Herb Edelman as an announcer for Armed Forces Radio, he enrolled in Brooklyn College as a theater student, but eventually dropped out. He later worked as a hotel manager and as a taxicab driver. One of his fares was director Mike Nichols, who in 1963 cast Edelman in his breakthrough Broadway role, as the bewildered telephone repairman in Neil Simon's "Barefoot in the Park". Edelman reprised his role in the 1967 film version (starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda). He appeared in the movie versions of Simon's "The Odd Couple" (1968) and "California Suite" (1978). He also appeared in an installment of
Sunday in New York a lot of feeling and very funny. Peter Graves and Jane Fonda were discussed as leads in the play. Then in May 1961 Carroll Baker was mooted as star. Baker ended up going into "Come on Strong" a play written by Kanin. The lead roles ended up going to Pat Stanley, Robert Redford and Conrad Janis. Rehearsals took place in October 1961. The "New York Times" called it "inventive and chic. Only the substance is familiar and thin." Walter Kerr called it a "sentimentalised farce... precisely the kind of echo chamber exercise that drives intelligent young theatregoers to complete despair."