Random Charming And Intriguing Behind-The-Scenes Stories From ‘The Addams Family’ TV Show (20 items)

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  (#6) The Series' Pilot Was Directed By A Future Academy Award Nominee

  The pilot episode of The Addams Family, entitled "The Addams Family Goes To School," was directed by a 40-year-old director who had just completed filming James Garner and Julie Andrews in The Americanization of Emily. 

  That director's name was Arthur Hiller. He had extensive previous experience in television, including being nominated for an Emmy for his directing work. But his biggest achievement would come after he filmed the pilot of The Addams Family when he would win the Golden Globe and earn a nomination for an Academy Award for his direction on the blockbuster romantic tearjerker Love Story.
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  (#1) John Astin Was Originally Supposed To Play The Family’s Butler

  After appearing in a film called The Wheeler Dealers produced by Filmways (the company that would produce The Addams Family), John Astin negotiated a contract with the company. When he met with the assistant to the head of Filmways, Astin was told about three projects: the films The Americanization of Emily and The Loved One, and a television project involving Charles Addams's cartoons. He could be in only one of the projects, and although he wanted to do The Americanization of Emily (James Coburn ended up playing the key role), the television project was the one likely to be produced first.

  When he first met with the show's executives about possibly being cast for The Addams Family television show, he was offered the part of the butler, who was originally the main character. The actor had doubts about his ability to play the role, which he expressed to executive producer David Levy at a follow-up meeting. Levy agreed that he shouldn't play the butler, then offered him the part of the husband instead. When Astin accepted, the focus of the series was changed.

  In 2012, Astin told a reporter for the Baltimore Sun that Levy had described the show to him as "Father Knows Best - with other people."

  In an interview with the Television Academy Foundation, Astin said that the producers gave him a lot of leeway in terms of shaping the character of Gomez, although he did have a fight with the network over shaving his hair in the back to resemble the cartoon. He also said that while he did some of the stunts on the show, including swinging on a trapeze and standing on his head, he had a stuntman who did most of the more difficult tricks.
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  (#17) Lisa Loring Doesn’t Remember Anyone Teaching Her The Steps For Her Infamous Dance Scene

  In the Season 2 episode "Lurch's Grand Romance," Wednesday attempts to teach Lurch how to dance so he can impress a woman he is interested in. She tells Lurch that he needs to learn the dance so that his date won't think that he's "square."

  In recent years, a clip of this scene that's up on YouTube has gotten more than two million views. In an interview she did at the 2018 Silicon Valley Comic Con, Loring said that she didn't really dance like that as a kid, but couldn't remember if a choreographer or someone else had taught her the steps.
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  (#13) Since Lisa Loring Wasn’t Allowed To Smile As Wednesday, Carolyn Jones Would Make Her Laugh In Between Takes

  Wednesday Addams's name is a reference to the nursery rhyme "Monday's Child," which contains the line, "Wednesday's child is full of woe."

  Because her character was supposed to be morose, an adult Lisa Loring explained in an interview that she was never allowed to smile while on camera, which she admitted was very strange for a young child. But in between scenes, Jones would do something to make Loring laugh.
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  (#20) Ken Weatherwax Was Allergic To The Clothes The Costume Designers Made For Him

  Ken Weatherwax, who played the quiet, inventive Pugsley on The Addams Family, came from a show business family; he was the nephew of '30s film star Ruby Keeler, as well as of the man who worked as Lassie's trainer. Prior to being cast on The Addams Family, he had become a familiar face on television due to a series of commercials for Gleem toothpaste.

  His health issues caused some issues on the set; he was allergic to a multitude of things, including the 100% wool clothes the costume designers made, so his mother bought the clothes he wore on the show. 
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  (#10) Ken Weatherwax And Lisa Loring Were Not Allowed On Set When There Were Scenes Involving The Family's Pet Lion

  Named "Kitty Kat," the Addamses' pet was in reality said to be a retired circus lion. Although there was a trainer named Steve Martin on set, the people running the show were very careful to try and keep the set as safe as possible in any scenes involving the lion. In fact, the actors playing Wednesday and Pugsley (Lisa Loring and Ken Weatherwax) were not allowed on set when they were shooting scenes with the lion.

  To minimize the danger to the cast, they filmed the scene of the lion coming down the stairs just once, then they reused the footage when needed.

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