NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — For more than 80 years, America has welcomed a certain family into their homes.
You probably know all their names. They're so famous, you might even know their uncle or maybe a cousin. Behind this legacy is the man who introduced the family to us all.
Cheekwood is about to tell some of his story.
"Charles Addams came of age as a cartoonist in the 20s and 30s," said James W. Tottis, vice president of museum affairs at Cheekwood. "People just gravitated to his work, and he became one of the leading New Yorker contributors for cartoons."
The most famous creation of Charles Addams was a family known for being a bit creepy, a bit kooky. His Addams Family has truly proven to be enduring. Over the years, the Addams Family's appearances have included a classic 60s TV show, beloved live-action films from the 90s, an MC Hammer song, two recent animated films, and an upcoming Netflix series called "Wednesday." It all started with the single frame art of the family by Addams.
Tottis toured NewsChannel 5 through Cheekwood's Charles Addams exhibit opening Saturday. There are 80 pieces of original art in it. It includes the Addams Family and a much broader body of work with many single-frame gags showing the artist's twists on familiar American life.
"There's one where a woman is answering the phone, and she says, 'oh, yes. He's in the garden!' There's a fresh grave where [her husband]'s been planted," laughed Tottis. "They are a little edgy. He takes a setting, a very normal setting, but if you look very carefully, he does these little quirky aspects."
Even though most families are pretty different from the Addamses, Tottis says there's a reason so many generations of people have paid a call on the Addams Family.
"Keep in mind, while they're a little odd, maybe a little ghoulish. Addams wanted to portray them as the everyday American family. Even though they're not the 'average' American, they have those values. They are parents, and they adore their children. Their children might be blowing something up or beheading a doll, but they still love their children. They're really sweet people. When you're looking at the Addams Family cartoons, you're really seeing life here in America. That's, I think, the unifying factor."
Cheekwood's Inside the World of Charles Addams exhibit runs Oct. 8 through January 8.
