The Love Boat - General Discussion

[Kromm]

Love was neither exciting nor new on that damn boat. 

How many times/different characters did Tom Bosley appear as?

[smiley13]

Yesterday the episode I saw with Melissa Sue Anderson's character hitting on Doc was creepy.  They said the character was 18, but I think Melissa Sue was only 16 at the time.  Thankfully Doc turned her down.

[Maverick]

 That whole plot was weird.  In Plot #1, JLC was a straight up bitch.  Her husband needed to get while the getting was good.   Plot #3: JJ Evans to. Barney Collier....upgrade!

 Apparently the Love Boat was doing 3 day cruises.  I doubt Janet Leigh and Mr. Drummond could have survived a week on a bag of peanuts.  Seems like there was something a few episodes ago too that indicated they were only on a 3 day/weekend cruise.  The crew sure got invested in people they barely knew.

[harrie]

Yesterday the episode I saw with Melissa Sue Anderson's character hitting on Doc was creepy.  They said the character was 18, but I think Melissa Sue was only 16 at the time.  Thankfully Doc turned her down.

Never mind the age difference (and MSA was 16 at the time), if I were her I'd have clocked Gopher for constantly calling me "Chubs."

[Kromm]

Honestly they didn't pay him enough to be in charge of that boat.

My big question is why did we never seem him doing actual Captain Stuff (steering the boat, reading weather reports, inspecting the lifeboats, yelling at an Engineer, etc.)

[Kromm]

My favorite character by far, although he didn't have as cool a move as Isaac and his magnificent pointing.

[Kromm]

So  many years and I was never sure exactly what a Yeoman Purser DID, but Gopher certainly was a magnificent one!  

[Kromm]

I'm emulating the show credits with these thread titles, but I always felt this one was a cheat.  I mean the ship no doubt had a dozen bartenders.  Isaac was certainly the coolest one, but nevertheless it probably should have said something like Your Chief Bartender (if he even WAS that I mean).

[Kromm]

It's true. Julie was the ONLY character to get her name in the credits.  The rest merely got their job titles.

(Well, excepting Vicki, who had no job title).

Edited April 12, 2014 by Kromm

[Kromm]

Here's the big question:  One finger point or two finger point?

[Kromm]

I say "guest stars" rather than "characters", because we had plenty of people who came on and played multiple roles!  You can be specific to a certain role if you'd like though.

[Kromm]

[Kromm]

Anyone remember THIS abomination?

 

I'd been blocking it out of my memory (that it even existed).

Oddly enough it contained at least three cast members who had actual viable careers after this mess.

Edited April 12, 2014 by Kromm

[formerlyfreedom]

Charo. Always Charo.

[formerlyfreedom]

A place to discuss particular episodes, arcs and moments from The Love Boat's run. Please remember this isn't a complete catch-all topic -- check out the forum for character topics and other places for show-related talk.

[formerlyfreedom]

What Kromm said.

[Kromm]

Charo. Always Charo.

The following clip is both kind of "ughhhh" (mostly because of the cast of The Talk) and cool at the same time:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Sehw85hW14

[Kromm]

Last news I ever saw of ex-Congressman Grandy:

 

He tried to run for Governor of Iowa, lost, ran Goodwill for half a decade, became a Conservative Talk Show pundit, then lost that job a few years later.

 

Ex-Rep, 'Gopher' Leaves Radio Show After Alleged Pressure Over Islam Comments

 

Since then, according to his Wikipedia page at least, he does dinner theater, conservative think tank type stuff, and show hosting on some channel about Senior citizens.

[Maverick]

Starting next week, MeTV will The Love Boat weekdays at 10am.

[Starscream]

Double fingers.

 

The show is cheesy, and as a precursor to the ultra cheesy double finger guns, it is more befitting of this show.  It also beats Fonzie's double thumbs up for the ultimate "cool guy" gesture of that era.

[NYGirl]

They changed the schedule and it's on every day now.  I'm so excited. 

 

I go on at least 2 cruises a year and I can't understand how the crew is allowed to hit on passengers all the time. Not true in real life. Today I saw Julie make a fool of herself for an older man.  I was embarrassed for her.

 

Also Doc actually had to operate on someone!!  Recently there was a storyline where he was a fabulous surgeon and his teacher couldn't understand why he's working on a cruise ship and today he needed to have another doctor ship to shore to walk him through the surgery.

[Mckinnonsgirl]

When I was a young girl, I used to watch Love Boat with Grandma, lol... I had such a crush on Gopher.  Of course I had a crush on half of the television line-up in the 80's.

[Kromm]

[Kiddvideo]

I didn't realize it back in the day, but Doc's a bit of a perv.

[kaygeeret]

Previously I had enshrined Hawaii 5-0 original edition as the worst television show ever.

 

I am revising my list.  My god in heaven this is terrifyingly bad television! 

 

This is the show that knocked The Carol Burnett show off the air!   Altho' she had a great run and all shows do end.

 

In my market, this nonsense is followed by The Mod Squad - also a truly god awful show.

 

My only defense in watching any of these three shows is that I never watched them when they first aired - wanted to see what I missed.

 

Yikes!

[kikismom]

kaygeeret: When Mod Squad first aired, my little cousin was 5 years old and he would walk around knee-bouncing like Linc, then he'd raise his fist in a Black Power salute and grunt "Solid!"

[Kromm]

Recognition for the Double Guns!!! -- http://previously.tv/television/dj-roomba-vs-isaacs-double-guns/

 

Not that the single finger point wasn't cool.  It just wasn't innovative!

[Kromm]

Yes, I call him "Show Killer" in the thread title, but actually to be fair, he was in like 60 whole episodes (Seasons 8, 9 and 10). Along with Julie's Cruise Director replacement, whatshername, and towards the very end, The Love Boat Mermaids (remember them?)

Edited July 14, 2014 by Kromm

[FormerMod-a1]

Aww - I missed it.  I would have voted for the double guns.  :-(

[Kromm]

Aww - I missed it.  I would have voted for the double guns.  :-(

And he lost to an iPod sitting on top of a Roomba!  Ridiculous!

[Kromm]

:-(

Pretty disappointed that MeTV has gone back to season one now. I understand they may not have the rights to the newer seasons, but I was really looking forward to seeing The Pointer Sisters singing "He's So Shy" about Issac, and the introduction of Julie's sister, and of course, the ship's photographer!

Don't forget...

 

 

Hi young Teri Hatcher, happy at the time you were getting any work at all!!!

[Kromm]

Previously I had enshrined Hawaii 5-0 original edition as the worst television show ever.

 

I am revising my list.  My god in heaven this is terrifyingly bad television! 

Love Boat: The Next Wave made the original look like Shakespeare.

[NYGirl]

I've enjoyed my summer of Love Boat!  I love to go on cruises so of course I love watching the show. 

 

I'm so disappointed that at the end we had to endure the same episodes we had just seen.  I ended up deleting quite a few from my TiVo list.  I hope now that we are back to 2 on Sundays they will go over to a different season.  Sometimes I get to see some on youtube.

 

The cast was on The Talk the other day and it was fun to watch.  They are also the Godparents to Princess Cruiseline's newest ship.

[yeswedo]

The TV Guide Network (TVGN) has been showing episodes from the later seasons. Today they had 4 or 5 episodes on and tagged them as Throwback Thursday. I only saw part of one episode. It was in Italy and Meredith Baxter was talking with David Birney in front of the Coliseum (I think). He was speaking in a very bad Italian accent and seemed to be a paid escort. 

[magicdog]

It's not fair to call McGinley the show killer - Love Boat was already running on fumes by the time he was cast.  Shows like this should never have a Season 8, 9 and 10!

 

The Mermaids deserve the title more than he does!

[magicdog]

I happened to find the shows in TVG channel by accident and it's about as frothy as I remembered it! 

 

Strange coincidence:  the day Joan Rivers was announced to be on life support after her endoscopy, the channel was airing one of her appearances... as a cancer survivor and recovering from a mastectomy.  I know she wasn't primarily an actress, but she did very well in that episode.

 

Just yesterday, I caught the episode the crew weent to Alaska.  I remember the writers were busy tryingto get the crew to start sailing further away from Cabo San Lucas so they ended up on cruises to Europe and Asia, and of course, Alaska.  Julie got her heart broken (yet again!) when the man of her dreams married someone else while she was still hemming and hawing if he WAS Mr. Right!  She was in such a tizzie she nearly had rebound sex with Ralph Malph!

[BigDfromLA]

Reggie Jackson played himself in an episode. He took the cruise to get some peace and quiet from the fans, then became miffed when nobody paid attention to him!

[MarMar]

I am surprised at how many "stars" had multiple appearances as different characters.  I guess I didn't notice it growing up.  In watching the re-runs, I think I have seen Mrs. Roper three times and who is the gal that plays Gophers love on the Italian episode and next plays the wanna be model non the Norway episodes?  I'm sure in real time they weren't so obvious, but when shown in the same week quite noticeable.

[MarMar]

I remember not liking Doc as a character when I first watched this show.  But now, I appreciate him more.   Even though he is cast as the "ladies man" in many episodes, he also has the more serious  plots in may episodes and carries it well.  I also didn't notice the toned bod before, he was really in great shape and showed it off a bit, especially in his jump rope scenes.

[Maverick]

 I caught a ninth season episode on TV Guide yesterday.  The channel guide called it "The German Cruise", but they were actually in Germany, Italy and France.  I thought a ninth season episode would be horrible, especially since all I've seen recently is first and second seasons episodes but it wasn't all that bad/different from the earlier episodes.  Maybe it's because it was an on location two-partner--that, and there wasn't a Mermaid in sight.  The Dionne Warwick credits do suck, though.  Oh, and the less said about Vicki's hair the better.  

 

 What was odd is that the episode really only involved three members of the crew.  Doc and the Captain in one story and Ace in another.  The other two plots had virtually no crew interaction.  Gopher and Vicki had one scene each, interacting with Ace and the Captain respectively and Issac and Not!Julie were no existent.  I thought they limited the crew involved to cut down the cost since it was on location and late in the show's run, but Gopher's scene was on location in Germany and all of the crew appeared in the final scene which appeared to be in front of the Nice airport.  Also odd:  why is the ship's bartender wearing an officer's uniform?  I noticed Issac wearing one in both the opening credits and the final scene.  I know there's a lot of booze flowing on cruise ship's but I didn't know it warranted the bartender being a commissioned role.

[Kromm]

 I caught a ninth season episode on TV Guide yesterday.  The channel guide called it "The German Cruise", but they were actually in Germany, Italy and France.  I thought a ninth season episode would be horrible, especially since all I've seen recently is first and second seasons episodes but it wasn't all that bad/different from the earlier episodes.  Maybe it's because it was an on location two-partner--that, and there wasn't a Mermaid in sight.  The Dionne Warwick credits do suck, though.  Oh, and the less said about Vicki's hair the better.  

 

 What was odd is that the episode really only involved three members of the crew.  Doc and the Captain in one story and Ace in another.  The other two plots had virtually no crew interaction.  Gopher and Vicki had one scene each, interacting with Ace and the Captain respectively and Issac and Not!Julie were no existent.  I thought they limited the crew involved to cut down the cost since it was on location and late in the show's run, but Gopher's scene was on location in Germany and all of the crew appeared in the final scene which appeared to be in front of the Nice airport.  Also odd:  why is the ship's bartender wearing an officer's uniform?  I noticed Issac wearing one in both the opening credits and the final scene.  I know there's a lot of booze flowing on cruise ship's but I didn't know it warranted the bartender being a commissioned role.

My theory on this is that maybe there was some theoretical promotion from Bartender to Chief Bartender, and maybe somehow the Chief Bartender is counted as a ship's officer?  Which sounds like bulls, since only people who operate the actual ship should be, but whatever.  I mean does a Purser really steer a ship or service a ship's engine?  So why does Gopher have a uniform?  But he does (and it's actually consistent with the Navy as well).

[NYGirl]

I got to see this episode this morning and I have to say Bernie Kopell did a great acting job in it.  I agree we hardly saw the crew except for Doc and Captain Steubing.  NotJulie was in one quick scene with the Captain.  I didn't see Isaac until the very end.

 

I am Tivoing all the episodes but it's the same ones over and over again albeit the latter seasons.

 

In the ones with the real Julie her hair is horrendous...blonde and curly yuck.

[Maverick]

 Betty White makes everything better.  Even the Mermaids.   And Carol Channing.

[Kromm]

 Betty White makes everything better.  Even the Mermaids.   And Carol Channing.

Sort of like how Rip Taylor makes everything worse!

[Maverick]

 The Love Boat returns to weekdays on MeTV starting January 1st

[Starscream]

Nice realism creating opening titles to make the viewer seasick.

[FormerMod-a1]

O my goodness! I think I do remember that. When was it on?

[Starscream]

Also odd:  why is the ship's bartender wearing an officer's uniform?  I noticed Issac wearing one in both the opening credits and the final scene.  I know there's a lot of booze flowing on cruise ship's but I didn't know it warranted the bartender being a commissioned role.

This is explained in an early episode.  Isaac was on the cruise as a passenger when the rest of the gang went on an excursion with a group of passengers and ended up being held hostage by John Astin the hermit.  Captain Stubing left the incompetent deputy captain Dick Martin in charge who failed to take notice of a hurricane warning and was utterly useless when the hurricane hit.  Isaac stepped up when things got hairy and the captain later rewarded him with a promotion and said he'd be receiving some stripes.

Edited March 26, 2015 by Starscream

[Maverick]

 It would have to be an honorary position since "bartender" is not a commissioned position.  OTOH, I shouldn't anything approaching realism from a show where total strangers meet, date and propose marriage by the end of the cruise at an alarming rate.  Worse, I realized at one point they're running 3 day/long weekend cruises so these people aren't even taking a week to get to know each other before getting hitched.  I can only that after an hour away from the sea air and fruity drinks with umbrellas 98% of these couples wise up and decide marriage may not be the most logical choice.

 

 So today I saw the episode where Viki is introduced (but doesn't join the cast...apparently that happens a year later).  I didn't realize it wasn't clear that Viki is Stubbing's daughter.  Apparently he just assumes she is because she "has his eyes"....and she really likes him.  Later episodes with Stubbing's relatives all have them saying she's his daughter and related to them so was it ever clarified when she finally comes to live on the ship?  If not, did the aunt just let her live on the ship because she wanted?  His paternity wasn't clarified and her didn't adopt her?  

[Starscream]

Vicki ran away from home when she realized that Captain Stubing was her father.  When he returned her to the Aunt, he learned that she was getting divorced and she sort of implored him to take in Vicki.  That's how she came to live on the Princess,  They had some child welfare worker visit to check on Vicki's situation sometime later.

 

I've been watching seasons four and five recently and it's unbelievable how much action Captain Stubing is getting during this period.  Practically every story dedicated to him is about a woman, that I'd say is out of his league, falling in love with him.  He hooked up with Pat Crowley and she became his sorta girlfriend.  Then he bangs one of the models from the fashion cruise.  Then he has a love affair and short engagement with the daughter of some woman he wanted to marry when he was serving in the south Pacific.  He hooks up with the woman the line hires to paint his portrait.  Then Pat Crowley comes back and he's poised to propose to her (I guess he had to do something with the ring from his engagement less than ten episodes previous).  Pretty impressive for a middle-aged bald man with a fupa.  It must be the dress shorts.