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.
_____________________________
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.
___________________________________
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.
________________________________________
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.
_________________________
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. )
________________________
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)
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.
_____________________________
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.
___________________________________
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.
________________________________________
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.
_________________________
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. )
________________________
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)