Grapefruit, gizzards and garbonzo beans

What's wrong with this picture? If you are so inclined, you can purchase a full season of Adam-12 on DVD right now. That's right, Adam-12 - the show best known for being slightly less obscure than that Randolph Mantooth tour de force - Emergency.

Why does this bother me so much? I'll tell you why. It bothers me because The Odd Couple is nowhere to be found. I know, its a travesty but we'll just have to find a way to struggle on as a species until someone comes along with the courage to right this horrible wrong. Are you listening, Paramount (the studio that has the show locked securely in its vaults)?

The Odd Couple of the early 70s was one of the top 5 shows ever produced in the history of television. Period. Some day I'll tell you the other 4 on the list.

For a while in the early to mid 80s, WPIX in New York ran Odd Couple re-runs no less than 4 times every day. It meant seeing the same episodes over and over in a short period of time, but it didn't matter. I'd watch them all anyway. They were THAT good.

Oscar: I have brown juice, or green juice.
Murray: What's the difference?
Oscar: Two weeks.

Felix (to Monty Hall on Lets Make A Deal): Keep the squid! Keep the squid!
Oscar: What are you, Jaques Cousteau?!

Oscar (to Murray, who is playing his ukelele and singing): Who are you, Murray? Nose Felicano?

Felix (to Oscar when the boys appeared on Password): I'm giving you such great clues!
Oscar: Great clues? If Charlie Chan had these clues he'd be running a laundry!

Just a few of the hundreds, if not thousands of amazing quotes from the show. Check out Jump The Shark and see how many people say that The Odd Couple never jumped, or did a reverse jump. That was more entertainment in 30 minutes than you can usually find in a whole day lately.

I know, I know - sitting around reciting sitcom lines is pretty hackey. Oh well. I don't really have any profound point to make here. This is just my way of letting the world know that I am an Odd Couple fan, and that I think it stinks that the show is not available on DVD yet. I guess while I'm at it, I should also thank Jack Klugman and Tony Randall and Gary Marshall and everyone else involved with The Odd Couple for all the laughs over the years.

For those of you that ASSUME that I'd quote the classic line from episode 51 ("The Pen is Mightier than the Pencil"), think again.


Ode to a Skyscraper
by Felix Unger

Born of the rubble that lies there
Nurtured through snow and through rain
By men whose only companions
Are derrick, and shovel, and crane.
Center for great institutions
Place where conglomerates grow
Yet home for the little cigar shop
With the candies all in a row.
Seven-seven-seven they will call you.
Towards heaven, heaven, heaven you will soar.
Only God can make a tree, I will grant you
But only man can make a 40th floor.