Ted's Polish-Mexican Page

Peter Tomarken, host of Press Your Luck during the 1980's, was killed in a plane crash while doing volunteer work for a hospital.

Tomarken also hosted the video-game inspired and short lived Hit Man in 1983. There were strange bits on the show, such as a short film detailing the similarities between the Wright Flier and the USS Enterprise. I still remember the last episode, where the announcer said, "If you'd like to be a contestant on Hit Man, forget it!"


Tomarken was part of one of the most bizarre incidents in game show history. For those that haven't seen Press Your Luck, the game involved a huge flashing board whose pattern changed constantly, and you had to avoid hitting a "Whammy", which would end your turn. A fellow named Michael Larson, an ice cream truck driver from Ohio, had video taped episodes of the show and learned the patterns. He appeared on the show and won over $100,000 dollars and went nearly 40 spins before his reflexes failed him. Because Larson didn't pass or get "Whammied," the producers quickly got nervous, and one could see that the other contestants were a bit angry too. It became impossible to even break for commercials. The show was eventually aired in two episodes, but was not among those initially sold to the Game Show Network. GSN did a documentary, hosted by Tomarken, on the episode as part of a promotion when they brought the show back as Whammy! The All New Press Your Luck a few years ago.

Larson became a bit of a paranoid and kept his winnings at home in grocery bags. His house was burglarized and the money was stolen. His life ended in 1999 when he succumbed to throat cancer while on the run on fraud charges.


Clips from the infamous Larson episode as well as others from the game can be found here.


Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.