The Odd Couple Season 3 DVD Review
Posted by Ryan Byers on 01.31.2008
On November 13, Felix Unger was asked to remove himself from his place of residence. Thirty-five years later, I'm still laughing at the poor guy's misery.
Though it was never really a popular success, the Neil Simon-inspired Odd Couple was riding a wave of critical acclaim in to its third season, as Jack Klugman had already picked up an Emmy for his work as slovenly sportswriter Oscar Madison and the show itself had already grabbed a nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series. (Klugman's co-star Tony Randall would go on to win an Emmy of his own for his portrayal of obsessive-compulsive photographer Felix Unger.) Though the show's first-run Nielsen numbers were poor, the opinions of critics and higher than average ratings for the series' summer reruns would result in a last-minute renewal. The show obviously had a lot to live up to as new episodes began to air in the fall of 1972, both because of its past awards success and because another barely watched season could result in a permanent cancellation. History has already told us how the Nielsen numbers came back, and there's not much we can do to change that. However, CBS DVD has allowed us to take another critical look at the third season by releasing it on DVD. Let's do that now.
Gloria, Hallelujah: The season starts off with a bang, as Oscar is convinced to try out a computer dating service. Hilarity ensues when the woman with whom the CPU pairs him up turns out to by Felix's ex-wife Gloria. The situation is made even more uncomfortable by the fact that Oscar's first date with the mystery woman is a double with Felix, who proceeds to act incredibly possessive of his former lady. Eventually he goes on a campaign to prove that he's NOT jealous, which of course winds up being more obnoxious than his original jealousy was. At the end of the day, Gloria and Oscar decided that it's best if they don't continue dating, though they do manage to have a little fun at Mr. Unger's expense first. After seeing a variation on this same story in a recent review of Love, American Style, I'm beginning to wonder if there's a 70's TV show which didn't feature a computer dating episode.
Big Mouth: Legendary sportscaster Howard Cosell guest stars as himself. He's involved in a photo shoot with Felix, but that falls apart when Oscar visits the studio. Apparently Cosell and Madison have been long-time rivals, and Oscar's presence annoys Howard to the point that he walks out on Felix's project. The rest of the plot focuses on Oscar's efforts to apologize to Cosell, which he agrees to do since the cancelled project had major implications for Felix's career. The culmination of the whole plot, which sees Cosell attempting to embarrass Oscar on national television, only for Felix to make the save, was hilarious and perhaps one of the top moments in the history of the series.
The Princess: Oscar again gets himself in to trouble during a visit to Felix's studio, this time making some less than appropriate comments to a woman who turns out to be a legitimate princess. His attempts to apologize to her (an early theme in this season, apparently) but learns that no apology is necessary. The royal takes quite the liking to the sportswriter, and, by the end of the episode, Oscar proposes. Of course, he gets a lesson in the political pressures of who a princess can and cannot marry, and that's the end of things. This episode was a bit too saccharine sweet for my tastes, but the subplot featuring the princess' less than desirable handler falling for Felix had its moments.
The Pen is Mightier Than the Pencil: After not liking the context in to which one of his photographs is placed, Felix decides that he's going to write all of his own copy from here on out. He enrolls in a night school writing course to further this goal, though Oscar suspects that the classes may not be on the up and up. Things get even worse when the con man running the outfit manages to convince Felix that he is a master poet, a move that has Unger keeping his poor roommate up all night with idiotic rhymes. Fortunately Oscar manages to prove to Felix that he's not all that great by pointing out the purpose for which his first poem was sold: the epitaph on a small dog's tombstone.
The Odd Monks: The concept of this episode is a bit bizarre, but it winds up being entertaining nonetheless. Both Oscar and Felix are stressed at work, so they decide to spend a week recuperating at a monastery. I had no clue that monasteries allowed people to do this. Oscar quickly tires of what is supposed to be his vacation, so he tempts the other monks-for-a-week in to a dice game. The roommates are busted and have to serve penance by baking the morning bread in silence. Needless to say, they fail, though they grow closer in the process. This episode was stolen by the supporting actors who were cast as other men in the monastery. I have no clue whether they would've been any good in other roles, but they were all hilarious in the bit parts that they played here.
I'm Dying of Unger: Oscar deals with severe writer's block when attempting to put pen to paper on his first novel. He decides to give up on the project, but Felix will have none of it and goes behind the sportswriter's back to get him an extension on his original deadline. Even that doesn't help Mr. Madison through the writing process, so it's time for a trip up to a secluded cabin owned by our heroes' pal Murray the Cop (Al Molinaro). Felix proceeds to drive Oscar crazy, but that also provides the inspiration he needs to write the entire novel in less than a day, so things managed to work out in the end. Felix's bouts with the wildlife that he repeatedly attempts to "help" made the episode.
The Odd Couples: Oscar's mother visits New York, leaving our titular couple with a bit of a problem. The woman is staunchly opposed to divorce, meaning that Oscar never told her about the end of his marriage . . . nor did he tell her about Felix and Gloria splitting up. As such, the two former couples are reunited for a one night only ruse intended to spare the older woman's feelings. As you would imagine, it comes out in the end that Mrs. Madison is fine with the splits. The reunion of Felix and Gloria was an interesting one to watch, because it pretty clearly highlighted why she got fed up with him and asked him to leave. Normally I'd consider it a bad idea to make one of your lead characters look like such a schmuck, but Tony Randall manages to craft Felix in such a way that you still feel for the guy despite the fact that he brings most of his problems on himself.
Felix's First Commercial: The title says it all. Felix has an opportunity to direct a commercial so long as he can obtain the services of a particular football player. (And I have no clue what's going on in the NFL now, let alone in the 1970's . . . so you're on your own when it comes to figuring out whether the footballer seen here is a legit player making a guest appearance or an actor.) Felix attempts to use Oscar's connections in the sports world to get the player on board, but the catch is that Madison wants to be in the ad himself as compensation for his services. Sadly, Oscar can't act . . . but, of all people, the football player manages to fix that little problem.
The First Baby: We're treated to a flashback here, as Oscar tells the story of Felix being banned from a particular hospital after the birth of his first child. Both men were still married at the time that his incident took place, and the addition of the actresses who played their wives to the cast was a nice way to give the episode a different dynamic. It was a nice change of pace for the show, preventing the usual Randall/Klugman episodes from feeling too routine.
Oscar's Birthday: Oscar's birthday is approaching, and, in true Felix fashion, Mr. Unger tries to put together a surprise birthday party despite repeated protests by the potential guest of honor. He organizes a group of friends and well-wishers to put together the bash, which allows some of the bit players on the show to shine, particularly Al Molinaro as the aforementioned Murray the Cop and Penny Marshall as Oscar's secretary Myrna. The party itself is home to several more one-off characters who were just as great as those in "The Odd Monks." I'm beginning to gain a deep respect for whoever did the casting in this series.
Password: Speaking of casting, here come more guest stars! Betty White and Allen Ludden, who were at the time fixtures on a television game show known as Password, appear as themselves. They run in to Felix and Oscar at a restaurant, and Oscar just happens to be Ludden's favorite sportswriter. This leads to an invitation to appear on the show, which just happens to be one of Felix's favorites. Hmmm . . . we've got a lot of coincidences lining up here, don't we? The oddly high number of coincidences in the plot is well worth the payoff, though, as Unger and Madison attempting to gel as a team on a nationally televised game show made for a couple of great television moments.
The Odd Father: Fine, fine pun in the title. Felix is having difficulty relating to his preteen daughter Edna, as all she wants to do is watch television instead of spending time with her dear old dad. This results in Felix taking her to watch him work, several years before that sort of behavior received its own pseudo-holiday. The portrait that Mr. Unger is shooting on this particular day winds up being of a family of little people, a subject that he dances around until exclaiming "Say midget!" when he finally attempts to take the shot. Ultimately, Edna begins bonding more with Oscar than she does Felix . . . but Madison is able to convince the girl that she's lucky to have a father that loves her, and we get a heartwarming conclusion to the episode.
Don't Believe in Roomers: This is a bit of an unusual episode. Oscar runs in to a young woman at a diner and learns that she's in New York with no money and no place to say. He decides to take her in, and, before long, both members of the Odd Couple are vying for her affections. At the end of the day, she blows off dates with both of them and decides to move along her way, explaining that she is essentially a drifter who travels from city to city relying on the kindness of strangers. I have absolutely no clue where the plot for this one came from. Perhaps in the 1970's there was a fad in which attractive young women decided to take to the streets and live by their wits. If so, I completely missed out on it.
Sometimes a Great Ocean: Oscar continues to have problems with his ulcer and repeatedly ignores doctors' orders that would allow him to heal, so Felix books he and his roommate on what should be a relaxing cruise. It should be a relaxing cruise because all of the other passengers are senior citizens. Madison wants nothing to do with the old folks at first, but he begins to bond with them when Felix becomes the ship's activities director and proceeds to drive everybody insane as only he can do.
I Gotta Be Me: Oscar and Felix's bickering drives their friends away from a big dinner party, and they realize that they'll have nobody else left in their lives unless they can patch up their relationship. This results in a trip to group therapy for both men, where they also create a scene. Ultimately, the therapist suggests that they resort of "role reversal" in order to solve their problems. Felix must act like Oscar and Oscar must act like Felix. It's the sort of plot that a show like this almost had to do at some point, and fortunately it wound up being awesome. Holding off on it to the third season was a fine idea, as, by this point, each character had developed several unique idiosyncracies that could be played off of by the actors.
The Ides of April: It's tax season, and Oscar and Felix's returns match up with the rest of their lifestyles. One is organized to the point of insanity, and one is barely legible. Oddly enough, it's Felix that gets audited, though he decides that, if he's going down, he's taking Oscar with him. I have to say that this episode didn't do much for me.
Myrna's Debut: In this episode, we learn of Myrna's past as a tap dancer, during which she apparently had a notorious performance during halftime of a college football game. She's also decided to get back in to dancing, and that decision is wreaking havoc on the work that she does for Oscar. (Not that it was ever particularly good.) Felix appoints himself to be her agent, and he repeatedly fails to book her somewhere until Oscar gets an opportunity to host a local sports television show. Felix manages to con his roommate in to giving the secretary some time on the show, but, when the taping takes place, another segment runs long and threatens to bump Myrna. Felix, being Felix, has her burst on to the stage and disrupt the show with her routine. The payoff to the twenty minutes of build throughout the episode was the expression on Penny Marshall's face as she was doing the dance, and it was BRILLIANT.
The Hustler: Felix's opera club holds a casino night as a fundraiser, but they lose their shirts when Oscar's gambling buddies show up. This results in our sportswriter friend going on a mission to regain the club's money, which he has the opportunity to do in an episode-closing pool game. Though he's not much of a pool player, it's actually Felix's presence that allows Oscar to take home the victory and the money, as he nags the opposing player about his smoking habit to the point that he can't focus on the rest of the match.
My Strife in Court: Oscar scores tickets to a big Broadway musical but fails to score a date, which means that he has an extra seat when he and Felix attend the show. An innocent attempt to give the ticket away results in both of the boys being picked up on scalping charges. Instead of simply paying the fine associated with the crime, Felix decides that both of them need to fight it in court. Believe it or not, he actually does a good job of getting the duo off the hook . . . for the first five minutes of the hearing. After that, he proceeds to annoy the judge to the nth degree. This sort of thing happens all the time in television sitcoms which feature a "court" episode, but, at least this time around, the judge actually bothered to use the one power that he has in such situations: holding Oscar and Felix in contempt.
Let's Make a Deal: Oscar is apparently a very well-connected man. In addition to having a rivalry with Howard Cosell and being a favorite of Allen Ludden, he went to college with game show host Monty Hall. Who knew that New York sportswriters got around so much? Anyway, this episode features Oscar burning a massive hole in Felix's bed and his subsequent efforts to get Unger on to Hall's Let's Make a Deal so that he can win a new bedroom set. Comments about the probability of these two men appearing on two high profile game shows within such a short period of time aside, this wasn't a terrible episode. There's a certain appeal to seeing two fictional characters that you know well inserted in to a situation that is as familiar as the characters but, at the same time, one in which you would not normally expect to see them. That's exactly what we got here.
The Odyssey Couple: Oscar's mother puts in another appearance, and this time her baby boy is concerned because he doesn't have a date with which to impress mommy dearest. This results in him meeting up with a Greek (hence the episode title) family who has a single daughter. Hilarity abounds when it turns out that she's actually a belly dancer, a fact not realized by either member of the Odd Couple until they've brought Mrs. Madison out to dinner at the Greeks' family-owned restaurant. Fortunately, momma is rather accepting of the young woman's career choice. I frankly had no clue that there was a Greek form of belly dancing until I watched this episode. Between this and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. teaching me about Welsh rarebit, these reviews have turned out to be far more educational than I ever thought that they would be.
Take My Furniture, Please: This may be the season's crowning achievement. After repainting the apartment, Felix buys a set of new age furniture, which includes a pair of hand-shaped chairs, another seat which looks like a piece of exercise equipment, a virtually unreadable clock, and a desk that looks like it came out of a third grade classroom. After this gets revealed to Oscar, we receive roughly ten straight minutes of FABULOUS understated flipping out and sarcastic barbs about the new decor, all brilliantly delivered by Klugman and brilliantly reacted to by Randall. Young comedic actors need to take note of this one.
The Murray Who Came to Dinner: After some of his undercover work is misconstrued as an affair, Murray the Cop's wife kicks him out of the house. This sends him straight in to Oscar and Felix's waiting apartment, and the two men who are usually at odds now have themselves a common enemy. I like Al Molinaro as a perfromer, and I like the Murray character in short spurts, but the actor wears thin after several minutes. As a result, this was a rather lackluster way to wrap up an otherwise solid season.
The 411: Purely in terms of writing and acting, The Odd Couple has to be one of the top five sitcoms of the 1970's. Tony Randall and Jack Klugman are both rightly remembered for their excellent performances as Felix and Oscar, though they don't receive nearly enough credit for their contributions to the show on the creative end, which were reportedly numerous. Also not receiving nearly enough credit are the show's bit players, both semi-regulars like Al Molinaro and Penny Marshall and individuals who may have only had thirty seconds of screen time in their roles. It was clear that much effort was put in to making sure that the perfect actor was selected for each of these spots, and, as a result, they're able to provide the perfect compliments to the dominant performances of Klugman and Randall. If you're a fan of the sitcom genre and have somehow gotten through all of these years without seeing The Odd Couple, particularly the third season, you're doing yourself a disservice. Go out and buy these DVDs now.
