Pat Sajak is Felix Unger
Rob Long ·
July 5, 2012 at 5:47pm
And, apparently, he's doing a great job of it. From a glowing review in the NYTimes:
One of [Sajak's] nicest moments is an Act II encounter in which Oscar has come home late for a dinner party and reveals how little he knows about cooking. Felix shouts the main verbs with believable exasperation as he explains: “You have to make gravy. It doesn’t come.”
The show is playing in Connecticut, in Storrs, until July 7th. Wish I could be there. (Although the part I really want to see Pat play is Nathan Jessup in A Few Good Men. I'd pay a lot to hear Pat shouting, "You can't handle the truth!")
- Comment (14)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (5)
Comments:
Re: Pat Sajak is Felix Unger
The reaction has been amazing. I went into a local restaurant the other night, and when someone shouted, "Look, it's Pat Sajak, who's doing such a great job in The Odd Couple!" the place went wild. I was almost sorry I yelled.
Aug '10
Re: Pat Sajak is Felix Unger
So, what's next?
Are ya gonna play the villain in the next Schwarzenegger flick like Richard Dawson, or are ya gonna punch Adam Sandler's lights out like Bob Barker?
;-)
Mar '12
Re: Pat Sajak is Felix Unger
I thought Pat was Vanna White's date on weekdays. Sounds better than being Jessup.
Re: Pat Sajak is Felix Unger
Funny joke, okay, but I'm pretty sure someone did yell that. I would have. Pat, when can we do a show together?
Nov '11
Re: Pat Sajak is Felix Unger
"I can't take it anymore, Felix, I'm cracking up. Everything you do irritates me. And when you're not here, the things I know you're gonna do when you come in irritate me. You leave me little notes on my pillow. I've told you 158 times I can't stand little notes on my pillow. 'We're all out of cornflakes. F.U.' Took me three hours to figure out F.U. was Felix Ungar!"
And I was afraid that Vanna left the two letter notation on your pillow....
Most game show hosts like Wink Martindale, Dick Clark, and Bob Barker seem like the Felix-type except, of course, Groucho Marx, Joe Garagiola, Gene Rayburn, and Drew Carey who was definitely be "an Oscar" along with possibly Monty Hall and Steve Allen.
Re: Pat Sajak is Felix Unger
Rob Long
Pat, when can we do a show together? · 47 minutes ago
Ok, Rob. You call Mickey and Judy, and I'll see if the old barn is available!
By the way, there's a small oddity about this show. In the TV series, the last name of the Felix character is spelled U-N-G-E-R (as in your headline). In the play, however, it's U-N-G-A-R. I have many more fascinating stage stories that I'll share with you when we do our show together.
Oct '10
Re: Pat Sajak is Felix Unger
Oh, I'm another one that would really like to see this. And not only for Pat Sajak. During my years in Hawaii, '80-'01, Joe Moore was an institution. He was not only the state's most popular news anchor, he also had a great radio show covering classical music, mainly Mozart. My wife has a picture of she and Joe from the 80's when she ran into him on a day cruise. An absolute gentleman.
That NYT's article couldn't have been more laudatory toward Mr. Sajak, well deserved I'm sure, but did the reviewer know of his dark (political) side? Either no or his acting is on so rarefied a level that it shocked the reviewer into objectivity.
Re: Pat Sajak is Felix Unger
The latter, I presume.
Mar '11
Re: Pat Sajak is Felix Unger
Pat,
The play and the character are so well known and the audience comes to it with well-defined expectations - How does one pull off a role like this knowing everyone in the audience is comparing you to Tony Randall? (or Jack Lemmon?)
Secondly, I've seen the Odd Couple performed by "unknown" actors and thought they pulled it off wonderfully. How does your "known-ness" impact your ability to pull this character off?
Sep '10
Re: Pat Sajak is Felix Unger
Misthiocracy: So, what's next?
Are ya gonna play the villain in the next Schwarzenegger flick like Richard Dawson, or are ya gonna punch Adam Sandler's lights out like Bob Barker?
;-) · 4 hours ago
Seriously, I would love to see Pat play an evil, evil villain in a Bond movie. Cast him as a lovable game show host who is secretly plotting to take over the world, complete with orbiting lasers. Oh wait, that's actually his real life, isn't it?
Re: Pat Sajak is Felix Unger
Celebrity casting is a tricky business. It sells tickets, and I suppose it's easy to skate through the role, and the audience would probably be satisfied. But I really do aim to get people to start seeing Felix instead of Pat as quickly as possible, and--humility aside--I think I manage to do that. It helps that I'm surrounded by wonderful actors from Broadway and Hollywood. I'm having an absolutely terrific time. Back to reality very soon (if playing hangman and spinning a giant, multi-colored wheel qualifies as reality).
Edited on July 5, 2012 at 11:54pmJan '11
Re: Pat Sajak is Felix Unger
Just my two cents ...
Before the holiday, Andy Griffith died, and sad though it was, it gave us a chance to see all those old clips. We also heard interviews where Griffith said that he just played straight man to all the characters around him. The characters, in turn, all praised Griffith for being the kind of guy who could pull that off.
Now we all know a guy who knows how to run that kind of a show. The trick is finding that guy in the center, who can be funny himself, but whose ego is healthy without being too large to let others drive the jokes.
Hmmm ... I wonder where we could find such a guy ...
By the way, I always thought that Pat Sajak was Bob Newhart in disguise.
Just saying ...
Edited on July 6, 2012 at 1:29amMar '11
Re: Pat Sajak is Felix Unger
Bob Newhart is my hero.
Oct '10
Re: Pat Sajak is Felix Unger
Hey Pat-- Can you post a photo of you in character? Love the idea of you in this role!