Odd Couple

Sometimes, mismatched people are thrown together in life and just have to make the best of it. This situation was given a humorous spin in the play written by Neil Simon, called The Odd Couple. Different adaptations would follow but the play began life on the Broadway stage and was a huge hit, winning several Tony Awards, including one for Best Play. Mike Nichols, who is best known for his direction of the movie, The Graduate, directed the play.

The story involves the two main characters, Felix Ungar and Oscar Madison, who are roommates following their marriage break ups. They constantly clash because of their opposing personalities. Felix, played by Art Carney, likes everything to be neat and tidy and suffers from hypochondria. Oscar, played by Walter Matthau, is messy and disorganized and is annoyed by Felix's fussiness. Jack Klugman later took over the Oscar role. Other stage adaptations of The Odd Couple followed over the years, including a revival in New York in 2005. The stars of this production were Matthew Broderick as Felix and Nathan Lane as Oscar. This pairing is best known for their appearance in the Mel Brooks production of The Producers.

The popularity of the story continued with the 1968 release of the movie version. The Odd Couple starred Jack Lemmon as Felix and Walter Matthau reprised his role as Oscar. Neil Simon wrote the screenplay, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award, and Gene Saks was the director. Lemmon and Matthau, who made many films together, teamed up for the last time in a sequel in 1998, called The Odd Couple II. Neil Simon wrote the script and produced the movie.

Television was the next step, following the original film, and the successful TV series ran from 1970 until 1975. Tony Randall took the role of Felix and Jack Klugman, who had played Oscar on Broadway, played opposite him. The two actors were actually close friends in reality and they were well chosen for the parts. An animated series adapted the plot in The Oddball Couple, which ran from 1975 - 1977. Animals became the characters, with Felix depicted as a neurotic cat and Oscar as a lazy dog!

The last gasp came in 1982 when a new television series, called The New Odd Couple, was aired. It featured an African American cast, with Ron Glass as Felix and Desmond Wilson as Oscar. Unfortunately, this version was panned and the plug was pulled after only thirteen episodes.