Morticia, the Decorator is the twenty-third episode of the second season of the original series of The Addams Family, and the fifty-seventh overall episode of the series. It first aired 18 February 1966 on ABC.
Summary[]
Uncle Fester is waxing his head as part of the National Beautification Program. Morticia is inspired, and decides to become a decorator. Their new neighbors are the Digbys, and he's an insurance salesman. Gomez asks him to insure their art collection for a million dollars, and invites him to visit with his wife. Morticia offers to help decorate their home. Fester and Gomez rip Delilah, the stuffed vulture, from the play room wall so Morticia can decorate the Digby's house with it. They're taken aback by the Addams's house, and when Gomez presents Delilah, Mrs. Digby faints. Gomez shows Digby The Gallery while Morticia gives her decorating ideas to Mrs. Digby. Once the insurance papers are signed, Mrs. Digby claims she can't afford to use Morticia, thinking that will end matters. The Family feels sorry for the neighbors and orders Lurch to take over a few decorating items. Fester disapproves and tries to sabotage this by substituting a genuine antique Sheraton sideboard he loathes. Mrs. Digby thinks she's misjudged Morticia and asks her to do the rest of the house, while they leave for a month. Morticia goes about transforming their house while Gomez practices trampolining, zen yogi, and sword-swallowing. She turns their garden into a desert, their house into a jungle, and their basement into a swimming pool by flooding it. Mrs. Digby faints again. Morticia likes the house so much she's loathe to part with it, and buys it from the Digbys for a showroom. They offer their neighbors a new home and more decorating help. Surprisingly, the Digbys emigrate to Timbuktu.
Trivia[]
- Morticia is seen knitting another Aristotle-shaped sweater.
- Morticia feeds more piranha (though Tristan and Isolde previously ate each other).
- Morticia orders a pair of Transylvanian vultures, though only one arrives in the cage.
- Morticia has a new totem pole in the living room, but Cousin Nanook's totem pole is later seen in the library.
- Gomez shows Digby the head of Tiki Tiki, a shrunken head that looks like Dr. Livingston. A spear with several shrunken heads is later seen in the Digby house without mention.
- The Digbys' living room was the set formally used for Wilbur and Carol Post's house on the "Mr. Ed" series.
- Despite Lisa Loring and Ken Weatherwax being credited, they only appear in the opening and closing credits.
- It was remade for The New Addams Family episode with the same name.