I remember watching the Love Boat (and Fantasy Island following it) on a regular basis every Saturday night back in the early-mid 1980s when it was still originally on the air. There was something so COMFORTING and SOOTHING about the opening theme as well as each and every episode. Entertaining too. Being raised in an abusive, dysfunctional home, escapist fantasy was exactly the right kind of formula that I really needed and just PERFECT for a saturday night after a whole weeks worth of depressing, stressful nonsense. But the fact that i watched and loved the love boat was my MOST closely guarded and BIGGEST well kept secret at the time. Because a teenaged boy simply did NOT admit to his fellow teens about watching love boat as well as being a fan of that show. Not unless he wanted to be the target of ridicule. There were many tv shows around that time a teen could openly admit to being a fan of. But The Love Boat wasnt one of them. Saturday nights are just not the same without The Love Boat (and Fantasy Island) airing new episodes at its regular time (Love Boat, 9pm. Fantasy Island, 10pm). It's a crying shame, really.
Back in the late 70's and 80's you were a TV star if you appeared on The Johnny Carson Show and the Love Boat! Sad part is most of these wonderful actors and actresses are now in heaven! RIP and thanks for the memories!
This is a time when broadcast tv gave stars the respect they deserved by showing their names and pictures during a theme song instead of just running their names at the bottom of a screen while the show plays and running guest stars quickly through at the end when nobody can read them.
Watching this really makes me smile because my family and I faithfully watched this show. I could sing along to the theme song without butchering the lyrics. LOL! One of the few remnants of my past that brings a smile to my face.
@@hgrunt100 Nice. I would love to eventually go on a cruise and hopefully this song will play at some point. It would just make the experience even more enjoyable IMO.
I remember these episodes fondly. When I was growing up, our family always watched them. My Dad was still alive and the world was very different than it is now. My brother was still alive too. Good memories!
Legend (John Ritter). Also, the great Ted Knight! Legends among legends. R.i.p. Gavin MacLeod. This is a legendary theme song. Takes you away to a happier time.
I just love all the grand openings of television series back "in the day". If I had known television was going to be the train wreck it is today, I would have paid more attention back then. Who knew?
I was just thinking that-what we considered ordinary and somewhat cheesy opening themes are starting to be like masterpieces. People now know who wrote the music and lyrics to each one, and you marvel at the creativity with the technology they had-the anchor goes up, here’s Gavin McLeod, here’s an exotic location, the anchor goes up, here’s Bernie Kopell, here’s an exotic location...
I remember when the love boat came too town what an audience she drew even better was in the evening not only the ship shimmer with glimmer so did the tides and waves that trail behind
Fun fact ..... Brian Kerwin played Aunt Jackie's boyfriend Gary on the Rosanne show and is the brother of 70's icon Lance Kerwin, star of several after school specials, The Loneliest Runner and James at 15 and 16.
great memories...the late 70's and watching with my family at 9pm. I wonder if you could even do a show like this today with using actors from other networks and some B-lister celebrities.
@@alucard624 That's why the new Love Boat failed when they tried to reboot it with Robert Ulrich, it didn't feature any known stars each week. I watched a couple of episodes waiting to see some known faces, finally I just gave up on it.
@@JENDALL714 The guests they had on the new version weren't very good. I mean, Janice from Friends? Really? It was doomed from the start and the only episode of that version worth watching is the reunion with the original cast.
The first several versions are sung by Jack Jones and the last version is sung by Dionne Warwick. Original airdates were from 1977 through 1987, with made-for-television movies through 1990. The boat used, the Pacific Princess, was from 1972 and small by modern cruise ship standards.
i know it is kinda corny by todays standards but it was fun entertainment back in the day...it took your mind off of the everyday reality grind..............back then anything was possible
Frankly a lot of TV shows were a lot more optimistic and made you feel good versus the constant grim and overall nastiness many shows on TV have today.
A few years back when this was on one of those “oldie” channels I used to play The Love Boat game and see if I could say who were dead or alive. Only 2 cruises pulled out with all guest stars still alive. Remarkable. Great show….A Saturday Night staple back in the early 80s…what a wonderful time!
It's sad we don't have tv themes anymore. I don't even know who the cast members of a show are now. God forbid the producers took the time to have tv themes. Instead they use the time for advertisers. Also do you notice seasons are only about 16 episodes now when back then there were 24 episodes per season.
Going back a bit farther, one of my favorite shows, Sea Hunt, only lasted 4 seasons but they shot 39 episodes a year! The last year, the cancellation year only 38.
@tukke: And they were legendary guest stars as well. Most of Aaron Spelling's shows had major Hollywood icons as guest stars or even as part of the main cast (ex. Bette Davis on the Hotel pilot, Barbara Stanwyck on the Colbys, and Rock Hudson on Dynasty)
Escapist TV at its finest! Here in Philly on 6abc every Saturday at 8pm was TJ Hooker; 9pm Love Boat; and 10pm Fantasy Island. Before political correctness, social media, Covid, etc. was a chance to relax after a stressful week of work (or school in my case) and just take it easy for a few hours!
@Angie Maniaci If you want to add a touch of realism to this renowned television show regarding Captain Merrill Stubing, before Gavin MacLeod portrayed the captain aboard the "Pacific Princess" and went on in real life in 1986 to be the Global Ambassador for Princess Cruises--- a position he has held to the present day, Gavin MacLeod portrayed Seaman Joseph "Happy" Haines of the United States Navy on the TV series "McHale's Navy". Little did Gavin MacLeod know back in 1962 that when he portrayed an ordinary Navy seaman on "McHale's Navy", he would go on to portray a cruise ship captain and subsequently be recognized as an honorary captain for Princess Cruise Lines! Amazing!
Let's see! We have Ralph Malph from "Happy Days" and Mary Ann from "Gilligan's Island" in the first opening; Boss Hogg from "The Dukes of Hazzard" in the second opening; and Kristin (who shot J.R.) from "Dallas" and The Joker from "Batman" in the fourth and final opening.
The Pacific Princess although Sweedish design and constructed is very similar design to the Italian liner "Guglielmo Marconi",except in it's size and weight.
Just saw the late opening today (yes, even the late episodes are playing on some network). Have absolutely no recollection of the wholesale change in intro and singer and style. I remember (gorgeous) Ted McGinley on the show and the sub for Julie, but don't recall this intro. I must not have been watching at all by then! (I am surprised how long this show lasted, actually. Don't think I was watching it most of high school!)
Couldn't tell you. Message was 2 years ago, we have gazillion channels thru Direct, and it's gone now, not playing so can't even give an idea! I DVR most stuff so never really pay attention to what channel!
You mean Paul Williams wrote this song I never knew that the guy that wrote music for The Muppet Movie truly amazing Hollywood industry how you find out different things about different things about shows
Holy Cow never knew Ted McGinley was on the love boat I'm thinking he 1st started on married with children and he was 25 back then seeing him now and over the years he never aged
I watched this show religiously back in the day, and I don't recall seeing the version of the opening credits at 5:35 before. Was that from the series pilot? Or from a later season? And was that Dionne Warwick singing the theme?
@@jwavada Yeah, the season 9 Dionne Warwick theme for "The Love Boat" had two different visual openings, including the version that featured The Mermaids, which included a pre-Lois Lane and pre-"Desperate Housewives" Teri Hatcher. The Dionne Warwick theme has since been elongated through a mix by someone on RU-vid and it is said to be on a compilation album of hers and has been played as electronic dance music. "The Love Boat" began as a made-for-TV movie in 1976 without the classic theme song. The movie served as the pilot for the series and had a lot of guest stars already. The entire "Love Boat" franchise was based on a book called "The Love Boats" by Jeraldine Saunders. So, I guess it was natural that the original series would stretch season 10 into several made-for-TV movies that aired through 1990, stretching it to 14 years of "The Love Boat" from the before the series movie to the last movie. Interestingly, Marion Ross, best known from "Happy Days", had been added to the cast as Emily Stubing for the end of series movies. She is still alive and 94 years old, turning 95 years old in a few days or so.
Best theme but not the last one it was half hearted. Loved all those super star guests from a by gone era. Loved seeing Vicki grow up what a cute kid to a beautiful woman and what happened to Julie in the end ??? Booted off coz of drugs ? Rip 🙏 Gavin Capt Stubing set sail with the Lord across the heavens 🙏
georgelee43211 do you know he was the father of Erika Slezack who was on another ABC show the soap opera One life to live???!!!!!!!……I hope you will reply to this
I hope y’all will reply to this did y’all notice Sorrell Booke aka Jefferson Davis “Boss” Hogg on the CBS adventure comedy The Dukes of Hazzard was on The Love Boat????????!!!!!!
It bugs me to this day that for the past 27-28 years, seasons 6-9 have not been available to syndicated reruns! I'm tired of watching the first 5 seasons over & over!
a friend and me are about to try suss out the series.. its a laugh to watch and we got sucked into the story line not long ago then they took it off tv again.... why isnt all of the series available ?.. was it too raunchy or something lol ?
and in the mid-late '90s my local station in Chicago actually played all 9 seasons (including the final season). So yeah there is a crying shame going on here.
If you have MeTv Memorable Entertainment Television of your cable,over air, or U-Verse. You can find out also call your MeTv to find out if they have all 9 seasons of the show.
Oh my gosh! The sound of the first opening is so weird..the recording is very old lol! And why is there a commercial at 1.34 about a COLOR MATCH that could be paid by Visa card or master card ,check or money order? i cannot see the link between the match and the love boat lol!
Notice that that commercial had text that said "copyright 1991"...so the recording was a VHS rip from a syndicated rebroadcast airing around that time.
