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Rating:  -
Tony and Me is written by Jack Klugman. I received the book for Christmas from my wife, who knows I am a long time Odd Couple fan. The book is funny, sad and in lighting, often at the same time. This book is much more than a story about two actors who worked on stage and television together, it's about how friendships make the good times better and the bad times bearable. But most of all it's a tribute from one friend to another. The book is not large in size, but is huge in content. Jack shares personal moments, pictures, and allows an up close look into his 35 year friendship with Tony. One of the most touching books I have read in quite a while, and well worth the time and money invested. If you are a fan of the Odd Couple, Tony Randall, or Jack Klugman, don't miss out on this story. After reading the book I found a CD of Odd Couple out takes tucked in the front cover. What a great bonus to a great book.
Rating: -
When Tony Randall died on May 17, 2004, his long-time acting partner and best friend, Jack Klugman, was overcome with grief - which he channeled into this book, TONY AND ME. It is Klugman's loving tribute to Randall, and among its most notable qualities are brevity and good taste: Klugman focuses on his friend, only telling as much of his own (uncommonly interesting and inspiring) life story as is necessary. For fans of THE ODD COUPLE, the book provides invaluable actor's insights into both the play and the creation of the popular TV series. Admirers of Randall will cheer when Klugman troubles to point out just how superb an actor his friend really was. I received this book only yesterday as a Christmas present and found myself unable to put it down. I was nearly in tears when I read of Klugman's gratitude to Randall for helping him recover from throat cancer and get his career back, starting with a successful gala performance of THE ODD COUPLE, or of how Randall's friendship made Klugman "open up" and become less of a loner. One comes away from TONY AND ME with the sense that Klugman, though undoubtedly still sad, can take comfort in his memories of Randall as well as in the love of his own extended family. And surely, it would be wonderful to see Klugman's dream of a "Tony Randall Theatre" on Broadway realized. Tony Randall, rest in peace.
Rating:  -
Jack Klugman's brief memoir Tony and Me (with Burton Rocks) is written as a tribute to the late Tony Randall, Klugman's friend of nearly 35 years, who played Felix Unger to Klugman's Oscar on television's The Odd Couple (1970 to 1975). The book spans the two actors' careers--from early stints on live television to Randall's creation of the National Actors Theater--but focuses on the period of their collaboration on the series. (When they were cast for the show both Klugman and his co-star had already had extensive experience performing The Odd Couple on stage, though not with each other. During hiatuses from the show, however, they would perform the play together to further hone their characters.) The book offers an interesting behind-the-scenes look at how two professionals went about perfecting their characters. Jack, for example, always pushed for a "love scene" in each episode--the scene in which the real affection between Oscar and Felix was manifested: "The mandatory 'love scene' made us real to each other and gave the show a life beyond the situations and jokes. I keep hitting on this point because I'm hoping this book will be read not only by fans of the show, or by fans of Tony and me, but also by young actors and writers who must understand that the most basic unit of any successful dramatic truth is human feeling." And he's right, of course, because what makes The Odd Couple work is the intensity of feeling between Oscar and Felix, whatever their differences.
Tony and Me bills itself as a book about the friendship between Klugman and Randall. For much of the book, however, the intensity of their relationship is not apparent, and Klugman in fact tells us that during the Odd Couple years the two didn't socialize much off-screen. This ostensible lack of closeness makes sense given Klugman's moving account later in the book of his return to performing after losing most of his voice to throat cancer. Randall's unwavering support during that difficult period changed Klugman for the better, breaking down the barriers he'd surrounded himself with for most of his life. Klugman credits Randall with nothing short of making him a better human being. So in fact the book is ultimately a paean to friendship, and it is very touching in its final pages.
The book includes a foreword by Gary Marshall, the executive producer of The Odd Couple, as well as interviews with Klugman himself and with Heather Randall, Tony's second wife and the mother of his two children. The book is packaged with a DVD of outtakes from the series. Some of the proceeds from sales of the book will benefit Tony Randall's National Actors Theater.
Reviewed by Debra Hamel, author of Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in Ancient Greece
Rating: -
This slim volume speaks in a voice much louder than Jack Klugman has been able to muster in recent years.
Klugman, whose portrayal of the sloppy everyman, Oscar Madison, was the perfect compliment to Tony Randall's fussbudget Felix Unger, writes a moving ode to his pal in TONY AND ME, a simple and extremely warm memoir. Giving only the briefest of youthful self-reference, Klugman's sole purpose is to let the reader and fans of "The Odd Couple" realize what a mensch Randall was.
Despite being an actor of some renown before and after the syndicated favorite, Klugman would rather tout the virtues of Randall and a supportive and multi-dimensional friend than toot his own horn.
After some initial stumbles in working on "The Odd Couple," Randall and Klugman developed a relationship of mutual respect and affection rare in the world these days, let alone the entertainment industry. After the show was canceled, they maintained their friendship and worked together often. When Klugman developed throat cancer, Randall was there with words of encouragement to a remarkable degree, even going so far as to help Klugman return to the profession, casting him in numerous productions at his National Actors Theatre.
When the tables were turned, and Randall became ill, Klugman was similarly there for his ailing partner.
Klugman, who teamed up with Burton Rocks, co-writer of the bestselling MY DAD AND ME (the autobiography of former New York Yankees player Paul O'Neill) probably could have sold his story to any major house but preferred to self-publish because, as he writes, "I needed to be sure it was done right...I instinctively didn't like the idea of handing [the book] to someone I didn't know."
The only questionable aspect of TONY AND ME --- and it is a minor one --- is the use of a "Q and A" format interview with Heather Randall, Tony's widow; after the warm narrative, it just seems jarring to come across the transcript style. (The book ends with a similar "interview with Jack Klugman." Was this really necessary since, after all, Klugman did write the manuscript?)
In an era when celebrity relationships can be as fleeting and phony as the roles they play, TONY AND ME is an unashamedly open "thank you" note from one friend to another.
--- Reviewed by Ron Kaplan
Rating: -
IMPORTANT NOTE: Amazon lists the author of the book to be Garry Marshall; the book was written by Jack Klugman - Mr. Marshall authored the forward.
The TV series "The Odd Couple" was only on the air for 5 years, but it spawned a lifelong friendship between Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. Mr. Klugman paints an effective portrait of Mr. Randall, a man who was far more complex than his TV alter ego would allow you to believe. He shows us a man who was serious and silly, someone who could enjoy both sports and the opera, and who was a loyal and considerate friend. When Mr. Klugman's throat cancer surgery reduced his voice to a whisper, it was Mr. Randall who, in both the figurative and literal sense, saved his life. The book is a warm and touching tribute not only to a great actor but, more importantly, to a devoted famliy man and a true friend. The included DVD is a nice touch with some truly hilarious outakes, but more would have been better.
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