Game Show History: Michael Larson Conquers "Press Your Luck" 25 Years Ago This June

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Family members say Michael Larson was a fanatic when it came to "get rich" schemes. He tried everything to gain the riches he believed he deserved.

This year marks the 25th year since the Lebanon man, wearing a thrift-store shirt purchased for 65 cents, stepped onto a Hollywood soundstage and entered television history. In 1984, Larson figured a way to beat the system and won more than $100,000 on a single episode of the TV game show, "Press Your Luck."

Executives protested and producers fretted, but Larson ultimately outwitted the system to win, at the time, the most anyone had won on a TV game show. But for Larson, it was also sadly the pinnacle of a unique life and the start of a long journey downward. TV producers made a documentary about Larson in 2003.

"Michael was a character," said brother James Larson, a Lebanon resident. "He was obsessed with trying get-rich-quick schemes."

His winning "scheme" was to tape episodes of "Press Your Luck" and rewatch them in slow motion until he determined a pattern that would guarantee success. Whereas most contestants won a few thousand, he memorized the pattern and became unstoppable. But life after the limelight was not so kind. Larson began a downward spiral of bad investments and poor choices.

He died of throat cancer in 1999, while under investigation from the FBI and the Securities and Exchange Commission.


How the ice cream truck driver took a network for a ride


Michael Larson became a game show legend 25 years ago, outsmarting a computerized game show and winning a record amount of money.

Larson, who was born in Lebanon, had worked for a time in research and development at NCR, before he was downsized and began working for Chrysler. After breaking his leg in an accident, his brother, James Larson, said that Michael began driving an ice cream truck.

"[Michael] was very intelligent," James said, adding Lawson figured out the most profitable routes and times for his ice cream truck business that he operated in Dayton. "He wanted to run a fleet, but couldn't find reliable help."

In 1983, James said his brother became fixated on a particular game show, "Press Your Luck," which aired daily on CBS. In the documentary "Big Bucks: The Press Your Luck Scandal," Larson's then-common-law wife, Theresa Dinwitty, said Larson had a bank of television screens and VCRs he would scan to figure out how to win on the game.

The basic premise of the show, which aired from 1983 to 1987, was that players would try to land a flashing light on a box containing a certain amount of money or prizes. Both the lights and prizes flashed in what was supposedly random order, although Larson would prove this not to be the case. Players tried to avoid landing on "Whammies," cartoon monster that signaled a loss of money.

Through meticulously taping and rewatching the show frame-by-frame, Larson was able to determine certain squares that never showed a "whammy" and a pattern to guarantee successfully landing on those boxes.

James said his brother was confident in his ability to land a spot on the show. In an interview with TV Guide in 1994, the show's contestant supervisor said he was suspicious of Larson, but other producers decided to approve him.

On the day he appeared, Larson was in last place after the first round. In the second round, he went on an unprecedented run, taking 40 spins without hitting a "whammy," consistently hitting spins that held cash prizes plus granted him additional spins, meaning he could play virtually forever.

"He forgot his exit strategy," James said. "He only remembered the pattern to get more spins. Anytime you watch him and he wins a trip, that's pure luck."

By the end of his run, Larson had won $110,237 in cash and prizes, including two tropical vacations and a boat.

As the show wound down, host Peter Tomarken jokingly thanked him for stopping his play before he owned CBS. Larson was cagey about why he had risked losing all his money by continuing to spin, noting he didn't want another contestant to go on a similar run as he had.

"He held his hands directly over the buzzer, very different from most contestants," James said. "And he didn't chant or yell. He was too busy concentrating."

Executives said they tried to find a way to disqualify Larson, but ultimately conceded he had done nothing wrong, and had only paid better attention than most contestants.

"He got the check in August," James said. "It came in just a regular stamped envelope. After taxes, I think it was around $99,000."

"You can like him or not like him, but you can't help but admire what he did," Tomarken noted in the 2003 documentary.

Unfortunately, Larson's big win did not catapult him to further success or a life of comfort. Still chasing the big easy buck, James said that Larson lost considerable amounts of his winnings in various schemes.

Once, when trying to win a radio contest where players had to match up the serial number of a dollar bill read over the air, Larson withdrew tens of thousands of dollars in one dollar bills, only for the money to be stolen from his house.

"I got calls from the FBI about him after he moved to Florida," James said. "I told them I didn't want to know where he was."

Larson died in 1999 of throat cancer and is buried in Lebanon.

"Mike was very bright, but he had a different set of values," James said.

"He was guilty of nothing more than being extremely enterprising," Tomarken said. "I believed he earned every nickel."

[howierules86]

Just so everyone knows, his episodes actually aired on June 8 & 11, 1984.

[Zoneboy]

Originally Posted by howierules86

Just so everyone knows, his episodes actually aired on June 8 & 11, 1984.

Thanks a lot, Now I wish I hadn't posted it.

[Vahan]

PYL aired from 1983-1986, not 1983-1987.

[Zoneboy]

Originally Posted by tvholic1987

PYL aired from 1983-1986, not 1983-1987.

Don't blame me, Take it up with the person that originally wrote the article.