact about 88 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:04,480 Speaker 1: his life and work. So snap twice for good luck 89 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:30,839 Speaker 1: and let's dive in. Hey there, podcast listener, as welcome 90 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:33,800 Speaker 1: to Part Time Genius. I'm Monga's Articular and today I 91 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:37,480 Speaker 1: am joined by my fellow comics fan Gabe Luzier. Will 92 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:40,080 Speaker 1: need a little more time to work on his Halloween costumes, 93 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:43,080 Speaker 1: so Gabe is graciously filling in for him. Yeah. 94 00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:46,839 Speaker 2: You said it's one of those two person horse costumes, right, 95 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:47,840 Speaker 2: that's what he's going with. 96 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:50,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, I think so, but I'm not sure his wife 97 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:54,040 Speaker 1: is going to participate, so he's got a monolize to 98 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:57,000 Speaker 1: figure it out. That's smart. 99 00:05:57,080 --> 00:05:59,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, making it a one person horse costume is gonna 100 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:01,120 Speaker 2: make it so much scarier. 101 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:03,960 Speaker 1: And over there in the booth, wearing a bald cap 102 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:06,120 Speaker 1: and clenching a light bulb in his teeth. That is 103 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:11,000 Speaker 1: our friend and super producer, Dylan Fagan. I'm guessing this 104 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:13,080 Speaker 1: has something to do with Uncle Festa, right. 105 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:15,719 Speaker 2: Yeah, Yeah, that's a trick that he does in the 106 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:18,120 Speaker 2: old TV show and actually in the movie from the 107 00:06:18,200 --> 00:06:20,719 Speaker 2: early nineties too. He puts a bulb in his mouth 108 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:24,200 Speaker 2: and somehow lights it up with his own electricity. It 109 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:27,039 Speaker 2: doesn't work if you do it bulb first, though, so 110 00:06:27,480 --> 00:06:29,200 Speaker 2: turn it around, Dylan, try that. 111 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:33,599 Speaker 1: Try that way. So it is late October, where in 112 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:36,479 Speaker 1: the heart of spooky season, and there's a new season 113 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:39,520 Speaker 1: of Wednesday streaming on Netflix. It feels like the perfect 114 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:42,400 Speaker 1: time to get into the Charles Adams spirit and get 115 00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:45,320 Speaker 1: to know this creator a little better. So, Gabe, one 116 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:47,400 Speaker 1: of the things that's been funny for me is that, 117 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:51,640 Speaker 1: you know, these franchises that I thought would disappear still 118 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:55,200 Speaker 1: somehow are in existence. You know, Like my kids love Wednesday, 119 00:06:55,279 --> 00:06:59,599 Speaker 1: and I vaguely, vaguely remember watching reruns of Adam's Family 120 00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:01,960 Speaker 1: during the day as a kid. It used to come 121 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:04,480 Speaker 1: on when when I was sick at home, and and 122 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:07,400 Speaker 1: like either you could watch soap operas or kind of 123 00:07:07,720 --> 00:07:10,400 Speaker 1: these TV shows that were on the cusp of black 124 00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:13,120 Speaker 1: and white in color, you know, so like Gilligan's Island, 125 00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:16,400 Speaker 1: Leave It to Beaver and Adam's Family, you know, things 126 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:19,760 Speaker 1: like that, And that's actually how I was exposed to 127 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:22,520 Speaker 1: some of those shows. What was your experience with Adam's Family. 128 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:27,280 Speaker 2: My first introduction was definitely the movies from the nineteen nineties, 129 00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:30,640 Speaker 2: the ones with Christina Ricci is Wednesday and Christopher Lloyd 130 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:33,440 Speaker 2: is Uncle Fester. I watched those, you know, all the 131 00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:36,240 Speaker 2: time as a kid, and I did watch some reruns 132 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:38,240 Speaker 2: I think on TV Land or something like that, of 133 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:41,360 Speaker 2: the old TV show Nick at Night. But somehow I 134 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:43,400 Speaker 2: never picked up at the show, you know that they 135 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:46,960 Speaker 2: were actually based on comic strips. I mean, you weren't 136 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:49,880 Speaker 2: reading The New Yorker as like a six year old. Yeah, 137 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:53,000 Speaker 2: to my eternal shame, I guess not. But you know, 138 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:56,320 Speaker 2: that's probably a good thing, because some of Adam's cartoons 139 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:58,800 Speaker 2: they would have seriously freaked me out as a little kid, 140 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:01,400 Speaker 2: Like He's got this one strip that's just a pair 141 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:03,960 Speaker 2: of unicorns standing on a rock in the middle of 142 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:07,200 Speaker 2: the ocean and they're like watching Noah's Arc drift over 143 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:08,000 Speaker 2: the horizon. 144 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:10,400 Speaker 1: It's so sad. I would have cried for days if 145 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:13,960 Speaker 1: I saw that as a kid. But you know, I mean, 146 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:16,960 Speaker 1: just get into your fact, because I know you've got one. 147 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:20,679 Speaker 1: I mean the early Peanuts strips right like are actually 148 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:23,200 Speaker 1: pretty dark too. Oh yeah, yeah, I know that. 149 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:26,000 Speaker 2: That's the very first strip is just a you know, 150 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:28,440 Speaker 2: two kids watching Charlie Brown walk by and they're like, 151 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:31,600 Speaker 2: good old Charlie Brown, How I hate him? 152 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:36,000 Speaker 1: So just like right off the bat, so much darker 153 00:08:36,040 --> 00:08:36,840 Speaker 1: than you'd expect. 154 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:40,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, I guess it hits harder in a medium like 155 00:08:40,440 --> 00:08:42,840 Speaker 2: that because it's a little unexpected, right you think. 156 00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:44,680 Speaker 1: About it completely, You think it's gonna be sweet. 157 00:08:45,360 --> 00:08:49,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, pulls the rail gua out from under you. But that, actually, 158 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:51,480 Speaker 2: you know, sets up my first fact pretty well, which 159 00:08:51,559 --> 00:08:55,880 Speaker 2: is that the man behind these terrifying strips wasn't nearly 160 00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:59,000 Speaker 2: as creepy or as kooky as his work might suggest. 161 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:02,400 Speaker 2: So people had assumed that Adam's home life was as 162 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:04,920 Speaker 2: strange as that of the family that bore his name, 163 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:07,600 Speaker 2: but by all accounts, he was a pretty down to 164 00:09:07,640 --> 00:09:11,760 Speaker 2: earth guy. He had a normal upbringing in Westfield, New Jersey, 165 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:14,920 Speaker 2: as the only child of a piano salesman and he 166 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:18,400 Speaker 2: was well liked by his teachers and his classmates. In fact, 167 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:21,640 Speaker 2: Adams once told an interviewer quote, I know it would 168 00:09:21,679 --> 00:09:25,440 Speaker 2: be more interesting, perhaps if I had a ghastly childhood 169 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:28,240 Speaker 2: chained to an iron beam and thrown a can of 170 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:32,280 Speaker 2: alpo every day. But I'm one of those strange people 171 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:34,360 Speaker 2: who actually had a happy childhood. 172 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:37,440 Speaker 1: You know, I'm obviously glad that his parents didn't making 173 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:41,400 Speaker 1: me dog food. But it is kind of disappointing, right 174 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:44,640 Speaker 1: You want like something dark to be inspiring him, or 175 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:46,480 Speaker 1: him to be like, you know, kind of more of 176 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:47,000 Speaker 1: a weirdo. 177 00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:49,920 Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely, And you know, I do have some good 178 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:52,600 Speaker 2: news on that front, because while there isn't any truth 179 00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:55,480 Speaker 2: to the rumors that Charles Adams slept in a coffin 180 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:59,439 Speaker 2: or garnished his martinis with eyeballs, he did have. 181 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:00,520 Speaker 1: A few quirk so. 182 00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:04,000 Speaker 2: As a child, he liked to explore local graveyards, where 183 00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:06,080 Speaker 2: he tried to imagine what the people in the graves 184 00:10:06,120 --> 00:10:08,160 Speaker 2: looked like and then you know, bring them back to 185 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:11,839 Speaker 2: life in his sketchbook. And as an adult he had 186 00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:15,920 Speaker 2: a let's say, peculiar taste in home decor. He displayed 187 00:10:15,920 --> 00:10:20,040 Speaker 2: his collection of antique crossbows over the living room sofa. 188 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:24,000 Speaker 2: His coffee table was a Civil War era embalming table, 189 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:28,400 Speaker 2: and he used the maybe creepiest of all, he used 190 00:10:28,440 --> 00:10:32,760 Speaker 2: the salvaged tombstone of a child, Little Sarah, aged three, 191 00:10:33,360 --> 00:10:34,760 Speaker 2: as a cocktail table. 192 00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:41,559 Speaker 1: I mean that is so dark, but you know, I 193 00:10:41,679 --> 00:10:46,000 Speaker 1: like how it plays to type, right, Yeah, absolutely kind 194 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:50,600 Speaker 1: of amazing. So my next fact is about Adam's early 195 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:53,000 Speaker 1: art career and his big break at The New Yorker. 196 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:56,600 Speaker 1: He had contributed cartoons to his high school newspaper, and 197 00:10:56,640 --> 00:10:59,280 Speaker 1: by the time he graduated nineteen twenty nine, he knew 198 00:10:59,360 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 1: he wanted to be a professional artist. For the next 199 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:05,000 Speaker 1: few years, he drifted through multiple colleges in search of 200 00:11:05,080 --> 00:11:08,520 Speaker 1: a decent arts program, and he ended up at Grand 201 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:11,000 Speaker 1: Central School of Art in New York City. He was 202 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:13,760 Speaker 1: still a student when he sold his first cartoon to 203 00:11:13,800 --> 00:11:16,760 Speaker 1: The New Yorker. It was an unsigned sketch of a 204 00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:19,800 Speaker 1: window washer on the side of a tall building, and 205 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:24,760 Speaker 1: it ran in the February sixth, nineteen thirty two issue 206 00:11:24,800 --> 00:11:27,079 Speaker 1: of The New Yorker. But while it did give him 207 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:29,599 Speaker 1: his first paycheck, it wasn't for that much. It was 208 00:11:29,640 --> 00:11:32,080 Speaker 1: a whopping seven dollars and fifty cents. 209 00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:35,079 Speaker 2: I'm sure that went a lot further back in those days, right, 210 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:37,600 Speaker 2: but still not enough to live on I wouldn't think. 211 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:40,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, definitely, not, especially like on a freelance basis. And 212 00:11:40,880 --> 00:11:43,360 Speaker 1: that's why Adams decided to try a different kind of gig. 213 00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:46,400 Speaker 1: Just a few months later, he started retouching these gory 214 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:49,599 Speaker 1: crime scene photos for True Detective magazine. So for the 215 00:11:49,679 --> 00:11:52,640 Speaker 1: next few years he spent most of his days painting 216 00:11:52,679 --> 00:11:57,480 Speaker 1: the bloodstains out of murder scenes. It sounds kind of creepy. 217 00:11:57,520 --> 00:11:59,760 Speaker 1: It wasn't as glamorous as drawing for The New Yorker, 218 00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:02,240 Speaker 1: but it did pay the bills, and it gave him 219 00:12:02,240 --> 00:12:06,000 Speaker 1: a chance to hone that delicate ink wash technique that 220 00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:09,720 Speaker 1: kind of becomes his signature style. Plus he was still 221 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:12,400 Speaker 1: able to draw cartoons in his free time, including five 222 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:14,920 Speaker 1: strips that he sold to The New Yorker in nineteen 223 00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:18,520 Speaker 1: thirty three for about thirty dollars a piece, which was 224 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:23,320 Speaker 1: twice his weekly salary at True Detective. These bigger paydays 225 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:26,040 Speaker 1: soon allowed him to quit True Detective and focus on 226 00:12:26,080 --> 00:12:29,560 Speaker 1: cartooning full time, and then in nineteen forty Adams drew 227 00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:32,600 Speaker 1: his first breakout hit for The New Yorker. It was 228 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:35,400 Speaker 1: a strip called The Skier. You've probably seen this. It 229 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:38,600 Speaker 1: shows a downhill skier who's just left a single track 230 00:12:38,679 --> 00:12:41,280 Speaker 1: on either side of a tree, suggesting that, you know, 231 00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:43,480 Speaker 1: he somehow went through it rather than around it. And 232 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:48,280 Speaker 1: this baffling image that he'd created received more requests for 233 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:52,200 Speaker 1: reprints than any other cartoon that year, and that actually 234 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:55,200 Speaker 1: cemented adams Place as one of the magazines most popular 235 00:12:55,280 --> 00:12:59,240 Speaker 1: and seemed to be highest paid contributors. But to his fans, 236 00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:03,000 Speaker 1: he was Charles Adams. He was actually Chaz Adams, because 237 00:13:03,559 --> 00:13:04,920 Speaker 1: that's how we signed his pieces. 238 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:08,120 Speaker 2: Chaz has got to be one of the coolest abbreviations 239 00:13:08,160 --> 00:13:11,400 Speaker 2: for a common name. I think, like, remember Chucky's dad 240 00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:13,120 Speaker 2: on Rugrats Chaz Finster. 241 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:17,720 Speaker 1: I do not, But if you say it's cool, I've 242 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:20,000 Speaker 1: gotta trust you. He was so cool. 243 00:13:20,480 --> 00:13:23,880 Speaker 2: But okay, speaking of names, most of the Adams family 244 00:13:23,920 --> 00:13:27,520 Speaker 2: didn't have any until the nineteen sixties. Before that, they 245 00:13:27,520 --> 00:13:30,959 Speaker 2: were never billed as the Adams family or even given 246 00:13:31,040 --> 00:13:35,040 Speaker 2: individual names, and that finally changed in nineteen sixty three, 247 00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:38,120 Speaker 2: when Adams was approached by a TV producer to adapt 248 00:13:38,160 --> 00:13:41,160 Speaker 2: the strips into a live action show, it was a 249 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:44,000 Speaker 2: no brainer to use his own surname for the family, 250 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:46,360 Speaker 2: but coming up with first names for each of the 251 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:49,880 Speaker 2: members was a little bit tougher, so Adams worked with 252 00:13:49,960 --> 00:13:53,760 Speaker 2: producers to find just the right monikers, with Mortsha and 253 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:57,120 Speaker 2: Fester being instant approvals, but he had a little harder 254 00:13:57,160 --> 00:13:59,760 Speaker 2: time with the others. So Adams thought that the head 255 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:03,160 Speaker 2: of the family should be called Repelle rather than Gomez, 256 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:08,040 Speaker 2: and he wanted to name their son Pubert, before the 257 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:10,880 Speaker 2: siding at the last minute that that was a little 258 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:14,000 Speaker 2: too gross for television, and at which point he changed. 259 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:17,240 Speaker 1: It to Pugsley, which is still weird. But Pugsy is 260 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:18,640 Speaker 1: so much cuter than Pubert. 261 00:14:20,320 --> 00:14:23,560 Speaker 2: Right, agreed, And you know, the really funny thing is 262 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:26,600 Speaker 2: the name did find a second life much later on 263 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:30,080 Speaker 2: when Mortitia and Gomez have a second son in the 264 00:14:30,160 --> 00:14:34,040 Speaker 2: nineteen ninety three movie Adam's Family Values, they decide to 265 00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:35,239 Speaker 2: call him Pubert. 266 00:14:36,280 --> 00:14:37,920 Speaker 1: So what about Wednesday. 267 00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:40,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, that was one of the few names that Charles 268 00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:43,800 Speaker 2: Adams didn't come up with himself. It was chosen by 269 00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:46,720 Speaker 2: a toy company that was making dolls to coincide with 270 00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:49,320 Speaker 2: the launch of the show. They picked the name based 271 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:53,040 Speaker 2: on this old British nursery rhyme called Monday's Child, you 272 00:14:53,080 --> 00:14:57,200 Speaker 2: know the one. Yeah, Monday's child is fair of face, 273 00:14:57,320 --> 00:14:58,720 Speaker 2: Tuesday's child is. 274 00:14:58,680 --> 00:14:59,400 Speaker 1: Full of grace. 275 00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:02,960 Speaker 2: But when Wednesday's child is full of woe. 276 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:07,440 Speaker 1: That's so sad. I know what happened on Wednesday? I 277 00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:08,360 Speaker 1: have no idea. 278 00:15:08,480 --> 00:15:11,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, the poem doesn't say. But here are two quick 279 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:13,760 Speaker 2: bonus facts for you about Wednesday. The first is that, 280 00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:17,040 Speaker 2: according to the original show, her middle name is Friday, 281 00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:21,440 Speaker 2: So kind of a scandal there, uh. And second, there's 282 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:24,240 Speaker 2: a nod to that old nursery rhyme in the Wednesday 283 00:15:24,360 --> 00:15:28,000 Speaker 2: series on Netflix. The episode titles are puns that all 284 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:31,520 Speaker 2: include the word whoe, like woe is the loneliest number 285 00:15:31,760 --> 00:15:35,920 Speaker 2: and you reap what you woe, So Wednesday's titles are 286 00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:38,080 Speaker 2: also full of woe. 287 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:41,480 Speaker 1: You know. It's interesting because from what I've read, suggesting 288 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:44,440 Speaker 1: names was one of the few contributions that Charles Adams 289 00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:47,440 Speaker 1: actually made to that original TV show, or really to 290 00:15:47,720 --> 00:15:51,560 Speaker 1: any adaptation of his work. He was pretty hands off otherwise, 291 00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:54,120 Speaker 1: but you can still find his influence here and there. 292 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:55,760 Speaker 1: And after we take a quick break, we'll tell you 293 00:15:55,800 --> 00:15:59,320 Speaker 1: more about that, including how young Charles developed a taste 294 00:15:59,320 --> 00:16:02,120 Speaker 1: for spooky mannss, and of course, the story of that 295 00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:19,760 Speaker 1: famous theme song, Don't Go Anywhere. Welcome back to Part 296 00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:23,040 Speaker 1: Time Genius, where we're celebrating Halloween by counting down nine 297 00:16:23,160 --> 00:16:25,920 Speaker 1: facts about Charles Adams. If you're enjoying the show, be 298 00:16:26,040 --> 00:16:28,520 Speaker 1: sure to subscribe and leave us a nice rating and review. 299 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:31,360 Speaker 1: You can also share this episode with a member of 300 00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:34,520 Speaker 1: your own spooky family. I'm sure you have a cousin 301 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:38,720 Speaker 1: it who's dying to hear from you. But we have 302 00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:42,040 Speaker 1: talked a bit about the Adams characters, but now I 303 00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:44,680 Speaker 1: want to tell you about the eerie house they called home. 304 00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:48,680 Speaker 1: So as a child, Charles Adams had briefly considered becoming 305 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:52,720 Speaker 1: an architect because he was fascinated by this Rundown Victorian 306 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:56,160 Speaker 1: house in his neighborhood. I think his neighborhood was actually 307 00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:58,520 Speaker 1: full of these houses, and in fact, when he was eight, 308 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:01,440 Speaker 1: Adams was caught passing it one of the houses down 309 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:04,880 Speaker 1: the street. And he later told People magazine that when 310 00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:07,919 Speaker 1: it came time to design the Adams family abode, he 311 00:17:08,119 --> 00:17:11,600 Speaker 1: based it on that very house. His friend and the 312 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:15,280 Speaker 1: fellow writer, Wilfrid shed remarked that quote, it's nice to 313 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:18,280 Speaker 1: think of the eight year old Charlie Adams solemnly inspecting 314 00:17:18,320 --> 00:17:21,639 Speaker 1: the house for its future tenants, which is so yeah, No, 315 00:17:21,840 --> 00:17:22,280 Speaker 1: I love that. 316 00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:25,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's the perfect blend of creepy and sweet. 317 00:17:25,320 --> 00:17:29,360 Speaker 1: Very very creepy. And the house used for the Adams 318 00:17:29,359 --> 00:17:32,000 Speaker 1: Family TV shows stuck close to that design as well, 319 00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:38,320 Speaker 1: except that there was one notable exception. The walls were pink. Luckily, 320 00:17:38,359 --> 00:17:41,400 Speaker 1: the show's viewers were none the wiser because even though 321 00:17:41,440 --> 00:17:43,960 Speaker 1: the transition to full color TV had begun when the 322 00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:47,119 Speaker 1: show premiered in nineteen sixty four, it was filmed in 323 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:50,359 Speaker 1: black and white to match that gothic gray scale of 324 00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:51,480 Speaker 1: the original comics. 325 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:55,280 Speaker 2: Okay, definitely the right call. But while we're on the 326 00:17:55,320 --> 00:17:58,560 Speaker 2: subject of details pulled straight from the comics, I want 327 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:02,360 Speaker 2: to mention the Adams Family move from nineteen ninety one now. Sadly, 328 00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:05,479 Speaker 2: Charles Adams never got to see the film himself because 329 00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:08,600 Speaker 2: he died three years before it was released, but his 330 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:11,800 Speaker 2: influence can be felt from the very first scene, and 331 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:14,800 Speaker 2: that's because it was lifted directly from one of his strips. 332 00:18:15,240 --> 00:18:17,280 Speaker 2: So if you've seen the movie, you know what I'm 333 00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:21,679 Speaker 2: talking about Christmas carollers are singing on the family's front porch, 334 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:25,000 Speaker 2: and the camera pans up to reveal the Adams clan 335 00:18:25,119 --> 00:18:28,399 Speaker 2: standing on the roof, preparing to dump a cauldron of 336 00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:29,800 Speaker 2: boiling oil on. 337 00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:32,720 Speaker 1: Those Yeah, I remember that in So Dark. 338 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:35,520 Speaker 2: I know it is a very dark start to a film, 339 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:38,080 Speaker 2: you know, marketed to children, but it was also an 340 00:18:38,119 --> 00:18:42,240 Speaker 2: homage to one of Adams's most famous cartoons. The uncaptioned 341 00:18:42,240 --> 00:18:45,440 Speaker 2: strip showed the exact same scene, and it first ran 342 00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:48,880 Speaker 2: in The New Yorker back in nineteen forty six, and 343 00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:52,159 Speaker 2: readers liked it so much that the magazine actually released 344 00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:54,000 Speaker 2: the image on Christmas cards. 345 00:18:55,680 --> 00:18:58,040 Speaker 1: I mean, it is so wild that a joke that 346 00:18:58,119 --> 00:19:00,960 Speaker 1: dark could go mainstream, especially like you're about the nineteen 347 00:19:01,119 --> 00:19:05,720 Speaker 1: forties and for a Christmas card, people must have been 348 00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:08,119 Speaker 1: really fed off with krolers coming to their doorsteps. 349 00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:11,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, I know, But that's not the film's only strip 350 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:15,400 Speaker 2: to screen. Example, in another scene, Wednesday and Pugsley are 351 00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:19,600 Speaker 2: shown decapitating dolls with a miniature guillotine, and that's a 352 00:19:19,640 --> 00:19:23,080 Speaker 2: gag repeated from a nineteen forties New Yorker strip. There's 353 00:19:23,119 --> 00:19:26,160 Speaker 2: another scene where Gomez is playing with a model train 354 00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:29,600 Speaker 2: set and we see a tiny commuter inside looking out 355 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:32,320 Speaker 2: the window at him. That's borrowed directly from a nineteen 356 00:19:32,400 --> 00:19:36,080 Speaker 2: fifty four strip. Lastly, in the film's final scene, Mortisia 357 00:19:36,119 --> 00:19:39,119 Speaker 2: reveals that she's pregnant with Pubert, and she does this 358 00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:43,840 Speaker 2: by showing Gomez a freshly knitted onesie with three legs, 359 00:19:44,320 --> 00:19:47,200 Speaker 2: And that's actually a callback to a nineteen fifty cartoon, 360 00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:49,240 Speaker 2: with the only difference being that the sweater in the 361 00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:51,960 Speaker 2: comic has four legs. Of course, all of that's a 362 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:54,920 Speaker 2: red herring because when Pubert shows up in the next movie, 363 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:57,320 Speaker 2: he has only two legs, but he does have a 364 00:19:57,359 --> 00:20:01,720 Speaker 2: pencil mustache just like his dad, and that's arguably even creepier. 365 00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:05,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, I feel like baby facial hair is always unnerving, 366 00:20:05,119 --> 00:20:10,240 Speaker 1: especially when it's like fully styled and groomed. Yeah, fully styled. 367 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:14,840 Speaker 1: So I mentioned earlier that Mortitia was one of the 368 00:20:14,840 --> 00:20:17,720 Speaker 1: first Adams family members to appear in Prince. She was 369 00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:19,960 Speaker 1: the first and fact way back in nineteen thirty eight, 370 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:22,760 Speaker 1: And I think the reason he drew her first is 371 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:26,400 Speaker 1: that Martitia was actually his dream girl. 372 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:28,800 Speaker 2: You mean, he based the character on someone he. 373 00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:32,600 Speaker 1: Knew that's the thing. Adams married three different women in 374 00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:36,560 Speaker 1: his lifetime, and all of them resembled Martitia. They were 375 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:40,359 Speaker 1: tall and skinny, with dark hair and pale skin. He 376 00:20:40,480 --> 00:20:44,480 Speaker 1: definitely had a type. His final wedding even took place 377 00:20:44,560 --> 00:20:47,240 Speaker 1: in a pet cemetery, with both the groom and the 378 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:51,280 Speaker 1: bride dressed in all black. But the really interesting part 379 00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:53,520 Speaker 1: is that he had been drawing early versions of the 380 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:56,879 Speaker 1: character a full decade before his first marriage. 381 00:20:57,160 --> 00:20:59,920 Speaker 2: Oh okay, so it's more like he based his why 382 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:01,560 Speaker 2: on more Titia then. 383 00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:05,239 Speaker 1: Yeah, And he actually was not shy about this. He 384 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:08,480 Speaker 1: once told People magazine quote, I married women who looked 385 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:12,560 Speaker 1: like Martitia. She is my ideal. So even though Adams 386 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:15,520 Speaker 1: also said he related more to Uncle Fester than the Gomez, 387 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:19,240 Speaker 1: they definitely had the same taste in women. Another thing 388 00:21:19,359 --> 00:21:21,400 Speaker 1: I just learned this week is that it was actually 389 00:21:21,480 --> 00:21:25,520 Speaker 1: actor John Aston's idea to make Gomez and over the 390 00:21:25,560 --> 00:21:28,520 Speaker 1: top romantic. It's one of the sweetest parts of the show, 391 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:31,040 Speaker 1: I think, for this family. And after being cast in 392 00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:33,600 Speaker 1: the role for the nineteen sixty four TV show, he 393 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:38,040 Speaker 1: reportedly told producers that quote, their romance should be unceasing 394 00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:42,560 Speaker 1: and the slightest look or keyword should send Gomez into raptures. 395 00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:46,159 Speaker 1: And this character beat worked so well that it's actually 396 00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:50,000 Speaker 1: been carried forward in every incarnation of the family ever since. 397 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:53,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, and you know, looking back, that feels like a 398 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:56,399 Speaker 2: pretty progressive move for the time, Like early TV shows 399 00:21:56,400 --> 00:21:59,040 Speaker 2: were notoriously prudish about that kind of thing. 400 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:00,720 Speaker 1: I know, read couples. 401 00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:04,000 Speaker 2: You know, they were shown sleeping in separate beds pretty 402 00:22:04,040 --> 00:22:05,800 Speaker 2: often until the mid nineteen sixties. 403 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:09,080 Speaker 1: Yeah. I wonder if it's because they were so creepy 404 00:22:09,119 --> 00:22:11,640 Speaker 1: and so other that they were allowed to get away 405 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:12,920 Speaker 1: with that romance factor too. 406 00:22:13,119 --> 00:22:17,719 Speaker 2: You know, that's kind of sad between spouses only if 407 00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:18,959 Speaker 2: you're really weird. 408 00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:24,159 Speaker 1: This is a random bonus fact. But that's not the 409 00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:26,560 Speaker 1: only thing that Adams Family was head of the curve on. 410 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:29,320 Speaker 1: They were also the first TV family to have a 411 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:33,000 Speaker 1: home computer, which I only learned in this research. But 412 00:22:33,119 --> 00:22:37,000 Speaker 1: in the nineteen sixty five episode of The Adams Family Splurges, 413 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:41,600 Speaker 1: viewers were introduced to Wizzo, a clunky home computer built 414 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:44,880 Speaker 1: by Gomez and Pugsley. It was portrayed by a real 415 00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:48,800 Speaker 1: life UNIVAC or Universal Automatic computer, and the family used 416 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:51,760 Speaker 1: it to predict the horse race winners as a way 417 00:22:51,800 --> 00:22:54,000 Speaker 1: to pad their vacation budgets. 418 00:22:55,200 --> 00:22:57,520 Speaker 2: It is still the best use of a home computer 419 00:22:57,680 --> 00:23:00,560 Speaker 2: by bar It's really cool. 420 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:00,760 Speaker 1: Though. 421 00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:03,879 Speaker 2: I know that Adam West Batman show that debuted in 422 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:07,760 Speaker 2: sixty six, so that means that Adams computer beat the 423 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:09,880 Speaker 2: bat computer by like a full year. 424 00:23:10,840 --> 00:23:12,240 Speaker 1: Not bad, but you. 425 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:14,280 Speaker 2: Know, the sad thing to me is that despite the 426 00:23:14,320 --> 00:23:18,560 Speaker 2: show's merits and milestones, Charles Adams wasn't a fan of it. 427 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:22,520 Speaker 2: He famously complained that the family members were quote about 428 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:26,679 Speaker 2: half his evil is his originals, and if you compare 429 00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:29,000 Speaker 2: them yourself, it's hard to argue with him. 430 00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:32,399 Speaker 1: Yeah. I mean, using a computer named Wizzo to predict 431 00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:37,159 Speaker 1: horse races is definitely more silly than evil, right right. 432 00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:39,919 Speaker 2: Yeah, it doesn't have quite the same bite as dumping 433 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:44,200 Speaker 2: hot oil on Christmas carollers. But it's maybe no surprise 434 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:47,280 Speaker 2: then that the show only lasted two seasons and was 435 00:23:47,359 --> 00:23:49,800 Speaker 2: never a huge ratings hit, though it did have a 436 00:23:49,840 --> 00:23:53,359 Speaker 2: successful afterlife and reruns and helped introduce the family to 437 00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:57,800 Speaker 2: a much wider audience. Also, despite being watered down for television, 438 00:23:57,840 --> 00:24:01,320 Speaker 2: there was one thing that Adams liked about the adaptation, 439 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:05,080 Speaker 2: and that of course, was the theme song. The tune 440 00:24:05,280 --> 00:24:08,960 Speaker 2: was written and arranged by film composer Victor Mizzi, who 441 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:11,480 Speaker 2: also went on to write the theme for Green Acres, 442 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:14,800 Speaker 2: so really a bit of a departure there. And the 443 00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:18,919 Speaker 2: song Spooky Melody was created with only harpsichord percussion and 444 00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:23,080 Speaker 2: some well placed finger snapping. Missy even sang the theme 445 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:26,240 Speaker 2: song himself and then over dubbed it three times to 446 00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:27,080 Speaker 2: make it sound. 447 00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:30,200 Speaker 1: Like multiple people. And while you might assume he did that. 448 00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:33,399 Speaker 2: For eerie effect, it was actually a cost saving measure 449 00:24:33,640 --> 00:24:37,080 Speaker 2: because the production studio refused to pay for backup singers. 450 00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:40,919 Speaker 1: Oh that's really interesting, And since that is the only 451 00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:43,359 Speaker 1: thing that Adams liked about the show, let's play a 452 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:52,520 Speaker 1: little bit in his honor right now. Mysterious and spooky. 453 00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:57,760 Speaker 1: They're all together, the ad family. The house is a 454 00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:02,640 Speaker 1: muse yep when they come to see yup really arms Breham. 455 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:07,760 Speaker 1: The Adams family. That is obviously going to be stuck 456 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:10,439 Speaker 1: in my head all day, and I do not mind. 457 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:13,720 Speaker 1: But all right, since you brought up the backlash to 458 00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:15,840 Speaker 1: the old TV show, I do want to close out 459 00:25:15,840 --> 00:25:19,840 Speaker 1: by talking about the most brutal setback and comeback that 460 00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:23,920 Speaker 1: Charles Adams faced in his career, so you might imagine 461 00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:26,919 Speaker 1: that having his comic strip adapted for primetime television would 462 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:30,840 Speaker 1: improve Adam's standing at The New Yorker, but it actually 463 00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:34,399 Speaker 1: did just the opposite. During the show's brief run, the 464 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:37,960 Speaker 1: Adams Family disappeared from the magazine's pages, and that's because 465 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:41,480 Speaker 1: it's new editor, William Sewan, thought the strip had grown 466 00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:44,920 Speaker 1: too commercial for the New Yorker brand, and not only 467 00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:48,840 Speaker 1: did Sean ban Adam's most popular characters, he also turned 468 00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:51,840 Speaker 1: away many of the artists' other strips, believing that jokes 469 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:54,080 Speaker 1: about death were in bad taste. 470 00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:56,520 Speaker 2: What about when the show went off the air, was 471 00:25:56,520 --> 00:25:58,360 Speaker 2: the band lifted weirdly? 472 00:25:58,560 --> 00:26:02,520 Speaker 1: Sean considered the damage done, so the moratorium continued all 473 00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:06,800 Speaker 1: the way until his retirement in nineteen eighty seven. In 474 00:26:06,880 --> 00:26:09,840 Speaker 1: the meantime, Adams kept the family alive through advertising and 475 00:26:09,880 --> 00:26:13,960 Speaker 1: by occasionally sneaking them into his other cartoons. And while 476 00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:16,520 Speaker 1: he never burned bridges with The New Yorker during the 477 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:19,879 Speaker 1: Shawn years, according to those close to him, he never 478 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:23,119 Speaker 1: fully forgave them for disowning the family after such a 479 00:26:23,160 --> 00:26:24,159 Speaker 1: strong start together. 480 00:26:25,040 --> 00:26:27,960 Speaker 2: Yeah that's rough, all right, Mango I think I'm ready 481 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:31,360 Speaker 2: for the comeback part now. So how'd Adams get his revenge? 482 00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:33,399 Speaker 2: And did it involve boiling oil? 483 00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:37,200 Speaker 1: No? Definitely, no oil. And I'd say it was more 484 00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:40,840 Speaker 1: like vindication than vengeance. So after Sean stepped down, Robert 485 00:26:40,880 --> 00:26:43,960 Speaker 1: Gottlieb took over as editor, and he was much more 486 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:47,760 Speaker 1: receptive to Adam's graveyard sense of humor. Gottlieb welcomed the 487 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:50,520 Speaker 1: Adams family back with open arms, and for the rest 488 00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:52,919 Speaker 1: of his life, Charles got to draw whatever he wanted 489 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:54,879 Speaker 1: for The New Yorker, just like in the old days. 490 00:26:54,960 --> 00:26:57,640 Speaker 1: But this is the creator of the Adams Family we're 491 00:26:57,680 --> 00:27:00,320 Speaker 1: talking about, So of course the story ends with a 492 00:27:00,359 --> 00:27:03,560 Speaker 1: bittersweet twist, and here it is the reunion that Adams 493 00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:07,200 Speaker 1: had waited more than two decades for lasted only about 494 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:09,840 Speaker 1: a year and a half. He died in September of 495 00:27:09,960 --> 00:27:12,920 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty eight at the age of seventy six, after 496 00:27:12,960 --> 00:27:14,240 Speaker 1: suffering a heart attack. 497 00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:17,399 Speaker 2: All right, bear with me, but is it weird to 498 00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:21,120 Speaker 2: say I wish he had been strangled by an octopus instead. 499 00:27:22,359 --> 00:27:25,040 Speaker 2: I don't want to be insensitive. It just feels like 500 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:26,359 Speaker 2: he deserved a weirder death. 501 00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:30,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm sure he'd appreciate that. But if it's any causolation, 502 00:27:31,040 --> 00:27:34,800 Speaker 1: his ashes were interred in that pet cemetery that I mentioned, 503 00:27:35,119 --> 00:27:39,080 Speaker 1: the one where he married his third wife. Yeah, yeah, okay, 504 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:42,320 Speaker 1: that is pretty weird definitely. And speaking of his last wife, 505 00:27:42,400 --> 00:27:46,080 Speaker 1: her name was Tea, and she offered one last punchline 506 00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:48,680 Speaker 1: as a parting gift to Adams. He was a lifelong 507 00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:51,240 Speaker 1: fan of auto racing and was found dead behind the 508 00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:53,960 Speaker 1: wheel of his parked car, So Tea told a press 509 00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:55,840 Speaker 1: He's always been a car buff, so it was a 510 00:27:55,920 --> 00:27:56,520 Speaker 1: nice way to go. 511 00:27:57,400 --> 00:27:59,919 Speaker 2: Wow, that really does sound like a caption for one 512 00:28:00,160 --> 00:28:03,280 Speaker 2: of his cartoons, like someone just seeing someone dead at 513 00:28:03,280 --> 00:28:05,280 Speaker 2: the wheel and being like, well, he. 514 00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:06,800 Speaker 1: Would have liked that. 515 00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:10,119 Speaker 2: So yeah, I think maybe a fitting death after all. 516 00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:13,080 Speaker 2: And because you took us out on that perfect sour 517 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:16,840 Speaker 2: note for a Halloween episode, I think you deserve today's trophy, Mango. 518 00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:20,520 Speaker 2: Just be careful not to spill it, okay, because it 519 00:28:20,680 --> 00:28:22,119 Speaker 2: is full of boiling oil. 520 00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:25,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, of course it is. Well, that is going to 521 00:28:25,119 --> 00:28:27,400 Speaker 1: do it for today's episode. If you have a spooky 522 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:30,240 Speaker 1: story you want to share with us, we are all ears. 523 00:28:30,640 --> 00:28:32,400 Speaker 1: Give us a call at three o two four oh 524 00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:35,200 Speaker 1: five five nine two five. That is the part Time 525 00:28:35,240 --> 00:28:38,280 Speaker 1: Genius hotline that we have set up again. That's three 526 00:28:38,360 --> 00:28:41,520 Speaker 1: oh two, four oh five five nine two five. You 527 00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:44,240 Speaker 1: can also drop us a line at high Geniuses at 528 00:28:44,240 --> 00:28:48,400 Speaker 1: gmail dot com. That's Hi Geniuses at gmail dot com. 529 00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:51,240 Speaker 1: We will be back next week with another brand new 530 00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:55,200 Speaker 1: episode and in the meantime from Will, Dylan, Gabe, Mary, 531 00:28:55,320 --> 00:28:59,760 Speaker 1: and myself, thank you so much for listening, and Happy Halloween. 532 00:29:12,600 --> 00:29:15,920 Speaker 1: Part Time Genius is a production of Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio. 533 00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:19,800 Speaker 1: This show is hosted by Will Pearson and me Mongage 534 00:29:19,840 --> 00:29:24,720 Speaker 1: Heartikler and research by our goodpal Mary Philip Sandy. Today's 535 00:29:24,760 --> 00:29:28,120 Speaker 1: episode was engineered and produced by the wonderful Dylan Fagan 536 00:29:28,200 --> 00:29:31,840 Speaker 1: with support from Tyler Klang. The show is executive produced 537 00:29:31,840 --> 00:29:35,400 Speaker 1: for iHeart by Katrina Norvell and Ali Perry, with social 538 00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:39,760 Speaker 1: media support from Sasha Gay, trustee Dara Potts and Viney Shoring. 539 00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:44,960 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 540 00:29:45,120 --> 00:30:01,960 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.