The role of Lurch may have been limited, but it allowed Cassidy to shine. The character of Lurch is beloved by many millions of people. He gave us something genuine. He made us laugh, and he made life more interesting. I just hope Ted Cassidy realized before the end, that Lurch was a blessing to him and to us...
Saw this on another (now defunct) message board years ago, thought I'd drop it in here: ### I am Sean Cassidy, son of Ted Cassidy. Dad loved the show, especially the camaraderie with the cast and crew. The show's description lists dad as 7 feet. He was 6'9". ..An interesting tidbit: Before dad got the part of Lurch, the cast had been set, and Abe Vigoda (of Barney Miller fame) was already cast as Lurch. On a vacation, dad's sister, my aunt Carol, met the casting director, and during a conversation he agreed dad should come in for an audition. During the audition, his first for a TV show after years as a radio DJ in Florida and Texas, he was told to play the character bent over at the waist (hence the name, Lurch), but he decided to play it with perfect posture. The character also had no lines, and during one scene he answered the rope pull with the improvised and now classic "You rang?". Everyone on the set laughed hard, and it was decided right then and there that dad would get the part, that the character would stand upright, and lines were written for Lurch. ..Dad was also a great father, and I miss him every day. ###
Thanks for the comments really grew up with these types of shows and to this day. LOVE EVERY MOMENT ..SAD HE DIED SO YOUNG ..I CAN ONLY HOPE MY KIDS WILL SAY SUCH THINGS ABOUT ME AS YOU HAVE ABOUT YOUR POPS..GOD BLESS ..AND AGAIN THANKS
that's pretty cool you still had that and it's nice to hear what his son had to say as well. i dunno why no one didn't mention the tv movie he did in (1977) of the Addams family
He was treated as part of the family. Although he faithfully served the Addamses, they never ordered him around or abused him. He had his own bedroom, if he had a problem, the rest of the house would bend over backwards to help him. Definitely part of the family.
Ted might have hated being Lurch, but unlike a lot of other actors and actresses he'll be remembered by many more people and for a whole lot longer. It actually took a lot of talent to play Lurch the way her did, he was GREAT.
One more thing. As a kid( born 1966) I always thought that Lurch was the Smart One in the Addams Family home. Because the way he reacted to thing they did. Oh .. They call that acting.
I am a LITTLE older than you ;-) but I always thought that Lurch was their "keeper" so to speak. Like he was hired to watch over them so they didn't get totally out of hand!
@@momkatmax That make since to me. I can you why you would think that. Now that I think about it. He would groan sometimes when they would do messed up thing.
I always thought Ted was a handsome guy, even as Lurch, never thought of him as a”dumb brute”. He was very talented and gave personality to Lurch that no one else who played the part ever could. It’s sad he never got to do the roles he really wanted, but he will always be remembered with love
The flourishes Ted Cassidy did when pretending to play harpsichord were hilarious. His tastes might have been too highbrow to appreciate how good a comic he was on the show.
Ted Cassidy was really good in this show, bringing a lot of heartfelt character and humor to Lurch who has never been so fortunate in other versions where he's just a mute Frankenstein-type. I'm sorry to hear he found the role limiting as he really was one of the strengths of an already charming TV series. Ted Cassidy was also a great voice actor and he did deserve to better.
Auch als "the thing" (in der deutschen Version "das eiskalte Händchen") war er einfach genial ! Allein durch Bewegungen seiner Hand, Worte und Gefühle ausdrücken zu können, war einmalig ! "Eiskaltes Händchen" würde ich ins englische am ehesten mit "ice-cold little hand" übersetzen.....
That's sad Ted thought about Lurch that way. Because of his acting I saw Lurch never as a brute. To me he seemed to be sensitive and shy and loyal to his kind. Therefore I always liked Lurch. He talked not much but that made him much more intense.
when I was still living in Pittsburgh the people at work would call me Lurch, I had a tendency to groan like him when they would say hi to me. to this day, I groan like that from time to time
I have always remembered that groan. He made it whenever somebody did something DUMB. I don't know how many times I'VE used it under the same circumstances
Narrator of the Atom Ant intro, Injun Joe of The New Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, Galactus (Fantastic Four 1967 cartoon), Thing (Fantastic Four 1976 cartoon) and Godzilla (1978 cartoon....took me a few episodes for me to pick the (modified) Hulk roar in Godzilla (Godzilla's roars starts off at a high pitch).
I liked his role in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Logan). He was big and powerful, but he was also the one to come up with the clever plan to rob the train in both directions, surprising Butch.
Let's not forget that he was also one of the actors playing Thing T. Thing, when Lurch and Thing were NOT in the same shot. ;-) And speaking of Lurch being the Butler: In the episode "Mother Lurch visits the Addams Family" Morticia said: "We always saw you as one of the family" (quoted from memory)
Ted Cassidy acted his part in The Addams Family with an excellent understanding of who he was supposed to be. His facial expressions were spot on, and the guttural tone of his voice was exactly what the character of Lurch needed. Other actors who played the part fell flat compared to his portrayal. He also did Thing in the same show when he was not on camera as Lurch. His passing was a big loss to the art of acting, as I feel he had far more to contribute. We love and miss you Ted Cassidy!
That puts Ted Cassidy in a very exclusive club actors who are known for playing a certain character so much it ruined their career. Leonard Nimoy, and Gene Anthony Ray.
star trek...NOT TRUE! Fred Gwynne most certainly DID NOT LOVE playing Herman Munster! He had a lot of trouble with the make-up daily, & was miserable...& the last thing he would want to do is go out in public with the make-up, & have to be in it any longer than he had to!
Adam West went through that phase, too -- remember the commercial with Yvonne Craig, Burt Ward, and Dick Gauthier in West's place? -- but he was fortunate to go through the rest of his life and through whatever means, come to terms with the part. Leonard Nimoy famously penned "I Am Not Spock", only to publish "I Am Spock" later in life, and William Shatner was notorious about avoiding the Captain Kirk fame, but not the film parts and money that came with it. Now, he seems OK with all of it. Tom Baker from Doctor Who also seems to have gone through this, yet, he loves his fans now that he's much older.
Ted Cassidy could really play keyboard. He was an accomplished pianist and organist. Unfortunately, he never got to play the harpsichord on the show. He sat at a prop harpsichord, which was muted, and just went through the motions of playing. Too bad he never got to show off his talent.
@@randallulrich Watching him "playing" the harpsichord was like watching Harpo Marx when HE played. His reactions to the music, the sublime ENJOYMENT he evinced while playing, the look of passion on his face as he created wondrous sounds....THAT was ACTING(or maybe, at those times, since he really WAS a musician, they WEREN'T "acting"!)
Wow...6'9". He played a great iconic part and without playing Lurch would we remember him so fondly? Maybe, but dying so young he didn't really get the chance like Fred Gwynne did later in his career to succeed in other parts.
That is sad to hear that Ted hated the role of Lurch so much. Was my favorite character. Too often when you play a role that everyone loves in a series, you become typecast and it's hard for people to imagine you doing anything else. I wonder if he would have felt the same if he had lived longer and seen how loved he is to this day. I can't imagine anyone else in the role of Lurch. I couldn't wait to hear him say "you rang". That voice was one of a kind, as was he. I agree with the comment that his life ended up being a tragedy, like a Shakespeare play! Thanks, Rick, for bringing this to light. Love that you tell the good and the bad with these beloved iconic shows we grew up with.
@Stephen Morton Well, you're definitely right about that... it's not a kind business, but this isn't really a nice world, especially when it comes to Hollywood... we've all heard the stories, and even though it's not completely accurate, I like your "Circus" metaphor! :-)
Mary B This is similar to Errol Flynn resenting being "typecast" in pirate &swashbuckling roles&"period pieces". The thing is, no one else played them as well or better. No one else that comes to mind could have been Lurch, only Ted Cassidy.
@@Chief2Moon Ever since I saw this comment, I've been trying to think of someone... Richard Kiel... maybe... but you're probably right, no one else could have done this role! :-)
Perplexia X Yep, Richard Keil could have done it also probably....it's about like this I think--if John Wayne hadn't done "True Grit" first, we might think Beau Bridges was the best.
Thanks for another great vid, Rick. Ted Cassidy/Lurch was always my favourite. In a sad way, he did inadvertently reach his goal of being a Shakespearean actor: An iconic figure, acting in a popular role as a beloved character, only to be so unhappy inside, and dying at a relatively young age, never truly realizing his dream....
Hey Rick, Well, that's one thing I really love about your channel; you really give a lot of heart, honor, and respect to these performers that have spread so much happiness over the years! I really hope some of Mr. Cassidy's family had (or have) a chance to see this video! This is really truly probably the best homage to Mr. Cassidy anybody has ever done!
Lurch was my favorite character on the Addams Family. He was more than just their butler. He was part of the family. I loved his deep voice and the way he would go "Ohhhhh" when frustrated. I also loved how protective he was of them. My favorite running gag was whenever someone pulled a cord you would hear a loud gong sound and no matter where they were Lurch would instantly appear and say the classic line, "You rang?"
This was posted on another video called The Life And Sad Ending Of Ted Cassidy and I thought it was relevant. I loved the Lurch character, I still say his signature line to this day to my wife! hl57 3 weeks ago I am Sean Cassidy, Ted's son. This is a very nice tribute, but contains some misstatements. His death was not related to his size, and he was not ill during his last years. He had a congenital heart tumor which was discovered only weeks before his death. It is unknown where his cremains were buried. After hearing that his cremains may be buried in his backyard, my sister and I searched the yard but found nothing. After his death my sister and I returned to college, and we were surprised to hear about the alleged burial. We long ago accepted that likely we will never know what became of his cremains. And to expand on the "You rang?" story it was during his audition that he both improvised the infamous line AND decided to buck the director's instruction to play the character with bent at the waist posture (hence the name Lurch) and decided to play it with perfect posture, a more refined look. ..Miss and love you, dad, every day.
Love the way you respect all the actors even when things are a bit negative you always explain why it might be, not just that the person is being a jerk. Thanks for that!! Great video!
I recently watched the episode of Lurches mother visit, it actually expanded his character and shed some insight of his 'position ', it was among the best of this series.
It is too bad that he didnt enjoy the character of Lurch. It is hard on the fans when we learn that a beloved character is hated by the actor portraying them. Another great example is Tina Louise.
To be honest, I thought it was the other guy in Happy Gilmore... On another note. Ted also played "Thing" in the show and would sometimes switch hands just to see if anyone noticed... (If you covered this, my apologies. I'm writing this before the end of the video)
NO ONE could play the role of Lurch as Cassidy did. His voice and facial expressions were one of a kind. He added dimension to a very 2d character (comics). If only we had family TV like this again! Thank you Mr Cassidy, you are remembered.
I never thought of Lurch as a “dumb brute”! In fact, I thought Lurch was the smartest person in the house! If you watch some of his reactions ... eye rolling and making noises ... at some of the actions of the other house members, you see Lurch thinks they are stupid too!
Let's not for get that Ted also played Harvey Logan in Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid. It may have been a brief role, but he did a pretty good acting job.
He was also a great radio reporter! He worked for WFAA in Dallas, TX in the early 60s, and was most renown as one of the on air reporters on the day of the JFK assassination.
Great video. Sad that he thought that. He seemed to be very intelligent. Sad that he left us so early. Thanks for posting and the info. Have a good weekend. Be hopeful
I just saw this post this week. I loved the Addams Family, Lurch was a big reason. I still use the line "You Rang" in a low deep voice when called. Thanks for posting this!
That's one of the big problems with actors on the TV shows especially in the 60s getting typecast look at Max Barr Jr. anytime he would go to an audition they would say Jethro and turn him down.
Wow! I didn't know he was close to 7 feet tall. :-O I wasn't aware he was unhappy being on The Addams Family. Some of my favorite episodes of that show were they the ones that featured Lurch. I also enjoyed his work, after the show too.
Cassidy elevated the role of Lurch. I watched all of the episodes here on RU-vid that are available, and I specifically noticed how amazing he is in every single scene he is in. He was just wonderful in this role.
Lurch was always my favorite Addams Family character, and he was most definitely a member of the family. They even say "he has the heart of an Addams."
I had no idea about any of this with Ted Cassidy. How interesting to hear the backstory of it. I always loved Lurch -- who didn't? I wish they had done more episodes with this very beloved show.
Thanks for posting this. His guest spot on STAR TREK was very striking and gives you some inkling of what he would have been like in Shakespeare or straight dramatic roles. That voice! I’ve watched his scenes with Shatner a bunch of times just because his delivery was brilliant.
He played an Indian in "McKenna's Gold" too. Not surprised at his short life, his height and facial structure suggest genetic abnormality. (Marfan's Syndrome?) Like Andre the giant, he was predestined for a shortened life span from birth. Hard to play the romantic lead when your co star has to stand on a chair to kiss you. Alan Ladd had the opposite problem.
When i see him, I don't think of the line "you rang?" so much as he would make this low moan and roll his eyes when one of the other characters said or did something weird or dumb. He and uncle Fester were my favorite characters on the show....and It. Can't forget It.
I don't think they would've lasted 1 season without Lurch. He was the perfect "straight man" that the others could play off of. I got the most laughs from him and was also my favorite character. So sorry he died so young. I wish he could've lived long enough to see how many fans loved him.
Lurch is my favourite character on the show 😭 I hate that in the films he was again reduced to just growls and stares because Lurch is such an iconic character and Ted Cassidy clearly wanted him to speak. But I totally understand what it’s like to be type cast and being “haunted” by a character
This was sad. Lurch was a loved character in the Addams Family and still is. I loved him when he showed up on Star Trek. I was jumping up and down yelling That's Ted Cassidy.
i remember a comedy skit in which Don Knotts was playing an egocentric actor who refused to work with anyone taller than him. They went through every actor on the lot. The last one was Cassidy, even sitting down, he was taller than Knotts.
Who’s the idiot that referred to him as a “dumb brute “ ? I love Lurch . What a performer ! What a comedian ! He makes me laugh every time I watch a rerun . Anyone can makes cry ... but to make others laugh without saying a word is a total gift . Thank you .
Lurch always cracked me up because he, and everyone around him, behaved as though he was expressionless. Cassidy managed to convey so many shades of meaning to his groans through eye rolls, eyebrow quirks, and sneers. I thought he was the funniest thing about the show. He was pretty much a Frankenstein's Jeeves.
Long Live Lurch!!! ...and the Gorn... and Ruk... and Jeannie's sister's master... There's quite a lot of work he'd done in his short time here with us! RIP, sir!
I've never thought of him as a "big brute"; it makes me sad he felt this way. If he had lived through the 80s and beyond, I'm sure modern-era producers would have revered him have given him meatier roles.
Ted Cassidy was hilarious as Lurch. Especially when Morticia or Gomez would say, "Come on Lurch, smile... show us that old Addams charm." And then Ted would begrudgingly give that unforgettable grin. A classic.
Did you know Ted Cassidy was a radio reporter before he became an actor and was in Dallas when Kennedy was shot and did a report on the assassination? In addition, he also did a song appearing in character as Lurch.
There is an interview with Ted Cassidy from the 70s somewhere here on RU-vid where he states that there were things he didn’t like about the show as well as things he DID like about it, as with any show.
I love the dancing scene with Lurch and Wednesday, it's very sweet. And the hilarious moment when Wednesday beckons Lurch for his leap and Morticia and Gomez cry out _"NO!"_ I wonder if it was Mr Cassidy's idea to systematically ruin every hat that came in through the door... just-- *squish*
Ted Cassidy was also the voice of the Hulk on the 70s TV series, and he did its famous introduction. He's a good actor never really given a chance to prove it because too many people saw him as a giant prop. He also did a lot of voice acting as well, even doing the voice of the Thing on one of the animated Fantastic Four series, as well as Brainiac on Superfriends, and Moltar on the original Space Ghost TV series. One of the most recognizable voices on television. We lost him way before his time.
It's funny how actors feel about being typecast. Alan Hale on Gilligan's Island ABSOLUTELY loved being the Skipper. So also did Grandpa on the Munsters love his character.
Thank you Rick for this video! Lurch was and will always be my fav character on The Addams Family. I saw a western Ted was in very briefly (70's) he play the villain who was killed off quickly. I was delighted to see him again. Unfortunately actors of his stature were given roles that Hollywood used as the antagonist . Well for me I loved him and wished and hoped he knew how much the viewers loved him. THANK YOU Ted ! You will always be remembered fondly.
He always seemed like a sensitive type of person in the middle of that madhouse. Suffering the Addams Family was a big part of the show. They were lovable but nuts.
Ted Cassidy like playing lurch. He was worried that it might stump his career. But he had a lot of fun and he was in a lot of movies and took advantage of his height. He was also a recording artist. As well as a voiceover actor. I seen an interview with him in late 60s early 70s and he was a pretty mellow dude.
With the recent passing of Peter Mayhew ( Chewbacca) it was revealed that Ted was supported to have gotten the role but the english union jumped up and down and forced Lucas to pick Mayhew.
Two other memorable points with Lurch was his "No" - a low, almost growling sound...and of course his taking hats off the heads of visitors...priceless :-)
the success of an actor at creating and portraying a role in a unique and memorable way often typecasts them out of getting other parts - but i instantly recognized him in his role in a star trek episode
Since I work 3pm-midnight shift, I don't often get on youtube early in the morning. How great is it when I DO pop on and see a new RICKNINEG video? Really great is the answer. Touch thumbs up first without even watching 'cause I know I'll love it. Thanks, Rick, for working so hard for your viewers!
