We started off November with the induction of President Joe Biden into the Television Crossover Hall of Fame and we have another member to revisit as we close out the month.
All year long we’ve been paying tribute to ‘The Addams Family’, one of the true multiversal powerhouses. They began as Charles Addams’ single-panel comic strip and branched out to other worlds – in television, on at least four different Toobworlds, (another coming soon), in the movies (two different dimensions of the Cineverse,) and on stage.
For November, we’re NOT inducting the Pater Familias, as he was already inducted in June, 2019. But it still needs to be fleshed out for….
November is traditionally the month for newsmakers and newscasters, and I figured it was the best month for a return visit with Gomez, based on the episode, “Gomez the Politician’:
From the IMDb:
From Wikipedia:
Gomez Addams is the patriarch of the fictional Addams Family, created by cartoonist Charles Addams for The New Yorker magazine in the 1930s, and subsequently portrayed on television, in film and on the stage.
In the Charles Addams cartoons, Gomez—as with all of the members of the family—had no given name. When The Addams Family television series was being developed, Charles Addams suggested naming the character either Repelli or Gomez. Addams left the final choice up to portrayer John Astin, who chose Gomez.
Because "Gómez" is usually recognized as a family name in Hispanic America the character's name was changed to "Homero" ("Homer"). In Spain, he is called Gomez.
Like the other members of the family, Gomez's personality became largely codified by the television series. He is depicted as being of Castilian extraction and Spanish ancestry, which was first brought up in "Art and the Addams Family" on December 18, 1964.
John Astin had long sessions with Addams and series producer David Levy, who gave him free rein in developing the character. Enlarging on Addams' description of Gomez as a Latin lover type, Astin suggested the eye-rolling, pencil moustache, and ardent devotion to Morticia.
Gomez is an athletic, acrobatic, and eccentric multi-billionaire. Though an extremely successful businessman, having acquired much of his wealth through inheritance and investments, he has little regard for money and will casually spend thousands of dollars on any whimsical endeavor.
Gomez's investments are guided more by whimsy than strategy, yet luck rarely fails him. Gomez owns businesses around the world, including a swamp, bought for "scenic value", and a crocodile farm, a buzzard farm, salt mine, a tombstone factory, a uranium mine, and many others. In Forbes 2007 "Fictional 15" list of the richest fictional characters, he was ranked #12 with a net worth of US$2 billion.
As a young man, Gomez was, per flashback in "Morticia's Romance", a perennially sickly youth, gaining perfect health only after meeting Morticia. He nevertheless studied law (voted "Most Likely Never to Pass the Bar") and is quite proud his law class voted him "Least Likely to Succeed"; and although he rarely practices, he takes an absurd delight in losing cases, boasting of having put many criminals behind bars while acting as their defense attorney; this is somewhat contradicted in the episode "The Addams Family Goes to Court", where it is noted that while Gomez has never won a case, he has never lost one either.
Now, those in Team Toobworld who have good memories might remember that back in June of 2019 Gomez was already inducted into the Hall when he was under the delusion that he was the Riddler in ‘Batman’.
From the IMDb:
“Amnesia In The Addams Family”
An accident with his new set of old Indian clubs gives Gomez amnesia and a complete shift in aesthetics. It, unfortunately, coincides with the new million dollar double indemnity insurance policy he's just drawn up to benefit Morticia, causing the amnesic Gomez - aghast at his macabre home and family - to think his life's in jeopardy. A second blow on the head might return him to normal. Unfortunately for Gomez there are plenty of clubs with just as many loving family members skulking about, keen to restore his sanity.
Here’s how I wrote it up back then:
That episode took place on the Toobworld timeline in 1965. Astin appeared as the Riddler in 1967. But one doesn't have to lead into another. The 'Addams Family' episode just needed to establish that his personality changes when he gets knocked on the head. So at some point two years later, Gomez must have been knocked on the head yet again (not necessarily with Indian clubs) and this time clobbered in such a way as to give him not only the amnesia but a new personality... one of EVIL!!!!
Think of it - Gomez escapes the Addams domicile and somehow finds his way to Gotham City and discovers where Lew Rydell kept his storehouse of Riddler paraphernalia. And he decides to take on the persona of the Riddler while Rydell is once again incarcerated in Gotham State Prison (or the Arkham Asylum.)
How did he do that? Maybe he saw a blue police box on the sidewalk and wandered inside and it took off before its pilot, the Doctor, noticed he was on board. The TARDIS always delivers the Time Lord where he needs to be, not always where he wants to be. So the TARDIS knew it was important to go to the Riddler's hideout. (There had to be at least one room where Gomez felt at home.)
Why? If for no other reason than for the Doctor to replenish his wardrobe with the Riddler's clothes, all of which featured a question mark in some way (including the umbrella with a question mark handle which had been a gift from P.N. Gwynne.)
Eventually the Riddler 2.0 was caught by the Dynamic Duo and sent off to Arkham Asylum where he received another knock on the head and so became Gomez Addams once again.
So the TVXOHOF only focused on that one aspect of Gomez for his 2019 induction. This is serving as the additional background for his history.
- In the 1960s American television series, Gomez was portrayed by John Astin.
- He also has ‘The Addams Family Halloween Reunion’ in his tally.
- Astin also voiced the character in an episode of ‘The New Scooby-Doo Movies’ which featured the family.
- In the second animated series, also by Hanna-Barbera, Gomez's voice was again performed by John Astin.
- And then there is my own canon-worthy theory that the second Riddler in ‘Batman’ was Gomez Addams.
As I said, Gomez Addams has been a member in good standing for two years now. But with today's post, we have burnished the legend.
Welcome to the Hall, Gomez!
In the second animated series, also by Hanna-Barbera, Gomez's voice was again performed by John Astin.
ReplyDeleteEither you're jumping the gun a bit, or you've overlooked a program--Astin did indeed provide vocals for the 1992 ABC Addams Family animated show. However, there was also an Addams cartoon series that aired on NBC in 1973 that was produced by H-B as well, in which Astin declined to participate.