Welcome back to my blog. Here’s my recommendation of a movie to check out today and hope you punch your “Ticket to the Movies!” OK, today, it’s not a movie, but a television series. I’m recommending my all-time favorite tee-vee offering: “The Love Boat!” Yes, “The Love Boat.” Say what you will about the kitschy, fluff-ridden series, but it’s my favorite of all time.
“The Love Boat” has a charm of its own: It was 99-percent of the time a three-story package with the ship’s crew as the headliners and thread through all the stories. The best thing? “The Love Boat” had stories that in the end were uplifting and made sure just about everyone was happy.
Plus, the “The Love Boat’s” guest stars were a wonderful mix of new talent, current talent (but B-list) and, best of all, aging stars finding one final or near-final moment in the spotlight.
Here are a few examples (my favorites): Two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks as the college roommate of one of the main characters (season 4 episode 1); a young-ish Billy Crystal as the “kissing bandit” (season 2 episode 6); “The Brady Bunch’s” “Marcia” looking to help one of “Welcome Back, Kotter’s” “sweathogs” lose his virginity (season 1 episode 6); and “The Brady Bunch’s” Robert Reed falling in love with pop music star Toni “Love Will Keep Us Together” Tennille in the wake of a murder case (season 2 episode 6).
Of course, on “The Love Boat” you’ll find Gavin McLeod as the captain; Bernie Kopell as the ship’s doctor; Ted Lange as the ship’s chief bartender; Lauren Tewes as the cruise director; and Fred Grandy as the slapstick-ridden assistant purser.
Each of the episodes introduced the characters; had their respective emotional ships run aground (or continue to run aground) into the middle of the episode; and then have everything work out well in the end.
“The Love Boat” was (still is) a guilty pleasure of tee-vee fluff and so much better than the vile insipid fools you find on “reality” television today and certainly better than 99-percent of the incompetent nonsense continuing to be shoveled out by what’s left of the networks.
So, I say punch your “Ticket to the Movies!” but this time on tee-vee and bring “The Love Boat” back to your home’s big screen. Don’t worry, you’ll thank me later.
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