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Sunday, June 17, 2012

The Odd Couple & 1984-Style Revisionist History

June 17, 2012:  I just again reread George Orwell's frightening "1984" and currently find it much less a "prophetic" vision of a dystopian future, than a brutal assessment of the world in which we already live.

Make no mistake -- it is a corrupt corporate-controlled 1984 world, and I'm not sure there's anything left to be done about it. Worse -- more significantly -- I'm not even sure that many people really care anymore anyway, and that's the most frightening aspect, to me ...

One of the remarkable operations of a 1984 world is the revising of history -- something you'll remember (or NOT remember, if you're adept at applying doublethink) from reading the book. To me, it's hysterical to see it happen so often in once instance where gas prices are concerned. One day the cost shoots up, say from $3.60 to $4.00 per gallon, and the helpless population gets pointlessly up-in-arms, and plays out its derision with flaccid expressions of benign protest ... Then, maybe two weeks go by, and prices drops from $4.00 to $3.85 per gallon! The media heralds the news: "Gas Prices Drop!" ... And the population is pleased, and pacified once again (if it ever needed to be) and the public and its' permanently damaged short-term memory rest comfortably until the next time ... Yeesh! What a species mankind is ...

But more importantly, what does this have to do with The Odd Couple? Please understand, The Odd Couple -- (which I'm too lazy to keep putting in quotes) -- is one of the most brilliant humorous shows ever on TV -- here or in Germany! The writing is absolutely fantastic, and Jack Klugman and Tony Randall are in a class by themselves with their magnificent performances of Oscar Madison and Felix Unger.

I'm proud to own the DVDs for all five seasons, which originally ran from 1969 to 1974, and even prouder to have indoctrinated my children into an intelligent appreciation of real comic genius. (We also own catalogues of "All in the Family," "The Honeymooners," and "I Love Lucy," as well as 14 seasons of "The Simpsons.")

But what is now -- and will remain -- so awfully disturbing to me -- having mainly fostered my Odd Couple appreciation through the WPIX (channel 11 in NY) reruns of the show in my formative years -- is to see the numerous sections that have been cut from the original episodes for DVD release. These, unfortunately, all seem to center around song numbers that Show Runner Garry Marshall -- I guess a cheap bastard, despite how awesome his show was, including some hysterical cameo roles he played -- did not fight to have put in the DVDs. There are perhaps a dozen song numbers that I vividly remember being sung, usually by Felix, sometimes Oscar, or from an ensemble -- that have been mercilessly butchered from these classic shows.

The worst part -- again, for me -- (this all being about me, after all) -- is that my children WILL NEVER KNOW that these moments were an important part of these brilliant episodes. Of course, I try and explain -- pointing out why there's an awkward cut (before Felix sings "Cocktails for Two," or when the cast is singing "Give My Regards To Broadway" on the subway train). Still, what a terrible shame to not enjoy those gem-like moments, some of which are actually pretty significant to the overall episode.

I'll always wonder why they couldn't leave these moments in. They played, after all, on television reruns for years and years. How petty do those songwriters and publishing companies have to have been to block their use?! What reason could they have had, really? How much money could they even expect for them?! Could Paramount not have shelled out a few extra dollars to preserve the shows in their entirety? And couldn't Marshall, who I have to assume became a zillionaire after then creating "Happy Days" AND "Laverne & Shirley," (which I hope he'll always remain embarrassed by) throw a couple thousand bucks into the pot to clear the bloody rights?! (How does one make a show as brilliant as The Odd Couple, and then -- now situated up on High -- not demand a proper preservation of that artwork?!!)

No, not today, not in 2012. As far as the world is concerned, Jaye P. Morgan was never singing "Sunshine of My Life," and Felix did not sing "Peg O' My Heart" to his plant. Nor Felix did not serenade Oscar and Blanche on their honeymoon with "I Love You Truly" while Murray played the harmonica, and Murray, Oscar and Myrna did not croon Felix to sleep singing "Dream." The boys did not break into "I Want the Sun in the Morning and the Moon at Night," nor did Felix sing the torchsong "Quarter to Three" during the poker game in the hotel, or "Look for the Silver Lining" during their monks' retreat ...

It never happened. I must have imagined it ... probably because I'm unloyal to the state because I think too much, and harbor these awful delusions that could damage the tranquility of this new Morning in America ...

Ah ... Yes ... I need to stop thinking so much ... Stop thinking so much ... Stop noticing things ... Rest ... Rest and sleep ... Sleep ... Sleep ... Zzzzzzzz ...

1 comment:

  1. my grandmother was Edith, and Edith was my grandmother . . .

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