1049 Park Avenue: An Odd Couple Podcast

"Felix, The Calypso Singer"

This week our topic is S2 E13 "Felix, The Calypso Singer".  Oscar takes Felix on his Caribbean vacation when Nancy has to stay behind for work, but when Nancy eventually shows up Felix is kicked to the curb.  We discuss the terrible tragedy of actress Barbara Colby who appears in this episode, the state of air travel in the 1970s and how Felix loves to be a martyr.

"Surprise, Surprise"

This week we dive into S2E12 "Surprise, Surprise".  Felix throws his daughter Edna a party for her 10th birthday. The surprise for Edna is  his hiring of Sherman The Clown.

Among the topics we cover are 1) Garrett's personal connection to one of the writers of this episode who had a bad experience with Tony Randall working on the show  2) the meaning of "x-rated movies" in the early 1970s and 3) why its weird that Oscar refers to Edna as "your kid" when talking to Felix.

CORRECTION: In the episode we say that Pamelyn Ferdin played Bunny in a S1 episode of the show but she actually played Cindy.

Here is the link to the YouTube clip from the interview with the writer  that we reference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lyz7RJftLQ

 

 

"Being Divorced Is Never Having To Say I Do"

This week we cover S2E11 - "Being Divorced Is Never Having To Say I Do" - in which Oscar's ex-wife Blanche gets married to a man she just met.  We discuss Brett Somers, since this is her first appearance on the show, and her on-screen chemistry with her-real-husband-at-the-time Jack Klugman, + how we learned about alimony as children from watching The Odd Couple. 

"Win One For Felix"

We tackle (pun!) S2E10 - "Win For Felix" - in which Oscar teaches Felix how to coach Leonard's (Felix's son) football team.  We discuss how The Odd Couple was a pioneer in showing a divorced dad on TV acting emotionally open with his son, the pedigree and professionalism of Willie Aames, and Knute Rockne.

"The Odd Couple Meet Their Host"

This week we cover S2E9 "The Odd Couple Meet Their Host", guest starring comedian David Steinberg who puts both Felix and Oscar on his TV show where they make fun of each other.  Topics include why Steinberg was such a big deal at the time, the location of Felix's photography studio in NYC, the "meta" aspects of this episode and the fact this features the maddest we ever hear Felix get at Oscar.

"Fat Farm"

This week we cover S2E8 "Fat Farm" in which Felix and Oscar go to Dr. Berger's health retreat to lose weight and get in shape.  We discuss the famous dining room scene where desserts are served on empty plates, the numerous bad audio and video cuts in this episode and the resume of the numerous guest players.

"Murray The Fink"

This week we cover S2 E6 entitled "Murray The Fink" -- Felix and Oscar are arrested by Murray during their poker game after they tease him for being too timid and nice.  Topics include a deep dive into Speed, Vinnie, Murray and the other guest characters in this episode; the great use of courtroom scenes in the series; and the fun names - real and fictional - used throughout the episode.

"Sleepwalker"

We discuss a great episode - S2E4 "Sleepwalker" - in which Oscar attacks Felix while asleep because he is being extra nice while awake.  This episode contains the famous "pits in my juice" and "Bolivian chickens" scenes.

"Hospital Mates"

We discuss S2 E3 "Hospital Mates" - when Felix and Oscar have operations at the same time and then come home with Felix blind and Oscar on crutches.  We also discuss the famous Felix Unger "honk" and the difference in Jack Lemmon's and Tony Randall's delivery of said honk.

"Felix's Wife's Boyfriend"

This week we discuss S2E2 of The Odd Couple, "Felix's Wife's Boyfriend".  We also cover how we chose this episode to tackle next, how we plan to chose episodes in the future, viewer feedback, where you can watch The Odd Couple and a shout out.