1049 Park Avenue: An Odd Couple Podcast

In this episode our subjects are: 1) The 1993 reunion movie featuring Jack and Tony.  We cover the behind-the-scenes talent that was and was not involved with the project; who was and was not in front of the camera; the quality of the writing (or lack of it); and how it performed in the ratings. 2) The 2015-2017 CBS reboot starring Matthew Perry and Thomas Lennon.  Topics include how this fits int...

We start the episode intending to discuss both the 1982/83 New Odd Couple (“NOC”) AND the 1993 Odd Couple reunion TV-movie but end up speaking so long about New Odd Couple we decide on the fly to hold the movie for another episode.  Before we start I surprise Garrett with an item I bought on eBay – the full PDF can be seen here  Odd Couple Program Regarding NOC we 1) provide our overall opinion on...

This week we delve into the world of The Odd Couple centering around the plays and the movies, some of which were made before the TV show and some of which came after.  We discuss the origins of the play and how that turned into the movie; our thoughts on the film; the updated versions of the play that Neil Simon wrote later in his career and the unnecessary film sequel. We play dialogue from the...

This week Ted and Garrett stop talking so much and let two other Odd Couple fans discuss the show with them.  First up: James Bradley discusses his love of S1 and explains why there is a group of fans who enjoy it passionately.  Second is Lee Spilberg who has helped the podcast with lots of information especially regarding all of the music cuts.  These are two separate interviews.  

This week, Ted and Garrett  hand out The Murray Awards for various "best of" categories regarding The Odd Couple.  Examples include - Best Use Of Honking, Best Scene Where Felix Gets Mad at Oscar (and vice verse), Best Performance by a Male Celebrity Playing Themself, and many others. Yes, we could have just called it "The Oscars", but we have been using Murray as a metric since early on the podca...

With the episode by episode recap now over we look back and discuss our most and least favorite episodes by season and of the series overall.  We focus on S2-S5 but do have some discussion of S1.   

Felix and Gloria get back together in the series finale “Felix Remarries”.  In our discussion we cover 1) some new info our listeners provided to fill in the gaps on our prior episode about Laugh Clown Laugh, 2) the return of Janis Hansen / Doney Oatman / Leif Garrett 3) the multiple classic lines in the episode – some of which came from the play/movie 4) goop mélange 5) who is and who is not at t...

Felix has a feud with Oscar’s latest TV show co-host Richard Dawson in the series’ penultimate episode Laugh Clown Laugh.  We cover 1) Dawson’s career and how he came to appear on this episode 2) the resume of guest star magician Mark Wilson, the quality of his on-air tricks and the way he comes out onto the show 3) the mystery of who wrote this episode 4) Felix’s history in WWII 5) the multiple f...

Felix feels old after finding out his high school sweetheart is a grandmother, and drags Oscar into his misery, in S5E20 “Old Flames Never Die”.  We discuss 1) the production order of this episode 2) the implications of this storyline on how old Felix and Oscar are; 3) the second appearance of Oscar’s “new” secretary Tina; 4) the numerous guest stars including the return of some old favorites; 5)...

Roy Clark guest stars on an episode named after him in S5E19 “The Roy Clark Show”.  We discuss the many songs and pieces of music in this episode; Clark’s resume and his time on Hee Haw; the return of John Wheeler a Mr. Felscher; guest star Albert Paulsen; edits on the version airing on Decades TV; our observations of ad-libs and laugh tracks in the episode.

Oscar and Felix both lose their voice in “Two Men On A Hoarse” - S5E18. We discuss 1) guest star Dick Cavett 2) Jack Klugman’s real appearance on The Dick Cavett Show and discussion of his real-life throat issues, 3) guest star Phil Foster,  4) The return of guest actors Louis Guss, Filip Field, and Joshua Shelley, 5) a mention of The Odd Couple on the new Paramount+ series The Offer 6) Laurence O...

Felix organizes a rent strike against 1049 Park Avenue after its new manager fails to keep up the building in S5E17 “The Rent Strike”.  Topics covered include 1) The Library of Congress receiving Neil Simon’s archives 2) Jerry Lewis' failed talk shows 3) guest star Victor Buono 4) the potential tie-in of his character’s name and The Wild Wild West 5) guest star Rodney Allen Rippy and his Jack In T...

Oscar and Felix use inside source Harry Tallman, a horse exercise rider, to make a lot of money at the track in “Felix The Horse Player”, S5E16. Topics discussed include 1) guest player Jerry Maren, 2) the two entrances of the San Remo which stands in for 1049 Park Avenue, 3) the many uses of the Press Box restaurant exterior, 4) guest star Fritz Feld and his “popping” noise, 5) the return of OC g...

Howard Cosell and opera singer Martina Arroyo co-star in the infamous “Your Mother Wears Army Boots”, S5E15.  We discuss and/or debate: 1) Other appearances of TV show creators on their own shows in reference to last week’s Neil Simon appearance 2) how this episode came together 3) when it was filmed 4) similarities to the prior Cosell episode 5) Arroyo’s background 6) guest star Jack Carter 7) gu...

Oscar uses Felix to write off-Broadway theater reviews in S5E14 “Two on the Aisle”. We dive into such details as 1) Neil Simon’s cameo 2) the appearance of real-life theater critics John Simon, Dan Sullivan and Joan Crosby, 3) appearance of real-life TV host John Barbour, 4) the theater critic George Jean Nathan, 5) the playwright Jean Anouilh 6) the apartment bathroom, 7) Felix’s dates, 8) an app...

Oscar wears a fat suit for a TV commercial Felix is directing in S5E13 “The Bigger They Are”.  We discuss 1) The silliness of the plot and all the holes it brings including the fraud being committed  2) whether or not the opening shot is of the Plaza hotel 3) the return of John Byner 4) the return of other guest actors Peter Hobbs and Cliff Emmich 4) the bizarre fake ads shown at the end of the ep...

Oscar dates a widower with two kids in S5E12 “Oscar In Love”.  The many topics we discuss include 1) episode writer Carl Gottlieb 2) guest star Dina Merrill, 3) I Love Lucy on Paramount+, 4) the child actors who play the kids 5) words we learned from TV shows 6) the current state of RKO pictures, 7) the magic tricks depicted and how Tony Randall “milks” a joke using an illogical gesture, 8) How lo...

Felix meddles in Oscar’s radio show in S5E11 “The Big Broadcast”.  Topics discussed include:  1) Tony Randall and writer Frank Buxton’s enthusiasm for old-time radio, 2) Dick Butkus’ wedding 3) How audiences of the 1970s remember entertainment from the 1920s-1930s. 4) Angry radio in the 1970s and host Bob Grant 5) How S5 of The Odd Couple was aired out of production order and how that impacts the...

Felix tells the story of how Oscar’s father tried to kill Felix’s father via a flashback to the 1920s in S5E10 “Our Fathers”.  We cover 1) the exact year of the episode 2) the character timelines and inconsistencies that occur and the ones that don’t 3) the way the 1920s/1930s setting is established 3) the connections to The Untouchables 4) the career of guest star Elijah Cook Jr. 5) Garrett’s imp...

Edna runs away from home to follow Paul Williams and Felix and Oscar go after her in S5E9 “The Paul Williams Story”.  Topic covered include 1) the career of guest star Paul Williams, 2) the fact that this episode was originally written for John Denver, 3) an Odd Couple reference in the current season of Billions, 4) the illogic in the episode’s plot, 5) the very funny bit when Felix reads Edna’s n...

Felix and Oscar get trapped on a stuck subway car in S5E8 “The Subway Story”.  We go off on multiple tangents such as 1) catching up on the homework we had regarding some scenes from the prior episode ‘The Odd Candidate’, 2) Jack Klugman’s pre Odd Couple sitcom Harris Against The World, 3) New York crime in the 1960s and 1970s and a brief history of the NYC subway system, 4) the guest stars includ...

Oscar runs for NYC Council in “The Odd Candidate.”   We dive into such minutiae as 1) The many street scenes filmed in NYC, 2) the unusual angle of the kitchen that is shown which brings up issues of weirdly-placed shelving units, absence of 4th walls and a mysterious set of keys 3) 1970s local TV horror hosts 4) what footage is being used for The Mysterious Planet Debbie, 5) smoking cigarette bil...

Oscar owes $500 and tricks Felix into using his band into playing at a charity barn dance as payment in S5E6 “Strike Up The Band Or Else”. Topics covered include: 1) the horrendous musical cuts on the DVD featuring Cocktails For Two, while the Hulu version preserves the scenes with this song 2) the career of guest star Pernell Roberts, 3) the return of Felix’s band now called the Sophisticados 4)...

Felix kidnaps a famous acting dog after witnessing poor treatment during a photo shoot in S5E5 The Dog Story.  We discuss among other topics: 1) the return of guest star John Fiedler 2) Odd Couple writer Bill Idelson who plays the judge, replacing Curt Conway, 3) the many Sanford and Son spin-offs which ties into the episode’s writers 4) how much the studio audience loves the episode, 5) the appea...

Felix and Oscar go to Hollywood for Oscar’s cameo in a sports movie but Felix poses as his agent to help get him more screen time and money in S5E4 "The Hollywood Story”.  Topics covered include 1) the many plot similarities to I Love Lucy 2) the career and scandals of guest star George Montgomery 3) Bob Hope’s appearance 4) the return of Leonard Barr and Allan Arbus 5) the authentic location shoo...