Lotsa Luck!

One of the best shows that was fine running for one season, we bless you Antenna TV for re running episodes of Lotsa Luck on your network and we kinda wish that MeTV would too.

Poor Stanley Belmont. He's a clerk in the lost and found department of a New York bus line and has to support his bossy and overprotective mother, his married sister Olive and her husband Arthur.

To make matters worse, he's the only family member with a job since his brother in law Arthur is unemployed and seems to be content staying home in his bathrobe and constantly smoking cigars.

But Stanley has some relief. He has a friend and co-worker named Bummy, played by Jack Knight who is a bus driver.

All of this adds up to what could have been a successful long running sitcom that was created and produced by three veterans of the classic Dick Van dyke Show, Carl Reiner, Bill Persky and Sam Denoff. But NBC put the show opposite CBS's long running western Gunsmoke and moved the show to Friday after Sanford and Son and it was canceled after one season and replaced by a new hit show Chico and the Man.

Now more than 45 years later, the show is rerun on Antenna TV late Saturday night and it is still hilarious. Dom Deluise in his first starring role is outstanding as Stanley, Kathleen Freeman as his mom frequently asks him "Do I have a son or don't I have a son when things don't work out. Beverly Sanders, who later went on to numerous commercials frequently appeared in hair curlers as Olive and Wynn Irwin as her husband Arthur.

What made the show stand out was the byplay between Stanley and Arthur since his brother in law lives off Stanley's earnings and eats a lot. It's the best part of the show and that's probably another reason why the show was canceled, the writers were running out of exchanges between Stanley and Arthur.

I should also note that Lotsa Luck was based on the British sitcom On the Buses. Be sure and watch the opening titles since the theme song is not only funny, it shows scenes of New York. If you haven't see this true one season wonder, do so. You'll be impressed. Lotsa Luck.

This was a funny show that had Dom DeLuise as Stanley, a bus driver who lives at home with his mother (Iris), sister (Olive) and brother-in-law (Arthur). His best friend was Bummy, another bus driver. Stanley was the only breadwinner in the family as Olive and Arthur, did not work. In fact, Arthur did not want to work, and was happy to stay at home. Kathleen Freeman played the mother, Beverly Sanders played the sister, Wynn Irwin played the brother-in-law and Jack Knight played the best friend. Everyone was hilarious in their roles and played off of each other beautifully. It was too bad that NBC did not give this show a bit more time to grow and find an audience, but at least this show has found its way onto DVD.

First thing that strikes me is how well this cast meshes . It kind of reminds me of All In The Family in many ways yet very different. Like the early years of AITF you had a bread winner in a family of 4. You had an unwelcome in law but in this case it was a brother in law not a son in law. Where as AITF hit across racial lines and went to the brink... this show was ahead of the times as far as sexual innuendo. The 4 people living in the abode were a working class brother , his mother, his dowdy sister and her free loading husband , that basically sat around wearing a robe all day. Perhaps of the 4 characters, none were all that endowed in the brain department. However, the lazy brother in law , seemed to be the smartest of this pathetic yet lovable clan. He was smart as a fox. Throw in a womanizing friend and coworker of Stan, and you had fodder for many wonderful, comical episodes. Incidentally, Dom Deluise was great as Stanley Belmont as were all the other actors that rounded out this sitcom. Look for guest appearances from Ruth Buzzi, Harold Gould and Suzanne Somers and you have a nice season to be cherished ala unfortunately the only season. The show might be a bit corny at times but definitely good for some laughs.

I wish NBC had renewed this show for a second season. Great cast. The banter between Stanley and Arthur was classic. Dom Deluise was so underrated. Check this show out on Antenna TV, late Saturday nights.