David Tebet Fabray. They were wed in 1947 and divorced in 1951. Tebet was said to be the inspiration for Felix Unger, the fastidious divorcé in Neil Simon’s "The Odd Couple". Slovenly, Oscar Madison was reportedly based on Tebet’s onetime roommate, songwriter Sammy Cahn. Tebet was also writer Paddy Chayefsky’s model for Max Schumacher, the level-headed television executive played by William Holden in the movie "Network". For his contributions to television, Tebet was granted the medallion for distinguished service by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He was also a lifetime member of the Board of Governors of the New
Felix the Cat Felix's success was fading. The new Disney shorts of Mickey Mouse made the silent offerings of Sullivan and Messmer, who were then unwilling to move to sound production, seem outdated. In 1929, Sullivan decided to make the transition and began distributing Felix sound cartoons through Copley Pictures. The sound Felix shorts proved to be a failure and the operation ended in 1932. Felix saw a brief three-cartoon resurrection in 1936 by the Van Beuren Studios. Felix cartoons began airing on American TV in 1953. Joe Oriolo introduced a redesigned, "long-legged" Felix, added new characters, and gave Felix a "Magic Bag