"The Odd Couple" (1968)

“The Odd Couple” (1968) - Intro

Written by: Josh Lansky

TCM’s “The Essentials”

Intro:

Hi there, I’m Dave Karger. Up next, a favorite here on TCM- What started as a hit Broadway comedy written by the legendary playwright Neil Simon, was then adapted to film by none other than the legendary…Neil Simon. From Paramount Pictures in 1968, it’s “The Odd Couple.” The story centers around two divorced men who, out of necessity, must become roommates. The couple, as they are billed, are incompatible…to say the least. Jack Lemmon’s character, Felix Ungar, is tidy, neat, and freakishly uptight while Walter Matthau’s character, Oscar Madison, is a complete and utter slob. During “The Odd Couple’s” run on Broadway the comedy played to sellout crowds for over two years. Director, Neil Simon, Mike Nichols, and our star tonight, Walter Matthau, each received Tony’s for their work on the production. Walter Matthau was brought from the Broadway Productions to reprise his role as Oscar Madison while Jack Lemmon was brought in to replace Art Carney as Felix Ungar. This was the second of eleven films for the Walter Matthau/Jack Lemmon pairing. The first of which, “The Fortune Cookie,” made two years earlier, resulted in an Oscar nomination for Matthau. As it was with so many of their collaborations, the chemistry here, between Matthau and Lemmon, is superb, and a real pleasure to watch. The cast also includes John Fiedler, also a member of the original Broadway cast - and Herb Edelman. From director Gene Saks, who pretty much made a career out of directing Neil Simon scripts, here is “The Odd Couple.”

“The Odd Couple” (1968)

Written by: Josh Lansky

TCM’s “The Essentials”

Outro:

“The Odd Couple” is built around a totally engaging premise. A ‘buddy’ comedy with completely mismatched…buddies, the result? Countless renditions of the Broadway play. There have been several renditions of the original Neil Simon play in a number of formats- a play, a film, a tv series which spun off into a Saturday morning cartoon show – “The Femaile Odd Couple,” A 1998 sequel to the film which reunites Walter Matthau and Jack Lemoon, a 2005 Broadway rendition “The Odd Couple,” this time starring Mathew Broderick as Felix and Nathan Lane as Oscar, and finally the current rendition of “The Odd Couple,” starring Mathew Perry as “Oscar” and Thomas Lennon as “Felix.” The current “Odd Couple” can be found monday nights, on CBS. Up next, we continue with another Walter Matthau film from Universal PIctures in 1973, it’s “Charley Varrick.” Stay Tuned!