1049 Park Avenue: An Odd Couple Podcast

”The Flying Felix”

Oscar helps Felix get over his fear of flying in S4E16 “The Flying Felix.”  We discuss the numerous guest actors in the show including Teri Garr in one of her earliest roles; the state of air travel and air travel advertising in the early 1970s; the episode’s reference to the movie Patton; the higher budget of the episode given multiple sets and large number of guest actors and extras; the classic “I much fear there is serious trouble in the fuselage Frederick” line; two pronunciations of the word “annex”; and the Broadway writing background of guest actor George Furth.

”Cleanliness Is Next To Impossible”

Oscar is hypnotized in order to become neat for his new girlfriend in S4E15 Cleanliness Is Next To Impossible.  We discuss: 1) whether Felix said “specialty” or “special” when discussing Oscar’s crane operator date 2) the wonderful psychiatrist scene with Richard Stahl and the connection of the actress who plays the secretary to I Love Lucy 3) the famous Shakespeare quote used in the episode 4) the two mistakes that Jack Klugman makes 5) guest star Allan Arbus 6t) the period setting of the flashback to Young Oscar here vs. the one in Our Fathers and the appearance of Adam Klugman.  

”The Moonlighter”

Oscar moonlights at a greasy spoon in order to pay back money Felix gave him for Yankees tickets that Oscar lost gambling.  Among the many details we discuss are: 1) The tricky list of guest cast especially Sam Nudell 2) the return of Bella Bruck and Phil Leeds 3) the implausibility of having a cow, alone, in a NYC building zoned for commercial use, 4) non-dairy creamer 5) and how Tony Randall breaks the 4th wall which leads to one of Garrett’s all-time favorite lines.

”A Barnacle Adventure”

Oscar want Felix to invest in a new invention created by his dentist – barnacle glue in S4 E13, “A Barnacle Adventure”.  Topic covered include the careers of the multiple guest stars including Val Avery who plays Dr. Elmo Most; Ted’s naïve wonderment at how they did the bowling ball / pencil gag; how Oscar wants to invest in the glue without using any of his own money; how Felix becomes President of the company when Elmo has the most money invested; the great presentation scene; and how barnacles are inspiring use of adhesives in the medical field in 2021.

”The Exorcists”

We discuss S4E12 “The Exorcists” in which Felix thinks the air conditioner is haunted.  Ted really doesn’t like the episode and makes that clear early, Garrett is much more generous. Topics:  1) how Herbie Faye played the super in multiple episodes and seemed to always have a different name 2)   guest star Victor Buono, 3) the jingle for Italian Swiss Colony wines 4) the similarities of the tag scene to other episodes.

”Maid For Each Other”

Felix hires a Nanny for Oscar in S4E11 “Maid For Each Other”.  Topics discussed: 1) The mystery of  writer Marlene Barr who has no other major credits 2) The IMDB error crediting “Crony 1” as the noted acting teacher Robert Lewis instead of the character actor Buddy Lewis and how Garret determines this is a mistake 3) how much the audience enjoys the episode 4) the great casting of Reta Shaw as Clare Frost 5) the multiple connections to the Honeymooners.

"The Pig Who Came To Dinner"

Oscar loses “everything”, including Felix, to hustler Bobby Riggs in “The Pig Who Came To Dinner.” We discuss the historical significance of this episode because of its timing just weeks after the “Battle Of The Sexes” Primetime tennis match, the fact Ted thinks Billie Jean King is a horrible actress while both Ted and Garrett agree Bobby Riggs is good, Ted being confused by the exact nature of the temperature bet, Riggs’ prowess at all the events show in the episode, and the lack of clues to the passage of time in the ping pong scene.  

Here is the ad we refer to at the end of the episode.

"Felix Directs"

Felix sets out to make a documentary about Oscar and ends up almost directing a porno film in “Felix Directs”.   Items of discussion include: the use of prunes for breakfast, the multiple NYC location shots, the career of guest actors David White and how he and character actor Louis Guss have a unique scene in the episode, how PBS’s American Family and the movie Mondo Cane are referenced, the differences in Super 8 & 16MM film, and what exactly is a XX rating.

"The Songwriters"

Jaye P. Morgan and Wolfman Jack guest star on “The Songwriters” as Felix writes the classic song “Happy and Peppy and Bursting With Love” for Morgan. Topics covered include 1) the biographies of Jaye P. Morgan and Wolfman Jack 2) the clever way the song come together 3) where the piano comes from and 4) is Tony Randall playing the piano?

"This Is The Army Mrs. Madison"

We flashback to Oscar and Blanche’s wedding night at an army base in This Is The Army Mrs. Madison.  Topics examined include 1) the dizzying amount of continuity issues in this episode 2) the attempts and non-attempts to make the actors look younger 3)  the odd names in this episode and the fact Blanche’s maiden name in this episode is the same as the actress that plays her 4) and Richard Stahl’s guest appearance.