Customer Reviews

The Odd Couple - The First Season

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"On November 13th, Felix Unger was asked to remove himself from his place of residence. That request came from his wife. Deep down he knew she was right, but he also knew that someday he would return to her. With nowhere else to go, he appeared at the home of his childhood friend Oscar Madison. Some time earlier, Madison's wife had thrown him out, requesting that he never return. Can two divorced men share an apartment without driving each other crazy?"

That question, delivered in a hilarious monotone by veteran narrator William Woodson ("Battle of the Planets"), would scratch at the minds of Odd Couple viewers for 5 seasons (1970-1975). Starring Tony Randall as fastidious photographer Felix Unger and Jack Klugman as sloppy sportswriter Oscar Madison, "The Odd Couple" (based on Neil Simon's play and the 1968 film) was a humorous yet brilliant character study of one of television's greatest comedy duos. The beauty of the show is in the simplicity of the premise which practically begs the question: Are you (the viewer) a Felix or an Oscar?

The show's supporting cast includes Monica Evans & Carole Shelley (reprising their 1968 film roles) as daffy neighbors Cecily & Gwendolyn Pidgeon; Joan Hotchkis as Dr. Nancy Cunningham, Oscar's first female friend; Garry Walberg, Ryan MacDonald, Larry Gelman, and Al ("Happy Days") Molinaro as poker pals Speed, Roy, Vinnie, and Murray the cop. Look for Penny ("Laverne & Shirley") Marshall later on as Oscar's secretary Myrna Turner.

The Odd Couple - The First Season is a 5-disc set featuring all 24 episodes in Full Frame (1.33:1) video and English mono, plus the following Special Features: audio intros on each episode by producer Garry Marshall, cast and crew commentary on select episodes, original network promos, Emmy Award acceptance footage, cast talk show appearances, Tony Randall and Jack Klugman on stage in "The Odd Couple" in 1993 and more! Here are how the discs will be configured:

Disc One:
"The Laundry Orgy"
"The Fight of the Felix"
"Felix Gets Sick"
"The Jury Story"
"The Breakup"
"Oscar's Ulcer"

Disc Two:
"I Do, I Don't"
"Oscar The Model"
"The Big Brothers"
"It's All Over Now, Baby Bird"
"Felix Is Missing"
"Scrooge Gets An Oscar"

Disc Three:
"The Blackout"
"They Use Horseradish, Don't They?"
"The Hideaway"
"Lovers Don't Make House Calls"
"Engrave Trouble"
"Bunny Is Missing Down By the Lake"

Disc Four:
"You've Come A Long Way, Baby"
"A Taste of Money"
"Oscar's New Life"
"What Makes Felix Run"
"What Does A Naked Lady Say To You?"
"Trapped"

Disc Five:
(Tony Randall and Jack Klugman's all-time favorite episodes)
"Sleepwalker" from Season Two
"Password" from Season Three
"Last Tango in Newark" from Season Four
"The New Car" from Season Four

Highly Recommended!

It's should'nt surprize me that Paramount has finally taken an interest in releasing The Odd Couple's first season on dvd, after Time/Life released it back in August and it sold like hotcakes. I suppose they (the idiots in charge of dvd releases) was'nt smart enough to realize that The Odd Couple still has a huge fanbase and people will definately buy the entire series on dvd!!!

Needless to say I already bought the first season release from Time/Life and it was fantastic!!! The episodes were even funnier than I remembered in syndication! This release from Paramount seems pretty similiar to Time/Life's, except for the cover art and perhaps an extra disc of Tony Randall's and Jack Klugman's favorite episodes. The good thing about this release from Paramount is there's good chance The Odd Couple's remaining seasons will see the light of day, and the bad thing is it will be a long wait for season 2!!!

Tony Randal & Jack Klugman take over from Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in the Television version and make this version their own.

This first season of the TV show on DVD has a few extra, each episode has Garry Marshall, creator for Television/Producer and director doing openning intros to each episode. Marshall and Jack Klugman do audio commentary. One would wish Tony Randel was still with us toi do to hear what he says. Also missing is commentary by Penny Marshall, one can hope for season two

What I loved about this set is the odd partner and the chemestry Randall and Klugman have on the screen, it is amazing to watch. This partnership will never come again, but it so great to watch it

There are extras as in audio commentary on assorted episodes, Mike Douglas shows and Emmy win speech from Klugman.

and a 5th disk that is not in the Time Life release with 4 episode which are Randall & Klugman favorites..Password, Sleepwalker, Last Tango in Newark and The New Car

It is worth it? You better believe it

Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD

Well it's about time!!!! And speaking of time, I also picked up season one from Time/Life. It is simply fantastic! I can't wait until the rest of the seasons are available. Jack Klugman and Tony Randall are truly one of the best comedy teams on TV.

Paramount has completely destroyed this series. I was looking forward to sharing this series with my daughters but wind up trying to explain what was missing and why it might have been funny. This is nothing short of criminal and whoever did this at Paramount deserves to be fired. I have never NEVER seen anything like the utter disregard for anything in the arts. It's not just the music. There are definitely other cuts throughout the series. Like I'm pretty sure they cut the line from "I Gotta Be Me" in Season 3 where Oscar (in role reversal as felix) during the wine tasting tells the dinner guests to 'roll it around in your mouth until it tastes like shoe polish. 'What's next, Paramount? Going to strip the Nino Rota score from the Godfather?? You owe fans an apology and you also owe them new uncut DVDs that we paid good money for.

Thoroughly looking forward to this release. I live in the UK and TV stations here seem to avoid classic TV shows like this (and Gilligan's Island; I love Lucy; Green Acres to name a few) like the plague!
A few select episodes where shown here during the 1970's but we never got to see complete season runs.
I tried to purchase the set when Time Life released it but they would not ship to the UK no matter how much I begged.
In fact it really bugs me that so many places in the USA will not ship to the UK despite our supposed close relationship. Thank God for Amazon that I am now allowed to wallow in TV heaven and also introduce my family to classic TV where comedy meant comedy and not a whole script of swearing and sexual innuendos just to get a (cheap)laugh.
I remember the shows very well and often tell my daughter she is like Oscar for her tidyness (she has no idea who he is....but she soon will!).
I would recommend anyone to purchase this season (and any subsequent season when they are released), I don't ever remember a bad show (but then maybe I am biased) and the chemistry between Jack and Tony was magical.
I would like to say that if you only make one purchase this year then this should be the one. However I can't as there are other classic TV shows being released therefore however many DVD's you purchase this year make sure that this is one of them!!
Enjoy your viewing
Paul

I love "The Odd Couple", unfortunately, it's been a long time since I've seen it on TV reruns; hence my purchase of the DVDs. I started with season two, and now I am getting into season one. The two are different in that season one is done in a different apartment and with a laugh track, while season two is with a live audiance. Season one moves a little slower but is still hilarius. The chemistry between Jack Klugman and Tony Randall is perfection. I love these guys. The underlying sadness of the show is quite an interesting ingredient to the humor involved. Although it's only touched upon occasionally in the show, these are two men who are dealing with a terrible thing-namely divorce; and coming to terms with their own faults that led them there. The overt hostility and the deep down affection Felix and Oscar (as well as Tony and Jack) have for each other makes this show really special.

This DVD also comes with wonderful extras from future seasons (Jack Klugman's favorite episodes), and clips from vintage television featuring Odd Couple"-related material. That was a nice surprise!

The material is fantastic and really stands up over time. The shows are so well written and Jack and Tony play their characters brilliantly. If you're a fan of the show (as I am), how can you not buy this DVD (as I did)?

That said, there's something about how this set was gathered together and produced. I'm not the first one to complain about the quality of the sound. For me, though, the biggest disappointment was the poor quality of special features. Gary Marshall opens every episode with a line or two, but they never add anything and really end up being pointless. A personal insight or memory of an episode might have been interesting, but it's nothing like that. There were a couple of shots of Jack and Tony on talk shows just as the Odd Couple was hitting the air which were interesting to see. A blooper reel was fun, but very short. They include a couple of great episodes from later seasons, which is nice, but pointless if you're buying the other seasons as I assume most fans will.

The greatest disappointment were the commentaries. First of all, I think there were available for only 2-3 episodes. And they never added any insight; talk a little about how a storyline came together, or a funny anecdote about what was happening off scene, ANYTHING. I know this is a long time ago and memories grow thin, but there was none of this. They really sounded more like hearing your parents talk about how young everyone looked while watching old family movies. All the extras including the commentaries look like they were slapped together without any thought or effort.

Still, if you're buying this because you love the Odd Couple, you can't go wrong. I think the show was really hitting its stride by season two and there are many better episodes there, but season one is very good, too. Expect nothing in the way of extras and you won't be disappointed.

I guess chanting "Ohwah-Tagu-Sayaam" in front of a malfunctioning air conditioner after eating creamed chipped beef on a donut has paid off..........the Odd Couple is on DVD!

Growing up in NJ this show and the Honeymooners were staples of my young teenage life. Classic comedy before bed. Channel 11 WPIX TV was about all that would come in clearly on my bedroom TV via the lousy rabbit ear antenna. 44 years old now and very happy with this DVD release. Came in the mail today and so far I am extremely happy with this set. FINALLY! The Odd Couple. Cant wait to watch all the shows again. Thanks Paramount! Possibly this is the most under-rated TV series of all-time. I'm guessing it did not get great ratings when it was on ABC in prime time because it did not appeal to women? Don't know? But every guy I know who had access to this series in syndication agrees with me....this show is a comedy classic. I highly recommend it.