Customer Reviews

Lotsa Luck - The Complete Series

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had never heard of this show back in 1973 but then again I was only 12 years old at the time. Still, I happened to find this show amongst all the DVDs here at Amazon and it looked so interesting that I happen to place it in my shopping cart for later purchase. After several months of saving up for it I finally bought it and I am here to write a review of it.

I was a bit worried that I had wasted my money on a bomb of a show but it turned out to be a wise investment. I've always been a Dom Deluise fan so for that matter alone the show had something going for it. I noticed immediately the quick and sharp writing, and soon I found myself laughing, which is something I rarely do with today's TV. From the very beginning familar faces like Mona Freeman and Beverly Sanders from the old days of television (we're talking '70s old here) soon sprouted up and added to the entertainment.

The show centers around a guy (Deluise) who works as a custodian at the bus company, but who is a bachelor still living at home with his mother. That's bad enough, but he also has to live under the same roof with his sister and her husband, who are also still living at home. The sister is what they used to call "kooky" in the old days, and her husband, an out-of-work slob with a lisp who does nothing but hang around the house all day in his bathrobe, add for some funny situations for Deluise to play off of.

This DVD set consisting of 4 DVDs also contains the pilot, which really should be called "The Orange Toilet." The plumbing goes bad in the upstairs bathroom (probably the only one they have in this Brooklyn NY tenament) and Dom and the gang end up going toilet-hunting. They settle on of all things an orange colored toilet. Have you ever seen a toilet that's colored orange? Well get ready for some good laughs as the family brings home the toilet which Deluise installs himself.

For a show that's almost 35 years old and was running in prime time amongst such popular shows of the day like "All In The Family," "The Brady Bunch" and "The Carol Burnett Show," this is a breath of fresh air if you're longing for a time when TV brought us true entertainment 7 days a week.

The shows were done on videotape, though the opening credits are on film, and they are in marvelous condition. Sharp, crisp, very good quality. The theme song is a bit corny and reminds me of the opening credits to "Cheers." That I could do without. As for the discs and case, I can't say it's done cheaply, but an episode guide wouldn't have hurt the company's wallet. There are 22 episodes plus "The Orange Toilet" pilot. No Christmas episode, which would have been nice.

Lastly, I was rather surprised about the frequent use of sexual innuendo jokes which wasn't stylish yet until four years later with the debut of "Three's Company." But that type of humor I have always welcomed. I was just surprised to hear it so early in 70s television.

If anything, buy this for taking a trip back in time once more to what television in 1973 had to offer. You won't be disappointed.

NOTE: Dom DeLuise passed away at age 75, on 5/4/09.

"LOTSA LUCK" was the second TV series for Dom DeLuise. His first was the self-titled "Dom DeLuise Show" from 1968. Dom re-used that same name in '87 for his third and final series. All three programs aired for a single season only.

One element of "Lotsa Luck" is reminiscent of Edgar Kennedy's RKO "Average Man" shorts of the 1930s and '40s. Here, bus driver Stanley Belmont is unmarried, yet lives with a houseful of dependents: his mother, his sister Olive and her lazy husband Arthur, who avoids work at all costs.

The series was created by Carl Reiner. Prominent guest stars: LAUGH-IN's Ruth Buzzi and Johnny Brown, Harold Gould (Mary's dad on THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW), Ronnie Schell (Pvt. Slater, GOMER PYLE, U.S.M.C.) and Suzanne Somers (THREE'S COMPANY).

As in all other matters, timing in showbiz is critical. This early 70s sitcom came in the wake of ALL IN THE FAMILY, its spinoffs and a number of other urban comedies, and Dom just got lost in the shuffle.

CAST MEMBERS for LOTSA LUCK:
Dom DeLuise-- Stanley Belmont
Kathleen Freeman-- Iris Belmont (mom)
Wynn Irwin-- Arthur Swann
Beverly Sanders-- Olive Swann
Jack Knight-- Bummy Pfitzer (Stan's friend)

Episode list includes original airdates and guest stars.

(#_1) Olive's Present (9/10/73) Beverly Carter/Bella Bruck/Jimmy Martinez
(#_2) The Bare Facts (9/17/73) - Patricia Heide
(#_3) Trial Separation (9/24/73) -
(#_4) Stanley and the Librarian (10/1/73) - Jackie Joseph
(#_5) The Suit (10/8/73) - John Furlong/Barbara Minkus/Roderick Cook
(#_6) Mom's Secret (10/15/73) - Harold Gould
(#_7) The Winning Purse (10/19/73) - Danny Wells/Janice Carroll/Martin Ashe
(#_8) The Family Plot (10/29/73) - Tom Pedi/Henry Corden
(#_9) The Shrink (11/5/73) - Elliot Reid
(#10) The New Stan (11/12/73) - Cliff Pellow/Sammy Shore/Bobbie Mitchell/Erin O'Reilly
(#11) Arthur's Inheritence (11/26/73) -
(#12) The Belmont Connection (12/3/73) - J.J. Barry/Mark Gordon/Jennifer King
(#13) Will You Marry Me? (12/10/73) - Pat Finley
(#14) Do Me A Favor (1/11/74) - Richard Evans/Barbara Brownell/Alex Rocco/Mel Carter
(#15) Stan and the Wealthy Widow (1/18/74) - Ruth Buzzi/Helen Page Camp
(#16) The Talent Show (1/25/74) - Johnny Brown/Danny Wells/Louisa Moritz
(#17) A Little Order of Law and Order (2/1/74) - Ike Ivarson
(#18) You Oughta Be In Pictures (2/8/74) - John Harlan/Tim Herbert/Ronnie Schell
(#19) Stan's Assistant (2/15/74) - Cliff Norton/Stuart Nisbet
(#20) Arthur Makes His Move (2/22/74) - Alan Oppenheimer
(#21) Bummy's Girl (3/8/74) - Suzanne Somers
(#22) Get Off My Back (3/15/74) (series finale) Robert F. Hoy/Gene Elman

This is a series that most people won't remember, and was a favorite of my family's in the early seventies. There is no great laughs or must see TV here. The jokes are very tame, which is the charm of watching shows from that period. You have to be a fan of Dom Deluise, and the other actors on this show that appeared in many of the sitcoms from the sixties through the seventies, to appreciate this series.

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.

Dom DeLuise & Kathleen Freeman fans will love this show. A lot of crude comments, so not for children. The surprise is the skits get better as the show progresses. The "The Big RG" review sums it up the best. Video transfer to DVD while not the best is typical of early video taped shows. The pilot was poor. A lot more laughs then many of the current crop of sitcoms.

I haven't watched the entire DVD set...but I know I watched it originally in the '70s. Disc One solidified my 4.5* = 5* star review.

A fascinating extra has the current day Dom DeLuise providing the story of his career with a special look at a special TV series. Not to play "spoiler" but your pupils will dilate when he details the reason for the sudden closure of the "Lost and Found" run by Stanley and Bummy: an episode where Stan must extricate himself from a rendezvous with a "call girl", euphemistically speaking - another mix-up for the well-meaning, soft hearted guy who is happy just to kiss a girl goodnight.

By today's standards, for sitcomsand other entertainment media, Stan's decision would be portrayed as insensitive to someone victimized by the lack of real job opportunities for women. The high point today would be the lady scolding Stan for being judgemental and typically male.

The shows I watched were laden with laughs and not just "huhs". De Luise and (Jerry Lewis trouper) Kathleen Freeman, by the first few shows, had already established an incredible one-two punch, with their terrific timing and the benefit of an excellent script.

I've loved everything Dom Deluise has done. Fatso was my favorite movie of his. I can watch it one hundred times and laugh. Lotsa luck was a series I don't remember ever watching in 1973 and I wanted to see him again, so I purchased the Complete series DVD. I loved watching him and hearing his voice. His character "Stanley" did not do justice to his comedic personality. I am not sorry I purchased this DVD, because I still enjoyed watching Dom DeLuise, no matter what he is in. In this series he was a smartass, constantly putting down his brother in law and that got stale after a few episodes. I still miss him and his humor.

Lotsa Luck is an american sitcom based on Britain's popular sitcom, On The Buses. After having watched this, I only wish there were more episodes of the show. I made certain to purchase this set as it's something very seventies & done at a time when videotape was used in sitcoms & not filmed as they are today. I love the nostalgic feeling I get of this golden era.

I have a feeling this show would have caught on if given half the chance. The plots are entertaining & given all the garbage on the tube today, it's refreshing to unwind & relax watching a marathon of these episodes over 4 discs. I never heard of this program until recently, but after having seen clips online, I had to order the discs. I'm not disappointed in this purchase & if you decide to get these, you likely won't be either.

Dom DeLuise showed his star quality in this early TV series that deserved to continue for many seasons. It was ahead of its time. I recommend this series to anybody who enjoys a laugh and great entertainment.

This was an excellent television show. That is a fact. The first time I ordered this dvd set disc three was cracked. The second time I tired to watch (replaced collection) disc four stalled while playing {on several players}. Haven't checked the first three discs yet, but this looks like strike two. Also Suzanne Sommers received top star billing and was only in one episode. I grew up watching this show on prime time and was disappointed with the quality of the dvd. The special features are great too!