Where's the love for THE ODD COUPLE? (1 Viewer)

[Joe Karlosi]

I really want every season of THE ODD COUPLE on DVD, from Paramount. It's my most desired series. Anyone else hoping for this?

 

[Carlos Garcia]

Joe, you know my feelings on this one. I grew up watching WPIX-TV in New York. Their night time schedule was: 11:00-11:30 - The Odd Couple, 11:30-12:00 - The Honeymooners, 12:00-1:00 - Star Trek, 1:00-1:30 - The Twilight Zone. Needless to say, the other shows have been released. My wallet is waiting to spill some cash to complete the lineup

 

[george kaplan]

I love the Odd Couple, I think it's one of the 100 best movies ever made.

Oh, you're talking about the series...never mind.

 

[Carlos Garcia]

Oh yeah, I forget they also did a movie on the Odd Couple. It was pretty good, though not nearly as funny as the show. But that's ok, there were alot more episodes made in the TV show, so it had to have plenty that were funnier than the movie, and I'm sure the movie was funnier than a few of the episodes too.

 

[Dustin James]

.

 

[David Lambert]

I'd really like to get it, and my wife would be flinging other shoppers out of the way left and right to get to the cash register and purchase it.

 

[Mark To]

One of the funniest shows, not just of the 70s, but of all-time. That's one I've never been able to get complete anywhere as Paramount has been sending it out pre-cut since the early 80s.

Thanks George, for telling us what your 4 year old has been watching. But you left out what your dog had for dinner, when you brushed the cat and other very important information we all need to know. Please let us know these things as we are all anxious to here about them.

 

[george kaplan]

We have neither a dog, nor a cat.

Oh, and feel free to ignore my signature if you don't want to read it. :rolleyes

 

[Steve...O]

I, for one, enjoy George's signature. He certainly doesn't need me to defend him, but the fact he's introducing his son to a wide variety of movies, including classics, is to be complimented. The fact he cares enough to monitor his son's viewing shows what a great Dad he is.

As for Odd Couple, I enjoy both the Lemmon/Matthau and the Randall/Klugman versions. I am cautiously optimistic that Paramount, which is building a fine track record with classic TV shows, will eventually put out a first rate collection of these shows. Some of the funniest half hours in sitcom history were produced here. The Password episode alone can induce laughter just thinking about it.

Steve

 

[Beau]

I loved this show. I'd buy every season. Never saw the movie, but saw the sequel and thought it was funny. I should see the first.
The Password is Pencil
Oscar: Lead.
Felix: Graphite!

 

[Joe Karlosi]

George, it wasn't really necessary for you to throw in a dig about the TV series. I enjoy both the 1968 movie with Lemmon and Matthau, as well as the TV series. In fact, I know far more people who love the TV show and think of Randall and Klugman as the definitive "Odd Couple" and who have no use whatsoever for the original film.

 

[Carlos Garcia]

I too know more people who enjoyed the show over the movie, but it's apples and oranges. I mean, the movie was basically the Neil Simon play done on film. It was very good, but if you compare it with the TV show it was like a diamond in the rough. Let's remember the TV show had 5 years worth of episodes, so of course many of them would have scenes that are funnier than the movie, but also there might be some that weren't as funny. Overall though, I consider the TV show to be one of the funniest sitcoms of alltime, and without a doubt, Garry Marshall's best work (Aside from the first 2 seasons of Happy Days).

 

[Todd Hostettler]

I'd snap it up in a second.

 

[Dan McW]

FWIW, "The Odd Couple" TV show is maybe the only one that Columbia House ever issued twice on videotape, once in the early 1990s in tall cardboard cases/clamshells and again 3 or 4 years ago in plastic cases. Some episodes were repeated in the reissue. CH has offered some shows for 15 years running or more, but I can't think of any that they have offered, withdrawn, and reissued in another form. I guess that says something about "TOC's" popularity.

Re Mark's post above: I've watched the Password episode from the second CH collection, and it seems like it was uncut, but I'd have to double-check the running time. CH, as are many companies releasing DVD season sets today, has been guilty of releasing time-compressed episodes (cf. their "Barney Miller" tapes). TOC would be an easy show to slap onto DVD in its cut/compressed syndicated form, but Paramount seems to be taking a more careful approach to their older TV-on-DVD titles. Maybe they'll do the same with TOC.

One trouble with a first-season TOC set, though: putting up with that laugh track. They went to a studio audience for the rest of the series.

My request to Paramount: issue all Quinn Martin TV shows on DVD now. Start with The Untouchables (1959-63 version, natch) in a four-season box set. Thank you.

 

[Jonathan_Clarke]

carlos, I was right there with you on WPIX. Became a lifelong fan of all four shows with that lineup (and we have the other three already).

David, is there anything you know holding this one up? I can't think of any reason we haven't word that it's being worked on and judging from these posts,(and they've come up A LOT) it would sell pretty well.

 

[Chris:L]

the only reason TOC does so well is because of the movie. And why anyone thinks the show is funnier than the movie is beyond me.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Not really true at all. I grew up loving the show YEARS before I ever caught up with the movie. So did most others I know. It's always been a matter of going back and re-discovering the 1968 film; and by the time many TV Series fans do, it's tough to get used to Lemmon and Matthau after several funny seasons of Randall and Klugman! But I've come to really love Matthau and Lemmon, too - and I think even ODD COUPLE 2 was very funny and vastly underrated!

 

[Carlos Garcia]

Chris, maybe you should watch the show before criticizing it. I find it hard to believe that you'd watch 100 reruns of the movie before seeing a 2nd rerun of the show. The show is alot funnier than Happy Days (when Chachi was introduced), and to be honest, I find the movie boring in many parts...I've seen the movie maybe 3 times, it was cute, but I don't keel over laughing, as for the show, I've seen it so many times I have most of the episodes memorized and actually find myself repeating the dialogue along with the characters many times. It's that funny!

 

[Joe Karlosi]

I agree with you, Carlos -- and how about the Poker Pals? The ones from the show are much funnier than the film buddies. The TV Series had - I think - 114 episodes. Obviously there will be much more material to tickle the funnybone than one movie.

 

[george kaplan]

It wasn't really meant to be. I saw your thread title, and thought immediately of the movie, and came in to say something positive about it, not something negative about the show. I think the show is OK, though I don't hold it in as high esteem as I do the film.

Even if my joke fell flat, it's really no excuse for someone to take potshots at my 4 year old son, which has so angered me that my ignore list is no longer empty.