John Vivyan

John Vivyan ( John R. Vukayan; May 31, 1915 – December 20, 1983) was an American stage and television actor, who was best known for portraying the title character in the television series Mr. Lucky.

Early life John R. Vukayan was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to parents of Serbian background. His family moved to Chicago when he was an infant. He attended the Serbian Orthodox Church on Schiller Street as a boy, where he sang in the choir. After a year at Lake View High School, he dropped out to start work.

He was employed by the Continental Can Company in Chicago during October 1940, when he registered for the draft as John Vukayan. The Draft Registrar recorded him as being 6'3" and weighing 185 pounds, with brown eyes and hair, and a scar on his forehead. His enlistment papers carried the name "John R. Vukayan", and noted he was a citizen, single, had completed one year of high school, and was semi-skilled in metal working. with Company E of the 2nd Battalion, which was thrown into the Battle for Mt Austen on January 2, 1943. The battalion suffered heavy casualties during the fighting, one of whom was John, his left leg hit by gunfire.

Evacuated from the Solomon Islands on January 6, 1943, he would spend the next fourteen months in Army hospitals recovering from his wounds. He was eventually moved stateside to a hospital in Michigan, where he recalled meeting actress Loretta Young when she visited wounded soldiers. Awarded a Purple Heart he was judged unfit for further active service and was discharged from the Army on March 23, 1944. The injury to his left leg would continue to bother him and limit his physical activity for years to come. The circumstances of his stage name's adoption are not known, and from later sources it is apparent he retained "John R. Vukayan" as his legal name until at least 1960.

The Barter Theatre provided free room and board for prospective actors but no pay. When not performing, they were expected to help out with sets, lighting, and costumes, as well as work in the lodging and cafeteria used by the troupe. It was a lifestyle that appealed to many recently discharged veterans, thirty-six of whom, including Vivyan, were inducted into the American Legion at a ceremony in July 1946. Performances had short runs, often no more than two evenings and a matinee. At the time, the Barter Theatre group had no venue of its own, so plays were performed at the Municipal Theatre in nearby Abingdon. The Barter Theatre performers also entertained at local social clubs; Vivyan sang Serbian folk songs at one such event.

Vivyan finished out his time with the Barter Theatre group during a 1946-47 winter tour of Virginia and South Carolina, in which the troupe alternated the plays Arms and the Man and Much Ado About Nothing.

Summer stock and New York television In 1947, Vivyan moved to Manhattan. He used his G.I. Bill money to pay for lessons at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts there. This two-month tour provided Vivyan with the time to hone his portrayal of the unfortunate Rev. Davidson, drawing good reviews in several cities. He followed this success with a late summer engagement in a Noël Coward play, On Approval, with the popular Arthur Treacher casting reflected glory on his younger co-star.

Following those off-season successes, Vivyan landed a role in a high season production of a recent Broadway musical. Joan Blondell was the star of a multi-city tour for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, with Vivyan playing her romantic interest. The tour opened in Bridgeport, went to Boston and Washington, D. C., before finishing in Chicago. At the latter, the local paper noted he attended services and sang with the choir at the same Serbian Orthodox Church to which he belonged growing up. This was followed by an even quicker stint in a new play about the United Nations, called The Paradise Question. Starring Leon Ames, the show lasted only two weeks in New Haven, Connecticut and Philadelphia.

West Coast television

From 1954-56, Vivyan did a few television shows on the West Coast, even as his New York television work seemed to slow down. He also had an uncredited role in his first film, a Hitchcock docudrama called The Wrong Man. He still traveled between the coasts for stage work, but that ceased with 1957, when he did episodes of eight television shows in Hollywood, followed by eight more in 1958. From then on, he resided permanently in Southern California.

Where his stage roles had largely seen him play lovers, his television roles were at first as victims

He thrived on the fast pace and handling different characters, but faced a physical challenge with the many Western shows he was doing. He had no prior experience at riding a horse, and the necessity for a rider's left leg being the focal point for mounting and dismounting limited his ability to do so. More than one producer solved the problem by putting his character into a horse-drawn buggy instead.

Mr. Lucky

Producer Blake Edwards had a hit with his unconventional TV detective show Peter Gunn in 1958–59, and decided to create another show around an equally unlikely protagonist. For the 1959-60 television season he sold CBS and two sponsors on Mr. Lucky, a professional gambler who helped out others. As with Peter Gunn actor Craig Stevens, Vivyan was cast by Edwards for the way his appearance and style suggested film star Cary Grant. Edwards even took both lead actors to his own tailor, to ensure their clothes projected a debonair style. Vivyan's own comment to an interviewer was "Nobody said I looked like Grant before this series".

The show was an immediate success, helped considerably by the Henry Mancini theme music and the presence of actor Ross Martin as "Andamo", Mr. Lucky's sidekick. Mr. Lucky had his gambling operation on a yacht called Fortuna II, anchored just beyond the then 3 mile legal limit for a major California port. Tom Brown played "Lt. Rovacs", a police officer who was grudgingly helpful to Mr. Lucky and Andamo.

Pippa Scott played a recurring character who served as Mr Lucky's occasional love interest. Off-camera, she reportedly called John Vivyan "Vookie", as a teasing reference to his real last name and the then popular character of "Kookie" on 77 Sunset Strip. The real name of the character Mr. Lucky was never heard during the series, though a CBS network press release announcing a mid-season format change identified it as "Lucky Santell".

The show used a former Las Vegas casino dealer named Joe Scott as the technical advisor for gambling. He also played a dealer on the Fortuna II then its maitre d' after the casino yacht was converted to a restaurant.

Despite critical acclaim and high ratings, Newspaper columnists offered several possible reasons, and for a while there was an effort by the producers to sell the show to other networks, but to no avail. Thus, Vivyan's fall from fame was almost as fast as his rise.

Later career and life Vivyan once complained to a columnist that being on CBS limited the guest spots he could accept for that network's own shows. He resumed doing television in 1982, appearing on commercials and an episode each of two popular shows, WKRP in Cincinnati and Simon & Simon. The latter show was broadcast just two weeks before he died of heart failure at Santa Monica Hospital on December 20, 1983. During 1958, he dated Ellen Powell, the daughter of Joan Blondell and Dick Powell. Later, he was said to occasionally date actress Nita Talbot, among others.

According to newspapers, he owned a cabin cruiser that he used for deep sea fishing. My Sister Eileen Wreck Loomis Barter Theatre A co-star in this production was USN veteran and future character actor Karl Lukas Arms and the Man Russian Officer Barter Theatre Governor William Tuck attended this revival performance Much Ado About Nothing Balthasar / Third Watch Barter Theatre Both John Vivyan and Karl Lukas doubled up on parts in this staging

Two Blind Mice Tommy Thurston Chapel Playhouse, Guilford His first leading role, for a summer stock production Life With Father Chapel Playhouse, Guilford Goodbye, My Fancy Matt Cole Chapel Playhouse, Guilford From the 1948 Broadway hit written by Fay Kanin Born Yesterday Paul Verrell Chapel Playhouse, Guilford Harvey Dr. Sanderson Chapel Playhouse, Guilford You Have To Be Crazy Ned Vernon Chapel Playhouse, Guilford Written by the Chapel Playhouse's director, Charlotte Buchwald Private Lives Elyot Chapel Playhouse, Guilford John Vivyan's grueling summer ended with his seventh major role

Rain Rev. Henry Davidson Summer Circuit Tour June Havoc starred in this production of the 1922 Broadway play Oh Men! Oh Women! Arthur Turner Clinton Playhouse, CT Walter Abel starred in this adaption from the Broadway hit Wish You Were Here Pinky Harris Music Circus This was John's second time playing this role 1963 Tchin-Tchin Caesario Grimaldi Touring Company With co-star Martha Scott this production played Miami and Los Angeles 1964 Tovarich Mikail Music Hall at Fair Park He had second billing to star Ginger Rogers in this musical

Filmography