Jack Klugman didn't just play Oscar Madison. He basically inhabited him. If you close your eyes and think of The Odd Couple, you don’t see the suave Walter Matthau from the 1968 movie first. You see Klugman. You see that crumpled New York Mets cap, the grey sweatshirt with the mystery stains, and a half-eaten pastrami sandwich sitting on a stack of racing forms.
He made sloppiness look like a philosophy.
But here’s the thing: the show almost didn't work. It’s a miracle it lasted five seasons. Most people don’t realize that for the entire run from 1970 to 1975, the series was never a massive ratings hit. It lived on the edge of cancellation every single year. It was the summer reruns—the stuff we all grew up watching on local syndication—that actually saved the show and turned it into a cultural landmark.
The Fight for the "Real" Oscar Madison
When ABC decided to turn Neil Simon’s legendary play into a sitcom, they already had Tony Randall signed on as the fussy, opera-loving Felix Unger. Randall was great, but he actually wanted Mickey Rooney to play Oscar. Can you imagine that? Mickey Rooney as Oscar Madison? It would have been a completely different energy—louder, maybe a bit more "vaudeville."
Garry Marshall, the show’s legendary developer, had to fight tooth and nail to get Jack Klugman hired.
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Klugman had a secret weapon, though. He’d actually played Oscar on Broadway, replacing Walter Matthau in the original run. He knew the character’s DNA. He knew that Oscar wasn't just a "slob." He was a man with a huge heart who happened to be comfortable in a mess.
Why the First Season Felt... Off
If you go back and watch the first season today, it feels weird. It was shot with a single-camera setup, like a movie, with a canned laugh track. It felt stiff. Klugman hated it. He and Randall pushed the network to switch to a multi-camera setup with a live studio audience for Season 2.
That’s when the magic happened.
Working in front of a crowd turned the show into a weekly play. Klugman and Randall were both theater vets, and they started improvising. They’d tear the scripts apart on Monday, take out the "easy" jokes, and find the character moments instead.
A Brotherhood Beyond the Script
The chemistry between Jack Klugman and Tony Randall wasn't just acting. It was a genuine, deep-seated friendship that lasted until Randall’s death in 2004. They were the ultimate "opposites attract" story.
- Tony Randall: Loved the Louvre, adored opera, was a fanatical anti-smoker, and wore tailored suits.
- Jack Klugman: Loved the horse track, lived for cheap cigars, and was happiest in a t-shirt.
Basically, they were exactly like their characters, minus the genuine animosity.
Randall once said that they never socialized much outside of work because they spent 15 hours a day together on set. "We love each other like brothers," he’d say. When Klugman lost his voice to throat cancer in the late 80s, Randall was the one who pushed him to get back on stage. He organized a one-night benefit performance of The Odd Couple to prove to Klugman that he could still perform, even with a raspy, whispered voice.
That’s a real friend.
Making "The Slob" Respectable
We think of Oscar Madison as the ultimate "guy's guy," but Klugman brought a lot of nuance to the role. He was a sportswriter for the New York Evening Mail (a fictional paper), and he captured that gritty, 1970s New York journalist vibe perfectly.
He made being a divorcee in your 50s look like a weird kind of freedom.
There was always this underlying sadness in Oscar that Klugman played beautifully. He wasn’t just messy because he was lazy; he was messy because he was grieving his failed marriage to Blanche (played, hilariously, by Klugman’s real-life wife at the time, Brett Somers).
The Real-Life Impact of the Role
Klugman’s work on The Odd Couple earned him two Emmy Awards, but he never let the "sitcom star" label limit him. He used the fame he got from Oscar to pivot into Quincy, M.E., where he became a pioneer for "socially conscious" TV. He even testified before Congress to help pass the Orphan Drug Act of 1983.
Most sitcom actors just take the paycheck and go home. Klugman used his voice—as raspy as it was—to actually change the law.
Why We’re Still Talking About It
You see the "Odd Couple" trope everywhere now. Every "buddy cop" movie or "mismatched roommate" sitcom owes a debt to what Klugman and Randall did in that Park Avenue apartment.
But nobody has ever quite matched the timing.
The way Klugman would react to one of Felix’s honking sinus clearings—that slow burn, the way his eyes would bulge out before he’d erupt—that was pure gold. He didn't need a punchline. He just needed a cigar and a look of pure, unadulterated annoyance.
The Lasting Lessons of Oscar Madison
If there's anything we can learn from Jack Klugman’s portrayal of Oscar, it's that you don't have to be perfect to be a good person. Oscar was a gambling addict, a slob, and a grouch. But when Felix was suicidal and wandering the streets in the pilot episode, Oscar was the one who took him in.
He gave up his peace and quiet for his friend.
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What to Do Next
If you haven't watched an episode in a while, skip Season 1 for a second. Start with Season 2, Episode 1 ("Natural Child"). You'll immediately see the difference that the live audience made. The energy is electric, and you can tell Klugman is finally having fun.
Check out Klugman's book, Tony and Me. It’s a short, heartbreaking, and funny tribute to his partnership with Randall. It gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how they built those characters from the ground up.
Lastly, look for the 1993 TV movie, The Odd Couple: Together Again. It was filmed after Klugman’s cancer surgery. It’s tough to hear his voice so thin at first, but within five minutes, you realize it’s still the same Oscar Madison. The mess is different, the world is older, but the heart is exactly where he left it.