Mike Lynch Cartoons: Happy Birthday, Charles Addams

Born on this day in 1912. Happy birthday to the macabre New Yorker cartoonist Charles Addams.

Charles Addams with wife Barbara, an attorney, in 1955, AP Photo. "He was married three times, and in between marriages dated the likes of Greta Garbo, Jackie Kennedy and Joan Fontaine," so says the Mental Floss blog.

Happy 110th birthday to cartoonist Charles Addams, whose new animated ADDAMS FAMILY 2 movie came out a few months ago. Tim Burton's Addams Family-inspired Netflix series titled Wednesday is now in production.

"Well, Kendrick, still think I'm just an alarmist?"

Addams' childhood nickname was "Chill."

During World War II, Addams made animated training films for the Army while serving served in the Signal Corps Photographic Center in New York.

He sold his first cartoon to The New Yorker at the age of 21 for $7.50. He would sell over 1,300 drawings to the magazine until his death in 1988.

In the tradition of cartoonists Sidney Smith and Sam Cobean, Addams loved cars.

Addams was a lady's man and was married three times.

Janet Maslin writes in the NY Times:

"The second Barbara [photo above], whom he married in 1954, combined Morticia-like looks with diabolical legal scheming. Ms. Davis [in her biography CHARLES ADDAMS: A CARTOONIST'S LIFE] describes the remarkable tug of war that began once Mr. Addams’s second wife, a practicing lawyer, began persuading him to sign away rights to much of what he owned. She wound up in control of the 'Addams Family' television and movie franchises and even bewitched Mr. Addams into taking out a $100,000 life insurance policy.

"'I told him the last time I had word of such a move was in a picture called ‘Double Indemnity’ starring Barbara Stanwyck, which I called to his attention,' wrote Mr. Addams’s lawyer, whom he dared to consult only on the sly. In the film, Ms. Stanwyck’s character plotted to murder her husband for insurance money."

"We won't be late, Miss Weems. Get the children to be around eight, and keep your back to the wall at all times."

Maslin further notes, "Addams's persona sounds cooked up for the benefit of feature writers ... was at least partly a character contrived for the public eye."

Links to all things Addams.

Michael Maslin provides even more links, including the video bit below -- it's from William Castle's THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1963). Charles Addams is credited with "specially designing" the title house in this B-picture starring Tom Poston.

Via Wikipedia:

"On September 29, 1988, Addams, a sports car enthusiast, had just driven back to his apartment in Manhattan from a visit to friends in Connecticut when he parked his Audi 4000 in front of the apartment building. He was struck by a fatal heart attack while still behind the wheel."

The "Morticia doll," from the early 1960s. For sale for $19.95. I believe this is before the TV series.

Jean-Marie Bertin also has an amazing bibliography of Addams's books. Below is a portion of it: his comprehensive list of Addams's solo books.

Auteur(s)	Titre		Editeur	Lieu	Date	n°

Addams, Chas	Drawn and Quartered		Random House	New York	1942
Addams, Chas	Addams and Evil		Simon & Schuster	New York	1947
Addams, Chas	Monster Rally		Simon & Schuster	New York	1950
Addams, Chas	Homebodies		Simon & Schuster	New York	1954
Addams, Chas	Nightcrawlers		Simon & Schuster	New York	1957
Addams, Chas	Dear Dead Days. A Family Album		G.P. Putnam’s Sons	New York	1959
Addams, Chas	Chas Addams’ Black Maria		Simon & Schuster	New York	1960
Addams, Charles	The Penguin Charles Addams. Penguin 1845.	{1962}	Penguin	Harmondworth	1965
Addams, Chas	The Groaning Board		Simon & Schuster	New York	1964
Addams, Chas	My Crowd		Simon & Schuster	New York	1970
Addams, Chas	Le monde de Chas Addams. [édition française incomplète de My Crowd ]		Hachette	Paris	1973
Addams, Chas	Favorite Haunts		Simon & Schuster	New York	1976
Addams, Chas	Creature Comforts		Simon & Schuster	New York	1981
Addams, Charles	The World of Charles Addams		Alfred A. Knopf	New York	1991
Addams, Charles	La famille Addams. Presses Pocket 4580.		Presses Pocket	s. l.	1992
Addams, Charles	Chas Addams Half-Baked Book		Simon & Schuster	New York	2005