A day spent in Westfield, New Jersey provided a unique look into Charles Addams — the creator of the Addams Family — a pop culture phenomenon which thankfully didn’t slip away from the public consciousness. Long before The Addams Family became a media legend, through years of seemingly modest New Yorker Magazine cartoons that Addams drew and wrote. With a droll sense of humor and ironic look at the fairy tale vision of the American family, Addams applied a harsh but humorous deconstruction of ordinary life though pen and ink — and in doing so, captured a twisted portion of the public throughout those years.
That vision eventually became applied to the mass media of time — television — and his characters cohered into a classic 1960s small-screen series, then a set of live action films in the ‘90s, a glorious Broadway musical (I saw the closing night show with Brooke Shields) and now an upcoming high-tech digitally animated comedy due out this October 11th, 2019. With a fabulous voice cast — Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Chloe Grace Moretz, Finn Wolfhard, Nick Kroll, Bette Midler and Allison Janney — one almost wishes this version, directed by Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan, would be a live-action one. Just imagine Isaac as Gomez and Theron as Morticia; but given the few clips that were previewed, this animated incarnation looks pretty slick and funny — plus there’s some deliciously macabre New Jersey jabs. That provided insight into how this film will introduce an unstoppable franchise to a new generation with a Grand Guignol humor long associated with The Addams Family.
Now, Addams might have had a peculiar world view expressed through his proto-Goth lens, but he happily situated himself in his Westfield, New Jersey — a sweet expression of Main Street America. This classic town for modern families, it served as Addam’s inspiration sparking visual ideas drawn from the local graveyard, a Victorian-designed home around the corner from where he grew up and other touch-points in the landscape which often found a place in his growing catalog of cartoons.
In a September 2016 New York Times feature titled “Westfield, N.J., Where Small Town Meets Urban,” its appeal was described as “offer[ing]characteristics typically associated with urban living — a bustling downtown, a vibrant cultural scene and good transportation options — along with many benefits of suburban living, like attractive homes, well-regarded schools and a sense of community.”
With approximately 30,000 denizens, the town is a quaint mix of modernity and antiquity. Within its 6.72 miles, 227 acres are devoted to parks, conveniently accessible to New York City and has a Great American Main Street 18-block downtown. Sprawling Victorian and Colonial-style homes reflect its rich historical character and complement the broad, tree-lined streets of this picturesque community.
As Mayor Shelley Brindle explained when she came to greet, “We not only have Charles Addams to fete but also our 300th anniversary is coming up next year.” Elected in November 2017, as the first female Mayor in the town history, she had also served as HBO’s Executive Vice President, Domestic Network Distribution and Marketing for over 20 years. Having successfully led HBO’s digital transformation, she retired in 2016 to pursue public service as a local democrat/progressive. As is noted in her text backgrounder, “She is using her experience as the first woman in HBO’s C-suite to apply her leadership and operating skills to serve as Mayor of her hometown.”
In order to get a taste of Westfield’s special sites, we first visited The James Ward Mansion — a beautifully appointed, restored home which can be rented through AirBNB. Or, as in our case, provided through local executives. Dubbed “The Best Kept Secret in Union County,” the sheer magnificence of its 24 foot ceilings, gold gilded architectural detail, spiral staircases, fireplaces, and French stylizations established atmosphere of as was noted in the promo literature, “unsurpassed elegance and charm.”
Addams Expert Ron MacCloskey joined the gathering there providing commentary and a display of his extensive Addams collection. Also a Westfield native, he’s always had a love for art and monsters. As his bio detailed, he started in show business by joining the circus, went on to perform stand-up, did a one-man show, and host regional radio and TV shows. With his deep admiration for Addams, MacCloskey founded the Charles Addams Art Scholarship in ’91 and also petitioned to have Addams childhood home declared a historical landmark.
He also was instrumental in organizing the first Addamsfest. Created last year to celebrate Westfield NJ’s illustrious native son, the successful event — with over 12,000 attendees from 85 towns at nearly 20 events — has prompted AddamsFest 2. Once again celebrating this prolific talent and the place which spurred his “all together ooky” creations, it returns this October. The town will be transformed into all things Addams with family-friendly events, movie screenings, art exhibits and more.
As part of our experience, we also got to view Dudley. Last year’s AddamsFest unveiled this recently freed Charles Addams drawing of a skeleton. Affectionately tagged as “Dudley,” this life-sized Addams original, drawn during his Westfield childhood, lurked on a wall on the second floor of a barn on East Dudley Avenue for about a hundred years. Current homeowners Jennifer and Samuel Khichi lent it on a long-term basis to the town, sharing this valuable piece of history.
Then our procession made its way along Westfield’s shaded streets to see what is believed to be the imposing, gabled-home which served as the inspiration from Gomez and Morticia’s abode. We also passed a well-maintained cemetery with fastidiously-preserved hundred-year old headstones — which, no doubt, served as more visual stimulation for his Black and White Gothic stylizations.
Then we made the trek to 35-year-old artist Ricardo Roig’s gallery near Main Street. This fine artist from Hoboken, NJ and his wife (and baby) maintain a studio where he creates; they also have a separate gallery in the W Hotel Hoboken to exhibit his work. Roig opened this second location in Westfield to showcase limited edition hand-cut prints, made from his particular printmaking process — including unique pieces made to illustrate Addams’ connection to the locality.
When we finally ended up at Addams Tavern, located in downtown Westfield, we got to witness and pose before a huge portrait of the legendary creator along the stairs between the main dining area and the private room where we were served lunch — includes haunting cocktails made for an afternoon of imbibing. Its renovated interior has a beautiful turn-of-the-century feel including high-vaulted ceilings and wrap-around murals. The Tavern showcases what it describes as, “New American-inspired cooking infused with subtle smoke from the restaurant’s wood-burning grills and mesquite charcoal ovens. The menu is complemented with fresh fish, grass-fed meat, and local seasonal produce.”
Though pleasantly exhausted by it all, I had a revived admiration for one of the most important pop culture figures from the pre-digital world. The trip aroused anticipation for the latest iteration of the Addams Family. Much appreciation is due to a savvy set of townsfolk and the people behind United Artists for furthering this pop culture franchise. Maybe, he’s watching all this with a deadpan grin from the grave.