The Odd Couple: The First Season

Jack Klugman and Tony Randall serve up an advanced course in personal chemistry in the auspicious first season of The Odd Couple, which would only get better as the veteran character actors made themselves at home in their signature roles and the series switched from a laugh track to a live audience. In these initial episodes, The Odd Couple hews pretty much to the voice and spirit of Neil Simon's play about mismatched roommates: sloppy sportswriter Oscar Madison and "miserable, picky, irritating" photographer Felix Unger ("That was the point," says series executive producer and writer Garry Marshall, who provides lively audio introductions for each episode and commentary for the pilot). Playing pivotal roles this first season are Felix and Oscar's poker buddies (including Murray the cop, played by Al Molinaro), the fabulous Pigeon sisters (Monica Evans and Carole Shelley reprising their Broadway and film roles), and, of course, Neil Hefti's jaunty, jazzy theme, which was introduced in the 1968 film. As with M*A*S*H, the series would establish its own identity and supplant previous incarnations in the public's consciousness (although it was never a ratings smash until being picked up for syndication). This five-disc set compiles all 24 first-season episodes from 1970-71, with substantial DVD extras including four of "Tony and Jack's Favorite Episodes" (including the ones in which Oscar attacks Felix in his sleep, and the duo are paired as contestants on the game show Password), a clip from The Mike Douglas Show (where Randall promotes the series, and somehow ends up challenging Douglas and Pat Boone to a push-up contest, which Boone wins), a reunited Randall and Klugman (his voice a rasp following his throat cancer surgery) in a priceless clip from a 1993 stage performance of The Odd Couple to benefit Randall's National Actors Theatre, Klugman's home videos of a book tour, a clip of him winning his first Emmy Award ("I've never seen this," he says delightedly), audio commentaries, and a gag reel. The Odd Couple is the very model of a classic character-driven comedy. From its dream-team casting to the literate, witty writing, there is nothing odd about why this series remains one of the most beloved in all of TV Land. Highly recommended. (D. Liebenson)