How to Murder a Rich Uncle: Charles Addams Preliminary Art

An original drawing by Charles Addams is currently listed on eBay by an established seller with the all-too-convenient name masteraddamsgreatescape. The 15" x 16" (by sight) work is framed and double-matted. It carries the hefty asking price of $35,000. The seller lists it as PUBLISHED—just like that, in all caps—but has not backed up that assertion with any evidence, even in lower-case.

Now, Addams's classic published cartoon panels are usually in the medium of ink and wash en grisaille on paper. The work in question is a detailed pencil drawing far more typical of an Addams rough.

Of course, this might not be a freestanding cartoon panel at all. The two malevolent onlookers are in no way essential to the humor of the piece. What we have here must be a story illustration of some sort.

The cutaway wall is a seldom-used device in cartoons coming, perhaps, from the stage. It is hard to visualize how this drawing might have been done without it.

Charles Addams
eBay listing accessed May 28, 2025

https://www.ebay.com/itm/116492511122?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D777008%26algo%3DPERSONAL.TOPIC%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20250324084321%26meid%3D874440461ddb4618aa5b900beaba9986%26pid%3D101949%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26itm%3D116492511122%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D4375194%26algv%3DRecentlyViewedItemsV2WithMLRPboosterAndUpdatedFeatures_BP&_trksid=p4375194.c101949.m162918&_trkparms=parentrq%3A19dcb5701970a62e2b65507cffffcd12%7Cpageci%3A50fa6bf5-3c34-11f0-bbfa-0af78e789258%7Ciid%3A1%7Cvlpname%3Avlp_homepage

Charles Addams
eBay item description
"Looks incredible hanging on the wall or in the mancave . . . "

Just maybe the seller is aware that the asking price is on the high side. I received a "special offer" to buy the item at a discount. The deal, alas, is expiring today:

Why then have a pencil drawing so detailed that the seller believes it was actually published in this form? The answer is that this is a preliminary design for a movie poster. As such, it would have had to go through a thorough approval process with the studio. Here is the finished version of the poster art:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050527/

"How to Murder a Rich Uncle"
Charles Addams
Preliminary poster art
1957

The finished art was also printed on a lobby card. This one is currently listed on eBay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/401054484780

The movie used another Addams design as well:

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0050527/mediaviewer/rm933018625/

August 17, 2025 Update:  The eBay seller must have seen my post. Now he knows this was created for a movie and he almost has the title right. He bought a set of lobby cards to include with the framed art. He still calls this a published pencil drawing—and it is still a rough. He has made the 12% discount available to all comers, but the price still seems on the high side.

Note:  If you have some original Charles Addams art of your own hanging in the mancave and you can think of a blog more worthy of posting it than this one, by all means forward your images there. Otherwise, I await your submission.

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