User Reviews

I should go to bed. No, I have to see whether the Pacific Princess survives the big storm. Yes, sir, we got ourselves a "hurry-can" right on our humble cathode ray tubes. Look at the Coral Ballroom rock and roll. Yes, indeed, Barbi Benton's, er, blouse, signals a new era in television. God bless, Aaron Spelling, the man who invented the 1970s. He's way better than Norman Lear. I've always been a fan of John Astin. He's great. The Donna Mills subplot is super flat next to a raging hurricane. We've got no time for pathos! Things are blowing around! Also, Donna Mills is bland. I mean, someone found her pretty. Give me Hayley or Juliet any day of the week. Donna just wants to marry her brother. (What?) Gopher gets crushed by a tree. (He's okay.) Mrs. Roper and Gomez Adams fall in love. It's really rather touching as far as these things go. Grumpy Barbi redeems herself. The show wouldn't try this 'Disaster Movie' stuff again. On Kafka's Love Boat Scale, this double-length episode gets 3 * out of a possible 4 *.

SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER! I watched this when it first aired, straight thru, no two parters.

Quick setup, Isaac was either on vacation (don't think he was) or since the rest of the (cast) crew went sight-seeing on the nearby island, he lied to Lola Falana about his importance on the ship. I think that was it, he was on vacation and told Falana he was more important than a bartender.

Dick Martin was truly brilliant as the inept captain in charge while Captain Stubing took the small party sight-seeing.

Norm Crosby spilled the beans to Falana as the filling-in bartender.

We had another plot with David Birney and Donna Mills, but truthfully, that was uninteresting.

The big focus was our little group on the island.

Gopher, Doc, Julie and the Captain, along with passengers Edie Adams and Avery Schrieber as a bickering couple, Barbi Benton as a sourpuss (and she lovingly redeemed herself by the end of the episode) and Audra Lindley (in one of her many performances, including TV movies, she stands one below Charo for most appearances) stole the show with John Astin as the sweet little old lady.

Once on the island, they find they are with a hermit (John Astin, typical but always a delight), who maroons them during a hurricane.

So the saga unfolds. Gopher is hurt, Doc feels guilty for Gopher's injury. Both Julie and Doc work on Benton's disposition (Julie tells her to button it).

When the Captain suggests they try to use a woman to seduce the deranged Astin, Benton isn't up for it, so Julie obliges, giving a performance that says she doesn't have a clue what she is doing.

"Mis-tuh MaaaaaaAAAAHHHHHhhnnn!" Astin then reveals he is smitten with the old lady (Lindley).

From there, the saga progresses.

When Martin can't handle the ship during the hurricane, Isaac takes over (well, not running the ship, but just tending to passengers, etc.) The sun comes up and Benton reveals that she went out while everyone was asleep and spelled out SOS with rocks on the beach.

"Why didn't you get that idiot's gun?" "I did. It didn't have any bullets in it. Just dirt." So they make preparations to leave.

Astin then asks Lindley to remain on the island with him, reciting loving dialogue to her.

She then informs him she is dying with only months to live.

Overwhelming.

She remains with him, her luggage is brought to her.

Once back on ship, Dick Martin reveals he has a brother, doesn't hear from him anymore.

Thinks he is a hermit on an island somewhere.

End credits.