John Vivyan (May 31, 1915–December 20, 1983) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
active primarily between 1957 and 1970. He was most known for his role as the honest debonair gambler in the CBS
adventureAn adventure is an activity that comprises risky, dangerous or uncertain experiences. The term is more popularly used in reference to physical activities that have some potential for danger, such as skydiving, mountain climbing, and extreme sports...
series
Mr. Lucky, which aired thirty-four episodes from October 24, 1959, to June 18, 1960.
Mr. Lucky
Vivyan's series, a
Blake EdwardsWilliam Blake Crump , better known as Blake Edwards, is an Academy Award–winning American film director, screenwriter, and producer.-Career:...
Production, was loosely based on a 1943
Cary GrantArchibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was a British-American actor...
filmFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
also called
Mr. LuckyMr. Lucky is a 1943 film directed by H.C. Potter, starring Cary Grant and Laraine Day. It tells the story of a romance between a shady gambler and a wealthy socialite in the early days of World War II....
based on the life of the mobster,
Anthony CorneroAnthony Cornero also known as "The Admiral" and "Tony the Hat" was an organized crime figure in Southern California from the 1920s through the 1950s...
. In the film, "Mr. Lucky" was Joe Adams, a veteran of the
United States NavyThe United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 283 ships in active service and more than...
during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It is unclear if the name was revealed in the television version. The website "TV Obscurities" indicates that Lucky was never identified by name in the series. Vivyan's co-star,
Ross MartinRoss Martin was an American Emmy-nominated actor known for playing Artemus Gordon in the western TV series The Wild Wild West, starring Robert Conrad, and Andamo on Mr. Lucky, starring John Vivyan....
(1920-1981), known on the program as Andamo, later joined
Robert ConradRobert Conrad is an American actor and director of film and television. He is primarily known for the 1965-1969 CBS television series The Wild Wild West, in which he played the sophisticated Secret Service agent James West...
in CBS's successful unconventional series,
The Wild Wild WestThe Wild Wild West is an American television series that ran on CBS for four seasons from September 17, 1965 to April 4, 1969....
. Another co-star,
Pippa ScottPippa Scott is an American actress who appeared in movies and television since the 1950s. She is also a founding partner of Lorimar Productions. She is the daughter of screenwriter Allan Scott and the niece of blacklisted screenwriter Adrian Scott.-Acting:Scott attended Radcliffe and UCLA before...
, played Mr. Lucky's girlfriend, Maggie Shank-Rutherford.
Mr. Lucky's
yachtA yacht is a high end recreational boat. It designates two rather different classes of watercraft, sailing and power boats. Yachts are different from working ships mainly by their leisure purpose. It was not until the rise of the steamboat and other types of powerboat that sailing vessels in...
, the
Fortuna II (pronounced "Fortuna the Second"), is equipped as a floating
casinoA casino is a facility that houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships and other tourist attractions...
, and is anchored outside an unnamed American seaport. She gets under way in only one episode, "His Maiden Voyage" (March 26, 1960), after Lucky converts her from floating casino to floating restaurant. In "Operation Fortuna," armed juvenile delinquents rob the Fortuna's cash room and then its dining hall customers. Mr. Lucky and Andamo suspect one of their waiters, played by a youhg
Jack NicholsonJohn Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director and producer. He is renowned for his often dark-themed portrayals of neurotic characters....
, to be involved. In "Taking a Chance," an actress who is being
blackmailBlackmail is the crime of threatening to reveal substantially true information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand made upon the victim is met. This information is usually of an embarrassing and/or socially damaging nature...
ed comes to Mr. Lucky for help. In the episode "Stacked Deck," a modern-day
Jack the RipperJack the Ripper was a pseudonym given to an unidentified serial killer active in the largely impoverished districts in and around Whitechapel, London, in late 1888. The name originated in a letter by someone claiming to be the murderer that was sent to the London Central News Agency and...
is preying on young rich blondes.
Yvette MimieuxYvette Carmen Mimieux Yvette Carmen Mimieux Yvette Carmen Mimieux (born January 8, 1942 (some sources state 1939) is a now-retired American movie and television actress. She was born in Los Angeles, California to a French father and Mexican mother, Carmen Montemayor.-Career:...
plays his intended victim.
Henry ManciniHenry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger. He is remembered particularly for being a composer of film and television scores. Mancini also won a record number of Grammy awards, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995...
did the music for the series.
At mid-season, the sponsor,
Lever BrothersThe British manufacturer Lever Brothers was founded in 1885 by William Hesketh Lever and his brother, James.-History:In 1885 they bought a small soap works in Warrington. Using glycerin and vegetable oils such as palm oil, rather than tallow, to manufacture soap, they produced a good,...
, demanded that gambling be de-emphasized on the series; hence the
Fortuna became a floating
restaurantA restaurant prepares and serves food and drink to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
and
nightclubA nightclub is a drinking, dancing and entertainment venue which does its primary business after dark. People who frequent nightclubs are known as clubbers...
.
Early career
Vivyan first appeared on the screen at the age of thirty-three in the 1949 episode "Two Sharp Knives" of the
Studio One series at a time when relatively few residences had television access. In 1957, he appeared as the character Richard Goff with
Broderick CrawfordBroderick Crawford was an American actor.-Early life:Crawford was born William Broderick Crawford in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Lester Crawford and Helen Broderick, who were both vaudeville performers...
in the episode "Nitro" of the
syndicatedIn broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows to multiple individual stations, without going through a broadcast network. It is common in countries where television is scheduled by networks with local affiliates, particularly in the United States...
Highway PatrolHighway Patrol is a syndicated action crime drama series that aired from 1955-1959. The series was syndicated by Ziv TV.-Overview:It starred Broderick Crawford as Chief Dan Matthews, the gruff and dedicated commander of a police force in a large, unidentified Western state...
series. He guest starred in two other 1950s syndicated programs too,
Harbor CommandHarbor Command is a syndicated adventure/drama television series starring Wendell Corey as Captain Ralph Baxter, a fictitious officer of the United States Coast Guard. The 39-episode Ziv program aired in black and white from October 11, 1957, to July 4, 1958. Casey Walters appeared in all episodes...
, starring
Wendell CoreyWendell Corey was an American actor and politician.He was born Wendell Reid Corey in Dracut, Massachusetts, the son of Milton Rothwell Corey and Julia Etta McKenney . His father was a Congregationalist clergyman...
as a
United States Coast GuardThe United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of seven uniformed services. It is unique among the military branches in that it has a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency mission as part of its mission set...
captain, and
State TrooperState Trooper is a half-hour television crime drama set in the 1950s American West, starring Rod Cameron as Rod Blake, an officer of the Nevada State Police. The series aired 104 episodes in syndication from September 25, 1956, to June 25, 1959...
, with
Rod CameronRod Cameron was a movie actor whose career extended from the 1930s to the 1970s. He appeared in horror, war, action and science fiction movies, but is best remembered for his many westerns....
. In 1957, appeared as the character Hewitt in "The Laura Hunter Story" on CBS's
The MillionaireThe Millionaire is a television drama anthology series that aired on CBS from January 19, 1955 to June 8, 1960, originally sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive.. The series explored the ways unexpected wealth changed life for better or for worse...
. He starred too as Mack Barron in the episode "The Little Witness" on
Loretta Young-Early life:She was born in Salt Lake City, Utah as Gretchen Young, of Luxembourgian descent.At confirmation, she took the name Michaela. She and her family moved to Hollywood when she was three years old. Loretta and her sisters Polly Ann Young and Elizabeth Jane Young worked as child actresses,...
's
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
anthologyAn anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
program.
Thereafter, he appeared in three Warner Brothers series on
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
, two
westernsThe Western is a fiction genre seen in film, television, radio, literature, painting and other visual arts. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the later half of the 19th century in what became the Western United States , but also in Western Canada, Mexico , Alaska The Western...
,
Colt .45Colt .45 was a western television series shown on ABC between 1957 and 1960. The show is derived from the 1950 Warner Brothers film of the same name starring Randolph Scott and formed part of the William T...
(as George F. Foley in "The Mirage") and
SugarfootSugarfoot is the title of a TV western that aired from 1957 to 1961. The series featured Will Hutchins as fledgling frontier lawyer Tom Brewster and Jack Elam as sidekick Toothy Thompson...
(as Victor Valla in the episode "Deadlock"), and then on the
detectiveA detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators...
series
77 Sunset Strip77 Sunset Strip is an hour-length American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes....
(as Mitch in "The Girl Who Couldn't Remember"). Vivyan appeared as LeBow in "Duel at the Oaks" in the CBS western
Yancy DerringerYancy Derringer is an American cult Western series that ran on CBS from 1958 to 1959, with Jock Mahoney in the title role. It was produced by Derringer Productions and filmed in Hollywood by Desilu Productions...
, starring
Jock MahoneyJock Mahoney was an American actor and stuntman, who was of French, Irish and Cherokee descent. Born Jacques O'Mahoney, sometimes he was credited as Jack Mahoney, Jock O'Mahomey, Jack O'Mahoney or Jock O'Mahoney...
. He appeared twice as Mike deGraff in ABC's
The Life and Legend of Wyatt EarpThe Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp is a western television series loosely based on the adventures of frontier marshal Wyatt Earp. The half-hour black and white series ran on ABC-TV from 1955 to 1961 and featured Hugh O'Brian as Earp. An off-camera barbershop quartet sang the theme song and hummed...
starring
Hugh O'BrianHugh O'Brian is an American actor best known for his starring role as Wyatt Earp in the ABC television series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp .-Early years and career:...
, twice as Toby Clark on CBS's
RawhideRawhide is an American Western series that aired for eight seasons on the CBS network on Friday nights, from January 9, 1959 to January 4, 1966, with a total of 217 black-and-white episodes...
, and twice on NBC's
Bat MastersonBat Masterson is an American Western television series which showed a fictionalized account of the life of real-life marshal/gambler/dandy Bat Masterson. The title character was played by Gene Barry and the half-hour black and white shows ran on NBC from 1958 to 1961...
starring
Gene Barry-Early life:Barry was born Eugene Klass in New York City, New York, the son of Eva and Martin Klass; all of his grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Russia. He exhibited early skills with his singing and violin playing.-Career:...
. He appeared four times as different characters on ABC's
MaverickMaverick is a comedy-western television series created by Roy Huggins that ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and featured James Garner, Jack Kelly, Roger Moore, and Robert Colbert as the poker-playing traveling Mavericks...
from 1957-1959. He also appeared in the western
Tombstone TerritoryTombstone Territory is an American western television series starring Pat Conway and Richard Eastham. The series' first two seasons aired on ABC from 1957 to 1959...
in the episode entitled "Desert Survival".
Vivyan appeared twice in the role of Jason Hemp, a dishonest
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
rancher, on ABC's
Disneyland in the western
miniseriesA miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a pre-planned limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
Texas John SlaughterTexas John Slaughter was a television series run from 1958 to 1961 as part of the Wonderful World of Disney, starring Tom Tryon in the title role. The character was based upon an actual historical figure, Texas Ranger John Slaughter. Tryon memorably wore an enormous white cowboy hat with the brim...
with
Tom TryonTom Tryon was an American film and television actor who played the Walt Disney television character Texas John Slaughter , as well as author of several science fiction, horror, and mystery novels....
,
Bing RussellBing Russell was an American actor, and was the father of Golden Globe-nominated actor Kurt Russell.-Life:Russell was born Neil Oliver Russell in Brattleboro, Vermont, the son of Ruth , and Warren Russell...
, and
Darryl HickmanDarryl Gerard Hickman is an American film and TV actor, former television executive and child star of the 1930s and 1940s.-Early beginnings:...
. The program was based on the real life of
lawmanLawman is a term usually used in reference to an American law-enforcement officer, primarily sheriff or marshal.Lawman may also refer to:-Television and film titles:*Lawman , American western produced in 1958–62 by Warner Bros...
John Horton Slaughter.
Later career
Between 1959 and 1961, Vivyan appeared nine times as Lepke, nickname of mobster
Louis BuchalterLouis "Lepke" Buchalter was a Jewish-American mobster who operated during the 1930s. He is the only major mob boss to receive the death penalty in the United States.-Early career:...
, on NBC's crime drama
The Lawless YearsThe Lawless Years is the first television crime drama set during the Roaring 20s, having predated ABC's far more successful The Untouchables with Robert Stack by six months. The 47-episode half-hour series aired nonconsecutively on NBC from April 16 to August 27, 1959, from October 1, 1959, to...
, set during the Roaring 20s. Five of those appearances were on the multi-part episode "Louy K".
In 1962, Vivyan appeared twice on the syndicated western anthology
Death Valley DaysDeath Valley Days is an American radio and television anthology about true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. It was created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman and ran on radio until 1945. It ran from 1952 to 1975 as a syndicated television series...
. That same year he appeared as Shelly Hanson in NBC's modern-day western,
EmpireEmpire, an hour-long Western television series set on a 1960s half-million acre ranch in New Mexico, starred Richard Egan , Terry Moore , and Ryan O'Neal . It ran on NBC for a season between September 25, 1962, and May 14, 1963...
, starring
Richard EganRichard Egan may refer to:*Richard Egan , American film actor*Richard Egan , American businessman, one-time Ambassador to Ireland*Richard Egan , American ragtime composer and performer...
, in the episode entitled "Down There, the World". He appeared on two CBS sitcoms too:
Lucille BallLucille Désirée Ball was an American comedienne, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy...
's
The Lucy ShowThe Lucy Show is a television series that aired on CBS from 1962 until 1968. It was Lucille Ball's follow-up to I Love Lucy. A significant change in cast and premise for the 1965-66 season divides the program into two distinct eras; aside from Ball, only Gale Gordon, who joined the program for its...
in the 1963 episode "Lucy Becomes a Reporter" and
Petticoat Junction Petticoat Junction is an American situation comedy produced by Filmways which originally aired on the CBS network from 1963 to 1970. The series is part of a triad of interrelated shows about rural characters created by Paul Henning, the other two being The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres.The...
as Lane Haggard in the 1964 episode "Visit from a Big Star".
Vivyan made relatively few appearances after 1970, when he guest starred once on
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. is an American actor known for his starring roles in the television series 77 Sunset Strip and The F.B.I. He is also known as the voice behind the character Alfred Pennyworth in Batman: The Animated Series and its numerous spin-offs.-Personal life:Zimbalist was born in New...
's ABC crime drama
The F.B.I. His last two appearances were on CBS in 1982 as Mr. Mittenhoff in the episode "Jennifer's and Johnny's Charity" on the sitcom
WKRP in CincinnatiWKRP in Cincinnati is an American situation comedy that featured the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson and was based upon his experiences working in advertising as a client of a classic album-oriented rock...
, and in 1983 as Farley in the episode "
Betty GrableBetty Grable was an American dancer, singer, and actress.Her iconic bathing suit photo made her the number-one pin-up girl of the World War II era. It was later included in the Life magazine project "100 Photos that Changed the World"...
Flies Again" on the adventure program
Simon and Simon.
Vivyan was born in Chicago,
IllinoisIllinois , the 21st state admitted to the United States of America, is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern state and the fifth most populous state in the nation...
. He died in
Santa MonicaSanta Monica is a city in western Los Angeles County, California, USA. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and Venice on the...
, California, at the age of sixty-eight. Vivyan is interred at
Westwood Village Memorial Park CemeteryThe Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 1218 Glendon Avenue in the Westwood Village area of Los Angeles, California....
in Los Angeles.