Celebrity Birthday: Carolyn Jones - 53

 

Today, we remember Carolyn Jones on her birthday and honor her long career. She was born on April 28, 1930 in Amarillo, Texas and passed away on August 3, 1983 at 53 in West Hollywood, California. She died from colon cancer. If she had lived, she would be 93 years old today. Even though she died at such a young age, Carolyn left behind a vast body of work that her fans still enjoy to this day.

House of Wax Brings Recognition for Carolyn Jones

Carolyn started acting at age 22 and took on a variety of uncredited roles as she started pursuing acting as a career. After a two-episode stint on Chevron Theatre in 1952, Ms. Jones earned a variety of bit-part roles for the big screen. Those uncredited appearances included The Turning Point (1952), Road to Bali (1952), Off Limits (1952), and The War of the Worlds (1953).

A talent for acting a variety of diverse roles had been enough to help Jones earn her first starring role in 1953’s House of Wax. It helped the film’s success and Carolyn’s own career that her co-star, Vincent Price, had already established himself as a Hollywood star by 1953.

In the film, Carolyn plays a young woman, Cathy Gray, who is brutally murdered. Although this means Jones has a limited “live” appearance in the film, her murder isn’t the last that audiences will see of her. Henry Jerrod (Price) uses the woman’s corpse for the Joan of Arc display in his new wax museum. The rest of the plot revolves around Gray’s friend, Sue Ellen (Phyllis Kirk), trying to prove that the Joan of Arc display is more than mere wax.

“I like men. I like the sound of their voices, the way they think. They're more sensitive than women. With a woman, everything is either this or that, black or white. But a man can see shades of gray. That's what I call being sensitive.” - Carolyn Jones

Considering this quote, it’s easy to see that Carolyn must have been enthralled by her House of Wax co-star.

Carolyn Jones Had a Long & Colorful Career

Since her success with House of Wax, Jones built on her success and took on a broad range of film and television roles. Over the next decade, Carolyn appeared in films that ranged a spectrum of genres that included comedies, musicals, drama, and horror films. Just after House of Wax was released, the actress could be seen in the film-noir crime thriller, The Big Heat (1953) and the 1953 musical, Geraldine.

 

The following year saw Jones return to the silver screen in another film-noir thriller, Make Haste to Live. Her next film was something new for the actress: a romantic adventure entitled The Saracen Blade (1953). This tale of murder, tyranny, and revenge was one of horror director William Castle’s earlier films. The Saracen Blade was based on the book by Frank Yerby.

Along with her growing list of film credits, Carolyn started taking on more television roles, appearing in single episodes of The Colgate Comedy Hour (1954), Lux Video Theatre (1954), and Four-Star Playhouse. She had multiple-episode appearances on Mr. & Mrs. North (1954), The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse (1954), Dragnet (1953-55), Studio 57 (1955), and many other scripted shows.

More notable films that Carolyn Jones added to her resume include The Seven-Year Itch (1955), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956),  and How the West Was Won (1962).

Carolyn Jones Brings Morticia Addams to Life

In spite of a long career that continued long after the original run of The Addams Family (1964-1966), Carolyn is best known for her role as Morticia. This was the first live-action rendition of the comic strip created by Charles Addams and the series creator, David Levy, took great care in casting the leads. He couldn’t have picked anyone more fit for the role of Morticia in spite of Carolyn’s natural golden hair.

To create Morticia’s look, Jones went through a two-hour make-up process and donned a long black wig made from real human hair. Another feature that helped Morticia stand out was the wicker chair with the oversized oval back. She could be seen sitting in the chair in nearly every episode. 

Carolyn Jones took that chair home with her after The Addams Family was canceled. It remained in her bedroom for the rest of her life.

“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.” - Carolyn Jones on her Addams Family success

Even though the characters in The Addams Family were “mysterious and spooky and...altogether ooky”, it was the relationships within the family that helped the show stand out. 

While most shows of the era portrayed married couples as somewhat stoic and asexual, Jones, together with co-star John Astin (Gomez), sought to portray a more loving relationship. Jones and Astin made deliberate attempts to help their characters display the “grand romance” that defined their relationship.

Carolyn Jones: A Class Act to Be Honored

After The Addams Family was canceled, Jones continued working in film and television. This included her 5-episode stint on Batman (1966-1967), a starring role in Tobe Hooper’s horror film Eaten Alive (1976), and an Addams Family reunion in Halloween with the New Addams Family (1977). She was also seen in guest roles on 80s classic shows, such as Love Boat, Wonder Woman, Quincy M.D., and Fantasy Island.

Ms. Jones returned to television on a full-time basis when she was cast in the daytime soap opera, Capital. The soap ran from 1982 through 1987 and released nearly 1,300 episodes with Carolyn appearing in 786. Although Carolyn Jones died in 1983, her fans could still see her on Capitol for a limited time after her passing.

In spite of her long list of film and television credits, Ms. Jones is still remembered for her dedicated portrayal of Morticia Addams. To some, she is still the best live-action Morticia to grace the screen.

The best thing about me is that I am generally very honest - not hurtfully honest, but honest. The worst thing about me is that everybody can make me feel guilty. I feel responsible about things that don't even concern me. - Carolyn Jones