User Reviews

There used to be someone who used to write in the "SNL" forums of TV.com who hated Tina Fey who-when I realized none of Aaron Spelling's shows made the Time Top 100 TV shows-would exclaim that it was because they were all bad, I said I agreed with him but I thought they'd make at least the Top 100 Guilty Pleasures. He then replied that they weren't Guilty Plasures, more like Ordeals! Well, since he's always been a very blunt person, to him they would be. But, despite many lame comedy scenes and lines, I still get some enjoyment out of fluff like "The Love Boat". Anyway, the reason I decided to watch this one was because someone whose blog I frequent, Mark Evanier's, co-wrote one of this episode's segments. He mentioned how it was supposed to be close to something along the lines of an R-rated teen/college film and became more PG-rated when rewritten by someone else (who didn't get credit). That one ended up starring Robert Hegyes, of "Welcome Back, Kotter" which Evanier was a staff writer on, and Maureen McCormick. Like I said, partly lame if a little sweet. The other segments starred Phil Foster as an old comic who's seen better days...until Julie, whose father Foster helped, puts him in the show and gets raves when he does generation jokes. That one was a little better. Then there's Patty Duke Astin and Ruth Gordon in the familiar story of the mother trying to foist her daughter to someone professional, like Dr. Bricker, rather than to an old high school flame who's not so well off. That one was a bit too broadly played especially when Bernie Kopell's character tries to woo Ms. Duke Astin. However, Kopell did do a nice impersonation of both Hardy and Laurel when he did the "fine mess" phrase (though I'd like to point out it's actually "nice") and then scratching his head. Anyway, Mr. Evanier said he only wanted to see his credit and told his readers you're better off watching something he linked which turned out to be Stephen Colbert's hilarious pontificating of recent Republican politicians who were caught having adultery while the Democratic one who did so-a certain president-is the one whose popularity is still intact!

I could stay home all day and watch The Love Boat. Then they won't pay me. Then I'll get evicted then. Then Little K wil have to beg for his formula on street corners. You know, The Love Boat is your number one destination for strange and interesting casts, as if they threw names into a hat and drew them at random. Patty Duke makes her first appearance. Ruth Gordon plays her grandmother. Who doesn't like Ruth Gordon? Robert Hegyes, concurrently with Welcome Back to Kotter, shows up. Then you've got Marcia Brady herself, Maureen McCormick herself. This is our second Brady family member but we'll see a bunch more. Arte Johnson shows up too. Tab Hunter too. He's gay, but here he romances Patty Duke. She wears the frumpiest swimsuit in history. Gordon scolds Duke for talking to a school teacher. (They don't make much money you know. 'He's probably a stowaway.') Phil Foster plays an old-time comedian. Once again you see the great attention paid to catching different age demographics. The boys ask Julie about women on the ship. She licks her lips seductively. We find out that Julie's dad was in show business. Heyges' character turns out to be a virgin. Will he solve this disease by the time the cruise is over? At one point, Isaac steps in to warn Marcia Brady about Horshack's intentions. Apparently, Isaac is doing surveillance of him! These scripts ask our crew members to do things that are totally unlikely. Meanwhile, Doc leads some exercises. To my surprise, Foster brings some genuine pathos to his character. Marcia Brady wears a black swimsuit bottom. Ruth Gordon is worth a ratings bump all by herself. I used to read Mark Evanier's column. (He's a whackjob Boomer.) We're here for the Love. On Kafka's Love Boat Scale, this gets 3 1/2 * out of a possible 4 *.