The Odd Couple is a 1968 American comedy film directed by Gene Saks, produced by Howard W. Koch and written by Neil Simon, based on his 1965 play.

It stars Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau as two divorced men—neurotic neat-freak Felix Ungar and fun-loving slob Oscar Madison—who decide to live together.

The success of the film was the basis for ABC to produce a popular sitcom series starring Tony Randall and Jack Klugman as Felix and Oscar.

While at a tavern, Oscar tells Felix about recently meeting two English sisters who live upstairs in their building: Cecily and Gwendolyn Pigeon.

After the sisters arrive, Oscar leaves the room to mix some drinks, hoping that uptight Felix will loosen up while alone with the two flirtatious girls.

Oscar's poker playing friends in the film are Roy (David Sheiner), Vinnie (John Fiedler), Homer "Speed" Deegan (Larry Haines) and Murray the policeman (Herbert Edelman).

[citation needed] It was a hit and earned Neil Simon a nomination for the Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay.

The scene at Shea Stadium, which also featured Heywood Hale Broun, was filmed before the start of a real game between the New York Mets and the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 27, 1967.

[5] One of the outdoor scenes in the film involves Felix shopping at Bohack, a Maspeth, Queens-based supermarket chain that was ubiquitous in the New York City area during the mid-20th century.

[citation needed] The Odd Couple garnered both critical acclaim and box-office success; it opened at New York's Radio City Music Hall on May 2, 1968, and ran there for a record-breaking 14 weeks, with a record gross of $3.1 million.

[12] Arthur D. Murphy of Variety called it an "excellent film", adding that the "teaming of Lemmon and Matthau has provided each with an outstanding comedy partner".

[13] Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times declared, "My not very fearless forecast is that 'The Odd Couple' will cause more people to do more laughing than any film you are likely to see all year.

"[14] Stanley Eichelbaum of the San Francisco Examiner wrote that "Neil Simon, whose hit plays haven't always been served too well by Hollywood (remember the flat-footed film of Barefoot in the Park), did his own adaptation this time and there's been no appreciable loss of hilarity", also applauding Saks's direction and the performances of the cast.