THE LOVE BOAT
 The Love Boat has been described as a show which doesn't
star anybody particularly famous but which guest stars everyone
under the sun!
Based on Jeraldine Saunders' novel (relating her experiences as
a cruise hostess), The Love Boat consisted of short, comic
sketches dealing with love of all types, young and old, married
and unmarried (in the same style as Love American Style).
Each
story was interwoven with the next and almost always involved the
ship's crew in some form or another.
 The series was filmed in Hollywood and on two ships from
Princess Cruise Lines, the Pacific Princess (pictured at
left) and the Island
Princess, which at the time were state-of-the-art cruise liners,
and there is no doubt that this show was a major factor in making
cruising popular for a whole new generation.
Most of the episodes were filmed during regular voyages on
these ships from the Virgin Islands and Alaska and paying
passengers were invited to participate as extras.
Most passengers
were delighted to take part, and cruises on which filming was
planned were always booked solid long in advance.
Famous movie and TV stars of the past and present were always a
part of the floating sound stage, combining work with travel to
exotic locations. Among the many famous names were: Dick VanPatten,
Steve Allen, Greer Garson, Don Adams and Helen Hayes.
Latino singer Charo had a recurring role of singer-guitarist
April Lopez. Arguably the strangest episode of The Love Boat was
the one where Juan Epstein (from Welcome Back Kotter) and Marcia
Brady have a ship-board romance!
 Voyages to more exotic locations took place in later seasons -
Australia in 1981, the Mediterranean in 1982 and China in 1983.
In
1982, a shipboard musical extravaganza featuring the regular cast
plus guest appearances by Cab Calloway, Carol Channing, Ethel
Merman, Della Reese, Van Johnson and Ann Miller became known as
the "Love Boat Follies".
Many changes were made in the fall of 1985 in an attempt to
revive the sagging series.
A group of eight dancers (called The
Love Boat Mermaids) were added to the cast, appearing in a weekly
musical number and working in the casino that had been added to
the Pacific Princess.
In the spring of 1986, at the end of the original series run,
Captain Stubing romanced and married Emily Heywood.
Fred Grandy (Gopher) went on to become a US Congressman,
representing Iowa from 1987 to 1995.
Love . . .
Exciting and new
Come aboard
We're expecting you
Love . . .
Life's sweetest reward
Let it flow
It flows back to you
The Love Boat
soon will be making another run
The Love Boat
promises something for everyone
Set a course for adventure
Your mind on a new romance
Love won't hurt anymore
It's an open smile on a friendly shore
Yes love - It's love
It's the Love Boat
It's the Love Boat
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