"The Addams Family" Theme Song Quiz

Answer:

"The Addams Family" ran on television from 1964 to 1966, for a total of sixty-four episodes. The inspiration for the television series was the cartoons created by Charles Samuel Addams, an American cartoonist, for "The New Yorker" magazine. The cartoons were notable for their morbid humour. The television series was a collaboration between producer David Levy (credited as the creator) and Charles Addams (credited as a writer).

The Addams family consisted of married couple Gomez and Morticia Addams, their son Pugsley and daughter Wednesday, Gomez's mother Grandmamma, and Morticia's uncle Fester. Other members of the household were their butler Lurch and "Thing" (a disembodied but helpful hand). Extended family members made an occasional appearance, such as Morticia's sister Ophelia, the hirsute cousin Itt, and Morticia's mother, Granny Frump.

Gomez and Morticia were played by John Astin and Carolyn Jones (who also played her sister Ophelia). They were an affectionate couple, given to romantic gestures, which does not seem unusual today but was something almost never seen in television sit-coms from that era. The other main characters were portrayed by Ken Weatherwax (Pugsley), Lisa Loring (Wednesday), Blossom Rock (Grandmamma), Jackie Coogan (Uncle Fester), and Ted Cassidy (Lurch). There is a loving relationship between all members of the household, whether family or not.

Producer David Levy hired Hollywood composer Vic Mizzy to create the memorable theme tune, which features a harpsichord and a bass clarinet, accompanied by distinctive finger-snapping. It was Victor Mizzy who played the harpsichord and, when the production company (Filmways) refused to pay for singers, he sang the theme song himself and dubbed it over three times. Mizzy also claimed in an interview that the finger-snapping was the reason he could afford to live in Bel Air.

A great deal of the humour in the show lies in the fact that the Addams family members and their lifestyle are eccentric and bizarre by "normal" standards but they appear totally oblivious to that, as well as to the effect that they have on "normal" people, in whom they arouse fear and suspicion. Gomez and Morticia are family-oriented, caring and hospitable people who see the best in other people, even when the other people are trying to take advantage of them.

Another aspect of the show's humour is the witty dialogue. Some examples include:

(1) Wednesday: "Nice knife. Can I play autopsy with it?"

(2) Uncle Fester: "You know, no artist is famous until his death. Maybe we can arrange it?"

(3) Morticia: "Now, darling, we want this to be a real surprise to Rocky, so I'll instruct the children to keep it an absolute secret. They're not to tell a living soul - or anyone else for that matter."

(4) Morticia: "Mama is cooking up a real surprise."
Gomez: "I am so hungry I could eat a wolf."
Morticia: "Gomez, you guessed it!"