The Odd Couple

[danielshooley]

Earlier this week, CBS announced that Matthew Perry will adapt The Odd Couple for TV.

In light of this occasion, yours truly is going to give you an Inside Scoop on the history of The Odd Couple.

The Odd Couple was first conceived by Neil Simon (born on July 4, 1927 in New York City, New York, USA), who based the story on his friend Mel Brooks, whose then-wife had just left him and Mel wound up moving in with childhood friend Speed Vogel before Mel went on to marry actress Ann Bancroft, to whom he was married until her 2005 death of Cancer at age 73 (info courtesy of Mel Brooks biographer James Parrish per his book Its Good to Be the King).

In the months before its Broadway debut, Neil observed Mel & his childhood friend and the way they lived, eventually rechristening them Felix Ungar & Oscar Madison.

The Odd Couple made its Broadway debut on March 10, 1965 and lasted 964 performances until July 2, 1967; soon after the end of its original Broadway run, veteran film director Gene Saks decided to adapt the Broadway show into a feature film, casting Jack Lemmon as Felix Ungar, with Walter Matthau reprising his Broadway role of Oscar Madison. The movie version was released theatrically on May 2, 1968, earning $44 million at the Box Office on a $1.2 million budget.

In September 1969, future Happy Days creator Garry Marshall decided to adapt The Odd Couple for Television, pitching the concept to execs at Paramount Television, which greenlit the TV version; Garry soon afterwards cast Lenny Rosenberg (known professionally as Tony Randall) in the role of Felix Unger (YES, the spelling of his last name was changed for TV) and Jack Klugman as Oscar Madison, two divorced men struggling to get along as roommates without going crazy.

The Odd Couple made its TV debut on Thursday, September 24, 1970 at 9 P.M. ET/PT on the ABC Television Network; after struggling in the ratings, midway through its 1st season, ABC moved The Odd Couple to Friday nights at 9 P.M. ET/PT after Room 222, making the show a huge hit.

In January 1975, after 5 successful seasons & a timeslot change to Thursday nights at 8 P.M. ET/PT, ABC canceled The Odd Couple; in the series finale telecast on March 7, 1975, Felix moved out of Oscars apartment and remarried wife Gloria, a fitting ending to the series.

The following September, ABC ran a Saturday-morning cartoon spin-off for 2 seasons titled The Oddball Couple; in September 1983, ABC, for less than half a season, telecast a short-lived revival titled The New Odd Couple, featuring an all African-American cast.

In late 1995, cable network Nickelodeon acquired the cable rights to The Odd Couple TV series, with the series making its Nickelodeon debut on June 3, 1996 with a week-long marathon titled Odd Couple, Odd Nights, showcasing some of the best episodes ever made of The Odd Couple, after which Nickelodeon began airing the series weeknights at 11 P.M. ET/PT.

In February 1998, Nickelodeon reunited Jack Klugman (who by this time had trained himself to talk again after losing his voice to Throat Cancer) & Lenny Rosenberg for a week-long stunt titled Odd Couple On Ice, one of the last times the two stars would get together.

On May 17, 2004, aged 84, Lenny died of Pneumonia while recuperating from recent heart surgery; Jack, meanwhile, lived to the ripe old age of 90, having died of Prostate Cancer on December 24, 2012, survived by 2nd wife, Peggy Crosby, and two grown sons. Lenny, meanwhile, after his 1st wife, Florence Gibbs, died of Cancer (making him a widower in 1992), married Heather Harlan, then aged 25, in 1995, who survived him at the time of his death, along with 2 young children, Julia Laurette (now aged 16) & Jefferson Salvini (now aged 13).

In 1985, meanwhile, Neil Simon made a female version of The Odd Couple for Broadway, and a recent revival of the original Broadway show featured Matthew Broderick & Nathan Lane.

[Disney Guru]

Not sure who Lenny is, Tony Randall was his name LOL. Gotta love it when they write articles and they don't do all their homework, but it will be interesting to see what they come up with.