Remember "Love Boat"?

I remember a time when "Love Boat" was required viewing in my home. (1977) Not by me, of course, I was always more interested in the more worldly stuff like "Dukes of Hazard" and "Petticoat Junction". I had to laugh the other day, when I ran across this review distributed by the Associated Press at the inception of the show. I don’t know of anybody that ever pays any attention to a reviewer. They are always way too snarky and full of themselves, plus they always get it wrong. Anyway I reprinted the review below. I even corrected the typo’s for the newspaper that it came from. 1977 was before the digital age and everything was done by hand, including setting the type.

     September 24, 1977. Los Angeles (AP) - In recent debate on TV quality, ABC programs chief Fred Silverman said a lot of ideas submitted for programs are awful. Today, ABC will premiere a prime-time example.

     It’s “Love Boat,” A new one hour series trying for romance and comedy aboard a cruise ship, the Pacific Princess. It’s sort of a bad “Love, American Style” with life preservers. Gavin Macleod, a good actor last regularly seen on the “Mary Tyler Moore Show,” plays the Captain of ABC’s ship of foolish.

     Other regulars are Lauren Tewes as a pretty cruise director, Fred Grandy as mildly dense assistant purser, Bernie Koppel as the ships doctor and Ted Lange as the ship’s barkeep.

     As is with the custom with most new ABC ventures, Saturday’s yarn features guest stars of established series on the theory that they will bring their fans with them and boost opening night ratings.

     On hand from CBS is Bonnie Franklin of “One Day at a Time” and Jimmie Walker of “Good Times.” ABC’s delegates are Suzanne Somers of “Three’s Company” and Meredith Baxter-Birney of “Family”.

     NBC is a no-show, but so is “Love Boat,” which spins three tales by as many writers during it’s maiden voyage to various Mexican ports.

     Miss Franklin plays a nasty, domineering woman wed to a director of the company owning the ship. As she boards, Grandy makes a big fuss over her. Sneers she: “Lord, I love an obsequious runt.”

     She is also harsh with Macleod, but for reasons that are too personal and predictable to go into now - or ever.

     Miss Baxter-Birney is on the cruise ship with her fiancé, a handsome young congressman. She is worried he’ll find out she is the centerfold lady in a Playboy-like magazine called “Kitten.”
     Seems that while she was an impoverished law student, she put on a black wig and posed in her birthday suit to raise funds. Now the picture has turned up in an edition of “kitten” sold on the ship. She is embarrassed and ashamed and spends most of her time on a belated cover-up.

The review just ends there, like hanging in air. Maybe they used it as a filler and didn’t need any more words. It’s just that it bugs me when things end funny, like they know something that I’m supposed to know, but I don’t.