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.

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...

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)...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

Felix meddles in Oscar’s radio show in S5E11 “The Big Broadcast”.  Topics discussed include:  1) Tony Randall and writer Frank Buxton’s enthusiasm for old-time radio, 2) Dick Butkus’ wedding 3) How audiences of the 1970s remember entertainment from the 1920s-1930s. 4) Angry radio in the 1970s and host Bob Grant 5) How S5 of The Odd Couple was aired out of production order and how that impacts the character of Tina, Oscar’s new/temporary secretary, 6) the lackluster “Adventuring Ranger” scene...

Felix tells the story of how Oscar’s father tried to kill Felix’s father via a flashback to the 1920s in S5E10 “Our Fathers”.  We cover 1) the exact year of the episode 2) the character timelines and inconsistencies that occur and the ones that don’t 3) the way the 1920s/1930s setting is established 3) the connections to The Untouchables 4) the career of guest star Elijah Cook Jr. 5) Garrett’s impression of Morris Unger, 6) the removal of Tony and Jack’s toupees to play their fathers, 7) and...

Edna runs away from home to follow Paul Williams and Felix and Oscar go after her in S5E9 “The Paul Williams Story”.  Topic covered include 1) the career of guest star Paul Williams, 2) the fact that this episode was originally written for John Denver, 3) an Odd Couple reference in the current season of Billions, 4) the illogic in the episode’s plot, 5) the very funny bit when Felix reads Edna’s note after Oscar hands it to him, 6) the first meaty role for perennial bit actor Eddie Garrett,...

Felix and Oscar get trapped on a stuck subway car in S5E8 “The Subway Story”.  We go off on multiple tangents such as 1) catching up on the homework we had regarding some scenes from the prior episode ‘The Odd Candidate’, 2) Jack Klugman’s pre Odd Couple sitcom Harris Against The World, 3) New York crime in the 1960s and 1970s and a brief history of the NYC subway system, 4) the guest stars including Scatman Crothers, Barney Martin, Billy Sands and Garry Marshall himself, 5) the impressive...

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 4th 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.

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...

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...

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 4th wall is kind of broken.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

Monty Hall returns and Felix tries to get his band on Monty’s new TV show but needs Oscar’s help to make it happen in S4E19 “A Different Drummer”.  Topics covered include: 1) the many songs from the 1920s that are sung in the show and the multiple music cuts 2) the firing of Julius LaRosa 3) another debate about whether is Oscar is 40 or 50 given that Monty, who is 53, and Oscar were in college together, 4) and the fact a clip from a prior episode is shown.

Felix moves to Buffalo to work with his brother at his bubble gum company in S4E18 “Shuffling Off To Buffalo.” Discussion includes the following topics: 1) Oscar’s wearing 74 on his jersey and our assumed reference to Merlin Olsen 2) The career of the main guest star William Redfield 3) the resume of some of the other guest stars 4) the early deaths of some of those guest stars 5) the use of telegrams in 1974 6) the fact that William Daniels was originally sought to play Floyd 7) and the...

A shy but talented woman whom Oscars works with has a crush on him while Felix wants her to sing Carmen in his opera in S4E17 “Vocal Girl Makes Good”.  Topics discussed:  The career of Marilyn Horne; the gullible and moronic nature of her character; the amount of singing in the episode; the timeline problems caused by an unnecessary prop that is very visible; and several oddly or incorrectly said lines.