How Odd Couple Stars Jack Klugman And Tony Randall Got Along In Real Life

"The Odd Couple" began as a hit Broadway play in 1965 and became a hit movie starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Mathau in 1968. Audiences couldn't seem to get enough of the fastidious Felix Unger and the sloppy Oscar Madison, so series creators Garry Marshall, who went on to direct "Pretty Woman," and Jerry Belson gave them more. 

"The Odd Couple" TV show debuted in 1970 ... but it never quite took off. While the series ran for five seasons and lasted 114 episodes, it never cracked the top 25 shows in terms of ratings and was always on the brink of cancellation. Whatever kept audiences from watching, it certainly wasn't the show's stars. Both Tony Randall (Felix) and Jack Klugman (Oscar) were nominated for Emmys every year, with Randall winning one and Klugman winning two. And the secret to their success appeared to be the chemistry the two actors shared, even when Randall and Klugman argued. While Oscar could barely stand Felix on the show, in real life, Klugman and Randall had nothing but the greatest respect for one another. 

In 1996, the two men, both in their 70s, spoke to the Independent about their working relationship while making "The Odd Couple," and how they continued to get along decades later. As Klugman explained, "We argued like cats and dogs for five years, but only ever about how to make the show better." He went on to describe his co-star, saying, "Since the very start of our work on the show, Tony has never been less than generous." Randall reciprocated the feeling, saying, "We're only friends at work, and we love each other like brothers... He is a remarkable man."

While "The Odd Couple" wasn't a hit when it originally aired, the show became popular in reruns and soon enough, Tony Randal and Jack Klugman were forever connected to the characters in the eyes of TV watchers. In 1989, when Klugman lost his voice after one of his vocal cords was cut during surgery, Randall pulled his former co-star out of his depression by cajoling Klugman to do a one-night only performance of "The Odd Couple" at the National Actor's Theatre, which Randall owned. Klugman was nervous, explaining to NPR that he was worried the audience wouldn't be able to hear him, but his friend assured him, "They'll hear you. I promise you they'll hear you." Randall was right, and the performance was a hit. 

The duo reprised their iconic roles — without ever directly referencing the show or their characters — for Eagle Snacks commercials. In 1993, Randall and Klugman officially returned to the roles, starring in the TV movie "The Odd Couple: Together Again." All the while, the two continued to perform the play around the country, as well as in England, using it to raise funds for Randall's theater, which Randall explained to the Independent, "Now this is my theatre, and I would never, ever dare ask Jack to do that. It is he who comes to me and says, 'Look, we'll make a lot of money for the theatre. You and I will take no salary.'" Unlike some celebrity besties who don't speak anymore, Klugman and Randall remained close until Randall died in 2004. In his eulogy for his friend, published in Time, Klugman wrote, "He was like Don Quixote fighting the windmills, and thank God he did."