1049 Park Avenue: An Odd Couple Podcast

”Laugh Clown Laugh”

Felix has a feud with Oscar’s latest TV show co-host Richard Dawson in the series’ penultimate episode Laugh Clown Laugh.  We cover 1) Dawson’s career and how he came to appear on this episode 2) the resume of guest star magician Mark Wilson, the quality of his on-air tricks and the way he comes out onto the show 3) the mystery of who wrote this episode 4) Felix’s history in WWII 5) the multiple funny bits with Murray 6) the acrobats /  teeter-totter scene, the actors involved and the connection to a prior episode, 7) the unintentional appearance of Tony Randall in an establishing shot 8) the history of the song Laugh Clown Laugh, 9) the origins of the vaudeville song at the end, 10) Garrett talks about meeting Tony Randall

”Old Flames Never Die”

Felix feels old after finding out his high school sweetheart is a grandmother, and drags Oscar into his misery, in S5E20 “Old Flames Never Die”.  We discuss 1) the production order of this episode 2) the implications of this storyline on how old Felix and Oscar are; 3) the second appearance of Oscar’s “new” secretary Tina; 4) the numerous guest stars including the return of some old favorites; 5) how one of those guest stars, Leonard Barr, breaks the fourth wall and does his stand-up act for the studio audience; 6) the dancing in the episode; and 7) the reference to the wreck of the Hesperus.

”The Roy Clark Show”

Roy Clark guest stars on an episode named after him in S5E19 “The Roy Clark Show”.  We discuss the many songs and pieces of music in this episode; Clark’s resume and his time on Hee Haw; the return of John Wheeler a Mr. Felscher; guest star Albert Paulsen; edits on the version airing on Decades TV; our observations of ad-libs and laugh tracks in the episode.

”Two Men On A Hoarse”

Oscar and Felix both lose their voice in “Two Men On A Hoarse” - S5E18. We discuss 1) guest star Dick Cavett 2) Jack Klugman’s real appearance on The Dick Cavett Show and discussion of his real-life throat issues, 3) guest star Phil Foster,  4) The return of guest actors Louis Guss, Filip Field, and Joshua Shelley, 5) a mention of The Odd Couple on the new Paramount+ series The Offer 6) Laurence Oliver’s Polaroid TV ads, 7) the music cut in this episode, 8) Jack Klugman singing “Together" on the cast album of Gypsy, 9) Tony Randall breaking the 4th wall and Jack Klugman visibly laughing on camera at Al Molinaro, 10) TV edits of this episode, 11) how the doctor dresses down Felix AND supports Oscar which is unusual for the series, 12) how often the apartment is robbed. 

”The Rent Strike”

Felix organizes a rent strike against 1049 Park Avenue after its new manager fails to keep up the building in S5E17 “The Rent Strike”.  Topics covered include 1) The Library of Congress receiving Neil Simon’s archives 2) Jerry Lewis' failed talk shows 3) guest star Victor Buono 4) the potential tie-in of his character’s name and The Wild Wild West 5) guest star Rodney Allen Rippy and his Jack In The Box ads 6) the song “Buckle Down Winsocki” 7) Miriam knowing that Felix sees other women 8) the music edit on the DVD 9) the return of actors Ed Peck, Herbie Faye, and Peter Hobbs  10) the weird way Christmas is referred to twice in one small section 11) the building’s doormen 12) the way Oscar wants Felix to leave only when it won’t make Oscar feel guilty 13) the use of the word “chiffonier” 14) the tag that wraps up everything too nicely 15) the weird way extras walk away in the background of a scene 16) David Janssen 

”Felix, The Horse Player”

Oscar and Felix use inside source Harry Tallman, a horse exercise rider, to make a lot of money at the track in “Felix The Horse Player”, S5E16. Topics discussed include 1) guest player Jerry Maren, 2) the two entrances of the San Remo which stands in for 1049 Park Avenue, 3) the many uses of the Press Box restaurant exterior, 4) guest star Fritz Feld and his “popping” noise, 5) the return of OC guest stars Johnny Silver and Robert Ball 6) the use of NYC exteriors and obvious stand-in for Jerry Maren in those scenes, 7) Felix’s lucky sweater, 8) the very memorable lines in this episode overall.  

”Your Mother Wears Army Boots”

Howard Cosell and opera singer Martina Arroyo co-star in the infamous “Your Mother Wears Army Boots”, S5E15.  We discuss and/or debate: 1) Other appearances of TV show creators on their own shows in reference to last week’s Neil Simon appearance 2) how this episode came together 3) when it was filmed 4) similarities to the prior Cosell episode 5) Arroyo’s background 6) guest star Jack Carter 7) guest star Roone Arledge, 8) an instance where Felix now refers to them living on CPW although we hold 1049 Park Avenue as canon 9) the logistics of Arroyo’s entrance into the living room after being introduced by Felix 10) the stock footage of the football game and conflicting implications of where the game is being played, Cincinnati or NYC.

”Two On The Aisle”

Oscar uses Felix to write off-Broadway theater reviews in S5E14 “Two on the Aisle”. We dive into such details as 1) Neil Simon’s cameo 2) the appearance of real-life theater critics John Simon, Dan Sullivan and Joan Crosby, 3) appearance of real-life TV host John Barbour, 4) the theater critic George Jean Nathan, 5) the playwright Jean Anouilh 6) the apartment bathroom, 7) Felix’s dates, 8) an appearance by Myrna as Oscar’s secretary although she got married and quit months earlier 9) the continuity error regarding Felix’s large “Thanks” photo of himself, 10) and the Joe Louis and Max Schmeling fights.

”The Bigger They Are”

Oscar wears a fat suit for a TV commercial Felix is directing in S5E13 “The Bigger They Are”.  We discuss 1) The silliness of the plot and all the holes it brings including the fraud being committed  2) whether or not the opening shot is of the Plaza hotel 3) the return of John Byner 4) the return of other guest actors Peter Hobbs and Cliff Emmich 4) the bizarre fake ads shown at the end of the episode 5) the fat suit 6) famous NYC newscasters of the 1980s 

”Oscar In Love”

Oscar dates a widower with two kids in S5E12 “Oscar In Love”.  The many topics we discuss include 1) episode writer Carl Gottlieb 2) guest star Dina Merrill, 3) I Love Lucy on Paramount+, 4) the child actors who play the kids 5) words we learned from TV shows 6) the current state of RKO pictures, 7) the magic tricks depicted and how Tony Randall “milks” a joke using an illogical gesture, 8) How long Felix and Oscar have lived together 9) the return of Richard Stahl and Garry Walberg 9 ) how Anita goes the way of Yawbus.