Carolyn Jones

Carolyn Sue Jones was born in Amarillo, Texas on April 28, 1930.  As a child, she suffered from asthma, which prevented her from participating in childhood activities.  Instead of going to the movies, she read about them, becoming an avid reader of Hollywood fan magazines, through which she aspired to become an actress.

When she turned 17, she moved to California and enrolled in the famed Pasadena Playhouse.  There she was spotted by a talent scout from Paramount who was quick to offer her a contract with the studio.

Her film debut was in 1952's The Turning Point, starring William Holden.  You can watch the film in its entirety here.  The following year, she appeared in The Big Heat as a nightclub hostess and in the original House of Wax.  In the latter film, her character is turned into a Joan of Arc statue in Vincent Price's macabre museum.  Watch a clip here.  Viewer discretion is advised.

Jones remained a bankable commodity throughout the 1950s.  On television, she'd make several appearances on Dragnet and the CBS anthology series Alfred Hitchcock Presents.  On the silver screen, she appeared in the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers in 1956 and earned an Oscar nomination for her performance in 1957's The Bachelor Party.  Click on each film title for a clip.

All of this was leading up to the role she is most famously associated with, that of Morticia on the ABC sit-com The Addams Family.  The series was based on a comic strip series by cartoonist Charles Addams, which appeared in New Yorker Magazine in the 1950s.

The series only ran for two seasons with a total of 64 episodes, which have survived in syndication ever since.  I'm sure you remember the theme song, which you can listen to here.

Jones was quite fond of her role, later stating "I loved that show.  I was sorry to see it go.  Morticia was the perfect role for me because my sense of humor is just slightly off-center."

After the series ended, Jones continued to act on television, guest starring on series such as The Mod Squad, Ironside and The Love Boat.  She had a small but memorable role in the acclaimed 1977 mini-series Roots.  She also appeared on a number of television game shows.

The last major role of her career, and sadly her life, came in 1982, when she was cast as Myrna Clegg, family matriarch, on the CBS daytime soap opera Capitol.  When it began, she had already been diagnosed with colon cancer, but continued to work while it was in remission.  Unfortunately, the cancer returned later that year and her health began to decline.  She was often absent from the set, and producers brought in actress Marla Adams as a replacement. 

In July 1983, Jones slipped into a coma, from which she'd never recover.  She died peacefully on August 3, 1983.  She was 53 years old.

Carolyn Jones was cremated.  Her ashes were interred in her mother's crypt at Melrose Abbey Memorial Park and Mortuary in Anaheim, California.

Here's a video on how to find the crypt from the vlog Memory Lane Trips with Steve.

Rest in peace, Morticia.

Trivia

• In 1953, Jones married television producer Aaron Spelling before either of them was a household name.  It wouldn't last however, as the couple divorced ten years later.  It was her second of four marriages, none of which produced any children.
  
  
• That same year, Jones was cast in the classic film From Here to Eternity, but had to bow out after contracting pneumonia.  She was replaced in the film by Donna Reed, who would win an Oscar Award for her performance.
  
  
• Jones played more than one character within the DC Comics Universe.  In 1967, she appeared on the Adam West Batman TV series as the villain, Marsha, Queen of Diamonds.  Ten years later, she'd appear as Hyppolitta, mother of Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman.  Click on each title to see a clip of Jones in the role.
  
  
• In 1977, Jones and the rest of the cast returned for the made-for-TV movie Halloween with the New Addams Family.  You can watch the film in its entirety here.  I had no idea this thing existed.  It's right up there with the Star Wars Holiday Special.
  
  
• Wanna learn more about her life and career?  Pick up a copy of her 2012 biography "In Morticia's Shadow: The Life & Career of Carolyn Jones."  Available from Amazon.
  
  
• In 2009, The Biography Channel produced Carolyn Jones: Morticia & More.  You can watch the documentary in its entirety here.