Executive Producer:
Garry Marshall
Cast:
Tony Randall….Felix Unger
Jack Klugman….Oscar Trevor Madison
Al Molinaro….Police Officer Murray Greshler
Paramount Home Video presents The Odd Couple: The First Season. Twenty four episodes on 5 DVDs. Episodes aired from Sept. 24, 1970 to Mar. 26, 1971. DVD released April 10, 2007.
The Show
There was a time in America when two guys could live in an apartment without whispers about their sexual orientation spreading around the neighborhood. Bert and Ernie pulled it off on Sesame Street. Abbott and Costello never had rumors about what was up when the Murphy bed came down. This is also the same world of Felix and Oscar, best known to America as The Odd Couple. These two divorced guys lived in a roomy apartment in Manhattan. Oscar’s a sport writer. Felix’s a photographer. Where’s the friction? Oscar’s a primitive slob while Felix’s a sophisticated neat freak. They seemed like a closet couple with Felix coming off as a queen to Oscar’s rough trade. There’s a tenderness in how they exist as a twosome; but it’s hard to believe that they’d cuddle after a long day of playing Poker with the boys.
Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple was the hit of the Broadway in 1965 with Walter Matthau and Art Carney. Three years later it was adapted into a movie starring Matthau and Jack Lemmon. Finally, in 1970, it was brought to the small screen with Tony Randall and Jack Klugman (who replaced Matthau on Broadway). In the play and film, Felix is suicidally depressed after the failure of his marriage. Oscar emotionally rescues his longtime pal by having Felix move into his apartment. For the less intense world of network TV, Felix and Oscar are divorced, but neither are ready to join the Hemlock society. Because of their clashing lifestyles, they do seem prone to homicidal urges. The episodes build off their contrasting approaches to cleanliness.
“The Laundry Orgy” starts the series off with a return of the Pigeon sisters (Monica Evans and Carole Shelley were in the film). The date night goes wrong when their pals show up for Poker night thus denying them a bachelor pad. In order to salvage the evening and not tick off their drinking buddies, Oscar and Felix lure the girls into the basement laundry room. Can they seduce a woman to the smell of Tide? “Felix Gets Sick” has Oscar hiding his ailing roommate so his date thinks they’re alone. “The Jury Story” has Felix and Oscar explain to the Pigeon sisters about how they met and became roommates. This backstory goes against the opening credits that describes them as boyhood friends. By putting them in a jury room, it does avoid the nasty suicide business from their failed marriages.
“They Shoot Horseradish, Don’t They?” excels in physical comedy. Felix has to compete in a cooking contest, but blows his back out. Oscar has to lug Felix around the competition kitchen in order to keep his roommate in the contest. “The Hideaway” has Oscar trying to help an Eskimo quarterback land a gig with an NFL team (this must have been in an era before Mel Kiper Jr. and the NFL draft). Felix encounters a surprise suitor for the Alaskan phenom. a famed music conservatory that want him for their cello program. Oscar pushes back the pigskin owners, but it might not be the proper choice.
The chemistry between Klugman and Randall makes this show click. It’s easy to believe their quirks. Were Jack and Tony typecasted by this show or did they exploit their natural slob and anal personalities? Tony seemed like a neat freak when he appeared on talkshows. Jack seemed like a walking mess, even when he was Quincy.
The Odd Couple lasted five seasons, but this is the boxset to grab. The series was filmed with a single camera on the apartment set used in the movie. The next year, the production became a three-camera show filmed in front of a live studio audience. The boxset contains bonus episodes from the later seasons. It’s easy to spot the quality drop from the transition. The sound suffered as the sharp audio tracks gained a slight echo. The boom microphone recorded the dialogue from high above the action. They redesigned the apartment set to be more accessible for three camera choreography. After the freshman season, the series became a filmed stage play. This was good for the interaction of the actors, but bad for your Dolby Digital audio system.
If you have fond memories of watching this show when it original aired or from syndication, you’ll relish picking up this first season set. You might even consider dusting off your TV set before viewing The Odd Couple.
The DVD
VIDEO:
The picture is 1.33:1. The color transfers are exceptional; very sharp with very little dust and dirt. You can finally see that their living room rug had a slight pattern.
AUDIO:
The soundtrack is Dolby Digital Mono. The sound mix is clean and crisp for the season one episodes. The bonus episodes have that airplane hanger feel to the audio. There are plenty of audio commentaries. For “Laundry Orgy” you have a choice between tracks featuring producers Garry Marshall and Jerry Belson or Carole Shelly’s audio memories of being a Pigeon sister. Jack Klugman chats on “It’s All Over Now, Baby Bird.” Garry Marshall returns to explain “They Use Horseradish, Don’t They?” Garry has short audio introductions to every episode, but they aren’t that insightful. No subtitles, but it is closed captioned.
EXTRAS:
Tony Randall on the Mike Douglas Show (5:59) is a promo appearance before the series aired. Tony hopes that he’s in a hit. The real must see moment of this clip is Pat Boone’s hair and white suit with black pinstripes. There needs to be more mining of promotional appearances on talkshows for DVD bonus features.
Tony Randall & Jack Klugman on the Mike Douglas Show 11/19/1970 (7:12) has the guys returning to visit Mike when the show has become a critical hit. Jack explains what Klugman means. He also talks about his friends in South Philly. Tony wins over his old female high school by explaining why he won’t go to class reunions.
Jack Klugman’s Book Tour Home Videos (6:22) has him speaking to various crowds at bookstores. The video is very bouncy. Jack explains that the show wasn’t a ratings hit, but the budget was low enough for ABC not to cancel it. He also points out how him and Tony had a piece of the show.
Series promo #1 (1:00) is how the network sold the series to America.
It’s All Over Now, Baby Bird Series Promo (1:00) gives behind the scenes view of the set during the shooting of “It’s All Over Now, Baby Bird.” Director Jerry Paris gets face time. He was part of Eliot Ness’ crew on The Untouchables.
Tony and Jack on stage in the Odd Couple (2:55) is video clip of them performing the play in 1993.
Gag Reel (1:12) has a few good bloopers including Tony using real language about one of Oscar’s old girlfriends.
Jack Klugman’s 1971 Emmy Win (1:04) has him taking the stage to accept the trophy. He and Tony were nominated each season the show aired. Jack won twice. Tony claimed the prize for the final year.
Tony and Jack’s Favorite Episodes (1:40:00) contains “Sleepwalker,” “Password,” “Last Tango In Newark” and “The New Car” from the other four seasons.
The Inside Pulse
After having to deal with poor quality transfers and bare bones boxsets of other Garry Marshall productions, it’s a relief to see one of his shows getting the proper respect. The video transfers are top notch. The bonus features contain plenty of the vintage interviews and promos that give a sense of context to the show. It’s a shame Happy Days didn’t get the same treatment. If you are a fan of The Odd Couple, you should not hesitate to pick up this collection.
