“Oscar.”
“What?”
“The cemetery’s on the phone.”
“Tell them I’m not ready yet.”
Welcome to Hollywood Graveyard. Rare
is the creative work that finds success on the Broadway stage, and in film, and
on television. One such example of this trifecta of success is Neil Simon’s beloved
play, The Odd Couple. Since its debut on the Broadway stage in 1965, different
incarnations of this odd pairing have made us laugh through the generations.
Today we’re remembering Felix Ungar, and Oscar Madison…
“This messy grave marks the last
resting place of Oscar Madison.”
And the talented folks behind The Odd Couple,
by visiting their final resting places.
“It’s no time to be obsessed with graves
and cemeteries, that’s depressing.”
Oh come now, Felix, it’s not depressing. In fact,
it’s a great way to keep their memory alive. How about you, Oscar, you up
for some famous grave hunting?
“Now he’s got me talking to graves.”
I’ll take that as a yes.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered
here today to bid farewell to Felix Ungar, and Oscar Madison.”
And as we eulogize Felix and Oscar, let us first remember the man who conjured them
up to begin with. This is Pound Ridge Cemetery in Westchester County, New York. Here lies
one of the most celebrated writers for stage and screen of the past century, Neil Simon. He
wrote dozens of plays throughout his career, and would pen the screen-adaptations of many
of his plays as well. He began writing radio and television scripts in the 50s, and in the
60s made his first forays into playwriting. He gained national fame with the plays Barefoot in
the Park in 1963, and the subject our explorations today, The Odd Couple, which premiered in 1965.
It’s the story of two mismatched roommates: the neurotic neat-freak Felix Ungar, recently
given the boot by his wife and forced to move in with his divorced friend Oscar Madison, who
is something of a slob. And hilarity ensues. The play ran for 964 performances, and was a huge
hit, gaining 4 Tony Awards and a nomination for Best Play. The success of that play would spark
countless adaptations in the decades to follow, including several stage revivals, movies and
TV shows, and even a female version in 1985, staged by Simon, featuring Sally Struthers as
Florence Ungar, and Rita Moreno as Olive Madison. The most recent adaptation was the 2015 television
sitcom starring Matthew Perry and Thomas Lennon. Neil Simon had many other hits, including
the Pulitzer Prize-winning Lost in Yonkers, and The Sunshine Boys, both of
which he later adapted into films, but The Odd Couple will always rank among his
best. And over the years, some of the giants of stage and screen would bring his creations
of Felix and Oscar to life for our enjoyment.
To find the actor who originated the role of
Felix Ungar, we head to Riverside Cemetery in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. This is where legendary
actor and comedian Art Carney is laid to rest. Audiences today perhaps remember him
best as Ed Norton from the Honeymooners, and for his Oscar-winning role in Harry and
Tonto. But it was Art Carney who, in March 1965, first brought to life the persnickety and
fastidious Felix, alongside Walter Matthau’s Oscar. Art continued in the role until October
of that year, stepping down after he took ill.
To find the Oscar to Art’s Felix, we fly back to
Los Angeles, and the star-studded Westwood Village Memorial Park. Here lies the inimitable grumpy
old man, the perfect Oscar for the stage and big screen, Walter Matthau. Walter originated the
role of the slovenly Oscar Madison in the play’s debut in 1965. Walter won rave reviews for his
performance, and among the many Tony Awards The Odd Couple would take home, Walter won for Best
Actor in a Play. Walter continued in the role until stepping down in November of 1965 for
filming obligations. Just a few years later, Walter would team up with his frequent on-screen
partner, Jack Lemmon, for the 1968 film adaptation of The Odd Couple, reprising his role as Oscar.
“The irony is that unless we come to some other arrangement, I’m going to kill
you, that the irony of it.”
“What’s wrong, Oscar?”
“There’s something wrong with this system, that’s what’s wrong. I don’t think
two single men living alone in an 8-room apartment should have a cleaner house than my mother.”
The film was a huge success, garnering two Oscar nominations (fittingly). Three decades later, a
sequel was produced, The Odd Couple II, with both Walter and Jack reprising their roles once again.
Walter died from heart disease at age 79.
And speaking of Jack, Walter’s long-time friend
and collaborator, the Felix to his movie Oscar, is just a short distance away near the chapel. Jack
Lemmon was one of the great dramedy performers of his age, the quintessential “everyman,”
remembered for films like Some Like it Hot, and The Apartment. When casting the film version of
The Odd Couple, producers wanted a big box office draw, so while Walter Matthau reprised his role
from the play, Jack Lemmon was cast to portray Felix Ungar in the movie. The on-screen chemistry
between the two, amplified by their real-life friendship, led to one of the great pairings in
movie history, and the movie was a smash.
“You’re a wonderful guy Oscar! You’ve done
everything for me. If it weren’t for you I don’t know what would have happened to me. You
took me in here, you gave me a place to live, you gave me something to live for. I’m never going to
forget you for that, Oscar. You’re tops with me.”
“Have I just been told off? I
think I may have missed it.”
As mentioned earlier, Jack would reprise his
role as Felix in The Odd Couple II, in 1998.
“Jack Lemmon.”
“Didn’t you fix that yet?”
“Walter Matthau.”
He passed away from cancer in 2001 at age 76. He now tops the marquee on his own
grave.
With the success of both the play, and the film,
the natural progression of The Odd Couple was television. We’re at Forest Lawn in the Hollywood
Hills, to find one of the men who developed The Odd Couple for television. Garry Marshall was one
of the great producers of film and television. He’s known for creating shows like Happy
Days, and directing movies like Pretty Woman, but it was his adaptation of The
Odd Couple for television in 1970 that was his first big hit, with
producing partner Jerry Belson. Starring Jack Klugman and Tony
Randall, the show ran for 5 seasons, and has since become one of the
all-time great television comedies, raking in numerous Emmy nominations along the
way, and still gets airtime today in reruns.
It's hard to imagine any two actors being able to
match the on-screen pairing of Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon as Oscar and Felix… but the casting
for the 1970s TV sitcom of The Odd Couple was perfection, and led to comedy gold.
Back at Westwood Village Memorial Park, in the columbarium near the fountains, we find the
man who brought the slobbish Oscar Madison to the small screen, Jack Klugman. Jack’s remembered
for shows like Quincy ME and The Twilight Zone, and films like 12 Angry Men – but he was perfectly
suited for the role of Oscar because, rewinding back to 1965, it was Jack Klugman who took over
the role of Oscar from Walter Matthau on stage. Jack debuted his TV Oscar Madison in September
1970, and would go on to appear in 114 episodes of the show through 1975. Jack won 2
primetime Emmys for his portrayal.
“What’s that?”
“Matching funeral urns. One for you, one for me.”
“Which one is yours?”
“That one.”
“That’s for my ashes.”
“I’m giving you a head start.”
As for Jack’s ashes, they were inurned
here at Westwood in good company, including next door neighbor Janet Leigh, after
his death from cancer in 2012, at the age of 90.
To find the perfect Felix to Jack’s TV Oscar, we
cross back over to the east coast, to Westchester Hills Cemetery in Westchester New York. Let me see
now, it’s been a few years since I’ve been here. I can’t seem to recall where Tony’s grave is.
“It’s plot 204 by the babbling brook.”
Ah yes, that’s right. Here we are. Tony Randall
had known success on Broadway for years, and found stardom in films like Will Success Spoil
Rock Hunter? and Pillow Talk, before being cast as hypochondriac, Flix Unger, now spelled “Unger”
for television. His pairing with Jack Klugman, for many including myself, was on par with the
Matthau-Lemmon pairing, in 114 hilarious episodes. Tony won an Emmy for his portrayal of Felix.
“Felix.”
“You nearly scared me to death!”
“You wouldn’t have far to go.”
“I’m glad you got down here,
I want to show you my plot.”
“Yeah, I see it.”
“Isn’t this lovely?”
“It’s beautiful, but I wanna talk to you.”
“You have no idea how long I searched for just the right spot, and now I’ve found it.”
And Tony found his perfect spot here in
beautiful Westchester, after his death from pneumonia following surgery in 2004 at the age of
84, though I don’t see a babbling brook nearby.
It wasn’t just Oscar and Felix. There were some
very funny ladies that made us laugh along with the odd couple as well. We’re back at Forest Lawn
Hollywood Hills, to find one of TV and film’s greatest comediennes, Penny Marshall. The sister
of the show’s creator, Garry Marshall, Penny Marshall is beloved by generations for her role
as Laverne on Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley… a role referenced right here on her marker.
Penny went on to find success behind the camera, one of the great female directors of comedy,
like the movies Big and A League of Their Own. On The Odd Couple, Penny starred as
Myrna, Oscar’s secretary, in 27 episodes.
“I’m telling you -- come on in -- from this
moment on I’m not being a slob anymore.”
“That’s it, I’m going crazy! I gave up
smoking, and now my hearing’s going bad. I thought I just heard you say you
didn’t want to be a slob anymore.”
“That’s what you heard, and I’m
not crazy. Come on, sit down.”
“I’m glad I’m not crazy.”
Penny passed away from cardiopulmonary failure and complications of diabetes at the age
of 75, and rests here next to her brother Garry.
To find our next funny lady, we head to
this uniquely scenic spot in Connecticut: the Memorial Gardens of the
Unitarian Church in Westport. Brett Somers was a comedic actress, known by
gameshow audiences as a frequent panelist on Match Game. She was singularly qualified to play Oscar
Madison’s wife on the 70s sitcom, because she was the actual wife of Jack Klugman. Brett played
Blanche in 5 episodes alongside her husband.
“Instead of fighting, let’s see if we
can’t think of something else to do.”
“Like what?”
“Like this.”
“Hey, we didn’t’ fight once
during that whole kiss!”
Brett Somers died from cancer at age 83.
The next incarnation of The Odd Couple might surprise you, and you might not even be aware
it existed. The year the TV sitcom ended, 1975, Paramount developed a Saturday morning cartoon
version of the series, titled The Oddball Couple, in which Felix and Oscar were portrayed as a cat
and a dog named Spiffy and Fleabag respectively.
We’re at Forest Lawn Glendale in the Courts of
Freedom area, and the Columbarium of Heavenly Peace. Frank Nelson was one of comedy’s great
supporting players on radio and television for decades, with his distinctive voice. You saw
him on I Love Lucy, and The Jack Benny Program, and you heard him in cartoons like The
Flintstones, and Snorks. And if you happened to catch The Oddball Couple for the one season
it ran, you also heard Frank as Spiffy, the Felix character embodied by a cat in the cartoon.
“Honestly Fleabag, I hope you’ll accept this remark without offense. But you are
just about the most unkempt, uncouth, disorganized reporter I have ever met.”
“Okay, okay, what are you buttering me up for? If you wanna favor, just
come out and ask for it.”
The character of Oscar, a dog named Fleabag,
was voiced by Paul Winchell, best known today by audiences as the voice of Tigger from Winnie the
Pooh. Paul was cremated and his ashes scattered, so he does not have a grave we can visit.
One of the men behind the production of the Oddball Couple is a name familiar
to you fans of classic animation. This is Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City,
and the crypt of Friz Freleng. Friz was one of the creatives behind those iconic Looney Tunes
and Merry Melody cartoons from Warner Bros, where he would introduce or help develop some of their
biggest stars, like Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Tweety, Sylvester, Yosemite Sam, and more… all featured
here on his crypt. After Warner Bros, Friz teamed up with David DePatie to form DePatie-Freleng
Enterprises, which in addition to producing The Oddball Couple, was known for producing The Pink
Panther, and the Dr. Seuss TV Specials.
In 1982 Garry Marshall brought
The Odd Couple back to the small screen, this time with black actors in the
lead roles, featuring Ron Glass as Felix, and Demond Wilson as Oscar. It was called The
New Odd Couple, which ran for just one season.
This brings us now to Rose Hills
Memorial Park in Whittier California. Ron Glass is perhaps best remembered today for his
role as Det. Harris in the classic sitcom, Barney Miller, in some 164 episodes. Younger audiences
also remember him as Shepherd Book on Firefly. But if you happened to catch one of the 18
episodes of The New Odd Couple produced in 1982, you got to see Ron Glass’s
interpretation of Felix Unger.
“Oscar, you offered. You said
it was on your way home.”
“I know that Felix, but I took another
way home. I’m sorry. What’s for dinner?”
“Dinner? I’ll tell you what’s
for dinner: burnt promises.”
Paired with Ron Glass was another familiar
name from classic comedy: Demond Wilson, of Sanford and Son fame, who played Oscar
Madison in The New Odd Couple. As of filming, Demond Wilson is still with us.
There are a handful of other stars from The Odd Couple who were cremated and don’t
have a grave we can visit, like Al Molinaro, who played Officer Murray in 73 episodes of
the 70s series; Janis Hansen who played Gloria, Felix’s wife, in the 70s series; Carole Shelley
who played Gwendolyn Pigeon on stage and screen; John Fiedler, who appeared in both the film and TV
series; Pat Hingle, who took over for Jack Klugman as Oscar in the Broadway Play; Eddie Bracken, who
took over for Art Carney as Felix in the Broadway play; and Gene Saks, who directed both film
and stage adaptations of The Odd Couple.
One of the most iconic characters in the world of
the Odd Couple was never seen, but heard in the movies and every TV episode: that memorable theme
music. We’re at Forest Lawn Hollywood once again, in the Courts of Remembrance. In the Sanctuary of
Enduring Protection, we find the crypt of composer Neal Hefti. You Batman fans will remember him
as the composer of the iconic Batman theme. Just as memorable is his theme for the Odd
Couple. It was written for the 1968 film, and later opened and closed
each episode of the 70s sitcom. An updated, slightly more hip version of the
theme featured in The New Odd Couple in 1982, and for the 2015 remake starring Matthew
Perry and Thomas Lennon, the theme was given somewhat of a ska feel. Thank you Mr.
Hefti, for one of TV’s most hummable themes.
So what’s next for the Odd Couple?
Podcasts? Webseries? TikTok sketches? Perhaps all of the above… we shall see.
But what history has given us thus far with this mismatched duo is enough
to supply laughter for a lifetime, and maybe a little more.
Thanks for watching.
“You’re burying me between the captain of
a garbage scow and the king of bowling. Over here I was next to a concert cellist!
He’s on the guided tour and everything!”
“Well, dig a tunnel, you can visit.”
