Randall and Klugman were the greatest

I think even the Odd Couple has some klunker episodes (see my "Least favorite episodes" thread) but it is consistently well-written and performed by the actors. Even the small character roles were incredibly well cast (Monroe the super's son, Pushover Peg, The pet shop owner, etc)



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"If intelligence equals power, you sir, are a weakling!" -- Stubby9

I actually think this is the one sitcom that actually benefitted from the Garry Marshall touch (I've written about this before on other Odd Couple threads, but I think they have been erased by now.) His fingeprints were all over the show by the time they switched to a live audience, but unlike his later shows, I mean this in the best way possible.


The first season was good, but my least favorite, as it followed the film too much, and I'm not a huge fan of the film (or admittedly, Neil Simon), in general. But the show really came into its own when it got all zany and happy and peppy and bursting with love, and that change in tone was a credit to Marshall all the way. And it provided Randall and Klugman with their most classic, memorable moments ("Aristophenes!" "Ass-u-me!"), which is why to me, like many others here, Tony Randall and Jack Klugman WERE Felix and Oscar.


You can knock Marshall's later work all you want, but he did a brilliant job with the Odd Couple. Maybe he literally used up all of his creative smarts after that?



I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.

Both Jack Klugman and Tony Randall were nominated for Emmy Awards each year of "The Odd Couple". Klugman won two Emmy Awards in 1971 and 1973, and Randall won an Emmy in 1975. Klugman was also nominated for a Golden Globe in 1972 and won one in 1974.

Well, don't give all the credit to Marshall. I believe that Randall and Klugman themselves pushed to go to the live format. And somewhere, I read or heard that that actually had an effect on the writers; having to get a live audience to respond (rather than just be able to dub in a laugh track) pushed them to work harder to put more and better jokes in (because if the audience, *didn't* laugh, it was noticeable).

Yes they were. I always liked them in anything I saw them in besides the Odd Couple. Plus they had great chemistry in the show-I can't picture anyone else playing those roles on TV.