Lotsa Luck - The Complete Series
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Actor: Beverly Sanders, Dom DeLuise, Jack Knight, Kathleen Freeman, Wynn IrwinBrand: Image Entertainment
Writer: Bill Persky
Writer: Carl Reiner
Writer: Sam Denoff
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 30 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-01-09
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: S'more Entertainment
DVD Reviews of Lotsa Luck - The Complete Series
DVD Review: the poor guy never got his color TV . . .
Summary: 3 Stars
Family based sitcoms in the 1950's, were mostly about idyllic situations, with shows like Leave It To Beaver, Father Knows Best, and The Donna Reed Show, being just a few examples. In the 60's, programs about ideal families were still around, but some of the most popular comedies, were about weird or atypical families. The Beverly Hillbillies, The Munsters, Bewitched, and The Adams Family, to name a few. In the 70's, All In The Family (1971) started an era, where abrasiveness, irreverence, and harsh criticism within the family unit, came into vogue. Programs like Sanford and Son, and Norman Lear's spinoffs, The Jeffersons, and Maude, soon followed. Another program that appears to be part of the attempt to ride this wave, is Dom DeLuise's Lotsa Luck (1973).
Lotsa Luck, like All In The Family, was based on a program that originated in Britain. Lotsa Luck had an impressive creative staff, with Carl Reiner the creator of The Dick Van Dyke Show, partnering with Bill Persky and Sam Danoff, the team that created That Girl. The opening credits have a depression era vibe, for this comedy about a family living in Brooklyn, New York. Quite timely, as the energy crisis would soon contribute to plunging the country into a recession, that would last for several years (1973-75).
In part, this is a comedy about coping with hard times. Dom DeLuise is Stanley Belmont, a worker in the lost and found department, of a bus company. He lives in a two storey house with his mother, played by comedic veteran Kathleen Freeman. As in most families, 'Ma' is the glue that holds the family together. For Stanley, guilt and responsibility are strong factors, as he feels the need to live up to a promise he made to his dead father, to provide for the family, which also includes his younger sister Olive (Beverly Sanders), and her chronically unemployed husband Arthur (Wynn Irwin).
Stanley is the sole source of income for the family of four, and much of what happens, is related to money, or the lack thereof. Still watching a black and white set, Stanley's big dream is to save up enough to buy a color TV, but unexpected expenses, always seems to come up. His brother-in-law refuses to get a job, and has been living rent free, with Stanley paying his bills, for the seven years he has been married to Olive. This understandably, is a source of constant resentment and fiction between them, as Stanley frequently comments about how much food Arthur consumes. Stanley, is not as harsh or crude as Archie Bunker, but they may have similar viewpoints regarding freeloading family members. While Archie gets into politics, and has marital issues to deal with, Stanley is a bachelor with an interest in female companionship.
As Olive, Beverly Sanders wears thick glasses, speaks in an annoying nasal tone, and is generally made up to appear very plain and unattractive. Olive is not too bright, and is hopelessly devoted to her loser of a husband, who displays almost no affection for her. Their lack of a love life, is another target of Stanley's barbs. Arthur spends his days dressed in a bathrobe, and has no shame about the way he lives. Fortunately he is just lazy, and not a criminal, or even worse.
Things are mostly centered around Stanley's home life, as the rest of the family spend almost all of their time there. When Stanley is at work, he often hangs with his long time buddy Bummy (Jack Knight), a bus driver, and ladies man. Any episodes were Stanley is in a different setting makes for a nice change, although the most entertaining stories usually involve Stanley and a lady. In `Shall We Marry?' Stanley meets a beautiful woman who wants him to move in and live with her, but he feels guilty about leaving his mother. In 'The Talent Show', Stanley enters the company talent show and displays his skills as a magician, but his female helper upstages his act. Future Three's Company star Suzanne Somers, guests as Bummy's girlfriend, who unexpectedly falls for Stanley. In 'Stan and the Wealthy Widow', an old high school friend looking for a husband, offers Stan a job. Stanley dons a toupee to look younger to the ladies, but the makeover works a little too well, in 'The New Stan'. DeLuise's talent for physical comedy is featured in 'Get Off My Back', when Stanley injures his back in a fall. In 'Stanley and the Librarian', the circumstances surrounding Stan's decision to save his money for a color TV, according to Dom DeLuise, made this episode the most controversial of the series.
Unfortunately, Stanley never did get his color TV, and the series was cancelled after one season. The program started out with a pretty narrow focus, but by the end of the season, the scope of the stories had expanded quite a bit, demonstrating that Lotsa Luck probably had the potential to be even better, had it been extended for a second season. The writing improved, as the situations and settings became less restrictive, allowing the cast to shine a bit more, and the program became much more entertaining.
Generally regarded as a humble, and fun-loving guy, it is nice to see Dom LeLuise looking quite thin and fit here. The talented comedian, was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance in the series. This is a pretty nice set, as the DVD also features some amusing interviews with the late actor, including one where he is playing with his pet bird, a Lotsa Luck trivia quiz, and a photo gallery. The image and sound quality of the episodes is very good, although they are without chapter stops or subtitles.
Description of Lotsa Luck - The Complete Series
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