The Love Boat – TV Series (1977–1987) ABC television Network
Love is in the air…Well, not only in the air but also in the sea! Passengers who search for romantic nights aboard a beautiful ship traveling to tropical or mysterious countries, decide to pass their vacation aboard the “Love Boat” where Gopher, Dr.Adam, Isaac, Julie and Captain Stubing try their best to please them and sometimes help them fall in love. Things are not always so easy but in the end love wins and everybody leaves the dreamboat satisfied…
Isaac’s Teacher/Seal of Approval/The Successor
Episode aired 10 January 1981
A woman (Florence Henderson), who believes she is cursed and will die prematurely, is determined to find her husband (Jeffrey Tambor) a new mate, and he chooses a young passenger (Christina Hart); Isaac (Ted Lange) is afraid of running into his old high school teacher, when she (Lillian Gish) and her grandson (Reb Brown) come aboard; a seal (The Seal Shirley) is jealous when her trainer (Donald O’Connor) and another passenger (Georgia Engel) get together.
R.S. Allen … (written by) (segment “The Curse of the Dumbrowskis”)
Wilford Lloyd Baumes … (developed by) (as W.L. Baumes)
Harvey Bullock … (written by) (segment “The Curse of the Dumbrowskis”)
Madora Mckenzie … (written by) (segment “Seal of Approval”)
Sidney Morse … (story editor) (as Sid Morse)
Andy Ruben … (written by) (segment “Seal of Approval”)
Jeraldine Saunders … (suggested by)
Lloyd J. Schwartz … (written by) (segment “Isaac’s Secret”)
- Gavin MacLeod – Captain Merrill Stubing
Bernie Kopell – Doctor Adam Bricker
Fred Grandy – Ship’s Purser ‘Gopher’ Smith
Ted Lange – Bartender Isaac Washington
Jill Whelan – Vicki Stubing
Lauren Tewes – Cruise Director Julie McCoy
Georgia Engel – Karen Hughes
Lillian Gish – Mrs. Williams
Florence Henderson – Harriett Rogers
Donald O’Connor – Oscar Tilton
Jeffrey Tambor – Mr. Harold Rogers
Christina Hart – Cindy Sterling
Produced by
R.S. Allen … producer (as Ray Allen)
Harvey Bullock … producer
Henry Colman … producer
Douglas S. Cramer … executive producer
Hudson Hickman … associate producer
Aaron Spelling … executive producer
Isaac’s Teacher/Seal of Approval/The Successor (1981)
Runtime 1 hr (60 min)
Sound Mix Mono
Color Color
Aspect Ratio 1.33 : 1
Negative Format 35 mm
Printed Film Format 35 mm (source: IMDB)
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The Love Boat is an American comedy/drama television series set on luxury passenger cruise ship S.S. Pacific Princess, which aired on the ABC television network from May 5, 1977 until May 24, 1986; plus, four three-hour long specials aired in 1986, 1987, and 1990. The series revolves around the ship’s captain Merrill Stubing (played by Gavin MacLeod) and a handful of its crew, with several passengers—played by various guest star actors for each episode—having romantic and humorous adventures. It was part of ABC’s popular Saturday-night lineup of the time, which also included Fantasy Island until that series ended two years earlier in 1984.
The original 1976 made-for-TV movie on which the show was based (also titled The Love Boat) was itself based on the nonfiction book Love Boats by Jeraldine Saunders, a real-life cruise director on a passenger cruise ship line. It was followed by two more TV-made-for movies (titled The Love Boat II and The New Love Boat), all before the series began its first season in September 1977.
The executive producer for the series was Aaron Spelling, who produced several TV series for Four Star Television, and American Broadcasting Company (ABC) from the 1960s into the 1980s.
In 1997, the episode with segment titles “Hidden Treasure”, “Picture from the Past”, and “Ace’s Salary” (season 9, episode 3) was ranked No. 82 on TV Guide’s 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time from TV Guide magazine. The Love Boat ran for nine seasons plus four specials. Another made-for-TV movie, titled The Love Boat: A Valentine Voyage, starring four of the original cast members, aired finally on February 12, 1990. (source: Wikipedia)
The series was filmed primarily on sets in southern California’s—20th Century Fox Studios for seasons one through five, and the Old Warner Brothers Hollywood Studios for the remainder of the series. The “star of the show”, the cruise ship itself, after being renamed the MS Pacific and being sold then owned by another cruise line in Spain, the now-world famous Pacific Princess was retired to Turkey in 2013, where she was scrapped by a ship breaking company after no further buyer could be found.
Another unique aspect of The Love Boat was its writing format. Every episode contained several storylines, each written by a different set of writers working on one group of guest stars.
