Aahana Swrup
In the dark comedy film ‘The Luckiest Man in America,’ the narrative revolves around Michael Larson, an air conditioning repairman and ice cream truck driver who hedges all his bets on a game of luck. However, little do the executives behind the television show know, the contestant has actually cracked their code and possesses the key to mastering the game. Once the game show begins, with Larson competing alongside co-players Ed Long and Janie, his mastery begins to come out in the open. As he embarks on a near-impossible winning streak, his fellow contestants are left stunned.
Simultaneously, Bill Carruthers and other executives responsible for footing the bill of Larson’s lucrative winning scramble to salvage their own sinking ships. The film is inspired by the real-life scandal surrounding the mid-1980s game show ‘Press Your Luck,’ and how it was dominated by one clever player. The cinematic adaptation preserves biographical authenticity in various aspects of the story, including the characters surrounding Michael Larson’s narrative.
Ed Long and Janie Litras Were Real Co-Contestants of Michael Larson on Press Your Luck
‘The Luckiest Man in America’ is a near-biographical film that remains largely rooted in reality. Michael Larson’s on-screen narrative finds authentic inspiration from the story of the real ‘Press Your Luck’ contestant and his historic run on the game show. As a result, the world surrounding the character, including the game show itself, its host, executives, and the contestants, all possess direct real-life counterparts. Both Brian Geraghty and Patti Harrison’s respective characters, Ed and Janie, are based on the real contestants, Ed Long and Janie Litras Dakan, who appeared on the ‘Press Your Luck’ episodes alongside Larson. The duo’s on-screen depiction mirrors and parallels their actual appearance on the show’s episode recorded on May 19, 1984. In real life, Long was a Baptist minister from California and a returning champion, while Litras was a dental assistant with high ambitions of winning.
As depicted in the film, Larson started the game off on the wrong foot as he struggled with the first question round. Off the gate, he earned the least amount of spins, securing only 3, while Long got 4, and Litras collected 10. Ultimately, he came out of the round with only $2,500 while his fellow contestants earned $4,080 and $4,608, respectively. However, in the second round, Larson went on a winning streak, securing 40 back-to-back spins with all profits and no whammies. Afterward, the contestant passed his final three spins to Long, who whammied on the first try. The next spin was passed to Janie, who also whammied and passed the last spin back to Larson. In the end, Litras’ last whammy nullified her previous winnings, running her total to $0. Long walked away with the $11,516 he secured as a returning champion, and Larson won a total of $110,237.
Ed Long and Janie Litras Appeared on a 2003 Whammy! The All New Press Your Luck Memorial Episode
At the end of the ‘Press Your Luck’ episode, Michael Larson and Ed Long shared a hug, and the winner offered Janie Litras a handshake. The former’s run on the episode was historic and even garnered some cheating allegations. Nonetheless, it was ultimately concluded that the former ice-cream truck driver had only used skill and deduction to figure out the flaw in the game and exploited it to his advantage. Later, when Long described his experience, he shared that “he (Larson) went into a trance.”
The contestants walked away with their respective winnings. Years later, both Long and Litras returned to the show’s revival series, Whammy! The All-New Press Your Luck.’ The season 2 episode 2, titled ‘Tribute to Michael Larson,’ found Long and Litras competing against James Larson, the 1984 contestant’s brother. Additionally, the two co-constestants also appeared on an episode of the 2018 docuseries’ Cover Story,’ which covered their appearance on ‘Press Your Luck.’
Janie Litras Dakan Appeared on Another Television Game Show in the 1980s
Two years after her appearance on ‘Press Your Luck,’ Janie Litras Dakan appeared on another game show in 1986. This time, she was a contestant on ‘The Price is Right.’ Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to secure a win in that game show either. Afterward, much like Long, the dental assistant also went on to live a relatively private life. However, in 2018, when news of another revival for ‘Press Your Luck’ arrived, Litras spoke with the New York Post about her own 1984 experience. She recalled initially feeling confident in her ability to win the game, without sharing any particular concerns about the competition.
For the same reason, when Michael Larson embarked on his near-impossible run, Litras, alongside everyone else in the studio, was taken aback. In fact, for a moment, the dental assistant wondered if the entire thing was a part of the practical joke reality show, ‘Candid Camera.’ “When everything came out (the truth behind Larson’s success on ‘Press Your Luck’), it made more sense,” Litras Dakan told The New York Post. “The VCR had pretty much just come out, and he just figured it out. I guess it shocked the network, but it made sense, and they honored [his win] and paid him his money, which was good.”
Read More: Michael Larson: How Did the Press Your Luck Contestant Die?
