Morticia was a creative, artistic and well-rounded woman. She painted and played the shamisen, a guitar-like instrument. She cultivated plants, was notorious for cutting rose petals off the stems and throwing them away. As a reminder that she was a dangerous woman, Morticia kept pirranha in a fish tank.
Of course, Morticia's heritage was macabre. When a geneology expert told Morticia that he'd traced her ancestors back to Salem and remarked "they burned witches," she gasped and responded, "I'm glad they don't burn witches today."
Morticia's costume, a long form-fitting dress, was actually made before she auditioned for the role, and it didn't need any alterations because of her slim (5-foot-7, 117 pounds) physique.
The ghoulish comedy was based on characters from Charles Addams' cartoons that ran in "The New Yorker" in the 1930s. The characters were not named until the TV show was created. Astin later said that when the producers approached him for the role of Gomez, they told him they wanted to make "Father Knows Best"
but with "different people." The Addamses were certainly different people. "The Addams Family" had a three-year run, 1964-67.
A Texas native, Carolyn moved to California at age 17 to pursue an acting career. She worked in movies with Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra, and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in "The Bachelor Party" in 1957.
Carolyn died of colon cancer at age 53 in 1983.
Classic TV Beauties 1960s Countdown
CAROLYN JONES as Morticia Addams in "The Addams Family"
Morticia burst on the screen in 1964, blending goth and seductiveness to become a unique sex symbol never before seen on the tube.
With haunting dark eyes, pale skin and jet-black long hair (a wig), this woman was not the Middle America girl next door. She even inspired a makeup style known as "Morticia Makeup."
Morticia kept husband Gomez (John Astin) in a constant state or arousal, driving him batty with desire.
When she spoke French Gomez would smother her, falling into an arm-kissing frenzy.Gomez and Morticia were the most romantic coupleon TV. They danced the tango, they playfully fenced with each other.
Viewers had never before seen a husband and wife physically interact with such a heated passion for each other.
Astin later joked that "No one [else] actually touched [their spouse on TV]. It was like it was illegal."
Morticia was Gomez's lifeline. He called her "the only catcus in the garden of life," and after many years of marriage they were obviously still madly in love with each other. As Morticia told him, "When we're together, darling, every night is Halloween."
In a flashback, Morticia recalled how Gomez -- whom she sometimes called "Bubele," a Yiddish expression meaning darling or honey -- was a sickly youth who became healthy only after he met her.
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