RIP Jack Klugman actor who portrayed Oscar Madison in "The Odd Couple" sitcom and "Quincy M.E."

[Jack Klugman Dead at 90]





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-12-25 21:01 by The Sicilian.

R.I.P. Mr Klugman,
Thank you for all the laughs you gave (are still giving) us.

This should perhaps have been posted in the "cringe worthy performances" thread. It certainly doesn't get any more cringe worthy than this.




If Christgau had graded this, what grade do you think he would have given it? I say he would have given it an E+.

The Grades

An A+ record is an organically conceived masterpiece that repays prolonged listening with new excitement and insight. It is unlikely to be marred by more than one merely ordinary cut.

An A is a great record both of whose sides offer enduring pleasure and surprise. You should own it.

An A- is a very good record. If one of its sides doesn't provide intense and consistent satisfaction, then both include several cuts that do.

A B+ is a good record, at least one of whose sides can be played with lasting interest and the other of which includes at least one enjoyable cut.

A B is an admirable effort that aficionados of the style or artist will probably find quite listenable.

A B- is a competent or mildly interesting record that will usually feature at least three worthwhile cuts.

A C+ is a not disreputable performance, most likely a failed experiment or a pleasant piece of hackwork.

A C is a record of clear professionalism or barely discernible inspiration, but not both.

A C- is a regrettably successful exploitation or a basically honest but quite incompetent stab at something more.

A D+ is an appalling piece of pimpwork or a thoroughly botched token of sincerity.

It is impossible to understand why anyone would buy a D record.

It is impossible to understand why anyone would release a D- record.

It is impossible to understand why anyone would cut an E+ record.

E records are frequently cited as proof that there is no God.

An E- record is an organically conceived masterpiece that repays repeated listening with a sense of horror in the face of the void. It is unlikely to be marred by one listenable cut.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2012-12-25 21:34 by tatters.

Quincy M.E. Yeah, that's what I remember him from mostly. I really liked that series when I was young. RIP Jack

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Keep On Rolling

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dcba
Please to meet you Jack! Haha you're dead...?

Trying to be funny or what ?

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Keep On Rolling

You made people laugh, Jack.
And that's probably one of the most important things in all our lives.
Thank you for that. Rest in peace.

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dcba
Please to meet you Jack! Haha you're dead...?

What's wrong with you ?

He was also in an episode of Rod Serling's Twilight Zone with Jonathan Winters.



















Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2012-12-25 22:50 by stonesnow.

Such a big part of my childhood....watching the Odd Couple.
Good, happy times.
RIP Jack.

Some outtakes from The Odd Couple TV series with an introduction by Jack Klugman

Nothing against Klugman as an actor, but it's a shame that when most people think of the Odd Couple they think of this rather pedestrian sitcom instead of the brilliant performances by Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau from the vastly superior film version.

My favorite actor, period. I wrote this essay about meeting him a few years ago --

In Los Angeles each fall, the publishing industry hosts an event in a hotel ballroom where authors table hop over the span of a three-course meal to talk about their upcoming release to booksellers from the area. I’ve done it a couple of times and it’s both fun and productive—being able to get that sort of face-to-face time might otherwise be next to impossible. They feed the authors dinners before the booksellers are let in, which frees us up to move from table to table while the movers and shakers themselves eat. It’s hard to forget the first one of these functions I ever attended.

When I arrived, I saw one table almost full of about a dozen or so authors. I didn’t know anyone there so I instead looked over to a table where one older man sat, his back to me. Placing my hand on his shoulder, I asked if it might be okay if I joined him. He turned toward me and in a thin, raspy voice said with a big smile, “Sure, kid!” It was Jack Klugman. Like many other New Yorkers, I am an unfailing devotee of the TV series The Odd Couple. A freak, in fact. I can quote almost any line from any episode and Jack Klugman is one of my favorite actors on the planet, primarily to his portrayal of the gloriously slovenly Oscar Madison. I warned him that I might not leave him alone, that he might not so much as enjoy one bite of food because of me. He ordered me to sit. I knew of his throat cancer and the fact a vocal chord of his had to be cut, and asked if it hurt to talk. Not at all, he said. It sounded bad but he felt fine.

For more than an hour we gabbed, recreating dozens of bits of Odd Couple dialogue (he remembered everything better than I—and trust me, I know my stuff). He told me stories, talked about his life and showed me Tony and Me, the new book he’d written about his old pal, the late, great Tony Randall. I asked him about “Twelve Angry Men,” the Twilight Zone episodes he made, and more. My favorite thing he said was what he felt what was wrong with entertainment today. “Too lacking in sentimentality,” he stressed. “Where is the sentimentality? People are afraid of real emotion, in movies and in society.” He had just one copy of his book to take from table to table that night. “But I want to give it o you before I leave,” he said. All night as I table hopped, I kept an eye on where he was. Would he remember the book, I wondered? As the evening came to a close, I saw him across the ballroom, as far as he could be from me. He was busy greeting people, but then he pulled away and started scanning the crowd. Could it be? Was he looking for me? We caught each other’s eye and he motioned for me to stay put. My God. He was coming over to me. He handed me his book and then kissed me on the cheek. “Thank you,” he whispered in my ear… “For remembering.”

here's a picture from that night

Quote
hbwriter
My favorite actor, period. I wrote this essay about meeting him a few years ago --

In Los Angeles each fall, the publishing industry hosts an event in a hotel ballroom where authors table hop over the span of a three-course meal to talk about their upcoming release to booksellers from the area. I’ve done it a couple of times and it’s both fun and productive—being able to get that sort of face-to-face time might otherwise be next to impossible. They feed the authors dinners before the booksellers are let in, which frees us up to move from table to table while the movers and shakers themselves eat. It’s hard to forget the first one of these functions I ever attended.

When I arrived, I saw one table almost full of about a dozen or so authors. I didn’t know anyone there so I instead looked over to a table where one older man sat, his back to me. Placing my hand on his shoulder, I asked if it might be okay if I joined him. He turned toward me and in a thin, raspy voice said with a big smile, “Sure, kid!” It was Jack Klugman. Like many other New Yorkers, I am an unfailing devotee of the TV series The Odd Couple. A freak, in fact. I can quote almost any line from any episode and Jack Klugman is one of my favorite actors on the planet, primarily to his portrayal of the gloriously slovenly Oscar Madison. I warned him that I might not leave him alone, that he might not so much as enjoy one bite of food because of me. He ordered me to sit. I knew of his throat cancer and the fact a vocal chord of his had to be cut, and asked if it hurt to talk. Not at all, he said. It sounded bad but he felt fine.

For more than an hour we gabbed, recreating dozens of bits of Odd Couple dialogue (he remembered everything better than I—and trust me, I know my stuff). He told me stories, talked about his life and showed me Tony and Me, the new book he’d written about his old pal, the late, great Tony Randall. I asked him about “Twelve Angry Men,” the Twilight Zone episodes he made, and more. My favorite thing he said was what he felt what was wrong with entertainment today. “Too lacking in sentimentality,” he stressed. “Where is the sentimentality? People are afraid of real emotion, in movies and in society.” He had just one copy of his book to take from table to table that night. “But I want to give it o you before I leave,” he said. All night as I table hopped, I kept an eye on where he was. Would he remember the book, I wondered? As the evening came to a close, I saw him across the ballroom, as far as he could be from me. He was busy greeting people, but then he pulled away and started scanning the crowd. Could it be? Was he looking for me? We caught each other’s eye and he motioned for me to stay put. My God. He was coming over to me. He handed me his book and then kissed me on the cheek. “Thank you,” he whispered in my ear… “For remembering.”

here's a picture from that night

Nice story Chris.

Jack shows the blade!

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tatters
Jack shows the blade!

Oh yeah! Great movie. One of my alltime favorites. What a cast.

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tatters
Jack shows the blade!

he told me everyone got the same amount for this movie - $2500 - that was it - for this level of acting!

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hbwriter

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tatters
Jack shows the blade!

he told me everyone got the same amount for this movie - $2500 - that was it - for this level of acting!

Even in today's money, that's only around $17,500, or about $210,000 for the entire cast. Meanwhile, Eddie Murphy gets paid $20 million for movies that bomb. Fantastic movie, once you get past the improbability of having a jury consisting of 12 white guys.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2012-12-26 00:16 by tatters.

he also told me that henry fonda, as producer was to have been a lot more as an actor as well but had his contract re-drawn so he'd make the same as everyone else- he felt it was important to the camaraderie of the ensemble that nobody make more than anyone else

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hbwriter
he also told me that henry fonda, as producer was to have been a lot more as an actor as well but had his contract re-drawn so he'd make the same as everyone else- he felt it was important to the camaraderie of the ensemble that nobody make more than anyone else

Those were the days...

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71Tele
Nothing against Klugman as an actor, but it's a shame that when most people think of the Odd Couple they think of this rather pedestrian sitcom instead of the brilliant performances by Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau from the vastly superior film version.

I think its a given that the film was superior, but it was pretty damn good tv show.....

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stupidguy2

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71Tele
Nothing against Klugman as an actor, but it's a shame that when most people think of the Odd Couple they think of this rather pedestrian sitcom instead of the brilliant performances by Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau from the vastly superior film version.

I think its a given that the film was superior, but it was pretty damn good tv show.....

True, as TV shows go it wasn't bad.

Very nice story hbwriter. I never saw Klugman in anything where he wasn't great. He had a good long life and died peacefully, can't ask for more than that.

Oscar....Oscar....Oscar
RIP

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71Tele

Quote
hbwriter
My favorite actor, period. I wrote this essay about meeting him a few years ago --

In Los Angeles each fall, the publishing industry hosts an event in a hotel ballroom where authors table hop over the span of a three-course meal to talk about their upcoming release to booksellers from the area. I’ve done it a couple of times and it’s both fun and productive—being able to get that sort of face-to-face time might otherwise be next to impossible. They feed the authors dinners before the booksellers are let in, which frees us up to move from table to table while the movers and shakers themselves eat. It’s hard to forget the first one of these functions I ever attended.

When I arrived, I saw one table almost full of about a dozen or so authors. I didn’t know anyone there so I instead looked over to a table where one older man sat, his back to me. Placing my hand on his shoulder, I asked if it might be okay if I joined him. He turned toward me and in a thin, raspy voice said with a big smile, “Sure, kid!” It was Jack Klugman. Like many other New Yorkers, I am an unfailing devotee of the TV series The Odd Couple. A freak, in fact. I can quote almost any line from any episode and Jack Klugman is one of my favorite actors on the planet, primarily to his portrayal of the gloriously slovenly Oscar Madison. I warned him that I might not leave him alone, that he might not so much as enjoy one bite of food because of me. He ordered me to sit. I knew of his throat cancer and the fact a vocal chord of his had to be cut, and asked if it hurt to talk. Not at all, he said. It sounded bad but he felt fine.

For more than an hour we gabbed, recreating dozens of bits of Odd Couple dialogue (he remembered everything better than I—and trust me, I know my stuff). He told me stories, talked about his life and showed me Tony and Me, the new book he’d written about his old pal, the late, great Tony Randall. I asked him about “Twelve Angry Men,” the Twilight Zone episodes he made, and more. My favorite thing he said was what he felt what was wrong with entertainment today. “Too lacking in sentimentality,” he stressed. “Where is the sentimentality? People are afraid of real emotion, in movies and in society.” He had just one copy of his book to take from table to table that night. “But I want to give it o you before I leave,” he said. All night as I table hopped, I kept an eye on where he was. Would he remember the book, I wondered? As the evening came to a close, I saw him across the ballroom, as far as he could be from me. He was busy greeting people, but then he pulled away and started scanning the crowd. Could it be? Was he looking for me? We caught each other’s eye and he motioned for me to stay put. My God. He was coming over to me. He handed me his book and then kissed me on the cheek. “Thank you,” he whispered in my ear… “For remembering.”

here's a picture from that night

Nice story Chris.

Fantastic story, very nice.

I celebrated my 50th birthday in 2008 with a party that lasted several days and was planned to end up in Las Vegas. On Night two, we went to see Don Rickles at the Grove in Anaheim. Jack Klugman was in the audience and Rickles introduced him from the stage. Unbeknownst to me, a couple of guys from my group made their way to Klugman and told him we were all big fans of his and what we were up to. He told them to go get me and bring me to him. Long story short, he was a lot of fun and a very nice guy. He also gave me $20 to bet on a horse, any horse, for my birthday while we were in Vegas. We took his $20 and bet it on a horse but alas, it came in fifth. We realized too late a better use of that twenty would have been to have him sign it and then frame it for posterity.

Can two grown men share an apartment in heaven without driving each other crazy?

Great story, Chris.

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Long John Stoner

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71Tele

Quote
hbwriter
My favorite actor, period. I wrote this essay about meeting him a few years ago --

In Los Angeles each fall, the publishing industry hosts an event in a hotel ballroom where authors table hop over the span of a three-course meal to talk about their upcoming release to booksellers from the area. I’ve done it a couple of times and it’s both fun and productive—being able to get that sort of face-to-face time might otherwise be next to impossible. They feed the authors dinners before the booksellers are let in, which frees us up to move from table to table while the movers and shakers themselves eat. It’s hard to forget the first one of these functions I ever attended.

When I arrived, I saw one table almost full of about a dozen or so authors. I didn’t know anyone there so I instead looked over to a table where one older man sat, his back to me. Placing my hand on his shoulder, I asked if it might be okay if I joined him. He turned toward me and in a thin, raspy voice said with a big smile, “Sure, kid!” It was Jack Klugman. Like many other New Yorkers, I am an unfailing devotee of the TV series The Odd Couple. A freak, in fact. I can quote almost any line from any episode and Jack Klugman is one of my favorite actors on the planet, primarily to his portrayal of the gloriously slovenly Oscar Madison. I warned him that I might not leave him alone, that he might not so much as enjoy one bite of food because of me. He ordered me to sit. I knew of his throat cancer and the fact a vocal chord of his had to be cut, and asked if it hurt to talk. Not at all, he said. It sounded bad but he felt fine.

For more than an hour we gabbed, recreating dozens of bits of Odd Couple dialogue (he remembered everything better than I—and trust me, I know my stuff). He told me stories, talked about his life and showed me Tony and Me, the new book he’d written about his old pal, the late, great Tony Randall. I asked him about “Twelve Angry Men,” the Twilight Zone episodes he made, and more. My favorite thing he said was what he felt what was wrong with entertainment today. “Too lacking in sentimentality,” he stressed. “Where is the sentimentality? People are afraid of real emotion, in movies and in society.” He had just one copy of his book to take from table to table that night. “But I want to give it o you before I leave,” he said. All night as I table hopped, I kept an eye on where he was. Would he remember the book, I wondered? As the evening came to a close, I saw him across the ballroom, as far as he could be from me. He was busy greeting people, but then he pulled away and started scanning the crowd. Could it be? Was he looking for me? We caught each other’s eye and he motioned for me to stay put. My God. He was coming over to me. He handed me his book and then kissed me on the cheek. “Thank you,” he whispered in my ear… “For remembering.”

here's a picture from that night

Nice story Chris.

Fantastic story, very nice.

I celebrated my 50th birthday in 2008 with a party that lasted several days and was planned to end up in Las Vegas. On Night two, we went to see Don Rickles at the Grove in Anaheim. Jack Klugman was in the audience and Rickles introduced him from the stage. Unbeknownst to me, a couple of guys from my group made their way to Klugman and told him we were all big fans of his and what we were up to. He told them to go get me and bring me to him. Long story short, he was a lot of fun and a very nice guy. He also gave me $20 to bet on a horse, any horse, for my birthday while we were in Vegas. We took his $20 and bet it on a horse but alas, it came in fifth. We realized too late a better use of that twenty would have been to have him sign it and then frame it for posterity.

Can two grown men share an apartment in heaven without driving each other crazy?

BEAUTIFUL

Thanks Chris. Very generous actor, Jack seemed to be dedicated to the ensemble he was working with. He could do it all, sadly "Time waits for no one."

Caught a few shows, of the Odd Couple. He made me laugh a few times. Thanks!!!

God bless his family and rest in peace.

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tatters

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hbwriter

Quote
tatters
Jack shows the blade!

he told me everyone got the same amount for this movie - $2500 - that was it - for this level of acting!

Even in today's money, that's only around $17,500, or about $210,000 for the entire cast. Meanwhile, Eddie Murphy gets paid $20 million for movies that bomb. Fantastic movie, once you get past the improbability of having a jury consisting of 12 white guys.

In 1957, that wasn't improbable at all. It was very much the norm, frankly.

Great in The Odd Couple and 12 Angry Men. He was in four Twilight Zone episodes. RIP.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-12-26 22:04 by FrankM.