- Not to be confused with her mother in-law, Great Grandmama Addams, or with Granny Frump
"This disrespectful old hag is the mother of Gomez... she willingly helps with the dishes, cheats at solitaire and is roughly dishonest... the complexion is dark, the hair is white and frizzy and uncombed... she has a light beard and a large mole... foolishly good-natured... fumbling, weak character... is easily fooled." |
Grandmama (or Eudora Addams[1]) is a fictional character in the Addams Family, created by Charles Addams for The New Yorker magazine.
Biography[]
Grandmama is Gomez and Fester's mother and Pugsley and Wednesday's paternal grandmother. She is the sister of the dwarven Sloom and the prankster Jester. She is a witch who specializes in potion-making, spells, hexes, and even fortune-telling. She also loves wrestling with alligators.
"I haven't used this baby since the taxman was here!" |
In the 1960's sitcom, Grandmama is partially French descent; Her Great-Great Grandmother Slice was 'the Belle of the French Revolution," and sometimes she tells tales and stories to her grandchildren about this era (which resulted in Pugsley helping to decapitate Wednesday's doll). However, Grandmama was born in Spain, which she later refers to as "the old country". She lived in Spain at least until Gomez was six, when Gomez was promised in marriage to a family friend's daughter, although both Gomez and Grandmama had forgotten this by the 60's.
Little else is known of Grandmama's past save that she first voted in 1906. When Fester pointed out that there was no women's suffrage in 1906 (implying Grandmama lived in the U.S. at the time), she cryptically declared "That didn't stop me!". Grandpapa Addams said that she went to Law School.
Grandmama had lots of names and nicknames, such as Granny, Grandma Addams, Eudora Addams and aliases such as Madame Bovary, Madame de Pompadour and Madame X (which led her to the arrest of a fraud).
The Original Addams Family Series[]
In the 1964-1966 TV series, Grandmama is the mother of Gomez, though her name is never mentioned or revealed. She is sometimes seen with Uncle Fester, playing darts or torturing each other. She has frizzy white hair, wears a red shawl on all occasions, a black bombazine skirt, thick socks and fleece slippers. The only difference from her original portrayal is her dark complexion, which seems to only appear in the drawings. She was played by actress Blossom Rock.
Halloween with the New Addams Family[]
In the 1977 Halloween special, Blossom Rock, who played her in the first series, was very ill, and was replaced by Phyllis actress Jane Rose. She is portrayed as a temperamental old woman who cooks in the kitchen with Morticia's mother Hester Frump (who was also a witch) for the Halloween party. She hates it when Hester uses the kitchen to test her flying broom.
The Addams Family (1991)[]
In the 1991 feature film, the individual that is known as Grandmama is deceased and her tombstone is seen in the family cemetery. Instead, Granny Frump lives with the family. Morticia mentions Mother and Father Addams as she walks in the cemetery with Fester. She wishes the children could've known them better: "But tell that to an angry mob."
It is mentioned that her death may be related to Gomez, as when Abigail Craven (as Dr. Pinder-Schloss) said that a love-hate relationship is like one with a mother, and Gomez stated that he didn't hate his mother, it was an accident.
Addams Family Values (1993)[]
As Gomez and Fester read an adult magazine called Sizzle, they simultaneously said "Mom", indicating that she modeled for adult magazines or somebody in there reminded them of her.
Later on, her grave was dug up by Debbie Jellinsky to be used as an engagement ring.
The New Addams Family Series[]
In the 1998 series The New Addams Family, Grandmama came back as the mother of Gomez, and now, Uncle Fester is her son. She is, like her past portrayals, a witch, seen making potions and such and joins in the mayhem making of the Addams Family. In the episode Morticia's Romance: Part 1, her first name is given as "Eudora". Played by Canadian actress Betty Phillips.
The Addams Family: A New Musical[]
In The Addams Family: A New Musical, music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (2010-11), both Morticia and Gomez admit that they thought the 102 year-old Grandma was the mother of the other. This confusion leads to Grandma admitting that she can’t remember whose mother she actually is. Played on Broadway (2010-11) by Jackie Hoffman.
The Addams Family (2019)[]
In the 2019 film, when Gomez and Morticia's wedding is interrupted by angry townsfolk, Grandmama buys Uncle Fester time to evacuate Gomez, Morticia, and Thing, while she fights some of them off. In present day, she arrives a week before Pugsley's Mazurka to help her daughter-in-law with the preparations for the event. When Morticia says she thought Grandmama was in Prague, she replies she was, until she was caught smuggling crocodiles out of the zoo, but she escaped and then talked her way onto a Somali pirate ship; there, she got into a heated poker game, which she won while cleaning out the other players. When Gomez asks, "Cheating or robbery?" Grandmama replies she did both before telling Pugsley, "Always remember, Pugsley — it ain't cheating if no one catches you."
She quickly becomes worried about her granddaughter Wednesday and offers to talk to her, but Morticia insists she handle it herself. She also has a crush on Lurch. Once the party is in full swing, she and her sister Sloom get into an argument.
The Addams Family 2[]
While her kin are on their cross-country vacation, she has a huge house party at the Addams mansion. She is said to be almost 102 years old here, meaning that she would be born in around 1919.
Wednesday Series[]
"She was friends with your grandmother, and they spent their twenties in Europe, swindling the rich and notorious." |
In this series, Grandmama is the mother of Gomez and Fester,
In "Chapter I: Wednesday's Child Is Full of Woe", Grandmama is briefly mentioned by Xavier when talking about how he knew Wednesday. Grandmama was friends with Xavier's godmother. They had traveled throughout Europe together, "swindling the rich and notorious."
In "Chapter III: Friend or Woe", Wednesday briefly mentioned Grandmama when quoting her, saying, "My grandmother once told me secrets are like zombies; they never truly die."
In "Chapter VI: Quid Pro Woe", a small figure of Grandmama can be seen on one of Wednesday's cakes.
Description[]
She is probably best recognized by her frizzy gray hair and her shawl. In the 1991 film, Mother Addams was somewhat of a beauty, with long hair and a slim figure. She wore a sleeveless dress in the statue of her. Gomez found a dirty magazine that Fester was reading, and they both remarked "Mom...", implying that she may have modeled. In the Wednesday series, her figurine is seen wearing all black.
Personality[]
Grandmama is known for her cynical and morbid sense of humor and her recreational interest in the occult. She is also known for stealing from the rich.
Powers / Abilities / Weaknesses[]
Powers[]
- Spiritualist Practitioner: She specializes in fortune-telling.
Abilities[]
- Spell Casting: She specializes in potion-making, spells, and hexes.
- Cooking: As the family cook, she is an excellent chef and knows how to make various macabre dishes.
Weaknesses[]
- Fumbling Character: One of her notable traits as written by Charles Addams was her weak, fumbling nature that would often get the family in trouble.
Relationships[]
Xavier Thorpe's godmother[]
Xavier's godmother and Grandmama were close friends, having spent their twenties together.
Uncle Fester[]
In the Wednesday series, Fester is Grandmama's son. It is unknown what kind of relationship they have.
Gomez Addams[]
In the Wednesday series, Gomez is Grandmama's son. It is unknown what kind of relationship they have.
Morticia Addams[]
In the Wednesday series, Morticia is Grandmama's daugher-in-law. It is unknown what kind of relationship they have.
Wednesday Addams[]
In the Wednesday series, Wednesday is Grandmama's granddaughter. It is unknown what kind of relationship they have, but Wednesday speaks almost fondly of her.
Pugsley Addams[]
In the Wednesday series, Pugsley is Grandmama's grandson. It is unknown what kind of relationship they have.
Quotes[]
"My grandmother once told me secrets are like zombies; they never truly die." |
Appearances[]
Appears In[]
TV Series[]
The Original Addams Family Series
Films and Other[]
Mentioned In[]
- Season One
Etymology[]
To be added
Trivia[]
- She was able to create a spell to protect the family from the alien invasion in Fester's Quest.
External Links[]
Gallery[]
References[]
The Addams Family Main Characters |
Gomez Addams | Morticia Addams | Uncle Fester | Grandmama | Wednesday Addams | Pugsley Addams | Lurch | Thing | Cousin Itt |