For the most part Season 5 is wonderful, and it's obvious why Tony Randall snagged the EMMY for it, but Paramount Home Video has destroyed what has got to be one of the most joyous moments in t.v. sitcom history. In the last episode when the the minister announces that Felix and Gloria are once again husband and wife, Oscar erupts into a dance and belts out "I'm Singing in the Rain." Not so in this truncated release. The song is wiped out completely and the scene is ruined. Could the rights to the tune really have been that expensive? There are other musical edits throughout the season, but this one is unforgivable.
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jclauser25 November 2008
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This show proves that opposites may not attract, but, with some work, they can at least peacefully coexist. Felix is not just compulsively neat, he literally worships at the altar of order. Oscar's philosophy is not to sweat the small stuff and thinks everything is small stuff. One of the reasons this show is still funny today is that most people have personalities that lie between these two extremes and can therefore sympathize and laugh at the actions of both men.
The first season focuses on the relationship between Oscar and Felix, pretty much stays in the same neighborhood as the 1968 movie from which it sprang as to story lines, and even has the same actresses from the film playing the Pidgeon Sisters. The first season is good, and helps establish the complete personalities of Oscar and Felix in a way a two hour film just doesn't have time to do, but I think it lacks something in the way of the energy and pace that the subsequent seasons had. "The Odd Couple" had the misfortune of premiering right before shows like "All In the Family" would give birth to modern television as we know it today, along with the frank discussion of controversial subject matter in a comic context.
Quite frankly, I think the show would probably have been canceled after its second season if it had not changed to the live set it used from seasons two forward and started broaching more modern topics like it did to help keep pace with the great changes that were taking place in television during the early 70's. I have to give credit to producer Garry Marshall - if he saw something that wasn't quite working in one of his shows, he wasn't afraid to make drastic changes to try and get things back on track. I would say that the "Odd Couple" is one of the few shows that managed to never jump the shark during its five year run. Considering the fact that it aired during a period of great change in American culture - 1970-1975 - that is saying something. Highly recommended. -
bkoganbing22 November 2016Without missing a beat, Neil Simon's The Odd Couple went from successful movie to successful TV series. After seeing the antics of Felix Unger and Oscar Madison on the big screen, we had them in our living room once a week for five seasons.
Two very big film names, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau weren't about to be had for a weekly TV series. But Tony Randall as the fussy Felix and Jack Klugman as Oscar whose room at their apartment was designed by the brothers Collier were a perfect fit for The Odd Couple.
Tony Randall as Felix was the last word in anal retentive. No wonder he drove his wife Gloria played on the series by Janis Hansen in occasional appearances crazy and she threw him out. Still she loved the fuss budget and as the series ended they were going to give marriage a try.
When that happened Oscar could go back to living like a pig. If I let it slide I would be as sloppy as Oscar. But that's why I have someone cleaning up for me. I always thought it was that Jack Klugman thought a maid was a luxury he could not afford. That was the job of the wife in this case his then real wife Brett Somers playing Blanche.
Somers appearances were few and were gold. Her scenes with Klugman reminded me of the famous Bickersons from radio's golden era. Could those two scrap and Klugman and Somers were just great. I'm not sure some of that wasn't adlibbed.
In the film version it begins with Felix coming over to Oscar's place and interrupting a weekly poker game. Those pasteboard parts from the film became real characters. We got to know Murray the cop played by Al Molinaro and Speed played by Garry Walberg and the others.
This was a great series, a real New York slice of life courtesy of Neil Simon. -
voisybay27 February 2015I grew up at a time when the Odd Couple was on ABC 09:30 Friday nights--people have said the show was a "hit" but in reality it was almost cancelled every year it was on---when it was in repeats during the summer the ratings were much higher which led ABC to renew the show every year---Jack Klugman was frustrated by the ratings and believed that once the show was off the air and in syndication that it would then be a major hit---he ultimately convinced Tony Randall to forgo a salary and take a percentage of the syndication rights--Randall although sceptical agreed--as it turned out Klugman was absolutely right---the show was an absolute gold mine in syndication (at one point you could watch it on almost every channel in the 1980's)--the Odd Couple made both Randall and Klugman very rich men
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PMAN2 June 2010The TV show, 'The Odd Couple' is a classic. Great acting from two pro's with excellent scripts. Growing up I watched the episodes over and over like many other favorites shows. So, when I heard it was coming finally to DVD, I said, 'Finally'. But beware folks... Season one is unaltered... BUT, the other final four seasons are edited... I guess being cheap... a lot of the music/songs were not re-bought. Which is very sad... because a couple episodes ended in song. Even though the episodes are very much intact, the alternations do show, especially the final episode when Felix gets remarried and cut is Oscar singing, "Singing in the rain" at the end. Very bad edit. But the comedy is still very much there but not the true episodes, so beware! Tony Randall, God rest his soul would be disappointed if he saw this.
The Odd Couple I rate a TEN!!! The last four seasons on DVD I rate a 8 cause of the edits. -
Op_Prime22 April 2000This was the show that pretty much started the whole mismatched pair sitcom or at least the most memorable of that type. Tony Randall and Jack Klugman have perfect chemistry which the show really benefits from. The series had clever writing from start to finish. Not just one of the most memorable show from the 1970s, but also one of the memorable shows of all time.
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When I first saw The Odd Couple, it wasn't when it was on ABC from 1970 to 1975. It was on past my bedtime ... and I was ages 2 to almost 7 then.
Like many, I caught up to the show in syndicated reruns, which for me was summer 1980. Off from school until September, I was (for the first time ever) allowed to stay up until midnight. The show was on Monday through Friday at 11pm. This was before local stations showed 2 in a row for an hour. As many know, the show did great in syndication.
Over that time period, I got such a kick out of watching 2 grown men, former soldiers, both in careers they love and both divorced... acting so silly and in some cases childish. I was 12 and aside from a few other sitcoms, had never seen such sensible looking adults be so petulant to each other.
Then, on the flipside of that, is how they worked out each situation by the end of the episodes. Jack and Tony took good writing and transformed it into great acting and comedy, helping to show that despite these two characters being so different, they do, eventually have the maturity to resolve their issues.
Which makes it no wonder they both won Emmy Awards for these portrayals of Oscar Madison and Felix Unger. They took known roles done by Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon (how similar can you get?) ...and redefined them in their own way. This led me to watching the 1968 movie on that same channel, in early 1981.
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Casting, usually dramatic actor Jack Klugman as sportswriter Oscar Madison and the uniquely flexible Tony Randall, as photographer Felix Unger (instead of working in TV like the film, as 'both' men working in media sounds too coincidental) , was brilliant on the part of the casting department.
The writers and producers Garry Marshall and Jerry Belson, successfully walked the fine line between credible farce and tweaking realities of the world to make them humorous and work out by the end of the episodes.
These two night & day personalities as apartment mates lasting is something that, nine times out of 10, in real life, most wouldn't have the patience to put up with the other for more than say a week or 2 (if that.)
Klugman and Randall pulled it off brilliantly. Week after week for 5 seasons, always with low ratings and the threat of cancellation over their heads. (Scheduled on Friday nights was always sounded absurd to me.)
...But what these two and cast and all involved knew, was there was a great opportunity for making unique script ideas and Jack and Tony know the art of performing like a magician knows how to perfect his / her magic.
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The original TV version of "The Odd Couple" was, aside from the original set, certainly executed far differently than the film (and I would assume, the stage version) ...
but even a version made for television, gave us what the entertainment portion of it was meant to be a fun and funny show, yet with perfectly pplausible characters and scripts.
For me, this show is a rarity in that there are no bad episodes. It doesn't matter to me if it's the one camera with laugh track or 3 camera (with different set) before a live audinence, they never failed to deliever a good episode.
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Tony Randall took Felix Unger and made him an incredible combination of a positive, upbeat, caring and helpful person that could also be a hypochondriac, easily depressed, yes a bit of a nagging type and a man still pining for his ex wife, who he still loves very much.
He's also really great to watch when he's outraged by something and tries to stand up for what he feels is simply right. Despite the person he's talking to possibly getting annoyed with him.
Felix gives Oscar a point of view that he doesn't always have to have his guard up with the world and he encourages him to lead a healthier lifestyle. (Ironically Klugman's cigar smoking caught up with him later.)
Klugman, took the already sloppy Oscar and made him even sloppier. Jack basically wore his own clothes in making the Madison persona. What makes his different than Walter Matthau's is the higher comic edge he brought to Oscar. Which, in a TV sitcom, is a practically a must.
What Oscar does for Felix, is gives him a reality check on real life, that he somehow didn't get in his earlier life. Plus to be more relaxed and open minded.
My favorite overall being Oscar sleepwalking and whapping Felix on the head with a rolled up newpaper because, in repressing his anger, instead of letting it out, it causes this reaction.
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Defining The Odd Couple, from play, to movie to TV series :
The play originated from a relative of Neil Simon's actually having had a bad experience living with another person. Needless to say, that didn't work out but it worked well enough to become a successful Broadway hit, that trasnlated well to the big screen.
It's a look at people of opposite nature and how, yes, they can get on each others nerves...but at the same, how they can eventaully get along and live together in, not just the same apartment but in just living itself.
By the end of the film, Oscar & Felix have made up and will try again and both will try their best to have a change in atitude with the other.
By the TV series end, both men come out having not just learend more about each other as people, but about themselves. Oscar, for the most part has learned a greater tolerance and how to compromise and work better with people. He's likely "less" a slob and healthier thanks to Felix.
Felix, very big change. He would never fully change from being "Mr. Clean" but he comes away at the end, seeming that he would be less fanatical about it and let others be who they are ....knowing now that everyone does not think like him.
He's not perfect. Hopefully less a hypochondriac as well.
In actually reconciling with ex-wife Gloria (who has admitted she's not perfect either) has been given a second chance to beecome a better husband and father to his children. (I know in the real world, that's rare.)
** Spoiler** (In watching the Odd Couple reunion of 1993...we find that they are still maried 18 years later. )
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In late summer 2012, (over a period of weeks) I binge watched the series. Finishing by late September. Weeks later, Jack Klugman was topass away on December 24th at age 90, we had also lost Tony at age 84 in 2004.
So for this series, which in my view never failed to be funny, it's a rating of Ten Stars.
Tony Randall & Jack Klugman & Company and the late great Gary Marshall, made great comedy with Emmy winning acting and scripts that made sense and in the end, always had a point to them.
Whether or not we ourselves learned from them, that's a plus but just as important , we laughed and were entertained for 30 minutes.
Thank you Tony, Jack ... and everyone. (END) -
Peanut713923 November 2018These three episodes brings tears to my eyes. There are more but these three alone are enough to make my stomach hurt from laughing. Tony just makes me laugh with how he acts. Well they get a 10 from me. I first watched the movie with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. I laughed so hard with the movie. It made me want to check out the television series and It was amazing with the humor. These three alone make me laugh every time I watch it. Amazing humor!
"The Odd Couple" Pilot "The Odd Couple" You Saved My Life "The Odd Couple" Felix, the Calypso Singer -
redryan6421 May 2015AS HAS BEEN our custom, we've usually been turned off by television series which were developed from successful movies' story lines and premises. We can well recall such questionable Big Screen to Small Screen adaptations such as: MR SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (with Fess Parker as Jeff Smith), NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS (Sammy Jackson as Will Stockdale), STARMAN (Robert Hayes), BREAKING AWAY, DELTA HOUSE (spun from ANIMAL HOUSE) and MY BIG FAT Greek LIFE (being the ill-fated offspring of the highly successful MY BIG FAT Greek WEDDING).*
THIS IS ONE series developed from a successful film, adapted from a highly successful Broadway play of Neil Simon's THE ODD COUPLE, that land somewhere in between the good and the not so good. It is stuck out there in the "no man's land" in the struggle to classify and grade all productions as to their fitness to live from one season to the next. On the one hand, it had a 5 year run on Friday nights; which held its own in the ratings wars for most of the run.
YET, WE NEVER really thought that it was all that funny or worthy of the type of fandom that it maintained. Being the creature of its descent and family lineage of stage to movies to "the tube", it certainly couldn't be referred to as being "original!"
THIS TELEVISION VERSION of the story brought with it many of the characters from the previous incarnations, including Felix Unger, Oscar Madison, Murray the Cop and some others whose names do escape us at this moment. (one character was portrayed by the same actor in both film and TV productions.)
ONE SIGNIFICANT MODIFICATION that we must mention concerns the unceremoniously engineered career swapping for Felix Unger. In the ODD COUPLE movie, Felix (Jack Lemon) is employed as a TV news writer. With the coming of this TV series, Felix (Tony Randall) is employed as a photographer.
COULD THIS CHANGE have been a concession to the network as well as to the entire television industry? Would there have been difficulty in lining up a deal and selling the series to ABC or anyone else? (Schultz believes that to be true and so do I!)
WE DO Understand that a series, of necessity, must stray from the original storyline; yet, at the same time, the background information and circumstances must remain basically unspoiled. What we have in the final analysis is the two divorced guys' trials and tribulations of every other sitcom duos ever since time immemorial.
IN THE FINAL analysis, what we seem to have here is Felix and Oscar going through what Ralph Kramden & Ed Norton did in THE HONEYMOONERS; although these latter day escapades were sans the wives.
NOTE * There are, of course, some successes in this adaptation game. The best example that comes to our mind is THAT'S MY BOY (1954-59, CBS Television Network. It was spun-off of he 1951 Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis vehicle; in which Eddie Mayehoff reprised his role as "Jarring" Jack Jackson and Gil Stratton took the Jerry Lewis part as "Junior." (Do see our review of this TV series, please!) -
"The Odd Couple" TV series just gets funnier with age! It is timeless and hysterical! We own all 5 seasons on DVD and watch episodes often and laugh out loud again and again! Clever scripts and genius casting make this series one of the very, very best of all time! Tony Randall and Jack Klugman have a magical chemistry - just like Jackie Gleason and Art Carney! No one else is needed in scenes with these Dynamic Duos - they are THAT funny interacting with each other! (The film version of "The Odd Couple" provided a couple laughs but the TV series starring these 2 beloved, ultra-talented actors outshines the movie in every way!) Tony and Jack's facial expressions and body language cannot be understated! They truly became Felix and Oscar in every episode! Al Molinaro is a treasure as the very lovable, very funny Murray the Cop! Our favorite guest actor x 3 episodes is Richard Staal (he is the hilarious yet ultra-dry, Brother Ralph in "The Odd Monks"). John Byner is right up there for his hilarious, memorable scene at the parking garage in "The New Car."
It's great to see all the creative ways the writers incorporated fun guest stars from different facets of show business, esp. "Password" & "Let's Make a Deal" episodes. (It's also refreshing to see how nice men used to dress, even in casual settings, with collared shirts and tapered, non-jean, non-cargo pants!)
It is impossible to pick a favorite episode but a few include "Sleepwalker," "The Fat Farm," "The Flying Felix," "Security Arms," "A Night To Disremember," "The Moonlighter," "Scrooge Gets An Oscar," "My Strife in Court," and MORE!
The biggest disappointment of recent years regarding this series: The editing and altering of episodes on the DVDs is absolutely inexcusable and utterly disappointing!!!
We were lucky enough to see Tony and Jack live on stage in the 1990s, starring in "The Odd Couple" and it was a dream come true. Tony and Jack were interviewed on the radio during their week in town for the show and both stressed how disgusted they were with the editing of the shows on TV; Jack said the best lines/scenes are cut out! How true! What would they say about the DVDs now?
When we made our first trip to NYC (3 weeks ago), our first stop was 1049 Park Ave. to get photos of the cool apt. building where Felix disgustedly picks up Oscar's discarded cigar off the ground during the famous beginning of the show! Long live "The Odd Couple"! -
mm-391 July 2019The slob vs the neat freak. Now a days it would be defiance disorder vs o c d, because every has a name to it. What made The Odd Couple works because the odd end book covers live together which causes friction. Oscar and Felix characters has Oscar makes messes and Felix cleans it which creates a comic tension. Put a odd situation which has straight man Felix comes up against the comic man Oscar and you got the Abot at Costello formula. Memorable episode with the golden formula where: The neighborhood watch episode. The poker night episode. The time Oscar and Felix dated the twins. etc. Who and how will each situation go into trouble? was the series hook. What will the over reaction be? What bizarre event will make the story go off it axis? Just keep the viewer wanting more Memorable series as a kid. 6 stars.
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These days, it's common for a network to milk every dime of the syndication rights for a series, but the first time it was done in today's over-the-top fashion was when Channel 11 in New York began airing Odd Couple reruns four times a day, twice in the afternoon, and twice again in the evening. The show ran just long enough for this to be possible, and any kid in New York, especially one who didn't have cable, couldn't help but watch at least some of the time.
Odd Couple reruns were a refreshing change of pace from Brady Bunch reruns, with their suburban amenities, like grass, driveways, and bedrooms bigger than closets. Sure, there were The Honeymooners, but they lived in Brooklyn in the 1950s, and there was I Love Lucy, but they were the old neighbors you avoided in the hallways. Felix and Oscar, however, were guys who were either like your dad, your dad's friends, or one of your cousins or uncles. They were regular New Yorkers living regular lives. Kids in New York who wanted someone to relate to and to experience the city got a double dose of the Big Apple and then some through this show.
What made this show work even more than the personality clash was the culture clash. Those who trash the celebrity cameos miss their purpose. Oscar's world was as alien to Felix as his was to Oscar. Scenes like Felix and Bubba Smith discussing interior decorating, or Oscar learning ballet exercises from Edward Vilella, are what really defined the show. Each character understood the other's place in his world, but could never fully respect or understand the world. This is why we got Oscar as a theater critic and Felix in the booth on Monday Night Football.
We also got two lead characters escaping bad marriages only to find themselves in a worse marriage, not to each other, but to the ever-elusive affordable Manhattan apartment with a roommate who isn't too far off the deep end. The need to preserve one's living arrangements drives Manhattanites to tolerate Odd Couple-style antics, lest we have to pay the entire rent or risk an unknown quantity as a roommate.
For me, as a kid watching the reruns (I never caught the series during its run) was a New York experience all its own, a chance to "see" my own city in all its quirky glory, comedically encapsulated by two of the great talents of that era. We got hot dogs eaten on the run, cabs hailed in rainstorms, subways getting stuck, poker games, off-track betting, and a measure of culture through Felix that I never would have been exposed to otherwise.
This show effortlessly achieved a level of performance on a weekly basis that few of today's shows can match even on their best nights. This may have been a product of the three-network era when talent and ratings were not so diluted, but it's also a product of a quality standard that seems sorely lacking today. There were some mediocre episodes on this show, but very few bad ones, many good ones, and a lot of great ones.
I'll end with some trivia notes: Klugman really lived at 1049 Park Avenue (he often played horses at the OTB parlors on the East Side), and Tony Randall actually lived at 145 Central Park West. Talk about hiding in plain sight!! This was also one of the few shows ever to use a phone number for one of the characters that did not begin with 555. -
This TV Sit-Com from the early 1970s is (IMO) just a so-so spin-off of the successful 1968 movie of the same name.
When you seriously take into account all of the chaos, misunderstanding, and antagonism that is continually created between this show's 2 main characters, it really leaves you wondering how the heck Felix and Oscar would ever continue to remain steadfast roommates for as long as they did.
Yes. This show did contain some fairly entertaining moments of eccentric levity - But, for the most part - Many of the scenarios created in these episodes became far too easy to predict in the long run. -
peacham5 July 2002As far as Sit Coms go "The Odd Couple" is number one on my list of favorites...edging out even "M.A.S.H." and "All In The Family".Randall and Klugman make this show great...both are perfectly attuned to their roles.Its one of the few times a Television show attained the high quality of its source material.
While Randall and Klugman's great chemistry and comic timing make the show there is strong support from the other cast members.In particular Al Molinaro's mystified Murry The Cop,Gary Walberg's Grouchy Speed and Brett Somer's cynical Blanche Madison. May the sun never set on "The Odd Couple"! -
joave26 September 2020I'm just going to say that I loved this show in its original run at 12 years old and I still love it today.
And it's one of the only shows that never fails to give me multiple belly laughs every episode and I'm grinning ear to ear for much of every episode.
Many of the original episodes are currently on Hulu. -
raysond22 August 2003Let me asked you this question................
How many TV shows do you know were major hits after they were made into feature films? How many of those movies made the transition into a great TV series?
Answer: "The Odd Couple","M*A*S*H","Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore"(Alice),and "In The Heat Of The Night".
First off,let me say that "The Odd Couple" was the first and foremost based on a Neil Simon play to successfully make the transition from being on Broadway,to motion pictures,and finally to television as a weekly series. In 1968,the motion picture version starred Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon,and on September 24,1970,the television series version premiered on ABC-TV and it starred Tony Randall and Jack Klugman and was produced by Garry Marshall.
The television series was one of ABC-TV biggest hits and it won back to back Emmys during its incredible five year run on the network from 1970 to 1975. It also in the top ten Nielsen during its run making it one of the most funniest shows of the decade. Tony Randall and Jack Klugman offered more to the roles than the movie or the Broadway play put together and every comedical line was simply magic. Indeed,the show was wickedly funny and sometimes having the two end up in some various situations especially,Randall(who played Felix Unger)who always tries to do the impossible for him and his divorced roommate Klugman(who played Oscar Madison),but ends up with hilarious results.
The show was produced by Garry Marshall,who went on to produced "Happy Days","Laverne and Shirley",and under the supervision of the playwright himself,Neil Simon who oversaw the production. Speaking of "The Odd Couple",this series hasn't been shown in years and it needs to be brought back,since the last time it was shown was on Nick-At-Nite's sister channel TV Land,and the former cable network TNN( formerly The Nashville Network and changed it title to The National Network which is now these days Spike TV).
**Getting back to the other shows that were great feature films and went on to become great TV shows: "M*A*S*H"(CBS-TV:1972-1983),"Alice" (CBS-TV:1976-1985),"In The Heat Of The Night"(NBC-TV:1986-1992 and also on CBS-TV:1992-1994) -
I have fond memories of The Odd Couple, and never failed to laugh at the antics of Oscar and Felix. The opening theme is one for the ages, and has to be one of the best ever may I say.
It's like Jack Klugman and Tony Randall were born and ordained for Oscar and Felix, respectively.
I suggest The Odd Couple be rebooted please with acclaimed British actor Danny Dyer playing Oscar. -
At first, Jack Klugman wasn't interested in doing this show. But when he found out that Tony Randall had signed on, Jack changed his mind. I believe that they turned out to be the greatest comedy team in TV history.
There is so much about "The Odd Couple" that is wonderfully endearing-especially when you examine its history. It ran for five seasons(1970-75 )with 114 episodes. But the ratings were very marginal all through its original run on ABC.
Then, something happened when it went into syndication in the latter half of the 1970s. People tuned in to the show on local stations all across the country. "The Odd Couple" became a sensation. WPIX-TV in New York City was showing it four times a day, at one point !
The first season used the vertical set with the gate and canned laughter for the episodes. Tony and Jack went to executive producer Garry Marshall about this. If the show was picked up for a second season, they wanted a horizontal set and a live studio audience for the show. Marshall had seen the chemistry between this pair. Tony and Jack got what they wanted and more. They each received five percent ownership of the show ( quite rare for actors on any series ). This gave them both a dose of creative control. They 'punched up' many of the scripts, threw in some of their own ideas, and made the show even funnier.
Jack's "Oscar" took home two EMMYs for the show and Tony's "Felix" took home one of his own, as well.
There has been plenty of debate about the guest stars that came on the show. It was mostly opera stars & ballet dancers for Tony ; various sports figures for Jack. But it worked and could often be hilarious.
Of course, Felix was always the neat-freak and Oscar was always the slob. That's part of what made "The Odd Couple". Tony and Jack turned it into an American classic.
Just one question..."Can two divorced men share a DVD set- without driving each other crazy ?" I'm betting they can :-).
Jeffrey McAdam-Reed ( reven2skater@yahoo.com ) . -
Sylviastel3 May 2006For some people, Felix and Oscar will always be Jack Lemmon and Walter Mathau but not for me. To me, it will always be Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. They always seemed perfect together. The writing was always crisp and fresh. I never thought Tony Randall was gay. Just because you socialize or befriend Rock Hudson does not mean that Tony is gay. In fact, Tony was married to the same woman, Florence, for 54 years which is unbelievable nowadays. In fact, their marriage was stronger than most marriages today. When he lost Flo, he never thought that he would get married again much less become a father in his seventies. Tony Randall was the unsung hero of theater, television and film. He deserved America's highest honor to be inducted into the Kennedy Center Honors. He founded the National Theater Company with his own money. His love for theater was obvious. He loved to act also even on television. The Odd Couple was one of the best television shows of the seventies. It was a better adaptation from any comedic film and it's most successful series as well. Tony Randall hosted a weekend salute to this show on a local channel. I forgot how fresh and alive comedy could be. A great supporting cast like Al Molinaro, Elinor Donahue, and Penny Marshall. Even though they film in Los Angeles, it was very much a New York television show. I can't imagine a better odd couple and I will always regret not seeing them on stage in London in 1996. Rest in peace, TOny. We miss you.
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coreycitn6311 April 2022The reason that The Odd Couple worked except for the modern version was all about the chemistry between Felix and Oscar Tony Randall was good friends with Jack Klugman much like Matthau and Lemon they knew how to play with their strengths and highly respected each other. The TV version highly exaggerated the neatness and slob of Felix and Oscar.
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dougdoepke9 June 2013Great comedic concept from Neil Simon—the slob and the neat freak, two divorced men living together in a small Manhattan apartment. But it's really Klugman and Randall that make the premise work so well—their chemistry is simply superb. Klugman seems a natural for Oscar the slob, with his sour expression and grouchy manner. Then there's Randall as Felix, with his no-fat body and absurdly picky manner. You just know he never played with mud pies or put on dirty socks.
It's amazing the writers get so many hilarious variations on the same theme—Felix carrying on with his finicky obsessions to an annoying degree. He just can't seem to help himself. At the same time, we can't help sympathizing with poor Oscar who retaliates by turning his bedroom into a city dump. Actually actor Randall pulls off a really difficult trick: he manages to make Felix annoying without being dislikable. Any hint of the latter and the show would have fallen flat.
And who can forget the superb supporting cast, especially hawk-nosed Al Molinaro as Murray, the New York City policeMAN. He fits amiably right in with whatever the shenanigans might be, maybe too amiably for a cop. Then there're the rest of the poker playing characters, plus the girls led by Klugman's real life wife Brett and Father Knows Best's Elinor Donahue. Since nearly all the hijinks occur in the small apartment, the writers have their work cut out for them, and rise to the occasion they do, with only an occasional misfire. My favorite parts are when some poor put-upon old lady gets enough of Felix's extremes and swats him with her purse—he always looks so surprised, like he can't figure out why. Anyway, it's one of the best character-based comedies of the 70's or any TV decade. -
ShadeGrenade18 September 2006I saw 'The Odd Couple' television series before the movie. I took to it straight away. Tony Randall played 'Felix Unger' a man so fussy about his personal habits ( he insists on washing playing cards before they're used in poker ) that one day his wife decides she can take no more, and throws him out. So he moves in with friend 'Oscar Madison', a slobbish sports commentator. Naturally, their personalities clash, but they remain friends despite their constant bickering. Randall and Klugman were perfectly cast, and thanks to some top-notch scripts ( some by Garry Marshall and Jerry Belson ) were able to successfully develop the characters. Monica Evans and Carole Shelley reprised their movie roles as the cuckoo 'Pigeon Sisters' - Cecily and Gwendolyn. My favourite episode was the one where Oscar tells the Pigeons the story of how he and Felix met for the first time - they were doing jury service, and after being trapped in an elevator with Felix for some hours the accused made a full confession!
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possumopossum24 April 2007Maybe it's because I saw the movie on network television and it was edited, or because I was too young to understand a lot of some of the deeper humor in the movie, but I thought the show was better than the movie. This show ran throughout my high school years in the early and mid seventies. Forget Matthau and Lemmon, Jack Klugman and Tony Randall WERE Oscar and Felix. My brother and I could have been the odd couple, and we wouldn't have even had to act. (I'm Oscar, right down to the cigar and the meatloaf under my bed. My brother was Felix. We would have been perfect. Too bad we were too young.)
Sitcoms just seemed to get sillier and sillier after this show, until now, they're just stupid. This was the last of the great sitcoms. (Okay, ALL IN THE FAMILY and SANFORD AND SON were up there with this show, but they all came out at around the same time.) Television comedy hasn't been the same since the last episode of ODD COUPLE was aired. Unlike SANFORD AND SON and ALL IN THE FAMILY, the comedy didn't try to be social or political. Just showed the pitfalls of two different personalities under the same roof and some potential problems (and comedy) that come with it. Can't wait to get the DVDs. -
w110625 May 2013My favorite TV sitcom of all time. Tony Randall and Jack Klugman were terrific. They had great chemistry. Great writing. My favorite TV sitcom of all time. Tony Randall and Jack Klugman were terrific. They had great chemistry. Great writing. My favorite TV sitcom of all time. Tony Randall and Jack Klugman were terrific. They had great chemistry. Great writing. My favorite TV sitcom of all time. Tony Randall and Jack Klugman were terrific. They had great chemistry. Great writing. My favorite TV sitcom of all time. Tony Randall and Jack Klugman were terrific. They had great chemistry. Great writing. My favorite TV sitcom of all time. Tony Randall and Jack Klugman were terrific. They had great chemistry. Great writing.
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Jerry Ables5 September 2001I remember this series from as far back as seeing it in reruns when I was a small child and it has always very easily been one of my all time favorites. I can't help but laugh out loud when Felix and Oscar argue because of how completely opposite they are but it's also very refreshing to see how they always stay friends in the end despite their differences. I very highly recommend it to anyone who is in need of a good laugh.