For Everyman

I discovered Jack Klugman as Oscar Madison in syndication a few years after “The Odd Couple” completed its run in 1975. I was aware of it while it was on originally, but I didn’t really get it.

You see, “The Odd Couple” was an adult show for adults. But, unlike today’s dreck, it didn’t rely on cheap, sex-driven jokes. It didn’t rely on insulting your intelligence at every turn. It didn’t rely on aiming for the lowest-common denominator.

Instead, it relied on sharp writing and brilliant casting and acting, and no two actors (with the possible exception of Gleason and Carney in “The Honeymooners”) were better suited to their sitcom roles that Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. Their chemistry was astonishing, and even though their characters were often at odds on the show, you could always sense the admiration they had for one another.

I once had a girlfriend who wondered how I could watch "Odd Couple" reruns four times a day; WPIX in New York showed it daily from 6-7 and again from 11-midnight. I told her that Jack Klugman’s Oscar Madison was the perfect role model: sportswriter, ladies man (sort of) and an endearing slob. I actually thought Felix and Oscar seemed so real that you almost felt you could visit them if you went to New York. Imagine her surprise when on a trip to the City, we actually went to 1049 Park Avenue. Of course, all you could see was the exterior shot of the building that you saw on the show, but I felt sort of a weird kinship to the stars and the life they led, and seeing their building that allegedly housed their apartment was a thrill in itself.

And of course, let’s not forget that they produced some of the funniest half-hours in the history of television:. “Password,” the inane drone with Howard Cosell, Felix’s fear of flying episode, Felix "Red River" Unger and the Saddle Sores.

And at the time I had it really bad for both Felix’s ex-wife Gloria, as well as Oscar’s doctor girlfriend Nancy. I sort of still do.

A later highlight for me was seeing Klugman and Randall in person doing “The Sunshine Boys” together on Broadway. From the first row. Jack’s voice was weak, but the performances were strong, and I knew that I was seeing greatness up close and personal.

So I guess this post is more about the show as a whole than Klugman himself. Even though he had a brilliant stage career, had a few outstanding film roles and made several memorable appearances on “The Twilight Zone” (not to mention “Quincy”), I think Jack Klugman, who died on Christmas Eve, wouldn’t mind being remembered as part of the one of the greatest comedy teams on arguably the best written sitcom in television history. He often remarked in interviews that he knew how good the show was.

And as good as he thought it was, it was even better than that.

And so was he.