"The Oddball Couple" (1975) TV series 1975-

Directors:

Gerry Chiniquy
Robert McKimson
(more)

Writers:

Neil Simon (play)
Bob Ogle ...
(more)

Release Date:

6 September 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Family

Plot:

A cartoon version of "The Odd Couple." Spiffy is a neatnik cat, and Fleabag is a slovenly dog. They're roommates, and comedy ensues when their differing lifestyles clash.

Plot Keywords:

Dog | Cat | Roommate | Odd Couple | Anthropomorphic Animal

Cast

Paul Winchell	...	Fleabag (voice)
Frank Nelson	...	Spiffy
Joan Gerber	...	Goldie (voice)
Frank Welker	...	Additional voices (voice)
Sarah Kennedy	...	Additional voices (voice)
Don Messick	...	Additional voices (voice)
Joe Besser	...	Additional voices (voice)
Ginny Tyler	...	Additional voices (voice)
Bob Holt	...	Additional voices (voice)

Directed by
Gerry Chiniquy
Robert McKimson
Lewis Marshall		(supervising director) (1975) (as Lew Marshall)

Writing credits
Neil Simon		(play "The Odd Couple")
Bob Ogle		and
Joel Kane		and
David Detiege		and
Earl Kress		and
John W. Dunn

Produced by
David H. DePatie	....	producer
Friz Freleng	....	producer

Original Music by
Doug Goodwin

Production Management
Lee Gunther	....	in charge of production (1975)

Art Department
Ric Gonzalez	....	graphic designer (as Ric Gonzales)
Jan Green	....	storyboard director (1975)
Gary Hoffman	....	graphic designer
Gary Hoffman	....	storyboard director (1975)
Coral Kerr	....	graphic designer
Ken Landau	....	graphic designer
Art Leonardi	....	storyboard director (1975)
Bill Perez	....	storyboard director (1975)
Susan Scholefield	....	graphic designer
Adam Szwejkowski	....	graphic designer
Dick Ung	....	graphic designer
Al Wilson	....	graphic designer

Sound Department
Steve Orr	....	production mixer (1975)

Camera and Electrical Department
John Burton Jr.	....	camera operator (1975)
Larry Hogan	....	camera operator (1975)
Ray Lee	....	camera operator (1975)

Animation Department
Warren Batchelder	....	animator
Bob Bemiller	....	animator
Bob Bransford	....	animator
Bill Carney	....	animator
Gerry Chiniquy	....	animation director (1975)
George Dane	....	animator (as George Jorgensen)
James Davis	....	animator (as Jim Davis)
John Freeman	....	animator
John Gibbs	....	animator
Bob Goe	....	animator
Greg Marshall	....	xerographer
Bob Matz	....	animator
Norm McCabe	....	animator
Robert McKimson	....	animation director (1975)
Bill Nunes	....	animator (as Bill Numes)
Mary O'Loughlin	....	background artist
Bob Richardson	....	animator
Virgil Ross	....	animator
Joel Seibel	....	animator
Nelson Shin	....	animator
Richard H. Thomas	....	background supervisor (1975)
Gertrude Timmins	....	ink and paint supervisor
Don Watson	....	background artist
Don Williams	....	animator

Editorial Department
Robert T. Gillis	....	supervisor: film editors (1975) (as Bob Gillis)

Music Department
Eric Rogers	....	conductor (as Eric Rodgers)
Joe Siracusa	....	music arranger: main title

Other crew
Bob Ogle	....	story editor

Production Companies

• DePatie-Freleng Enterprises (DFE)
• Paramount Television

Other Companies

• Producers' Sound Service  sound by (as Producer's Sound Service, Inc.)

Runtime:

30 min (16 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

DePatie-Freleng Enterprises (DFE)

Trivia:

The opening and closing theme music were performed by Spike Jones' alumni Joe Siracusa and Groege Rock.

Movie Connections:

Spin off from The Odd Couple (1968)

The Oddball Couple

Two months after the prime-time version of "The Odd Couple" ended its five season run as an ABC-TV prime-time nightly sitcom in 1975,this animated variant of the popular show(which was originally a Broadway comedy by Neil Simon,and also based on the 1968 theatrical version of the same title that starred Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon and the live-action television sitcom which was also from the same title that was also produced by Neil Simon that starred Tony Randall and Jack Klugman that ran from 1970-1975 on ABC and produced by Garry Marshall) popped up as part of ABC's Sunshine Saturday schedule.

"The Oddball Couple" was the animated version of Neil Simon's play,which was co-produced by Simon himself and was produced by Depatie-Freleng Productions in association with Paramount Television for ABC-TV which ran from September 9,1975 until September 3,1977. Only 16 episodes were made of this series. Only the original 16 episodes ran for one season,while its second season consisted of repeated episodes from the first season.

This was great rendition of the show,with the exception of one major flaw: They couldn't get Tony Randall and Jack Klugman to do the voicework. However,this animated version premiered two months after the original prime-time series left the air so,when the cartoon version premiered,Randall and Klugman had other options. If would have been great if they did got Randall and Klugman to reprise their roles as the cartoon version of Felix and Oscar,but to no avail. However,this animated version consisted of Spiffy(the Felix Unger type,who was the exact opposite of Tony Randall)who was a prissy feline who roomed with Fleabag(the Oscar Madison knockoff and the exact opposite of Jack Klugman's character),who was a slobbish messy unkept dog. Goldie(voiced by Joan Gerber)was their secretary. The voices of Spiffy and Fleabag were done by Depatie-Freleng stockplayers Frank Nelson and Paul Winchell(Winchell was better known as one of the Disney stockplayers who was voice of Tigger in the Winnie The Pooh cartoon series). ABC-TV aired this on Saturday Mornings from September 9,1975 until September 4,1976. The network moved the show to Sunday Mornings where it ran from September 12,1976 until January 9,1977. Its final run came when of ABC returned it to Saturday Mornings from January 15,1977 until September 3,1977.

FYI: This was the first of Neil Simon's plays that went from being a Broadway play to a theatrical feature,a Emmy-winning prime time sitcom to finally getting its own Saturday Morning cartoon show.