"Mr. Lucky" TV series

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Jim Akin
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"Mr. Lucky" TV series

Post by Jim Akin »

I think many bat-fans might enjoy the "Mr. Lucky" series, which is available in its entirety (it ran for just one season in 1959-60) on Amazon Prime.

The premise involves an extremely fortuitous gambler (the suave title character, played by John Vivyan, whom I've never heard of anywhere else) who wins a yacht from some gangsters and sets it up as an offshore casino/nightclub, outside the jurisdiction of local law enforcement. His sidekick Andamo, a freedom fighter who helps topple a corrupt Caribbean dictator in the pilot episode, is played (with an indeterminate accent that comes and goes), by future "Wild Wild West" star Ross Martin.

"The syndicate" resents Mr. Lucky and his establishment, which becomes a haven for mob enemies and victims, and also draws assorted thrill seekers and hard-luck cases, whom Mr. Lucky (he has no other name) and Andamo help out of jams. Some of the action scenes seem a little static by standards of today (or even in comparison to batfights), but humor and banter more than compensate, IMHO. The whole thing was overseen by filmmaker Blake Edwards, and it's stylish fun.

The main appeal for bat-fans may be loads of familiar faces among the weekly guest-stars. The first episode features King Tut's Nefertiti, Ziva Rodann, as a femme fatale; Madge Blake cameos in the second; the third includes Barbara "Rocket O'Rourke" Stuart. Later episodes revolve around guest stars Yvonne Craig as a spoiled heiress seeking beatnik kicks and Frank Gorshin as a mob-crossed comedian. The Gorshin episode is noteworthy for its inclusion of chunks of Frank's real-life nightclub act.

Has anyone else seen this show? Does anyone recall its original run?
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dell
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Re: "Mr. Lucky" TV series

Post by dell »

I never heard of it, but I checked IMDB and there are some guest stars listed we should know. Oddly enough, the star, John Vivyan, was on Batman. He played the bank manager in the Penguin's Clean Sweep. Also appearing on this show were Barbara Bain (Mission Impossible), Edward Platt (the Chief on Get Smart), Ted Knight (Caddyshack and Mary Tyler Moore Show), Stafford Repp (Batman) and good old Vito Scotti (Gilligan's Island).
dell
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Jim Akin
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Re: "Mr. Lucky" TV series

Post by Jim Akin »

dell wrote: Thu Apr 05, 2018 1:17 pmOddly enough, the star, John Vivyan, was on Batman. He played the bank manager in the Penguin's Clean Sweep.
Great find! I bet I'll recognize him when I watch The Penguin's Clean Sweep again, but he didn't look familiar when I started watching Mr. Lucky. He does bear a passing resemblance to Cary Grant, who starred in a feature film titled "Mr. Lucky," upon which I gather the series was loosely based.
maniac cop 5
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Re: "Mr. Lucky" TV series

Post by maniac cop 5 »

I'm a big fan of Mr. Lucky and a bigger fan of Edwards' other show Peter Gunn. Been watching them on ME TV for years as well as on DVD. I was originally drawn to both through the jazz soundtracks provided from Henry Mancini, one of my favorite composers. I love the film noir atmospheres of both series. A time we'll not see again that was soon to be replaced by the bright colors and visuals of the 60's.
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Jim Akin
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Re: "Mr. Lucky" TV series

Post by Jim Akin »

maniac cop 5 wrote: Thu Apr 05, 2018 5:28 pm I'm a big fan of Mr. Lucky and a bigger fan of Edwards' other show Peter Gunn.
Peter Gunn is also available on Amazon Prime. I'll check that out next. Thanks!
Blue Meanie
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Re: "Mr. Lucky" TV series

Post by Blue Meanie »

Thanks for the heads up about these shows (Mr. Lucky and Peter Gunn) being on Prime. I especially love Mancini’s soundtracks to these shows and the album covers are cool too. 8-)

Image

Image
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chrisbcritter
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Re: "Mr. Lucky" TV series

Post by chrisbcritter »

I hope Amazon went back to the masters for this series; the prints they run on MeTV look awful (like low res video dupes from 16mm prints).

I saw his last performance on an episode of Simon & Simon in 1983; he still looked handsome, but very frail. He passed away twelve days after the episode aired.
"To the medical eye, such childish claptrap means only one thing, young man: You need some sleep."
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Jim Akin
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Re: "Mr. Lucky" TV series

Post by Jim Akin »

The Mr. Lucky transfers on Amazon are not great.
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zippgun
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Re: "Mr. Lucky" TV series

Post by zippgun »

MR LUCKY is available as an official DVD box set.

Great show. Highly recommended.
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