Alternating from pratfalls to highbrow comedy as the two reason they should patch things up since our country talked to China and Russia or in exaggerating Oscar’s temper, Felix lies that, “the man slapped Fellini,” The Odd Couple also made great usage of its supporting players. And while numerous stars came and went, there was no greater cast-mate for perpetual go-to laughs than Al Molinaro’s Murray the Cop, their none-too-bright man in blue, poker buddy who finally gets to save the day in the hysterical “Two Men on a Hoarse,” which find both halves of The Odd Couple unable to speak.
While Klugman never truly got the opportunity to showcase his range in the series as Oscar is pretty one-dimensional, the lifeblood of the series seemed to be in his pitch-perfect chemistry with Randall who truly seemed willing to break his legs for a laugh as he delivered monologues about trivial cleaning ingredients, tripped over objects, sang, danced, wore some of the most ghastly and campy attire on record, yet managed to be the heart and soul of the series in his genuinely loving and supportive relationship with his best friend.
Additionally, it appears to be the type of series that must have been as enjoyable to make as it is to watch as the men find themselves in the most ridiculous situations from Felix kidnapping a dog, to having to lead a square dance or help stage a rent strike and Oscar making so many jokes about New York that the two set out to try and prove the rudeness stereotype wrong (in another one of the show’s endless bets by gambling addicted Oscar).
And while the last episode seems a bit slapped together as Felix finally gets the happy reunion with his ex-wife, I’d defy anyone to watch without getting a bit misty as the two men say their final goodbyes. And although we can always keep it going in its increasingly popular syndication as well as through Paramount’s beautifully packaged and high quality DVD set (nicely as compact as a single DVD), despite zero extras, it’s great fun for aspiring comedy writers to view again and again critically in order to fully appreciate the incredibly witty dialogue as well as the nuanced portrayals by our leads.
Article comments
1 - Jordan "Boss" Richardson
Very, very good review, Jen. Really enjoyed reading that and always loved this show. Sweet!