[6] His enlistment papers carried the name "John R. Vukayan", and noted he was a citizen, single, had completed one year of high school, and was semi-skilled in metal working.

[9] He was eventually moved stateside to a hospital in Michigan, where he recalled meeting actress Loretta Young when she visited wounded soldiers.

[10] Awarded a Purple Heart[7] and Bronze Star[11][12] he was judged unfit for further active service and was discharged from the Army on March 23, 1944.

It was a lifestyle that appealed to many recently discharged veterans, thirty-six of whom, including Vivyan, were inducted into the American Legion at a ceremony in July 1946.

The Barter Theatre performers also entertained at local social clubs; Vivyan sang Serbian folk songs at one such event.

[18] Vivyan finished out his time with the Barter Theatre group during a 1946-47 winter tour of Virginia and South Carolina, in which the troupe alternated the plays Arms and the Man and Much Ado About Nothing.

[21] He scraped by on doing summer stock theatre, performing work disdained by established actors for its low pay and grueling pace.

[9] New York City was a creative center for early live television, particularly anthology series, which featured a new story and cast with each episode.

He followed this success with a late summer engagement in a Noël Coward play, On Approval, with the popular Arthur Treacher casting reflected glory on his younger co-star.

[24] Following those off-season successes, Vivyan landed a role in a high season production of a recent Broadway musical.

Joan Blondell was the star of a multi-city tour for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, with Vivyan playing her romantic interest.

[26][27][28] At the latter, the local paper noted he attended services and sang with the choir at the same Serbian Orthodox Church to which he belonged growing up.

Vivyan had only a few weeks acting during August 1953 with the musical Lady in the Dark, performed al fresco at Pitt Stadium, which starred Billie Worth and included Lee Bergere and a young Shirley Jones among the cast.

He had no prior experience at riding a horse, and the necessity for a rider's left leg being the focal point for mounting and dismounting limited his ability to do so.

As with Peter Gunn actor Craig Stevens, Vivyan was cast by Edwards for the way his appearance and style suggested film star Cary Grant.

[35] The show was an immediate success, helped considerably by the Henry Mancini theme music and the presence of actor Ross Martin as "Andamo", Mr. Lucky's sidekick.

Mr. Lucky had his gambling operation on a yacht called Fortuna II, anchored just beyond the then 3 mile legal limit for a major California port.

Off-camera, she reportedly called John Vivyan "Vookie", as a teasing reference to his real last name and the then popular character of "Kookie" on 77 Sunset Strip.

He had a brief recurring role as the gangster Lepke Buchalter on The Lawless Years, but most of his other television work was for single appearances.