Customer Reviews

Tony and Me: A Story of Friendship, with DVD of "The Odd Couple" out-takes, 1971-75

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The book "Tony and Me: A Story Friendship" is Jack Klugman's loving tribute to his long time co-star and dear friend the late Tony Randall. The book covers the extent of their decades long friendship from their first meeting on the set of a 1950's TV show, to their days on "The Odd Couple", to Mr. Klugman's battle with cancer and ultimately with the passing of Mr. Randall in 2004.

Although the book is not autobiographical Mr. Klugman, nonetheless, does spend the first couple of chapters detailing the path he took to become an actor. If you are a fan of "The Odd Couple" or Jack Klugman these chapters will provide some interesting incite into the man. The author spends the balance of the book recounting various stories and anecdotes of their career together.

The book is short (less than 150 pages) and I was able to read it in a single sitting. It is an at times a funny and very touching book. I found myself laughing out loud more than once and even getting choked up on a couple of occasions. The love Jack Klugman feels for Tony Randall is palpable as you read through portions of this book.

As a bonus, the book comes with a DVD containing out takes from the "The Odd Couple". This 15 minute DVD, introduced by Jack Klugman, contains some extremely funny out takes from the series. It alone is worth the price of the book.

If you are a fan of "The Odd Couple", or Jack Klugman, or Tony Randall or just of classic TV I highly recommend this book. The investment of time needed to read it is minor compared with the enjoyment you with derive.

The Odd Couple is one of my all-time favorite TV shows (and movies). I knew this book was written by Jack Klugman, and that it came with an outtakes DVD. That alone was enough for me to make my way down to the bookstore and get. What I didn't know, however, was the great details of Jack and Tony's friendship, which extended far beyond The Odd Couple. When Jack Klugman had surgery for throat cancer, it was Tony Randall who helped him regain his career. When Tony Randall was ill during the last few months of his life, it was Jack Klugman who was right by his side. That is true friendship, and that is the basis of Klugman's book. Then there's the DVD. It is hilarious, and shows a side of Oscar and Felix you never saw in the series itself. Although The Odd Couple series is not officially out on DVD yet, I have the complete blue VHS set issued by Columbia House in the 1990s. This DVD is a great compliment to those tapes. This is the absolute best book I've ever taken the time to read. Any fan of The Odd Couple or Tony Randall will love it too.

Jack Klugman. Tony Randall. Those are two names known to anyone over 35, and to plenty of people younger, thanks to the legendary TV series, "The Odd Couple." Fewer of us know about their extended career acting on stage before and long after the series. In between those years, a complex relationship was built that did not follow the Hollywood style.

"Tony And Me: A Story of Friendship" gives Jack Klugman's point of view on how they interacted and grew closer. Beginning before anyone heard of them, and ending with Tony's death in May 2004, it developed a richness that I envy.

Klugman self-published "Tony and Me," knowing that more profit would be made available for Randall's beloved National Actors Theater. The fact that Klugman did not rely on a bevy of editors and marketers shape what he said created a personal voice that avoids patting himself on the back and indulging in name-dropping. Instead, he comes across conversational and friendly.

Klugman explains how he and Randall saw life differently, not too dissimilarly as Oscar and Felix, but that it was their common love and training in theater that connected them.

He never delves into kiss and tell, sparing us from any lurid gossip that may have surrounded either in the heyday. Like a eulogy, he tells fond stories of the two of them together, and, most of all, why Randall mattered in his life.

One significant story Klugman tells is about his throat cancer, and subsequent surgery that dealt a blow to his voice. Randall was the one who encouraged him most to return to theater. Without a decent voice, this would be impossible, but Randall let Klugman know he would help him get back on stage if he wanted to try. Klugman tried, and they eventually starred together in "The Sunshine Boys" in the National Actors Theater. More than a professional victory, this personal triumph humbled Klugman in a new way. He realized the formation of a solid friendship, that after 30-some years of working together, they were more than a team.

Jack Klugman does not gush, or gab. A short book, it focuses on friendship more than the events that surrounded them. At the book's end, he admonishes readers to set aside grudges and to realize that friendship and the bond it creates is bigger than pride.

The "Odd Couple" outtakes DVD is a collection of goof ups from the series. Klugman adds to his book with this, giving the reader an immediate reminder of what put both of them on the map, and the kind of connection they had in the in-between times.

I fully recommend "Tony and Me: A Story of Friendship" by Jack Klugman.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com

This slim volume speaks in a voice much louder than Jack Klugman has been able to muster in recent years.

Klugman, whose portrayal of the sloppy everyman, Oscar Madison, was the perfect compliment to Tony Randall's fussbudget Felix Unger, writes a moving ode to his pal in TONY AND ME, a simple and extremely warm memoir. Giving only the briefest of youthful self-reference, Klugman's sole purpose is to let the reader and fans of "The Odd Couple" realize what a mensch Randall was.

Despite being an actor of some renown before and after the syndicated favorite, Klugman would rather tout the virtues of Randall and a supportive and multi-dimensional friend than toot his own horn.

After some initial stumbles in working on "The Odd Couple," Randall and Klugman developed a relationship of mutual respect and affection rare in the world these days, let alone the entertainment industry. After the show was canceled, they maintained their friendship and worked together often. When Klugman developed throat cancer, Randall was there with words of encouragement to a remarkable degree, even going so far as to help Klugman return to the profession, casting him in numerous productions at his National Actors Theatre.

When the tables were turned, and Randall became ill, Klugman was similarly there for his ailing partner.

Klugman, who teamed up with Burton Rocks, co-writer of the bestselling MY DAD AND ME (the autobiography of former New York Yankees player Paul O'Neill) probably could have sold his story to any major house but preferred to self-publish because, as he writes, "I needed to be sure it was done right...I instinctively didn't like the idea of handing [the book] to someone I didn't know."

The only questionable aspect of TONY AND ME --- and it is a minor one --- is the use of a "Q and A" format interview with Heather Randall, Tony's widow; after the warm narrative, it just seems jarring to come across the transcript style. (The book ends with a similar "interview with Jack Klugman." Was this really necessary since, after all, Klugman did write the manuscript?)

In an era when celebrity relationships can be as fleeting and phony as the roles they play, TONY AND ME is an unashamedly open "thank you" note from one friend to another.


--- Reviewed by Ron Kaplan

Bravo Jack!! Bravo!! A most fitting tribute borne out of an almost lifelong friendship between two men that was pure, honest, and totally lacking in pretension.

I am sure that many of us are in friendships that have witnessed incredible moments of profound glory and profound sadness. Moments that either made or broke the bond that the years have witnessed. For the ones that have survived the hardest of times, this book is the spoken word of how that type of the friendship prevailed and how the energy between people can weather the conflict. There is no confusion on Mr. Klugman's feelings for Mr. Randall; it isn't a book that serves any other purpose other than to praise Tony Randall and talk about his deep admiration for him and their friendship.

Jack Klugman is the epitome of the Oscars of the world and therefore Mr. Randall was the Felix. Two people were never better suited for their roles in real life and in reel life; they were born for "The Odd Couple" and for each other. It is an incredible story of how they were chosen for the roles despite who was initially scoped out; that they were selected is as Felix once said, "la forza dell destino!"(the power of destiny).

Mr. Klugman gives you insight into how these two legends arrived in the world of stage and screen and TV. That's where I felt cheated because I wanted more; I wanted more and more and more of any detail that he could give. More stories of the times that were swirling during their up and coming experiences and what it felt like to be there. I wanted more details of their show and the minutia of what it was like to be in the writers rooms; stories of the guest stars and directors and producers of the show and all the problems and frustrations that they faced. What was it like to work with so many personalities? Howard Cosell? Jack Soo? Bille Jean King? The list goes on of all the greats that were guests on their show.

I grew up on this show, as did many of my generation, and we loved it. I remember the show getting switched all the time to different times and nights but somehow I always found it. I loved a little of Felix and a little of Oscar but I loved both of them alot.

The things that we didn't know about Jack and Tony were wonderful tidbits that Mr. Klugman gives you such as their aggravating habits that irritated the other. Tony's bawdy humor (as an aside, prepare yourself for the story of Tony Randall and the theater story of "The Odd Couple" and toilet paper!). Read about Jack's continuous struggle with the throat cancer that changed his feelings about alot of things in life and how it brought him and Tony even closer than before. Tony's desire to start a theater company that rivaled all others. You come away wishing for more, but very glad to have gotten to know this much.

The book has a lovely introduction by Garry Marshall and a foreward by Jack's son; there is also an interview with Mr. Randalls second wife Heather, who is a very kind a gracious woman. The show made history for us. A classic was created and a whole new generation of people are finding this out. The best part of this book is that included is a DVD that has some of the outtakes from the series. Talk about funny!! How many times have I seen an episode and wondered how they filmed it without breaking up.............they did.....many times. What we saw was the end result, but what a hilarious ride while trying to get there!! You will just love it and you'll come away wanting so much more!! I hope that the heads of ABC or Paramount Studio's get their minds moving and produce DVDs for us to purchase, with ALL the scenes and footage. We are patiently waiting.........and waiting...........and waiting.

This is a short read which you can finish in about 2-3 hours. And with the DVD, it will wrap it all up for you. I guarantee that you will be wanting the series DVDs after this, and maybe think about sending a little letter to encourage those folks at the studios to hurry it up. Enjoy it all, courtesy of Mr. Klugman!!

Any long time fan of the Odd Couple TV series or Klugman's work will appreciate this wonderful account of Jack's friendship with the late, great Tony Randall. Affectionate and heartwarming, this book is a fast read that tells of their friendship and work relationship that spanned decades. Best of all, the DVD included in the book is worth the price of admission alone. Hilarious outtakes. If Paramount never gets off it's lazy behind to issue the Odd Couple TV series in its full, unedited, originally aired form, then these outtakes might be the only DVD we get! Jack champions Tony's National Theater cause and it is a rousing endorsement for Tony's hard work and dedication to the art and craft. A definite MUST BUY.

Jack Klugman really captures the special relationship that he and Tony Randall developed that resulted in some of the most memorable epsiodes in TV history. The book is a short -one sitting read with great photos of both men at different stages of their careers. The bonus is the DVD of outtakes from the series that is very amusing and makes one long for the series itself to be released on DVD. For any fan of the show this book is a must and would make a great gift for the Odd Couple addict in your life.

Reading this book by Jack Klugman, you could almost see it written by Tony Randall. Far more vulnerable and sensitive that you would expect from the characterization we see of his public persona.

The book was very insightful and surprising on the complexity of these two individuals and the relationship they developed over the years. I was duly impressed.

He sums it up quite well at the end of the book:

"If you're like I was, or you're someone who likes to hold a grudge, or you've never really let someone know what they mean to you because you're afraid, ask yourself this question: what are you really protecting? If you look, you'll see it: nothing. Absolutely nothing. Just phantoms from old wounds that never healed. Give them up and join the people in your life who love you. Risk it all. For me, it was the best gamble I ever made."

In this, though the book is easy and quick to read, it is an epic in personal growth as well as a tribute to the effect those we let in our lives have on us.

This is a very sweet book. And I don't mean that in an overly sentimental or mushy way. This comes across as a very honest and sincere book that's also very touching and funny. The nice thing about it when you open any page you hear Jack Klugman's real voice and you feel it's just him telling you the true story of him and Tony. There's no baloney. It's also very funny and has the ring of truth to it on every page. It just has the feel of life and you know that when you read it. I went to a bookstore recently and grabbed five or six showbiz books that interested me and I could tell this was far and away the best even though the others had many more pages. They felt "written" and full of filler that was of really little interest. This one felt real. So don't let the fewer pages scare ya off, or the price (you'll probably get it at a discount anyway). This is the one you'll come back to and grab anytime and read over and over again. I remember a couple little Tony stories that Jack didn't put in the book. On a talk show about a year after the series ended the host asked Tony if he missed doing the show. Tony just sorta offhandedly dismissed that idea and chuckled at his own sincerity and feelings and said "I miss Jack!". And on a Dean Martin Roast for Jack I remember Tony being the last one called up to roast him and couldn't do it. He got up and just chuckled at it all and his own ability not to do the same to his buddy. He couldn't help but be sincere and said "I don't like all the jokes about you being a bad actor. You're a WHALE of an actor." And Jack just beamed very humbily and was clearly touched. And that's the appeal of this book. It's small but it's still a whale of a book. So...thanks, Jack. And Tony too.

When you meet someone larger than life, you hope the public icon bears some resemblence to the private man. Jack Klugman is the icon you can get to know. Reading his book is like hearing him speak--straightforward, spare and genuine. It seems like a rare thing these days, but then Jack is a champion veteran of a bona fide golden age of acting and a horrific bout with throat cancer. His words about Tony are moving as only a best friend's can be. Jack is as tough and loveable as ever. He's lost none of the wit, strength and courage that made him famous and kept him alive. It's a good read about a man who feels like an old friend.