The Addams Family (1973 TV series)
An animated road trip with the macabre Addams family.
The Addams Family (1973 TV series) is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for Saturday mornings. It aired on NBC from 1973 to 1975 and is an adaptation of Charles Addams's single-panel comic for The New Yorker. The series features the macabre Addams family on a cross-country road trip in a Victorian-style camper, causing mayhem wherever they go.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Animated sitcom / Comedy horror
- Creator
- Charles Addams
- Developer
- David Levy
- Director
- Charles A. Nichols
- Voices
- Ted Cassidy / Jackie Coogan / Jodie Foster / Cindy Henderson / John Stephenson / Janet Waldo / Lennie Weinrib
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Num Seasons
- 1
- Num Episodes
- 16
- Executive Producer
- William Hanna / Joseph Barbera
- Producer
- Iwao Takamoto
- Runtime
- 30 min.
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Addams Family animated series debuted on NBC Saturday mornings on September 8, 1973, and ran until August 30, 1975. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and adapted from Charles Addams's New Yorker comics. Unlike the live-action series, this version takes the Addamses on a cross-country road trip in a Victorian-style recreational vehicle that resembles their mansion. The family includes Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, Pugsley, Grandmama, Uncle Fester, Thing, Cousin Itt, and Lurch. They have macabre interests and supernatural abilities, though no explanation for their powers is given.
Reader's Guide
The 1973 animated series is significant as the first full animated adaptation of the Addams Family, following a guest appearance on The New Scooby-Doo Movies in 1972. It featured returning voice actors Jackie Coogan (Uncle Fester) and Ted Cassidy (Lurch) from the 1960s live-action series, as well as a young Jodie Foster as Pugsley. The show's theme music had no lyrics or finger snapping but retained a four-note score from the live-action series. The series also spawned public service announcements for the Boy Scouts of America, the USDA's four food groups, and forest fire prevention. It was later released on DVD by Warner Archive in 2010 and on iTunes. A comic book series by Gold Key Comics ran for three issues from 1974 to 1975.
Did You Know?
- Jackie Coogan and Ted Cassidy, who played Uncle Fester and Lurch in the 1960s series, returned as voice actors.
- 10-year-old Jodie Foster performed the voice of Pugsley Addams.
- The Addams Family's first animated appearance was on The New Scooby-Doo Movies in 1972.
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