The Odd Couple ( film ) - wikipedia The Odd Couple ( film ) The Odd Couple Theatrical release poster Directed by Gene Saks Produced by Howard W. Koch Written by Neil Simon Based on The Odd Couple by Neil Simon Starring Jack Lemmon Walter Matthau John Fiedler Herb Edelman Music by Neal Hefti Cinematography Robert B. Hauser Edited by Frank Bracht Distributed by Paramount Pictures Release date May 2, 1968 ( 1968 - 05 - 02 ) Running time 105 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $1.2 million Box office $44,527,234 The Odd Couple is a 1968 American comedy Technicolor film in Panavision, written by Neil Simon, based on his play of the same name, produced by Howard W. Koch and directed by Gene Saks, and starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. It is the story of two divorced men - neurotic neat - freak Felix Ungar and fun - loving slob Oscar Madison - who decide to live together, even though their personalities clash. The film was successful with critics and audiences, grossing over $44.5 million, making it the fourth highest - grossing picture of 1968. The success of the film was the basis for the ABC television sitcom of the same name, starring Tony Randall and Jack Klugman as Felix and Oscar. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production and casting 3.1 Theme music 4 Reception 4.1 Awards and honors 4.2 TV series 4.3 Sequel 5 See also 6 References 7 External links Plot Felix Ungar ( Jack Lemmon ) checks into a fleabag hotel near Times Square and attempts to kill himself by jumping out of the window, but he fails to open it and pulls a muscle in his back. Limping back on the street he tries to get drunk at a dance bar and ends up hurting his neck when he throws down a shot. He stands on a bridge, contemplating jumping into the river. Meanwhile, in the frowzy Upper West Side apartment of divorced sportswriter Oscar Madison ( Walter Matthau ) on a hot and sticky summer evening, Oscar and his buddies Speed ( Larry Haines ), Roy ( David Sheiner ), Vinnie ( John Fiedler ), and policeman Murray ( Herb Edelman ) are playing poker and discussing their friend, Felix Ungar, who is unusually late for the game. Murray 's wife calls and tells him that Felix is missing. Oscar then calls Felix 's wife Frances who says that she and Felix have split up. As they are discussing what to do, and worried that Felix might try to commit suicide, Felix arrives not knowing that his friends already know that his wife has kicked him out of the house. Felix eventually breaks down crying and his friends try to console him. Oscar then suggests that Felix move in with him, since Oscar has lived alone since he split up with his own wife, Blanche, several months earlier. Felix agrees, and urges Oscar to not be shy about letting him know if he gets on Oscar 's nerves. Within only a week, Oscar is going nuts. Felix is a neurotic, obsessive - compulsive nut, who runs around the apartment cleaning, picking up after Oscar, and berating him for being such a slob. He also refuses to have any fun, spending most of his time thinking about Frances. Felix at one point even telephones Oscar at Shea Stadium telling him not to eat any hot dogs at the game, because Felix is preparing franks and beans for dinner ; this distraction causes Oscar to miss seeing a rare triple - play at the Mets game on which he is reporting. The two men are shown bowling, shooting pool, and walking the city streets. Felix has a sinus attack, making loud obnoxious noises while seated in a coffee shop. Finally, after Felix drives everyone at the weekly poker game crazy, Oscar convinces Felix to lighten up and join him on a double - date with two English girls who live in the building -- the Pigeon sisters, Cecily ( Monica Evans ) and Gwendolyn ( Carole Shelley ), who actually `` coo '' when they laugh. As the date commences, Oscar tries to get Felix to loosen up by leaving him alone for a while in their living room with the two attractive, and somewhat frisky, sisters. Instead, he winds up talking about Frances, and breaks down weeping. When Oscar returns from their kitchen, the Pigeon sisters, one a divorcee, the other widowed, are sobbing as uncontrollably as Felix. Oscar cheers them up and they invite the boys upstairs for what should be a wild night. Instead, Felix, who realizes that he is still too attached to his wife, refuses to go, opting to `` scrub the pots and wash his hair '' instead. Oscar joins the sisters in their apartment, but winds up spending the night drinking tea and telling them all about Felix. Furious about Felix 's ruining the date, Oscar resorts to giving Felix the silent treatment and torturing him by messing up the apartment as much as possible. Felix retaliates by just being himself, driving Oscar insane with his endless cleaning and neurotic behavior. Eventually, the tension explodes into an argument that results in Oscar demanding that Felix move out. Felix complies, but leaves Oscar with a major - league guilt trip for having abandoned his still - in - need friend. Feeling awful about throwing Felix out, and not knowing where he has gone, Oscar assembles his poker buddies to search New York City for Felix in Murray 's NYPD police car, which he 's not supposed to use for this purpose. After searching for hours, they return to Oscar 's apartment to find out that Felix has moved in with the Pigeon sisters. Oscar and Felix apologize to each other, and realize that a bit of each has rubbed off on the other, with each being a better person for it. Felix agrees that next Friday night, he will be at Oscar 's apartment for their poker game. The once slobbish Oscar tells his friends to clean up their mess after the poker game is over, ending the film. Cast Jack Lemmon as Felix Ungar Walter Matthau as Oscar Madison Herb Edelman as Murray John Fiedler as Vinnie David Sheiner as Roy Larry Haines as Speed Monica Evans as Cecily Pigeon Carole Shelley as Gwendolyn Pigeon Billie Bird as Chambermaid Iris Adrian as Waitress Angelique Pettyjohn as Go - Go dancer Ted Beniades as Bartender Bill Baldwin as Sports announcer Production and casting The Odd Couple was originally produced for Broadway and the original cast starred Art Carney as Felix and Walter Matthau as Oscar. For the film version, Matthau reprised his role as Oscar, and Felix was portrayed by Jack Lemmon, who had never played the character before. At one point, Frank Sinatra ( as Felix ) and Jackie Gleason ( as Oscar ) were reportedly considered for the film version. Dick Van Dyke and Tony Randall were also among those considered for the role of Felix ( the latter portrayed him in the TV series ). Similarly, Jack Klugman ( who aside from the TV series had replaced Matthau on Broadway ) and Mickey Rooney were also to play Oscar. Most of the script from the play has been retained, although the setting is expanded : instead of taking place entirely in Oscar 's apartment, Simon also added some scenes that take place at various outdoor New York City locations ( such as the scene at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York ). Oscar 's poker playing cronies were Roy ( David Sheiner ), Vinnie ( John Fiedler ), Speed ( Larry Haines ) and Murray the Cop ( Herb Edelman ). The film made its debut at Radio City Music Hall in 1968. It was a hit and earned Neil Simon a nomination for the Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay. The film was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and Lemmon and Matthau were both nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. The scene at Shea Stadium, which also featured Heywood Hale Broun, was filmed right before a real game between the New York Mets and the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 27, 1967. Roberto Clemente was asked to hit into the triple play that Oscar misses, but he refused to do it and Bill Mazeroski took his place. One of the outdoor scenes in the film involved Felix shopping at Bohack, a Maspeth, Queens - based supermarket chain ubiquitous in the New York City area during the mid-20th century. The last Bohack supermarket closed in 1977. Theme Music The award - winning jazz instrumental theme was composed by Neal Hefti. The theme was used throughout the movie 's sequel, starring Lemmon and Matthau and released 30 years later, and also adapted for the 1970 TV series and used over the opening credits. The song also has seldom - heard lyrics, written by Sammy Cahn. Reception The film garnered both critical acclaim and box office success. It grossed over $44.5 million in the United States, making it the fourth highest - grossing film of 1968. The Odd Couple received universal acclaim from critics, earning a rare 100 % `` Fresh '' rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes. Awards and honors Neil Simon was nominated for the Academy Award for Writing - Adapted Screenplay Frank Bracht was nominated for the Academy Award for Film Editing and for the American Cinema Editors `` Eddie '' award for Best Edited Feature Film. The film was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau were each nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Gene Saks was nominated for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film. The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists : 2000 : AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Laughs -- # 17 2005 : AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes : Oscar Madison : `` I can not stand little notes on my pillow ! `` We are all out of cornflakes, F.U. '' It took me three hours to figure out F.U. was Felix Unger. '' -- Nominated TV series The film spawned a television series spinoff in 1970, also entitled The Odd Couple which ran until 1975. As the series ended, a cartoon version called The Oddball Couple ran on ABC. Produced by Depatie - Freleng, it features a sloppy dog and a neat cat. Sequel A sequel, The Odd Couple II, reunited Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in their original roles and was released 30 years later, breaking the record for the length of time between an original movie and a sequel featuring the same cast. See also List of American films of 1968 References Jump up ^ `` THE ODD COUPLE ( A ) ''. British Board of Film Classification. 1968 - 02 - 07. Retrieved 2012 - 12 - 16. ^ Jump up to : `` The Odd Couple, Box Office Information ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 4, 2012. Jump up ^ Possibly a reference to the two young female characters in Oscar Wilde 's play The Importance of Being Earnest, who share the same names. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2015 - 04 - 02. Retrieved 2015 - 03 - 31. Jump up ^ Bohack Archived 2007 - 04 - 02 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ The Odd Couple tv theme lyrics and voice over Jump up ^ North American rentals were $18.5 million. See `` Big Rental Films of 1968 '', Variety, 8 January 1969 p 15. Please note this figure is a rental accruing to distributors. Jump up ^ `` The Odd Couple, Movie Reviews ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 4, 2012. Jump up ^ `` AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Laughs '' ( PDF ). American Film Institute. Retrieved 2016 - 07 - 17. Jump up ^ `` AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes Nominees '' ( PDF ). Retrieved 2016 - 07 - 17. External links The Odd Couple on IMDb The Odd Couple at the TCM Movie Database The Odd Couple at AllMovie The Odd Couple at the American Film Institute Catalog The Odd Couple at Box Office Mojo Films directed by Gene Saks Barefoot in the Park ( 1967 ) The Odd Couple ( 1968 ) Cactus Flower ( 1969 ) Last of the Red Hot Lovers ( 1972 ) Mame ( 1974 ) Brighton Beach Memoirs ( 1986 ) A Fine Romance ( 1991 ) New York Mets Established in 1962 Based in Queens, New York Franchise History Expansion Draft Seasons Records Players New York Mets Hall of Fame Award winners and league leaders ( Sterling Award ) Managers Owners and executives Broadcasters Opening Day starting pitchers First - round draft picks SportsNet New York Logos and uniforms No - hitters Ballparks Polo Grounds Shea Stadium Citi Field Spring training Al Lang Stadium First Data Field Culture and lore 2018 MLB Little League Classic New York Metropolitans Continental League Ca n't Anybody Here Play This Game ? 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Bristol Pirates Rookie GCL Pirates DSL Pirates 1 DSL Pirates 2 All - time Minor league affiliate history World Series Championships ( 5 ) 1909 1925 1960 1971 1979 League pennants ( 9 ) American Association none National League 1901 1902 1903 1909 1925 1927 1960 1971 1979 Division titles ( 9 ) East 1970 1971 1972 1979 1990 1991 1992 Central none Wild Card berths ( 3 ) 2013 2014 2015 Media AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh KDKA - FM Pirates Radio Network Steve Blass Joe Block Greg Brown Bob Walk John Wehner Seasons ( 137 ) 1880s 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890s 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900s 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910s 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920s 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930s 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940s 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950s 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960s 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970s 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980s 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990s 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000s 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010s 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Neil Simon 's The Odd Couple Films The Odd Couple ( 1968 ) The Odd Couple II ( 1998 ) Television series The Odd Couple ( 1970 -- 1975 ) ( episodes ) The Oddball Couple ( 1975 ) The New Odd Couple ( 1982 -- 1983 ) The Odd Couple ( 2015 -- 2017 ) ( episodes ) Neil Simon Plays Come Blow Your Horn ( 1961 ) Barefoot in the Park ( 1963 ) The Odd Couple ( 1965 ) The Star - Spangled Girl ( 1966 ) Plaza Suite ( 1968 ) Last of the Red Hot Lovers ( 1969 ) The Gingerbread Lady ( 1970 ) The Prisoner of Second Avenue ( 1971 ) The Sunshine Boys ( 1972 ) The Good Doctor ( 1973 ) God 's Favorite ( 1974 ) California Suite ( 1976 ) Chapter Two ( 1977 ) I Ought to Be in Pictures ( 1980 ) Fools ( 1981 ) The Female Odd Couple ( 1981 ) Brighton Beach Memoirs ( 1983 ) Biloxi Blues ( 1985 ) Broadway Bound ( 1986 ) Rumors ( 1988 ) Lost in Yonkers ( 1991 ) Jake 's Women ( 1992 ) Laughter on the 23rd Floor ( 1993 ) London Suite ( 1995 ) Proposals ( 1997 ) The Dinner Party ( 2000 ) 45 Seconds from Broadway ( 2001 ) Rose 's Dilemma ( 2003 ) Oscar and Felix : A New Look at the Odd Couple ( 2004 ) Musicals Little Me ( 1962 ) Sweet Charity ( 1966 ) Promises, Promises ( 1968 ) They 're Playing Our Song ( 1979 ) The Goodbye Girl ( 1993 ) Films After the Fox ( 1966 ) Barefoot in the Park ( 1967 ) The Odd Couple ( 1968 ) The Out - of - Towners ( 1970 ) Plaza Suite ( 1971 ) Last of the Red Hot Lovers ( 1972 ) The Heartbreak Kid ( 1972 ) The Prisoner of Second Avenue ( 1975 ) The Sunshine Boys ( 1975 ) Murder by Death ( 1976 ) The Goodbye Girl ( 1977 ) The Cheap Detective ( 1978 ) California Suite ( 1978 ) Chapter Two ( 1979 ) Seems Like Old Times ( 1980 ) Only When I Laugh ( 1981 ) I Ought to Be in Pictures ( 1982 ) Max Dugan Returns ( 1983 ) The Lonely Guy ( 1984 ) The Slugger 's Wife ( 1985 ) Brighton Beach Memoirs ( 1986 ) Biloxi Blues ( 1988 ) The Marrying Man ( 1991 ) Broadway Bound ( 1992 ) Lost in Yonkers ( 1993 ) The Odd Couple II ( 1998 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Odd_Couple_(film)&oldid=840018205 '' Categories : 1968 films English - language films The Odd Couple 1960s comedy films American films American buddy films American comedy films Films adapted into television programs American films based on plays Films based on works by Neil Simon Films directed by Gene Saks Films produced by Howard W. Koch Films set in New York City Films shot in New York City Paramount Pictures films Screenplays by Neil Simon Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Film articles using image size parameter Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Català Deutsch Español Euskara Français Italiano Magyar Nederlands Polski Português Svenska Türkçe 中文 4 more Edit links This page was last edited on 7 May 2018, at 06 : 05. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who played the pigeon sisters on the odd couple
Answer: Monica Evans