"The Addams Family" (1973) TV series 1973-1975

Creator:

David Levy
(more)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

8 September 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy

Plot:

The Addams Family is not your typical family: they take delight in most of the things that "normal" people would be terrified of...

Plot Keywords:

Addams Family | Occult | Based On Adaptation | Based On Live Action TV Series | Surrealism

Cast

Lennie Weinrib	...	Gomez Addams (7 episodes, 1973)
Jackie Coogan	...	Uncle Fester (6 episodes, 1973)
Janet Waldo	...	Morticia Addams / ... (5 episodes, 1973)
Ted Cassidy	...	Lurch (3 episodes, 1973)

Series Directed by
Charles A. Nichols		(13 episodes, 1973)

Series Writing credits
Charles Addams		(unknown episodes)
Bud Atkinson		(unknown episodes)
Dick Conway		(unknown episodes)
David Levy		(unknown episodes)
Jack Mendelsohn		(unknown episodes)
William Raynor		(unknown episodes)
Gene Thompson		(unknown episodes)
Myles Wilder		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Joseph Barbera	....	executive producer / producer (15 episodes, 1973)
William Hanna	....	executive producer / producer (15 episodes, 1973)
Maurice Pooley	....	associate producer (unknown episodes)
Paul Sommer	....	associate producer (unknown episodes)
Iwao Takamoto	....	producer (unknown episodes)

Series Makeup Department
Joe Blasco	....	special makeup effects artist (5 episodes, 1973)

Series Production Management
Dennis Gardiner	....	production manager (unknown episodes)

Series Art Department
Jim Carmichael	....	story director (5 episodes, 1973)
Fred Crippen	....	story director (5 episodes, 1973)
Carl Fallberg	....	story director (5 episodes, 1973)
Jan Green	....	story director (5 episodes, 1973)
David Hanan	....	story director (5 episodes, 1973)
Don Sheppard	....	story director (5 episodes, 1973)

Series Animation Department
Terence Harrison	....	unit director (1 episode, 1973)
Arthur Humberstone	....	unit director (1 episode, 1973)
Mike Salter	....	unit director (1 episode, 1973)
Joan Case	....	animator (unknown episodes, 1973)
John Dick	....	background artist (unknown episodes, 1973)
Fernando Montealegre	....	background stylist (unknown episodes, 1973)
Enrique Arnau	....	animator (unknown episodes)
Tom Bailey	....	layout artist (unknown episodes)
Tom Barling	....	animator (unknown episodes)
Geoff Chennell	....	background artist (unknown episodes)
Chris Collingwood	....	background artist (unknown episodes)
John Cooper	....	layout artist (unknown episodes)
Mel Danser	....	layout artist (unknown episodes)
Bryan Foster	....	animator (unknown episodes)
Caird Green	....	background artist (unknown episodes)
Marlene Robinson May	....	animator (unknown episodes)
Mike Murphy	....	animator (unknown episodes)
Janet Nunn	....	animator (unknown episodes)
Jim Pabian	....	animation supervisor (unknown episodes)
Jane Penning	....	background artist (unknown episodes)
Ted Pettengell	....	layout artist (unknown episodes)
Mike Pocock	....	animator (unknown episodes)
Alma Sachs	....	animation coordinator (unknown episodes)
Peter Sachs	....	animator (unknown episodes)
Lew Saw	....	animator (unknown episodes)
Alan Simpson	....	animator (unknown episodes)
Graeme Stubbings	....	animation coordinator (unknown episodes)
Marie Szmichowska	....	animator (unknown episodes)
Takashi	....	character designer (unknown episodes)
David Thwaytes	....	animation coordinator (unknown episodes)
Carl Urbano	....	animation director (unknown episodes)
Jim Waddell	....	animator (unknown episodes)
Sally Walls	....	trace and paint supervisor (unknown episodes)
Rosemary Welch	....	animator (unknown episodes)

Series Editorial Department
Mel Roberts	....	supervising editor (unknown episodes)

Series Music Department
Hoyt Curtin	....	musical director (unknown episodes)
Paul DeKorte	....	music supervisor (unknown episodes)

Series Other crew
Wally Burr	....	dialogue director (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• Hanna-Barbera Productions
• Halas and Batchelor Cartoon Films (uncredited)

Distributors

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1973-1975) (USA) (TV)
• Warner Bros. Television (worldwide) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (2010) (USA) (DVD) (season one) (DVD-R)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

UK:30 min (37 episodes) | USA:30 min (16 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Hanna-Barbera Productions

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Caroline in the City: Caroline and the Quiz Show (#3.14)" (1998)

Godawful animation sinks what might've proved a promising idea

A Hanna-Barbera mistake: cartoon-izing Charles Addams' Goth family for cheap, low-rent yuks. In one of the episodes I was unfortunate enough to see, the Addams' were duped into a phony rocket ride to the moon (bad guys want to steal their house, which now doubles as the family car). So much of the action is spent on the sloppily-drawn villains that the main characters get lost in the shuffle (especially Wednesday and Pugsly, the latter voiced by a pre-teen Jodie Foster). Wouldn't kids get a bigger kick out of the Addams' just doing their spooky business at home? And why is so much time spent on the talky adults? Were they just easier to draw? The animation throughout (despite several Japanese names in the credits) is cheap and lousy, like Colorforms set to motion. They didn't even bother coloring in the whites of the villains' eyes. As for Foster, she chimes in with a line here and there: "Dad, look!", "A moon ride?", "Hey!" No wonder she never mentions this. It's a visual insult. *2005 UPDATE* a recent appearance on David Letterman's show prompted Foster to admit she did do cartoon work, "and lots of embarrassing things", in her early days!