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| "This towering mute has been shambling around the house forever... He is not a very good butler but a faithful one... One eye is opaque, the scanty hair is damply clinging to his narrow flat head... generally the family regards him as something of a joke." -Charles Addams |
Lurch (first or last name is unknown) is the manservant to The Addams Family created by cartoonist Charles Addams.
Biography
Although fully capable of normal speech, Lurch sometimes communicates via simple inarticulate moans, which, much like the dialogue of Cousin Itt, his employers have no trouble understanding. In fact, the Addamses often comment that Lurch is eloquent and vivacious.
Lurch helps around the house like any other butler, cleaning, repairing, and helping the children on and off the school bus. Occasionally, his great size and strength cause trouble. He clearly takes pride in his work and is willing to do even the most arduous task. Lurch has a profound loyalty to his employers; in turn, the family treats Lurch like one of their own.
The family summons him with an ever-present bell pull in the form of a hangman's noose. When pulled, it produces a loud gong noise that shakes the house, to which Lurch instantly responds with the line, "You rang?" When the bell is rung, Lurch appears immediately in contrast to his slow demeanor, even if wide-angle shots reveal he was clearly nowhere in the vicinity before; on a few occasions, Lurch arrives even before the bell is tugged.
Lurch largely shares the family's macabre standards, although he occasionally looks askance at some of their activities. He has a similar attitude toward visitors, almost a sixth sense. When a plainclothes policeman visits, Lurch pats him down and removes something from inside his suit coat: his service revolver. Lurch groans at the affront of someone other than the Addams Family bringing a weapon into the house. Neise shows Lurch his badge, and Lurch hands the gun back to him.
Lurch is Wednesday's best friend, besides her beloved headless Marie Antoinette doll. He seems to have a paternal affection for both Wednesday and Pugsley. Although his job title is limited to butler, he seems to be a "jack of all trades" when it comes to the children, doing everything from taking them to school to making them lunch to even keeping an eye on them around the house. He is close friends with the disembodied hand, Thing.
The Original Addams Family series
Much of Lurch's history, including his first name and the nature of his relationship to any other Addamses, was originally unspecified. "Lurch" was revealed during the original TV series to be a surname, as there was a "Mother Lurch" who appeared in one episode. She addressed Lurch as "Sonny", which could either be a parental nickname or his actual first name. In the original television series, Lurch was played by Ted Cassidy.
The New Scooby-Doo Movies
Ted Cassidy voiced Lurch in The New Scooby-Doo Movies.
The Addams Family Fun-House
To be added
The Addams Family (animated 1973)
Ted Cassidy also voiced Lurch in the 1973 animated The Addams Family.
Halloween with the New Addams Family
To be added
The Addams Family (1991)
To be added
The Addams Family (animated 1992)
In the episode "No Ifs, Ands Or Butlers" of the 1992 cartoon, Lurch's father was a hulking blue-skinned doctor like Lurch who had his son "put together", a reference to Dr. Frankenstein. Granny Frump also reveals that Lurch's ancestors were all Frankenstein's monster-esque beings as well, who were built in different periods with spare parts to boot, and even Abraham Lincoln was implied to have secretly been a part of the Lurch family. In the second animated series, Lurch was voiced by Jim Cummings.
Addams Family Values
To be added
Addams Family Reunion
It was stated in Addams Family Reunion that Lurch is part Addams. This plays into his being a creation similar to Frankenstein's monster, as he was made from different body parts. The only definite body part that is an Addams is his heart. Lurch's mother appears to be a physically normal, elderly woman, although she does not see anything unusual about the Addams family or their home, with the exception of Thing.
The New Addams Family series
In The New Addams Family, a woman asks Morticia about Lurch, "Where did you dig him up?" Morticia responds, "Funny, I can't remember which cemetery it was." Lurch is also described as having "two left feet." In The New Addams Family series, Lurch was portrayed by Canadian actor John DeSantis.
The Addams Family: A New Musical
To be added
The Addams Family (2019)
In the 2019 film, Thing is distracted while driving Gomez and Morticia to their new home in an abandoned asylum on a hill. They hit Lurch, an escaped mental patient, and immediately recruited him as their butler. Thirteen years later, he is still employed by the Addams family. Grandmama has a crush on Lurch. During the attack on the Addams home by the citizens of Assimilation, when the entire Addams family is trapped, Lurch leans over to protect the Addams family from the falling debris. This shows how much he cares for them. Fortunately, Wednesday arrives with Ichabod to rescue them.
The Addams Family 2
In The Addams Family 2, Lurch accompanies the family on their cross-country vacation. He accompanies Wednesday when she goes in search of her supposed biological father. His great strength is demonstrated multiple times.
Description
Lurch is a tall, shambling, lugubrious butler who somewhat resembles Frankenstein's monster and, on film, has a deep, resonant voice. In his first appearance in a cartoon by Charles Addams, he had a black beard, but in later incarnations he was clean-shaven.
Personality
He doesn't show emotion often. He is polite, opening car doors for the Addams family, and he does his job well.
Powers / Abilities / Weaknesses
Powers
To be added
Abilities
- Pianist: Lurch demonstrated in 2019 and 2021 animated films, that he can skillfully play the piano.
- Driving: As the family's butler, part of Lurch's job is to chauffeur said members around.
Weaknesses
To be added
Relationships
Morticia Addams
Morticia is Lurch's boss. They have a professional relationship. Morticia trusts Lurch to drive her and her family.
Gomez Addams
Gomez is Lurch's boss. They have a professional relationship. Gomez trusts Lurch to drive him and his family.
Wednesday Addams
In the Wednesday series, when Wednesday was refusing to talk to her parents, she asked that Lurch communicate with them for her.
Pugsley Addams
In the Wednesday series, it is not known what kind of relationship Lurch and Pugsley have, as they do not interact much.
Quotes
To be added
Appearances
Appears In
TV Series
The Original Addams Family Series
The Addams Family (animated 1992)
Films and Other
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Mentioned In
To be added
Etymology
- Lurch - To be added
Trivia
- In Spanish-speaking countries, he is known as "Largo" because of his height.
- In Brazil, he is known as "Tropeço" (from the verb "tropeçar", to stumble, trip over).
- Lurch often plays the harpsichord at virtuoso level. The actor played on a dead keyboard; Vic Mizzy, the show's musical director, played the actual tunes.
- Lurch made a guest appearance during a Bat-Climb sequence in an episode of Batman, playing the Addams Family theme in the background before popping his head out after being startled by Batman.
Lurch on Batman
- As originally conceived, Lurch was to have no lines, but in the pilot Ted Cassidy ad-libbed the line "You rang?" in his trademark deep voice, and it was so impressive it led to Lurch getting more dialogue; he ultimately had three lines in the pilot. In the films, however, Lurch was totally mute except for the occasional expressive grunt.
- The animated episode "Girlfriendstein" gives Lurch's shoe size as 27QQQQ.
External Links
Lurch on the Scoobypedia
Lurch on Wikipedia
Gallery
| The Addams Family |
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| Gomez Addams • Morticia Addams • Uncle Fester • Grandmama • Wednesday Addams • Pugsley Addams • Lurch • Thing • Cousin Itt |





















