Morticia Addams

Oh my; be still my fluttering heart. For as long as I can remember, Morticia Addams, portrayed by Carolyn Jones, has always infatuated me. I might have even been in love with her, despite being a fictional character on television. What do I know? I was a kid.

Which brought me to the question, just how old was I when that show first aired. Yes, I betray my age my answering this question. The show aired for two seasons between 1964 and 1966. That made me between eight and ten years old.

Despite my young age, I couldn’t help but notice Morticia’s seductive svelte figure, plunging neckline, tight waist, and long legs trimmed in that hobble octopus dress that seemed to chase her around the floor. She had the face and mannerisms of romance that drew me in. Just watch her closely in the opening theme, that sly smile when snapping her fingers speaks volumes, enticing me to her side. Despite my tender age, I wanted to be Gomez Addams, going to bed with her each night. In that household, they just as easily could have been sleeping on a bed of nails. You get the idea.

Yes, as a child, I was in love with Morticia Addams. I may be still.

Morticia Addams and Family

Just as I loved the entire family, including Gomez, Pugsley (Pubert in the original drawings. Damn the censors of the day.), Wednesday, Grandmama, Uncle Fester, and Cousin Itt. The butler Lurch, played by Ted Cassidy, groaned his opinion at the slightest comment; delightful and impossible to recreate. His portrayal accurately captured the spirit of the character penned by Charles Addams.

My second favorite character in the series and an absolutely wonderful and fun character is, Thing T. Thing, and his fiancée, Miss Lady Fingers. She’s a cutie. Thing fascinates me even now. I have a poor imitation of him. I pull it out at various times of the year and let it spontaneously run about the floor, bumping into tables and people.

Morticia even kept an African Strangler carnivorous plant named Cleopatra, and a lion named Kitty. Both were part of the family. Let’s not forget the host of distant family members that rotated in and out of the show. I can’t think of a single episode I didn’t like.

The family enjoys a good lightening and thunderstorm. Could that be why I like them too?

Recently, I got to watch a two-part episode of the show appropriately named ‘Morticia’s Romance.’ I couldn’t remember it from back in the day. To me, it was new and refreshing, and seeing it felt like seeing it for the first time. The episode details how Morticia and Gomez met, fell in love, and married. I learned so much about Morticia. I even had to adjust my mental family tree when I found out Grandmama was from Gomez’s side of the family. Did you know Margaret Hamilton, the Wicked Witch of the West in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ played Morticia’s mother? I never knew that. How appropriate.

Then, there were their behaviors, which ‘normal’ people would think strange. I never did. From Morticia cutting the heads off the roses and displaying the thorny branches, to Gomez playing with his trains in the basement, only to blow them up with a crazed glee in his eyes, to Grandmama in the kitchen cooking dinner with strange, disgusting ingredients, just further piqued my interest.

Charles Addams

It all started with books containing the macabre drawings originally penned by Charles Addams. For some unknown reason, my house I grew up in had several volumes of the drawings, and I devoured them all. I now have many of his works in my home collection. Thank you, Charles, for bringing them to life.

Most of his stories within the images never made it into the series or movies, but they adapted many to fit. One such was the family pouring boiling oil from the balcony to the unsuspecting visitors below as they rang the front doorbell. Or, how about the three-legged paper dolls cut out by Morticia? Then, of course, is the play on words with her name, Morticia and mortician. She seemed to relish death as a playground. After all, black was her favorite color, and she always wore black.

“Black, it’s all I wear, Darling!” Morticia Addams

Seeing her strapped to the rack and stretched excited me as a child and still excites me to this day. I wanted to be the one stretching her as she moaned, “More … mon Chéri.” I get a delightful knot in my gut, hearing her whimpering as I turn the wheel another notch.

Effects

Maybe that is where my interest in BDSM began. Strapped down on the rack, she is acting as if she is a submissive. In fact, she isn’t. Topping from bottom, she tells Gomez what to do to her; if one can be happy in that predicament. Further, it is evident that she is the dominant leader in their household. Everyone does what she tells them to do. Her husband, Gomez, is a pussy around her, melting whenever she grants him the slightest pleasure. Speaking French is one of her favorite behaviors to get him to break away from whatever he is doing and come to her, kissing her, working his way up her arm. He gives her his full attention, which is exactly what she wants. As I wrote, everyone in that house wants to serve and please her.

She’s a little tease, “Later, Gomez, later,” she’d imply. Granting him a private moment away from everyone in their bedroom or dungeon. She would say that whenever he seemed to get carried away with kissing her arm up to the crook of her neck. One can only guess what happens in the bedroom. Just how much French does she speak while cradled in his arms, making his blood boil? It’s gotta be hot!

They shot the original series in black and white, which in my mind added to the mystique of the show. There was no need to show it in color. I wonder what it would have been like had they color film in those days. Would they have filmed the show as they did in the Wizard of Oz? How cool would that be if the Addams were in B&W and everything else was in color? An interesting concept. I found out a few years ago that they painted the set in ghastly hues of red, pink and fuchsia to bring out the deeper contrasts in black and white when filmed. Later, they colorized the series, but somehow, the color removed some of the mystique of the show.

Morticia Addams Follow-ups

Anjelica Huston’s portrayal of Morticia in the movies did justice to the spirit and meaning of the character. Her bright red lips against her pale skin, wearing that black outfit, added to the validity and strength of the character. Anjelica portrayed Morticia as an even stronger, harder woman, capable of overcoming any obstacle.

However, I still fancy Carolyn Jones’s portrayal. She made Morticia a powerful woman with a softer, more feminine personality. She captures me till this day … she consumes me. Talk about typecasting. For me, I forever see Carolyn Jones as the quintessential Morticia Addams. Well done M’lady.

Truly, Carolyn Jones as Morticia was my very first love.

For more about Morticia Addams / Carolyn Sue Jones, check out her wiki page.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morticia_Addams
• https://addamsfamily.fandom.com/wiki/Addams_Family_Wiki