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5 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the great sitcom classics of the 1970's, 22 August 2003
10/10
Author: raysond from Chapel Hill,North Carolina

Let me asked you this question................

How many TV shows do you know were major hits after they were made into feature films? How many of those movies made the transition into a great TV series?

Answer: "The Odd Couple","M*A*S*H","Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore"(Alice),and "In The Heat Of The Night".

First off,let me say that "The Odd Couple" was the first and foremost based on a Neil Simon play to successfully make the transition from being on Broadway,to motion pictures,and finally to television as a weekly series. In 1968,the motion picture version starred Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon,and on September 24,1970,the television series version premiered on ABC-TV and it starred Tony Randall and Jack Klugman and was produced by Garry Marshall.

The television series was one of ABC-TV biggest hits and it won back to back Emmys during its incredible five year run on the network from 1970 to 1975. It also in the top ten Nielsen during its run making it one of the most funniest shows of the decade. Tony Randall and Jack Klugman offered more to the roles than the movie or the Broadway play put together and every comedical line was simply magic. Indeed,the show was wickedly funny and sometimes having the two end up in some various situations especially,Randall(who played Felix Unger)who always tries to do the impossible for him and his divorced roommate Klugman(who played Oscar Madison),but ends up with hilarious results.

The show was produced by Garry Marshall,who went on to produced "Happy Days","Laverne and Shirley",and under the supervision of the playwright himself,Neil Simon who oversaw the production. Speaking of "The Odd Couple",this series hasn't been shown in years and it needs to be brought back,since the last time it was shown was on Nick-At-Nite's sister channel TV Land,and the former cable network TNN( formerly The Nashville Network and changed it title to The National Network which is now these days Spike TV).

**Getting back to the other shows that were great feature films and went on to become great TV shows: "M*A*S*H"(CBS-TV:1972-1983),"Alice" (CBS-TV:1976-1985),"In The Heat Of The Night"(NBC-TV:1986-1992 and also on CBS-TV:1992-1994)

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5 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the All Time Greats!, 5 July 2002
Author: peacham from Pa.

As far as Sit Coms go "The Odd Couple" is number one on my list of favorites...edging out even "M.A.S.H." and "All In The Family".Randall and Klugman make this show great...both are perfectly attuned to their roles.Its one of the few times a Television show attained the high quality of its source material.

While Randall and Klugman's great chemistry and comic timing make the show there is strong support from the other cast members.In particular Al Molinaro's mystified Murry The Cop,Gary Walberg's Grouchy Speed and Brett Somer's cynical Blanche Madison. May the sun never set on "The Odd Couple"!

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6 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the best, 14 January 2003
Author: counterrevolutionary from Spokane, WA

I'm about the only person I know who prefers the first season (shot in cinematic style with a single camera) to later seasons, but even after they switched to the multiple-camera technique and live audience (with the accompanying broadening of the humor), it was still better than 90% of TV sitcoms ever (unlike, say, *Happy Days*, on which quality plummeted when they made a similar change).

The only thing that really interferes with my enjoyment of *TOC* is the horrible, horrible celebrity cameos.

I mean, Rodney Allen Rippy?

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2 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
A television classic, 22 April 2000
Author: Op_Prime from Ardmore, PA

This was the show that pretty much started the whole mismatched pair sitcom or at least the most memorable of that type. Tony Randall and Jack Klugman have perfect chemistry which the show really benefits from. The series had clever writing from start to finish. Not just one of the most memorable show from the 1970s, but also one of the memorable shows of all time.

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3 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Fantastic show., 21 May 2002
Author: W. Jones

This is indeed one of the few tv series that are equal too if not better than the film and play it was based on. Simply shot and perfectly played, the scripts and the acting could not be better. These shows are fun to watch now not only for the style of clothing, but also for the fact that it's about two middle aged men! TV show-makers of today would do well to watch and learn from this classic.

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3 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the few TV shows that was a successful transition from the movies, 17 July 2001
Author: coverme6 from Allentown, PA

Just like M*A*S*H, THE ODD COUPLE made a great breakthrough from the big screen to its smaller sister version. Instead of the equally great Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau (God rest their souls), Felix

and Oscar are played by Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. The two make a great team, constantly getting on each others' nerves as they live in the same apartment. The magic found in the movie is evident in the

show as well.

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2 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
My favorite sitcom!, 3 December 2001
Author: Wayne Huffman (wayne@huffman.com) from Honolulu, Hawaii

Quite a few movies were made into television sitcoms. In my opinion, there are only two that were better than the movies - M*A*S*H, and The Odd Couple. In the case of The Odd Couple, it could be because I like Tony Randall and Jack Klugman as actors better than I do Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, respectively. I am not aware of any network currently re-running TOC (as of December 2001), and I really miss it.

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3 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
one of the best, 19 November 1999
Author: Robert D. Ruplenas

Hard to believe that a t.v. series could match the high comic attainment of the movie version of Neil Simon's play, which can probably safely be called a classic by now. But Tony Randall and Jack Klugman had the perfect chemistry to make it happen, plus the work of some pretty outstanding writers (of whom I can find no mention on the IMDB site, for shame!). This will be remembered as one of the great series of the 70's.

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1 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Better than the film version!, 3 May 2006
10/10
Author: Sylvia Marciniak (sylviastel@aol.com) from United States

For some people, Felix and Oscar will always be Jack Lemmon and Walter Mathau but not for me. To me, it will always be Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. They always seemed perfect together. The writing was always crisp and fresh. I never thought Tony Randall was gay. Just because you socialize or befriend Rock Hudson does not mean that Tony is gay. In fact, Tony was married to the same woman, Florence, for 54 years which is unbelievable nowadays. In fact, their marriage was stronger than most marriages today. When he lost Flo, he never thought that he would get married again much less become a father in his seventies. Tony Randall was the unsung hero of theater, television and film. He deserved America's highest honor to be inducted into the Kennedy Center Honors. He founded the National Theater Company with his own money. His love for theater was obvious. He loved to act also even on television. The Odd Couple was one of the best television shows of the seventies. It was a better adaptation from any comedic film and it's most successful series as well. Tony Randall hosted a weekend salute to this show on a local channel. I forgot how fresh and alive comedy could be. A great supporting cast like Al Molinaro, Elinor Donahue, and Penny Marshall. Even though they film in Los Angeles, it was very much a New York television show. I can't imagine a better odd couple and I will always regret not seeing them on stage in London in 1996. Rest in peace, TOny. We miss you.

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2 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Better Than The Movie, 8 March 2003
Author: Brian Washington (Sargebri@att.net) from Los Angeles, California

When I look at this series I always have a great laugh. The chemistry and the timing between Jack Klugman and Tony Randall made this show the classic that it was. This was a great show that had as many gags in thirty minutes that the movie did in two hours. Also, this was the first show that showed how much of a great comic actor Jack Klugman was after years of primarily playing in dramatic roles.

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