The Odd Couple – The First Season
Picture: C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Episodes: B
After it
was a hit on stage (as it continues to be) and in a popular feature film with
Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple reached further immortality as a hit TV series with
Tony Randall and Jack Klugman playing the neat Felix Unger and sloppy/slobby
Oscar Madison respectively. This was a
breakthrough hit for Garry Marshall and another comedy hit for Paramount TV and
ABC. The Odd Couple – The First Season has finally hit DVD after almost
being a special order DVD release, but CBS DVD is giving it a normal release
and it holds up very well.
Randall
and Klugman were perfect for the roles and their chemistry made this show work
even when it became formulaic. Unlike
the broader comedy of later Marshall TV hits, this was edgier, more mature and
more realistic. It took place in a more
palpable world, which is why the laughs hold up better than Happy Days or Laverne & Shirley. This
1970 – 1971 season 24 decent half-hours that are some of the most intelligent
and memorable shows the series ever produced.
Penny Marshall and Al Molinaro became regulars who went on to the later
Marshall hits, but are very good here as well.
Even with
All in The Family being such a
groundbreaker, this still shows a new maturity in TV comedy it does not get
enough credit for. Nice to have it on
DVD finally.
The 1.33
X 1 image is not bad, but despite the clean and sometimes colorful appearance
of the prints come with a bit more grain than one might like, but it is hard to
tell if this is from the original camera materials or when these prints were
struck. Since they have to old Paramount
Gulf + Western logo, it is hard to tell.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is nice and clean for its age, so the
combination is good, but only HD transfers will reveal to what extent.
The theme
song was by Neal Hefti, whose theme for the 1960s TV Batman is a classic and
yes, the horn in this early version of the theme was exaggerated for comic
purposes before being unfortunately toned back a bit in later seasons.
Extras
include audio intros by Garry Marshall, original TV promos, nice clips by Tony
Randall and Jack Klugman on The Mike
Douglas Show, Jack Klugman’s 1971 EMMY Award win footage, Jack Klugman’s
Book Tour Home Videos, a gag reel and Tony & Jack on stage in "The Odd
Couple" (1993 stage play). It is
nice to see all these extras and with Tony’s & Jack’s two favorite episodes
on a fifth DVD, The Odd Couple – The
First Season is a TV collection done right.
- Nicholas Sheffo
