1049 Park Avenue: An Odd Couple Podcast

”The Odd Candidate”

Oscar runs for NYC Council in “The Odd Candidate.”   We dive into such minutiae as 1) The many street scenes filmed in NYC, 2) the unusual angle of the kitchen that is shown which brings up issues of weirdly-placed shelving units, absence of 4^th walls and a mysterious set of keys 3) 1970s local TV horror hosts 4) what footage is being used for The Mysterious Planet Debbie, 5) smoking cigarette billboards in Times Square, 6) Oscar’s campaign posters, 7) and Miriam as pollster.

”Strike Up The Band or Else”

Oscar owes $500 and tricks Felix into using his band into playing at a charity barn dance as payment in S5E6 “Strike Up The Band Or Else”. Topics covered include: 1) the horrendous musical cuts on the DVD featuring Cocktails For Two, while the Hulu version preserves the scenes with this song 2) the career of guest star Pernell Roberts, 3) the return of Felix’s band now called the Sophisticados 4) the connection between a poker player in this episode and The Honeymooners, 4) how “stuff you sorries in a sack mister” went from The Odd Couple to Seinfeld, 5) Ma Gump, 6) and the references to Gabby Hayes and Ish Kabibble.

”The Dog Story”

Felix kidnaps a famous acting dog after witnessing poor treatment during a photo shoot in S5E5 The Dog Story.  We discuss among other topics: 1) the return of guest star John Fiedler 2) Odd Couple writer Bill Idelson who plays the judge, replacing Curt Conway, 3) the many Sanford and Son spin-offs which ties into the episode’s writers 4) how much the studio audience loves the episode, 5) the appearance of Rona Barrett, 6) the multiple returning bit players in the courtroom scene, 7) the 70s being the era of the animal-as-hero in family movies, 8) the use of a flashback in the episode, 9) and the odd Central Park scenes set in the dark and the light which were cut for TV.

”The Hollywood Story”

Felix and Oscar go to Hollywood for Oscar’s cameo in a sports movie but Felix poses as his agent to help get him more screen time and money in S5E4 "The Hollywood Story”.  Topics covered include 1) the many plot similarities to I Love Lucy 2) the career and scandals of guest star George Montgomery 3) Bob Hope’s appearance 4) the return of Leonard Barr and Allan Arbus 5) the authentic location shooting, 6) the multiple times when TV’s 4^th wall is kind of broken.

”The Frog”

Felix and Oscar must deal with Leonard’s missing/hurt frog in S5E3 “The Frog.” Topics covered include: 1) The career of guest star Leif Garett who plays Leonard for the first time 2) the career of Sabu who is referenced in the episode 3) the return of the great Richard Stahl, 4) the dangerous stunt with the frog and the blender 5) when the frog is real and when it is fake, 6) the music cut in the DVD version of the episode.

”To Bowl Or Not To Bowl”

Felix, the star bowler of Oscar’s bowling team, refuses to play in the championship out of principle but Oscar think Felix has a fear of losing in S5E2 “To Bowl Or Not To Bowl.” Topics covered include: Murray mentioning he has a son we have never heard about before; the careers of guest stars Noam Pitlik and Leonard Barr; the origins of the scene where Oscar sprays cleaner into Felix’s food; the phrase “Sorry doesn’t feed the admiral’s cat.”; the misattribution of one of the bowling players on IMDb; the return of Vinnie; and the unusual scenes with the back-stretching contraption, the discussion of additional bowlers and Felix’s conscience. 

”Rain In Spain”

We are back for our first episode of 2022 with the first episode of season five, “The Rain In Spain”.  We discuss guest star Rob Reiner, All In The Family, other guest star Garo Yepremian, the chopped liver football, the reason Penny Marshall left the series and her wonderful performance here, and Jerry Vale + Corbett Monica.

”One For The Bunny”

In a flashback we see Oscar get Felix a job at Playboy, where Oscar works, but trouble arises when then-fiancée Gloria wants to pose nude in the S4 Finale “One For The Bunny”. Topics discussed include 1) the career of Melvin Belli, 2) the casting of Asian-American actor Lloyd Kino as Al Fischer 3) the Playboy magazine edition used in the episode 4) the third and final appearance of Curt Conway as a judge, 5) and the dubbed-in applause for Hugh Hefner.

”New York‘s Oddest”

Felix decides to get involved in his community and join the NYPD civilian patrol, and drags Oscar along, in S4E21 “New York’s Oddest”.  

Topics covered include 1) the set design when we are looking into the apartment from the outside hallway 2) the silent film history of guest star Lassie Lou Ahern 3) the credits of guest Michael Lerner, and 4) the multiple returning guest performers.

”The Insomniacs”

Felix has insomnia and it’s driving Oscar crazy in The Insomniacs – S4E20.  Topics covered include 1) The old time actors mentioned by Felix on the “late, late, late show”, 2) the cut song “Dream” by Johnny Mercer, 3) the popularity of waterbeds, 4) the many visual gags in this episode, 5) how TV stations used to sign off the air overnight, and 6) Tony Randall showing off his poker chip tricks.