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Morticia Addams

Morticia Addams actress Addams Family


Published 2023-01-01, by ,

Morticia Addams Tven Serie

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Character history

Morticia Addams is the matriarch and keeper of the Addams family home. The character first appeared in magazine comics back in the 1930s, subsequently moved into other forms of art and eventually became iconic. Morticia's image is now one of the most recognisable in world culture.

History of the character's creation

American cartoonist Charles Addams began sketching the character in 1933. Five years later, The New Yorker weekly published the first comic strip in which the artist depicted a stern lady in the company of a hoover salesman.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Charles created about 60 more illustrations featuring the gloomy heroine. Over time her husband, children, other relatives, servants and pets began to appear in the pictures. All remained nameless until the mid-1960s.

The cartoons were a satire on the American dream. In them the author drew benevolent and generous rich people in fine clothes, living in a luxurious house, furnished with antiques. However, this idyll was invariably accompanied by a sinister atmosphere and black humour.

The lady from the comics was named Morticia in 1962 when a collection of dolls dedicated to her came out. The toy was a rag doll and sold for $19.95. The author based the name on the word mortician, which translates to "undertaker".

The other characters from the pages of The New Yorker were given names in preparation for the debut film adaptation of their biography. Charles gave the characters their own last name and personally thought of characteristics that later came in handy for the actors. The first television series The Addams Family was released in 1964 and accelerated the popularity of the clan.

After the premiere of the television adaptation, the editor refused to publish the Addams comics in the pages of The New Yorker. Following his dismissal in 1987, the iconic characters returned to the spreads of the weekly, but not for long - their creator died a year later.

Nevertheless, the Addamses had a huge impact on American art, gothic subculture and fashion. The Telegraph even put the characters on a par with the Kennedy clan. And TV Guide wrote that the characters laid the foundation for the Flintstones and Simpsons cartoon families.

Morticia Addams' biography

Morticia went by the surname Frump as a maiden and grew up with her older sister Ophelia. Among their ancestors were Salem witches, and the comic book protagonist is also a witch. For example, she smokes but doesn't use cigarettes and the smoke comes straight from her body.

The sophisticated lady attended Nevermore School, where she met her future husband, the Spanish aristocrat-rich Gomez Addams. After their marriage they settled in Morticia's gloomy and elaborately furnished collectibles mansion-museum, which is adjoined by a cemetery and a moorland.

The couple have three children: the eldest daughter Wencesday Addams, son Pugsley Addams and the youngest, Pubert. Living in the same house with them are Morticia's mother, simply called Granny by everyone, and Gomes' brother Fester Addams, butler Lurch and Thing. The estate is also populated by the family's pets: they have an octopus, a spider, a vulture, piranhas and other pets.

The Addamses are a close-knit and loving family, of which Morticia is the matriarch. She is a model mother who always supports her children and an ideal wife who maintains her passion with her husband despite the many years of marriage. For example, the heroine often calls Gomez a boubaleh or whispers words in French, and he responds by kissing his wife's hands sensuously.

The characters spend their leisure time discussing death, torturing or trying to kill each other - though they are not villains. The Addamses are willing to donate huge sums to charity, as money is not an issue for them. The family is friendly to visitors to the family mansion. However, their peculiar way of life terrifies their guests, and all problems arise from misunderstandings with those around them, although on the whole, the characters are indifferent to the rest of the world.

Morticia Addams' looks and image

Morticia is a real aristocrat, with a stately bearing and impeccable style. She has long black hair which complements her pale skin. By the way, Mrs. Addams is powdered with baking powder, giving her a whiter face. The character's appearance is accentuated by a black dress with a deep cleavage and a floor-length, tentacle-like hem.

Gomes' wife is brilliantly educated, interested in art, knitting and playing the Japanese shamisen and can easily shoot the ball into three basketball baskets. She's an adept at casting spells, grows carnivorous plants and likes to decorate her home with spiky rosebud stems from which she picks her buds.

The aristocrat has a calm and poised personality unlike her hot-tempered Spanish husband. The head of the clan is witty and sometimes deadly, a bastion of calm and equanimity for impulsive family members.

Morticia Addams in films

The role of the Gothic noblewoman was first portrayed by actress Carolyn Jones, who also portrayed Ophelia Frappe. But the canonical image was the one created by Angelica Huston in the feature film The Addams Family, which came out 27 years after the series premiere.

The performer admitted she was a long-time fan of Morticia but expected the role to go to Cher. In working on the project, the star borrowed some of the traits of her friend Jerry Hall.

The success of the first picture was followed by a sequel, Addams Family Values, in which the cast was retained in its entirety, except for the performer of the role of the grandmother. The showrunners also considered filming a third part, which had to be abandoned due to the sudden death of Raul Julia, who portrayed Gomez.

For both films, Angelica was twice nominated for the Golden Globe. In 2014, Houston presented a memoir in which she called the shooting of The Addams Family long and difficult. A fabric was glued to the temples of the actress, stretching the corners of her eyes, the lining was attached to the lower part of the face to balance with the top. If Angelica did not remove them during the day, she suffered from headaches and rashes. And if she was filming, she spent extra hours in the make-up chair.

In addition, the latex clothing caused discomfort to the star. By the way, jewelry, shoes, which most often were not even visible under the hem, were manually created for the heroine. She was sewn 20 dresses from vintage fabrics so that she, like a real aristocrat, could change clothes for breakfast, dinner and other outings.

In the future, many more adaptations on the screen and the theater stage were dedicated to the gloomy clan. Over the years, the role of Morticia was played by Daryl Hannah, Brooke Shields and other celebrities. In the 2019 cartoon The Addams Family and the sequel, The Addams Family: Hot Tour, released two years later, the heroine was voiced by Charlize Theron.

Netflix's own version of the iconic franchise was introduced by streaming in the fall of 2022. In the center of the plot of the fresh series was Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega), who goes to study at the Nevermore Academy, which her parents once graduated from. The secondary role of the mother went to Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Morticia was portrayed in her youth by Gwen Jones.

Morticia Addams quotes

  • “You are a disgusting woman. You are consumed by anger and greed. We could be friends."
  • "Aren't they a lovely couple?"
  • He is a man, she is a woman. Perfect match!
  • - You're my darling. That would have eaten you!
  • — No, Margaret. He is still too young.
  • Gomez, great news. I will have a baby. Right now!"
  • “Don't beat yourself up, Gomez. This is my job."

Interesting Facts

  • According to a common legend, Charles painted Morticia from his first wife, Barbara Jean Day. However, this is not so: the cartoonist came up with the character in the early 1930s, and went to the altar a decade later. To distance herself from comparisons with the heroine, Barbara even got a boyish haircut. Nevertheless, the features of Morticia to one degree or another could be found in each of the three wives of Addams.
  • In the first series, Granny Addams was Morticia's mother-in-law, and in the 1990s film adaptations and later adaptations, she became her mother. Fester was originally featured as Morticia's uncle, not Wednesday and Pugsley.
  • The cartoon character served as inspiration for the creation of another cartoon character - Magica de Hypnosis from the animated series DuckTales.