Mention the television show The Addams Family and millions of people will think of the catchy, finger snapping theme song. Or they can imagine the gloomy, turreted Victorian mansion that served as the set for the show.
Beginning in 1964, ABC broadcast the Friday night episodes. Viewers were introduced to a creepy and kooky, mysterious and spooky family, the Addams.
David Levy was the executive producer of the sitcom. It was based on the cartoons from the New Yorker Magazine created by Charles Addams. Levy and the writers of the show wanted to create characters that had depth, while still maintaining the satirical nature of the original cartoons.
The show featured a close-knit family known for their peculiar interests and macabre habits. Their servants, Thing and Lurch, were equally bizarre. John Astin played Gomez, the father of the household. Carolyn Jones played his wife, Morticia.
See scripts from The Addams Family in David Levy’s papers at UW’s American Heritage Center.