"The day Luke Ventura can't help out a friend, that's the day he's got something better to do."
—Luke Ventura
Luke Ventura is one of Al's friends and a coworker at Gary's Shoes & Accessories for Today's Woman.
He is played by actor and comedian, Ritch Shydner
Description[]
He was known for actually being polite to the customers. Although he was considerate to the fat women and the old ladies, he had his motives, making money. He reminded Al that when one is paid on commission, one must make the customers feel like royalty. Luke also appears to be more self-confident than Al in that he is secure enough not to let people's insulting remarks about shoe salesmen get to him like they do to Al.
He was a sly womanizer who was always seducing beautiful women and outperforming Al at sales, reminding Al that both of them were paid on commission. Peg hated him while Al tolerated him, and had invited Luke to Peg's birthday party, possibly to spite her. After Al had a bad fight with Peggy, Luke invites him to spend the night at his apartment. Luke was having a date with a couple of stewardesses; while Luke was sleeping with one, Al conversed with the other attractive blonde stewardess. Although this was an ideal situation for Al to commit adultery with a willing, beautiful woman, he ultimately realized his morals and returned home to Peg.
Luke disappears from the show after the first season, but is mentioned again in the ninth season episode "Pump Fiction," when Al learns from the shoe industry publication "Shoe News" that Luke is being given an award. This would mean either Luke opened up his own shoe store or got another job at another shoe store and did very well at it to win the award. Though he was portrayed to be a friend of Al's at the beginning of the series, after his disappearance he was spoken of as if he had since become Al's rival. Ironically, when Bud asks about Luke Ventura winning the award, Peggy stated he was a polite coworker of Al's, whereas before she could not stand him.
Appearances[]
- Season 1
- Season 9
- Pump Fiction (mentioned)
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Like the Bundys and the Rhoades, Luke Ventura was named after a professional wrestler, in this case Jesse "The Body" Ventura, who would go on to be Governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003.
- In a 2013 article written by Ritch Shydner, he revealed that the role of Luke was original meant for a close friend of MWC co-creator, Michael G. Moye. Although Michael had fought hard to get his friend the role, the network chose Shydner instead. He then stated that Moye pulled him aside and accused him of doing cocaine while on set during the first day of shooting in order to get him fired, despite Shydner saying that he was clean and sober. Ron Leavitt, the other co-creator, had to later apologize to Shydner after he was let go, saying that due to the pressure and stress they were under, he had to eventually relent and let Michael fire him.[1]
References[]
- ↑ Looking for the Big Laugh with Professor Ritch Shydner: “Married With Children”. The Comic's Comic (January 10, 2013). Retrieved on September 26, 2024.