The Luckiest Man In America
''The Luckiest Man in America'' is a 2024 American drama film directed and co-written by Samir Oliveros. It stars Paul Walter Hauser, Walton Goggins, Shamier Anderson, Brian Geraghty, Patti Harrison, Haley Bennett, Damian Young, Lilli Kay, James Wolk, Shaunette Renée Wilson, David Rysdahl, Ricky Russert, David Strathairn, Johnny Knoxville, and Maisie Williams. It presents a semi- fictionalized account of Michael Larson's 1984 appearance on ''Press Your Luck'', during which he used his memorization of the gameboard's patterns to win record sums of money and prizes. The film's world premiere was at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 5, 2024. It was released in the United States on April 4, 2025. Plot In 1984, down-on-his-luck ice cream truck driver Michael Larson slips into an audition for the game show ''Press Your Luck'' when another contestant is late for his appointment. Larson explains his background to the interviewers, contestant coordinator Chu ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Paul Walter Hauser
Paul Walter Hauser (born October 15, 1986) is an American actor and wrestler. He is best known for his portrayal of Stingray in the Netflix series ''Cobra Kai'' and providing the voice of Embarrassment in Pixar's ''Inside Out 2'' (2024). He played supporting roles in the films '' Super Troopers 2'' (2018), '' Beats'' (2019), ''Adam'' (2020), '' Cruella'' (2021), and '' Old Dads'' (2023). In 2019, Hauser had his breakout performance as the title character in Clint Eastwood's drama film ''Richard Jewell''. Hauser starred as murderer Larry Hall in the 2022 miniseries '' Black Bird'', for which he won a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. As an occasional professional wrestler, Hauser is signed to Major League Wrestling. Early life Hauser was born on October 15, 1986, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and raised in Saginaw, Michigan. His parents are Deborah and The Rev. Paul Hauser, a Lutheran minister. He attended Valley Lutheran High School, a private parochial school in Sa ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Josh Sapan
Josh Sapan (born 1950) is a media executive who served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of AMC Networks, as well as the Executive Vice Chairman. During his 35-year leadership of the company, 25 as CEO, Sapan has been credited with building a number of award-winning shows, movies and media brands. They include AMC's ''Mad Men''; ''Breaking Bad'' and prequel ''Better Call Saul''; '' The Walking Dead'', which resulted in the expansion to 7 different ''Walking Dead'' themed TV series; IFC’s ''Portlandia''; SundanceTV’s ''Rectify''; and Bravo’s ''Inside the Actors Studio'' and ''Queer Eye for the Straight Guy''. Bravo was sold to NBC, a division of GE for $1.25 billion in 2002. Sapan is credited with bringing independent films to wide audiences through IFC Films, which he led the launch of in 2000. At IFC Films he supported the early work of directors Barry Jenkins, Lena Dunham, Lynn Shelton, Christopher Nolan, Mira Nair, Noah Baumbach, Richard Linklater and Steven ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
License Plates
A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British, Indian and Australian English), license plate (American English) or licence plate (Canadian English), is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. All countries require registration plates for commercial road vehicles such as cars, trucks, and motorcycles, for hire. Whether they are required for other vehicles, such as bicycles, boats, or tractors, may vary by jurisdiction. The registration identifier is a numeric or alphanumeric ID that uniquely identifies the vehicle or vehicle owner within the issuing region's vehicle register. In some countries, the identifier is unique within the entire country, while in others it is unique within a state or province. Whether the identifier is associated with a vehicle or a person also varies by issuing agency. There are also electronic license plates. Legal requirements In Europe, most governments requi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Driver's License
A driver's license, driving licence, or driving permit is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public road. Such licenses are often plastic and the size of a credit card. In most international agreements, the wording "driving permit" is used, for instance in the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. In American English, the terms "driver license" or "driver's license" are used. In Australian English, Canadian English and New Zealand English, the terms "driver licence" or "driver's licence" are used while in British English the term is "driving licence". In some countries the term "driving license" is used. The laws relating to the licensing of drivers vary between jurisdictions. In some jurisdictions, a permit is issued after the recipient has passed a driving test, while in others a person acquires thei ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Peter Tomarken
Peter David Tomarken (December 7, 1942March 13, 2006) was an American television personality primarily known as the host of the game show ''Press Your Luck''. Early life Tomarken was born in Olean, New York, the middle son of Barnett and Pearl Tomarken, who owned Dee's Jewelry store in Olean. His family was Jewish, members of Temple B'nai Israel. They relocated to Beverly Hills, California, in the early 1950s. Peter graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1960 and from UCLA with a bachelor's degree in English. Before hosting game shows, he appeared as a contestant on ''The Rebus Game'' in the 1960s. After graduating from college, Tomarken married his first wife, Dana, who later served on the Beverly Hills Board of Education from 1985 to 1993. He and Dana had three children: Jason, and fraternal twin sisters, Alexis and Candace. Tomarken worked on the magazines ''Women's Wear Daily'' and ''Business Week'' in New York City during the late 1960s before moving back to Californi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Underdog
An underdog is a person or group in a competition, usually in sports and creative works, who is largely expected to lose. The party, team, or individual expected to win is called the favorite or wikt:top dog, top dog. In the case where an underdog wins, the outcome is an Upset (competition), upset. An "underdog bet" is a Sports betting, bet on the underdog or outsider for which the odds are generally higher. The first recorded uses of the term occurred in the second half of the 19th century; its first meaning was "the beaten dog in a fight". In Culture of Britain, British and Culture of the United States, American culture, underdogs are highly regarded. This harkens back to core Judeo-Christian stories, such as that of Goliath, David and Goliath, and also ancient British legends such as Robin Hood and King Arthur. This is also reflected in the idea of the American Dream, American dream, where someone from a low social class can achieve success through hard work. Sports are anot ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Bill Carruthers
William H. Carruthers (September 27, 1930 – March 2, 2003) was an American television executive who gained his first fame as the director of '' The Soupy Sales Show'' at Detroit television station WXYZ-TV. He also directed the Ernie Kovacs-helmed game show, '' Take a Good Look'', for ABC from 1959 to 1961. Carruthers was born in Detroit, Michigan. He served in the Air Force for four years, and after serving, he took up a job at Detroit's then-ABC owned and operated station, WXYZ-TV. One day, he showed up to the station to work when he was told at the last minute, the regular director was unable to direct The Soupy Sales Show, he stepped in to direct the show. He was named the permanent director, and moved with his family to Los Angeles in 1959 upon the show becoming nationally distributed. He went on to be the director on ''The Newlywed Game'' and ''The Dating Game'' before starting his own production company in 1968. His company, The William Carruthers Company, produced the A ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Press Your Luck
''Press Your Luck'' is an American television game show created by Bill Carruthers and Jan McCormack. Contestants answer trivia questions to earn "spins" on a randomly cycling game board. The board's spaces display cash, prizes, extra spins, special items, or the show's mascot, a cartoon creature known as the Whammy. Landing on a Whammy eliminates any cash and prizes accumulated while also displaying a short comedic animation. Its format is a revival of an earlier Carruthers production, ''Second Chance (game show), Second Chance'', which was hosted by Jim Peck and aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC in 1977. The original version of ''Press Your Luck'' aired on CBS between 1983 and 1986. This version featured Peter Tomarken as host, Rod Roddy as announcer, and Carruthers as both director and voice of the Whammy. The original incarnation of the show gained significant media attention in 1984 for contestant Michael Larson, who won over $100,000 after memorizing the original ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Game Show
A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating and narrating where necessary. The history of the game shows dates back to the late 1930s when both radio and television game shows were broadcast. The genre became popular in the United States in the 1950s, becoming a regular feature of daytime television. On most game shows, contestants Quiz, answer questions or solve puzzles, and win prizes such as cash, trips and goods and services. History 1930s–1950s Game shows began to appear on radio and television in the late 1930s. The first television game show, ''Spelling Bee (game show), Spelling Bee'', as well as the first radio game show, ''Information Please'', were both broadcast in 1938; the first major success in the game show genre was ''Dr. I.Q.'', a radio quiz show that began in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Press Your Luck Scandal
The ''Press Your Luck'' scandal was contestant Michael Larson's 1984 record-breaking win of on the American game show ''Press Your Luck''. An Ohio man with a penchant for get-rich-quick schemes, Larson studied the game show and discovered that its ostensibly randomized game board was actually only five different patterns of lights. After successfully auditioning in person at the Los Angeles studio, Larson performed on May 19, 1984, and beat the show so dramatically, CBS executives accused him of cheating. After the network paid, Larson moved on to other endeavors. In 1995, he fled a law-enforcement investigation of a fraudulent multi-level marketing scheme and died in hiding in 1999 in Apopka, Florida. A recurring subject of interest and inspiration, the ''Press Your Luck'' scandal has been revisited in two documentaries by the Game Show Network, a Spanish language, Spanish-language graphic novel, and the 2024 film ''The Luckiest Man in America'', starring Paul Walter Haus ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Disclaimer
A disclaimer is generally any statement intended to specify or delimit the scope of rights and obligations that may be exercised and enforced by parties in a legally recognized relationship. In contrast to other terms for legally operative language, the term ''disclaimer'' usually implies situations that involve some level of uncertainty, waiver, or risk. A disclaimer may specify mutually agreed and privately arranged terms and conditions as part of a contract; or may specify warnings or expectations to the general public (or some other class of persons) in order to fulfill a duty of care owed to prevent unreasonable risk of harm or injury. Some disclaimers are intended to limit exposure to damages after a harm or injury has already been suffered. Additionally, some kinds of disclaimers may represent a voluntary waiver of a right or obligation that may be owed to the disclaimant. Disclaimers vary in terms of their uniformity. Some may vary depending on the specific context and pa ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Fictionalization
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with fact, history, or plausibility. In a traditional narrow sense, fiction refers to written narratives in prose often specifically novels, novellas, and short stories. More broadly, however, fiction encompasses imaginary narratives expressed in any medium, including not just writings but also live theatrical performances, films, television programs, radio dramas, comics, role-playing games, and video games. Definition and theory Typically, the fictionality of a work is publicly expressed, so the audience expects a work of fiction to deviate to a greater or lesser degree from the real world, rather than presenting for instance only factually accurate portrayals or characters who are actual people. Because fiction is generally understood as not adhering to the real world, the theme ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |