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Series / Mr. Lucky

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Running only one season (1959-1960) on CBS, this series starred John Vivyan as Mr. Lucky, owner of a floating casino (later restaurant) anchored in international waters off the coast of an unnamed American city. Along with his partner, a streetwise Latin American named Andamo (Ross Martin), he dealt with the various shady characters and dangerous situations that popped up while doing business aboard the luxurious Fortuna II.

A sister-show of sorts to Peter Gunn, since they were both created by Blake Edwards and shared many key personnel, including composer Henry Mancini. Based on the story Bundles for Freedom by Milton Holmes. (That story was also the basis of a 1943 motion picture with which this show shares its name but little else.)


Tropes:

  • Absurdly High-Stakes Game: The pool game in "That Stands For Pool." Eventually the stakes include $100,000, Lucky's life and Andamo's too.
  • Anti-Hero: Lucky and Andamo, especially in the earlier episodes. They're primarily concerned with preserving their own lives, running their business and helping out friends in need; otherwise they have no inclination toward heroics.
  • Banana Republic: Andamo's native land, Guatamaca, from which he and Lucky are forced to flee in the pilot episode.
  • Bash Brothers: More often than not, defeating the villain(s)-of-the-week involves Lucky and Andamo working together to beat said villain(s) unconscious.
  • Born Lucky: Mr. Lucky - in two senses of the phrase, if "Lucky" is his actual last name.
  • Break the Cutie: A brief foray into this takes place during "Maggie the Witness," when Andamo realizes he may have gotten Maggie killed. Until they find out she's alive he suffers through a mild Heroic BSoD.
  • Briefcase Full of Money: Featured in the pilot episode, "The Magnificent Bribe," though it's actually a suitcase.
  • The Casino: At least until the Fortuna's mid-season conversion into a restaurant.
  • Casual Danger Dialogue: The main characters' usual reaction to danger of any kind.
  • Catchphrase: Andamo's "That's it and that's all."
  • The Charmer: Lucky and Andamo.
  • Clingy Jealous Girl: Maggie occasionally strays into this. There's no indication that she and Lucky are in an exclusive relationship, but she still seems to regard him as her personal property.
  • Cool Boat: The yacht Fortuna II.
  • Counterfeit Cash: "The Money Game" features Lucky and Andamo getting mixed up with a counterfeiting ring.
  • Daddy's Little Villain: Maggie is subtly implied to be this. It's not made clear just how involved she is in her father's criminal activities, but she's very much aware of them and shows no signs of disapproval. Mr. Lucky doesn't seem to mind.
  • Dashing Hispanic: Andamo.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Though Lucky and Lt. Rovacs have their moments, this is Andamo's speciality.
  • Diegetic Soundtrack Usage: Almost every episode, due to the fact that Mr. Lucky's watch plays the first five notes of the show's theme - his theme - whenever it's opened.
  • Distracted by the Sexy: Andamo is so taken by the girl of the week in "The Sour Milk Fund" that he's oblivious to Lucky's presence.
  • Distressed Dude: Lucky and Andamo are frequently captured and/or held at gunpoint.
  • Fake Charity: As its title implies, the charity in "The Sour Milk Fund."
  • Faux Fluency: Averted. Ross Martin was fluent in Spanish.
  • Friend on the Force: Lieutenant Rovacs, albeit reluctantly at times.
  • Funny Foreigner: Andamo occasionally falls into this, but not too far.
  • Girl of the Week: Lucky gets a few to supplement his steady diet of Maggie. Andamo acquires one of his own in "The Sour Milk Fund."
  • Gratuitous Spanish: Averted. Except for an occasional compadre, Andamo tends to stick to English.
  • La RĂ©sistance: Featured in the pilot episode. Andamo was an active member. In "Aces Back to Back," he tells Lucky that he regrets giving up "a nice quiet revolution to go into partnership with you."
  • Leitmotif: Mr. Lucky and Andamo both have their own theme tunes. Lucky's watch plays the first five notes of his.
  • Meaningful Name: Mr. Lucky, obviously.
  • Monster of the Week: Usually a gangster, con artist or similar criminal type whose schemes Lucky gets tangled up in somehow.
  • Morality Kitchen Sink: There are very few absolutely good guys or absolutely bad guys. Most characters fall somewhere in the middle, including Mr. Lucky himself.
  • No Full Name Given: We never find out whether Mr. Lucky or Andamo even have first names. Unless "Andamo" is the man's first name - there's no telling!
  • Not in This for Your Revolution: Lucky ends up helping the police bring many criminals to justice, but it's almost always for purely personal reasons, not out of dedication to any cause.
  • The Not-Love Interest: Despite Lucky having a semi-regular girlfriend, Maggie, and Andamo always chasing after beautiful women, they both seem to fall in the category of one another's most important person.
  • Only a Flesh Wound: Andamo gets shot in the leg in "The Sour Milk Fund" but tells Lucky that he's "okay." He is, at least, shown walking with a cane afterwards.
  • Only in It for the Money: Andamo's stated philosophy, though there are actually a few things he prizes more. Mr. Lucky is slightly less concerned with profit but it's still high on his priority list.
  • Out-of-Character Moment: Maggie gets briefly chickified in "Maggie the Witness," apparently both to advance the plot and because it's funnier to watch her faint in the face of danger rather than fight.
  • Pay Evil unto Evil: The main characters are not above using physical intimidation, up to and including death threats (as demonstrated by Lucky in "The Big Squeeze"), to get what they want out of the bad guys.
  • Plucky Comic Relief: This is Andamo's primary role.
  • Plucky Girl: Maggie. She's forthright, determined to the point of stubbornness and not easily daunted.
  • Professional Gambler: Mr. Lucky, when he's looking for excitement or has no casino to run.
  • Professional Killer: If you're a corrupt dictator struggling against La RĂ©sistance, don't let Andamo pick your dinner date. She may be a literal femme fatale.
  • Recurring Character: Pippa Scott as Maggie Shank-Rutherford and Tom Brown as Lieutenant Rovacs.
  • Running Gag: Lucky receives an ugly painting as a gift in "Aces Back to Back." Much of the rest of the episode focuses around people's reactions to just how spectacularly ugly it is.
  • Sharp-Dressed Man: Mr. Lucky and Andamo, especially when officiating aboard the Fortuna.
  • Sidekick: Andamo.
  • Snark-to-Snark Combat: Lt. Rovacs tends to engage in this with Lucky and Andamo whenever they meet up.
  • Tie-In Novel: Mr. Lucky, by Albert Conroy and Mort Engle, published in 1960.
  • Where the Hell Is Springfield?: The name and location of the city off of whose coast the Fortuna II sits are never mentioned.

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