Revisiting media coverage and books about Charles Addams

Is it possible to really know Charles Addams--what was he really thinking? Linda Davis wrote a biography on Addams in 2006.  Its first chapter is excerpted here from the NY Times.

In 2010, Pomegranate Press published The Addams Family: An Evilution, by H. Kevin Miserocchi and Charles Addams, a 224-page hardcover with more than 200 cartoons of The Family. Pomegranate Press is a source of the Addams New York Cartoons, postcards and calendars.

Here is an interview with Miserocchi from Hamptons.com, with Sag Harbor Express, and the Southampton Press. The Addams Family YouTube page also posted a video interview with Miserocchi.

If you ever wanted to own a print of one of the Addams cartoons, the Tee and Charles Addams Foundation's gift shop sells the art along with other merchandise.

Don't forget about the Addams Family documentary filmed in 1991 that talks about the early years of Charles Addams work.

Finally, here is an interview with John Astin (Gomez Addams from the TV series), about eulogizing Charles Addams.

Charles Addams: A New York State of Mind, Oct. 29

Pulled from the Facebook event listing:

Missing Manhattan amidst the pandemic? We’re bringing the energy of the city to Westfield during AddamsFest! 

Tee & Charles Addams Foundation Director Kevin Miserocchi sits down with Westfield resident and Inside Edition correspondent Les Trent for an intimate fireside chat about the saucy side of his friend Charlie’s life in New York City, and a new collection of Addams’ cartoons, Addams’ Apple: The New York Cartoons of Charles Addams. 

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Kevin Miserocchi will also present a specially commissioned, forged bronze bust of Charles Addams to the Town of Westfield in honor of its 300th anniversary and to commemorate Westfield’s place in Addams’ life and art.

The event will be streamed on Facebook Live at no cost, and participants can submit questions for consideration using the form at addamsfest.com/nystateofmind.

Tour the Swamp: In anticipation of the event, get a rarely seen glimpse of Charles and Tee Addams’ home in the Hamptons (“The Swamp”) -- including the pet cemetery where they were buried, and a residence featuring a curious collection of skeletons, embalmed bats, swords, flasks, photos with famous friends, and so much more. Available for viewing at addamsfest.com/nystateofmind.

📚 Get the book: Can’t attend the in-person event but want to purchase the book? Order it from the The Town Book Store through November 7 and receive a 13% discount. Contact the Town Book Store at anne@townbookstore.com or 908-233-3535 to order your book.

Charles Addams's New York through June 8, 2010 at Museum of the City of New York

I uploaded photos in a private set on Flickr from the Charles Addams's New York exhibit, currently on display at the museum through June 8, 2010 at Museum of the City of New York. It's a wonderful exhibit that presents a great array of preliminary drawings, unpublished works, memorabilia, and many prints from private collections. One room separately is dedicated to The Addams Family items viewable under glass. It is worth taking the time to see the exhibit and visiting the gift shop to find the books and cards of Charles Addams's cartoons.

I monitor all comments. If you use the comment tool below this post, it will email me with your email address and I can invite you to view the set of photos on an invite-only basis. State in your comment, "Invite me to your Flickr photos." I won't be making the photos publicly viewable due to copyright restrictions. No photos can be used without permission from me.

The photos include some of the slide presentation of unpublished pages during a book signing event at the museum. The director of the Tee and Charles Addams Foundation, Kevin Miserocchi, presented his new book The Addams Family: An Evilution. It's the only book you'll find that explains the origin of each character from The Addams Family. The book is published on very high quality paper with color images; loaded with excellently weird Addams Family panels.

Soon I will post my review of The Addams Family Musical. You can find merchandise from the musical online as well. Watch the performance from cast members this Tuesday, April 6 on Late Show with David Letterman.

Hear it for New York: Museum of the City of New York exhibits Charles Addams's New York

Wednesday's Korner has two exciting announcements about Charles Addams and his cartoons surrounding the Addams Family.

On March 16, 2010, there's an Addams event at the Museum of the City of New York. Join author Kevin Miserocchi for a discussion of the "evilution" of the creepy assemblage as they developed as mainstays of Addams's cartoons: The Addams Family Evilution. You can order the book now at a special rate.

The Exhibit (March 4 - May 16): Charles Addams’s New York exhibition at the Museum of New York includes watercolors, preliminary pencil sketches, completed cartoons, and examples of published work from the cover of the New Yorker.

Reviews of the exhibition and the event on March 16 are forthcoming in late March or early April.

Here is the press about the exhibit from Broadway World.

Addams Family Musical news

Since the last post, more news has come in which includes casting news. The website for Addams Family Musical is using portraits of the Charles Addams-drawn characters so when you mouseover each one, you see which actor is playing the character. If you click on "tickets", you can subscribe to updates. I was able to find a ticket for the Oriental Theatre shows (Chicago) in a search today although it says public sale is 5/29/09. The musical is scheduled to begin previews on Broadway (NYC) on March 4, 2010 and to open on April 8. I would rather wait to see it on Broadway so I can visit friends in NY and take them to a show.

Addams Family Musical - Broadway date set for April 2010

'Addams Family' musical sets date and here's a description, "Wednesday, eighteen years old and finally feeling what it means to be a woman," oh, that ought to be funny in a dark sort of way.

Official site for the Chicago premiere

I just hope it is a musical dark comedy, emphasis on dark, and that it honors Charles Addams, as it should.

Halloween songs highlighted this week on Music Choice's Sounds of the Seasons

I discovered that Halloween music has its own Music Choice channel. I was just listening to artists such as Laverne Baker from one of several Elvira compilations, nearly every song from her comps have appeared in the mix I caught. Now Oingo Boingo's "Dead Man's Party" from the New Wave Halloween album. Definitely material we would hear if listening to Dr. Demento. The other night there was an interpretation of "The Addams Family" theme song by someone I never heard of and then tonight "Addams Groove," by MC Hammer, likely from the first movie soundtrack (it's from Drew's Famous Halloween Party Music 2). Just as I type is the John Carpenter score "Michael's Sister" from Halloween II Soundtrack. It's pretty great. Twilight Zone by John Williams/Boston Pops Orchestra. Nice.

Plus they have trivia statements from news, people born on Halloween, movies, vampire facts, and little to do with the song itself. Halloween cities: Transylvania, NC. Gee, what's it like there!? Yeah, some are downright hoaky.

I heard the worm song the other night. "The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, The worms play pinochle on your snout." So some of it is great for kids, like from the Chipmunks voice: Andrew Gold's, "Trick or Treat" song. But some might be scary. It's very random. The dates of some of the music can be obvious. Lots of bad crap from the 80s and 90s. Twice I've heard "Feed My Frankenstein" by Alice Cooper (Elvira comp. again with her voice over the song near the end). 'Weird Al' Yankovic's "Nature Trail to Hell" is a cheesy high point. Yankovic is a vegetarian, according to Music Choice.

Cheesy goth music: Song called "Druids" by some musicians that call themselves Midnight Syndicate with a website that makes you click twice before you can find a menu that tells you much of anything.

But the stuff from the 60s and 70s can be remarkably cool. The Ran-Dells doing sugary harmonies on a novelty pop song called "Martian Hop" in 1963. It is much less predictable than incessantly playing "Monster Mash".

I love that they will play the theme from Psycho by Bernard Hermann. I have a Bernard Hermann collection on vinyl but no way to play it.

Dave Edmunds' "The Creature from The Black Lagoon" is a good saloon song, from 1979.

They also have scary sound effects, literally, that's the title of the album, song is "The Phantom Theremin Orchestra," which really is creepier than it sounds. Like you're spinning in a tornado of mosquitos.

And, indeed, it helps me stop the channel surfing for a while. This is what one should do on a Monday night anyways.

The Addams Family Volume 1

I watched a little bit of The Addams Family - Volume One recently out on DVD and I am very impressed with the quality of the picture and the quality of the commentary. There is an on-camera interview with John Astin and other great special features including details about the creator of The Addams Family in print, Charles Addams. It's going for a great price that is worth every penny.

You may also be interested in the new and first Charles Addams biography by Linda H. Davis. NPR interviewed her recently.

Welcome message & Life On Mars on BBC America

Welcome to Wednesday's Korner - The Blog

In the coming days this blog will have a full list of links transferred and updated from the website mentioned in this blog's description. It's an overwhelming amount of work. The site will continue to exist, but updates to the Morpheus site will cease, however this is where you will find link and information updates going forward.

While it is stated that the author of Wednesday's Korner appreciates the dark side of humor made popular by Charles Addams and the portrayal of Wednesday Addams by Christina Ricci, the blog is not intended in any way to infringe on copyrighted material from the books or movies associated with the Addams Family. The blog is here to honor things that are strange, peculiar and particularly morbid in the world of literature, music, television, film, art, etc. For the most part, the blog is to promote and not tear apart. Reviews, however, are intended to be a critical essay, though not intended to spoil the reader without warning.

What's happening in Roger L. Jackson's career will continue to be covered as it was covered on the website. If there is a day where he has his own official website, it will be announced here. In the meantime, enjoy the links provided about his career on this blog. Instructions on how to contact Roger via Wednesday's Korner shall continue to be provided through the website.

Now on to what the Korner is watching, though it will sadly be a brief 11 episodes... If anyone has missed the new wonderful sci-fi crime drama series, "Life On Mars," it will air again on Jul 30 at 6:00pm pst and 9pm pst. Check local cable/satellite TV listings for your BBC America channel information.

The show "Life on Mars" stars John Simm, an actor some may have seen in 24 Hour Party People, portraying Joy Division's Bernard Sumner. Simm's partner in life (as noted in IMDB) just so happens to be Kate Magowan who is portraying Una in the movie version of Neil Gaiman's Stardust.

Speaking of Stardust, it would be wise of Paramount to hire Charles Vess, the principal artist behind the beautiful images in the book version, to do the movie poster.