Nov 13 2023 - The Day Felix Unger Was Asked...

In this episode we interview TV writer Marty Nadler who worked for Garry Marshall for 40 years. As one of his first jobs Marty punched up scripts and wrote jokes for S5 of The Odd Couple.  Marty discusses the process of how Odd Couple scripts were written; a few specific classic bits he remembers witnessing; interacting with some of the show’s famous guest stars and other insider knowledge from someone who was there!

We are honored and delighted to welcome Heather Randall to the podcast.  Heather was married to Tony Randall from 1995 until his passing in 2004 and they had two children together.  Heather shares many stories passed down by Tony and those she lived through regarding: his early life in Tulsa, Oklahoma, career beginnings on stage and radio, becoming a star on Broadway and movies, The Odd Couple of course, The Tony Randall Show, Sidney Shorr TV Movie, Love Sydney his work establishing The National Actors Theatre where he and Heather met and his appearances on David Letterman.  We also learn about Tony as a person off-camera + Heather's early life and work, both professional and philanthropic.  Please join us for this 2 hour discussion about Tony Randall from the person who knows it best .  

This week we welcome a special guest – Peter K Ackerman who is the son of Elinor Donahue and legendary TV producer Harry Ackerman.  He has written a new book called Mom, Dad, Me and Classic TV about their lives and his experiences growing up as the son of two TV legends. It is available wherever books are sold including here on Amazon We discuss his father’s career helping to create I Love Lucy, producing Bewitched, and also his passion for collecting.  We also review his Mom’s extensive career on such shows as Father Knows Best, Star Trek, Get A Life and, of course, as Miriam Welby on The Odd Couple.  Peter also shares his experiences working in TV and how he transitioned into a very different vocation. Join us for this fun, two-hour discussion that covers many different aspects of TV history as Peter’s parents touched so many different programs.

In this episode we discuss the differences between original production scripts for Felix The Horseplayer (known as The Stung on the script) and Two On The Aisle.  Both scripts feature known-but-never-seen characters who are referenced during the series that are supposed to make actual on-camera appearances but were written out before the episodes were filmed.  There are some other significant scene differences between script and episode which we believe are changes that made the show better.   If you would like to get PDFs of any of the scripts we have reviewed please email us at [email protected] and ask for the dropbox link.  

In this episode we review two early drafts of these classic episodes and how different they are from the actual filmed episodes.  Among the topics covered are: 1) Whether or not the most famous line from The Odd Couple about assuming is in the script for Court. 2) The fact that the script for Court is structured as a flashback and how so many of the classic gags from the episode are missing while other scenes we have never seen before are included. 3) The set-up for Furniture is very different as it starts in the furniture store that was Felix's client.  4) How the clock was described in Furniture. 5) The very different tags in both episodes.

This week we discuss scripts for two more episodes of The Odd Couple - this time from S3 - The Odd Monks and The Ides of April - and the differences between what's on the page and what's on the air.  In a major piece of revelation we find out what was said in the missing Louis Guss scene at the IRS in the Ides of April.  We also find out how The Odd Monks could have been very different as the script contains the name of a different actor playing Brother Ralph - not Richard Stahl.  These are biggies!

In this episode we discuss the differences between  "Revised Final Scripts" for the two S2 episodes "Security Arms" and "You Saved My life" and the actual released episodes.  If you want access to PDFs of the scripts please email us at [email protected].  

We celebrate Felix Unger Day with a new podcast previewing an exciting new project that will fuel some more episodes of 1049 Park Avenue.  Take a listen to find out more details!

The second half of our discussion about Jack and Tony's series after The Odd Couple contains in-depth looks at The Tony Randall Show (1976-78), Love Sydney (1981-1983) and You Again? (1986-87).

In this episode we start looking at the four series Jack and Tony did after The Odd Couple - Quincy, The Tony Randall Show, Love, Sydney and You Again?.  This is part one where we cover only Quincy.  The next episode will cover the three sitcoms.