Product Details

• Actors: John Astin, Carolyn Jones, Ted Cassidy, Jackie Coogan, Ken Weatherwax
• Format: Black & White, Color, EP, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Lions Gate
• VHS Release Date: October 23, 1991
• Run Time: 45 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (83 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302231663
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #54,999 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

If The Munsters was a traditional family sitcom as reimagined by Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, The Addams Family is a macabre twist on Father Knows Best. The Munster and Addams clans made their TV debuts in 1964 and lasted two seasons before the networks buried them. The Addamses are now gloriously resurrected in this three-disc set that digs up the series' first 22 episodes (oddly, 12 shy of the complete first season). Inspired by Charles Addams's New Yorker cartoons, The Addams Family is fiendishly funny, with a dead-on cast that indelibly embodies Addams's characters. John Astin brings a demented glee to eccentric, frighteningly wealthy Gomez Addams. Carolyn Jones is bewitching as his pre-goth wife, Morticia, whom the Beatles might have had in mind when they sang, "Baby's in Black." Jackie Coogan is the electrifying Uncle Fester, with Ted Cassidy (who famously took a kick in the groin from Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) is the monstrous butler Lurch, whose "You rang?" entered the pop culture lexicon.

The Munsters was family friendly. The Addams Family is more sophisticated and wickedly funny. As Gomez notes at one point, "There's a touch of madness" in the Addams household, where "every day is Halloween." Bear rugs growl, a disembodied hand, Thing, delivers the mail, and a torture rack is good for what ails you. The children, Wednesday (Lisa Loring) and older brother Pugsley (Ken Weatherwax), enjoy such hobbies as playing autopsy or exploding model trains. Gomez and Morticia were one of television's most passionate couples, with Gomez being driven to arm-kissing ecstasy whenever Morticia spoke French. The last episode included in this collection, "Amnesia in the Addams Family," is a classic in which Gomez is rendered "normal" following a conk on the head. The look of disgust on Morticia and Lurch's face when he asks for a glass of milk is priceless. The "altogether ooky" extras include three episode commentaries, a featurette on Charles Addams, reminiscences from cast members Astin, Loring, and Weatherwax, a segment on the creation of the classic snap-snap theme song ("They're creepy and they're kooky...."), and the inevitable theme song sing-along. The Addams Family at last on DVD? As Gomez might exclaim: "Capital!" --Donald Liebenson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 90 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We're Gonna Pay A Call On The Addams Family--On DVD!, September 13, 2006

By 

Servo (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Addams Family - Volume One (DVD)

The Addams Family, the OTHER 1964 sitcom about a macabre family of eccentrics, finally makes its way onto DVD in all its black and white glory. Like The Munsters (which originally debuted 1 week later), The Addams Family ran on television for two seasons, and became more popular in TV syndicated reruns than during its original broadcast. No doubt due to the show's memorable cast and classic theme song by composer Vic Mizzy, who also provided the vocals and fingersnaps.

The Addams Family (who were fleshed out and also named expressly for television by original cartoonist Charles Addams himself) starred Carolyn Jones as macabre matriarch Morticia Addams; John Astin as her wildly enamored husband, lawyer Gomez Addams; Jackie Coogan as Morticia's Uncle Fester; Blossom Rock as Grandmama, Gomez's mom; Ken Weatherwax as son Pugsley; Lisa Loring as daughter Wednesday; Felix Silla as Cousin Itt; and six-foot-nine Ted Cassidy as Lurch the butler and as Thing, the helpful hand that popped out of the boxes throughout the family mansion. It should be noted that Cousin Itt was not a part of the original Charles Addams cartoons, but actually created for the show by producer David Levy.

The Addams Family - Volume One is a 3-disc (572 min.) set which contains 22 [of 34] Season One episodes, meaning you'll be getting the entire 64-episode series in 3 cost-friendly volumes. This collection features Full Frame (1.33:1) video; and mono English, French and Spanish audio. Here is a list of the episodes contained in this volume, plus extras:

1. The Addams Family Goes to School
2. Morticia and the Psychiatrist
3. Fester's Punctuated Romance
4. Gomez the Politician
5. The Addams Family Tree
6. Morticia Joins the Ladies League
7. Halloween with the Addams Family
8. Green Eyed Gomez
9. The New Neighbors Meet the Addams Family
10. Wednesday Leaves Home
11. The Addams Family Meet the VIPs
12. Morticia, the Matchmaker
13. Lurch Learns to Dance
14. Art and the Addams Family
15. The Addams Family Meets the Beatnik
16. The Addams Family Meets the Undercover Man
17. Mother Lurch Visits the Addams Family
18. Uncle Fester's Illness
19. The Addams Family Splurges
20. Cousin Itt Visits the Addams Family
21. The Addams Family In Court
22. Amnesia in the Addams Family


Special Features:
* Commentary: On 3 episodes including "The Addams Family Goes to School"
* Featurette: "You Rang, Mr. Addams"
* Featurette: "Snap, Snap"
* Featurette: "The Addams Family Portrait"
* Theme Song Karaoke
* Still galleries featuring original drawings and photos

Two snaps up!

113 of 126 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Episode Guide (Revised), August 18, 2006

By 

Ravenova (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Addams Family - Volume One (DVD)

Finally, America's beloved family of fright in all their horrifying glory has been released on DVD. Twenty two episodes are presented in this compilation of the first season excluding the other twelve episodes of the first season which will be presented in the second volume of this show. Many devoted followers of this series will be delighted to once again indulge in their favorite episodes and to relive the classic moments of hilarity and fright. For the viewer's satisfaction, I have complied an episode guide complete with short synopsizes. Hopefully, this guide will revive your fond memoirs and heighten your anticipation for the release of this delightful show. Enjoy!


EPISODE GUIDE FOR THE EPISODES INCLUDED IN THIS VOLUME:

1. The Addams Family Goes To School

Gomez and Morticia are horrified to discover that they must send their children to school, but in accordance with the law, they must comply. However, when Wednesday reports that the classroom reading includes Grimm's Fairy tales, a novel in which many witches, ogres, and other evil beasts are slain, Morticia and Gomez are repelled.

2. Morticia and the Psychiatrist

Pugsley begins to adopt "normal" habits causing his parents much concern. They promptly attend a psychiatrist in order to replace Pugsley's ordinary endeavors with his typical ghoulish personality.

3. Fester's Punctured Romance

Fester seeks a companion via a matrimonial column in the newspaper and mistakes the wrong person as a response to his add thus causing him to completely abandon the notion of marriage.

4. Gomez, the Politician

After Gomez engages in a misguided attempt to further the career of a loosing political candidate for city council, the candidate looses his post and discontinues his political career forever.

5. The Addams Family Tree

After being mistreated by one of his children's haughty friends, Harold Pomeroy, Gomez attempts to trace his ancestry and acquires some very interesting details concerning Pomeroy's dishonest ancestors.

6. Morticia Joins the Ladies League

Morticia invites the Ladies League for tea. However, the ladies are not able to enjoy their refreshment due to the fact that it is being served by an escaped gorilla that has a tendency to enjoy housework. Meanwhile, Lurch feels displaced since an ape is more capable of performing his household duties than he is.

7. Halloween with the Addams Family

Two bank robbers attempt to rob the Addams family on Halloween; however, they soon become involved in the family's bizarre Halloween customs.

8. Green-Eyed Gomez

When one of Morticia's old friends arrives and shows undue interest in her, Gomez becomes jealous and attempts to cause the same emotion in Morticia by hiring a maid.

9. The New Neighbors Meet the Addams Family

The Addams' new neighbors honeymoon bliss soon dissipates when they make the acquaintance of Morticia and Gomez and discover that Gomez is their landlord.

10. Wednesday Leaves Home

Wednesday leaves a note claiming that she has left home forever but in actuality is hiding in Pugsley's room. However, after Morticia's misguided attempt at psychology, Wednesday decides to truly leave home.

11. The Addams Family Meet the V.I.P's

Visiting dignitaries from Russia seek to discover "typical" Americans and despite the governments warnings meet the Addams Family and amazingly believe them to be what a "typical" American family is like.

12. Morticia, the Matchmaker

Morticia and Gomez seek to find a mate for their distraught cousin, Melancholia, after her finance has supposedly joined the Foreign Legion.

13. Lurch Learns to Dance

Lurch once again refuses his invitation to the annual Butlers' Ball after admitting that he has never learned to dance. In an attempt to endow Lurch with dancing talent in preparation for the ball, almost everyone in the family attempts to teach Lurch this essential skill.

14. Art and the Addams Family

Morticia has begun painting and through Grandma's attempts is provided with an unusual teacher called Sam Picasso. Wednesday attempts to give Picasso lessons and he quickly flees the Addams' house returning to Spain and indulging in the less dangerous sport of bullfighting.

15. The Addams Family Meets a Beatnik

"Rocky", a young man who has left his home due to his father's overbearing desire to transform him into a business man, is accepted into the Addams family. Soon, the Addams family manage to bring the father and son together and to help them settle their grievances.

16. The Addams Family Meets the Undercover Man

An undercover operative finds radio transmissions emanating from the Addams house to be most suspicious and believes the Addams Family are spies. In an attempt to prove his hypothesis, he begins spying on the family to discover the means of the disturbance and soon arouses their suspicions.

17. Mother Lurch Visit's the Addams Family

Lurch's quarrelsome mother is destined to arrive and Lurch confesses that she believes him to be the master of the home, not a lowly servant. In an effort to please Lurch, Morticia and Gomez institute him as the temporary master of their domicile and play the role of his humble servants until his mother arrives and forces Lurch to fire them.

18. Uncle Fester's Illness

Uncle Fester is feeling unwell and is forced to see a normal doctor.

19. The Addams Family Splurges

The family's new computer advises them to vacation on the moon and in an attempt to attain the billions needed to ensure such a venture, they bet on horses.

20. Cousin Itt Visits the Addams Family

In an attempt to prolong Cousin Itt's visit, Morticia suggest that Itt attain a job as a curator at the local zoo. As can be expected, the zoo commissioner mistakes Itt for the perfect exhibit!

21. The Addams Family in Court

Grandma has been arrested for telling fortunes. Gomez and later Morticia attempt to defend her in court.

22. Amnesia in the Addams Family

After receiving a painful blow to his head, Gomez's personality is drastically altered and has become disgustingly "normal". Whilst trying to reverse this disturbing change of events, unbeknownst to each other, various members of the family continue to hit Gomez over the head causing his personality to change from normal to his usual abnormal self several times resulting in hilarious sequences.

-Ravenova

61 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get Snappin'! The Addams Family Comes to DVD!, August 25, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Addams Family - Volume One (DVD)

THE GOOD NEWS:
1. The Addams Family is FINALLY coming to DVD!
2. It will contain Audio Commentary on the first episode with the director, 2 featurretes, and Theme Song Kareoke.

THE BAD NEWS:
1. It will NOT be the COMPLETE first season it will contain the first 22 episodes making it the first of 3 volumes.
2. The 3 DVDs are double sided with only 3 or 4 episodes on each side! They could easily fit both sides of the disc on one single sided disc.