Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Two words from a man built like a wardrobe, always arriving too fast for his shuffle and always in a voice from the bottom of a well. The joke is the contrast: the most frightening person in the house is its most obedient servant. The line stuck far beyond the show, as a stock reply to being summoned.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The Addams FamilyShow the scene
The Addams Family butler never rings a bell himself: the family summons him by tugging a bell pull shaped like a hangman's noose, which sets off a gong that shakes the house. Lurch, played by Ted Cassidy, then appears almost at once and growls "You rang?" The line was an ad-lib in the 1964 pilot: Lurch was meant to have no lines, but Cassidy's rumbling delivery went down so well that he got more dialogue. In "Lurch, the Teenage Idol" he returns from his fans to the same gong and the same question.
Sources (3)
- Addams Family Wiki: Lurch (1964 and 1977)Character summary; TriviaReference checked
- Wikiquote: The Addams Family (TV series)Episode 1.33, Lurch, the Teenage IdolReference checked
- Wikipedia: Lurch (The Addams Family)Infobox; later appearancesReference checked
Context reviewed