Jack Klugman: A fond look back
Jack Klugman: For TV lovers everywhere, pretty much just two names of two beloved shows say it all - "Quincy M.E.," and "The Odd Couple." They were iconic series from the '70s, "Couple" especially, and Klugman (that voice, that face, that style) made them what they were. He died yesterday at age 90, and another major TV figure is gone from our lives. Here are a few clips in remembrance. The first two, from that goldmine, TVEmmyLegends.org, feature Klugman talking about the genesis of the characters, Quincy and Oscar Madison (Tony Randall, by the way, died in 2004) next one a terrific compilation of "Couple" (oh, his voice? The outcome of a larynx operation many years ago...) Randall and Klugman were classics - superb character actors who seemed born for each other, which Garry Marshall - one of TV's greatest producers - knew instantly and intuitively....I close out this list with a clip of "The Odd Couple" classic episode, "Password," which TV Guide once ranked as one of the greatest of all time. (Funny bit of trivia about "Couple" - ratings were never very good, and so ABC cancelled repeatedly, only to reverse itself every time when ratings for repeats did so well...)