Season Three of The Odd Couple begins with "Gloria, Hallelujah", introducing Elinor Donahue in the recurring role of Miriam Welby, occasional girlfriend of divorced photographer Felix Unger (Tony Randall. Which is not to say that the ex-wives of Felix and his sportswriter roomate Oscar Madison (Jack Klugman), played respectively by Janis Hansen and Bret Somers (then Mrs. Jack Klugman!), will not continue making significant appearances throughout the season. There have been a few changes made this year--not with the format or the basic character, but with certain casting choices. Doney Oatman takes over from Pamelyn Ferdin as Felix's daughter Edna in the episode "The Odd Father"; and Elvia Allman replaces Jane Dulo as Oscar's mother in "The Odyssey Couple". Ironically, actress Dulo appears this season as the wife of Oscar's poker-playing buddy Murray the Cop (Al Molinaro in "The Murray Who Came to Dinner". Having featured a pair of guest stars as "themselves" in the previous season, The Odd Couple upholds this tradition in Season Three. Howard Cosell is seen in the appropriately titled "The Big Mouth", sports legend Deacon Jones guests in "Felix's First Commercial"; and, in a brace of game-show takeoffs, Allen Ludden and Betty White are cast in the episode "Password", while Monty Hall does his standard emcee duties in "Let's Make a Deal". Steadily building a loyal fan base since its second season, The Odd Couple closed out its third year on the air as the 36th most popular TV show in the US.
by Hal Erickson
synopsis
