The Very First Episode Of The Love Boat- 1976

Jimmy Baio!

The actor playing the captain is good looking but he looked much older than his age which was only 39 years old when this was filmed.

I actually never knew until I watched the show opening that TLB was based on this important work of nonfiction:

Sandy Helberg, the Gopher actor, is the father of Simon Helberg of The Big Bang Theory.

Dick Van Patten was the only decent one in the bunch. Who the fuck were the rest of these people?

Jeraldine Saunders died at age 96, in the midst of negotiations to bring Love Boat: The Musical to Broadway.

Tens of thousands of DL threads thus evaporated with her passing.

There wasn't enough coke to go around for all of those cast members!

The TV movie, not the first episode.

[quote]A bunch of NOBODIES I never heard of

I thought you were exaggerating, OP...you weren't.

r4 But not the lovely one that we know and love from the series - just the pilot.

Theodore Wilson and Richard Stahl were familiar faces from guest starring on dozens of shows. Richard Stahl was a regular on It's a Living and Theodore Wilson was a regular on That's My Mama. (and Dick Van Patten was a star, too) But, the rest of them...WHO?!?!?

Ted Hamilton was an Australian trying to make it in the USA.

Theodore Wilson later played the diner owner and a homeless man on The Golden Girls.

Richard Stahl was in TGG, too. He played the city inspector who told the girls they couldn't live together.

Win a Date With Ted Hamilton!

La Boat D'amour!

Ted Hamilton was famous in Australia for the TV cop show Division 4. I love the theme music!

The first real episode has Bonnie Franklin as the Captain’s ex-wife.

Other than the Mary Tyler M. actor (as the new Capt.) R5, who had heard of any of the other actors before they were cast in the ABC show?

Well, Bernie Kopell was a very well known character actor who had been in many, many shows prior to The Love Boat (Bewitched, Get Smart). He was very much a familiar face.

Yes, Bernie Kopell was everywhere on TV in the 60s. He had a recurring role on That Girl as Don Hollinger's co-worker. He was also recurring on Get Smart as Siegfried. Did lots of guest starring roles too,

Bit of a non sequitur — Dick van Patten’s pet food company is still in business and bigger than ever. I don’t know a ton about his character, but he cared enough about animals to create a line of health foods for dogs back when the market was pretty much Alpo-or-bust. So he’s an okay petunia in my books.

R22- I find him far more tolerable as the doctor on the Love Boat than Bernie Koppel.

I adore petunias, r22.

My reply would be the same as R11. I will add that Teddy Wilson was "Sweet Daddy Williams" on "Good Times."

Here's something about his character R22 =

I remember Dick Van Patten in an old Out Magazine ad in the 90s (I think the ad was about a pet/HIV-related issue that escapes me right now) so I've always adored his pro-LGBT ways (& plus he was a moderate Republican). He was courageous enough to do something like that when he didn't have to do it career-wise.

R26- Plus he used to be in television commercials for Oldsmobiles. I always liked Oldsmobiles

[Quote] Other than the Mary Tyler M. actor (as the new Capt.) [R5], who had heard of any of the other actors before they were cast in the ABC show?

I had!

Kopell is a very gifted comic actor. He was wasted on that stupid show. He no doubt earned millions though.

I've never heard anyone praise the virtues of Bernie Kopell - never expected to see it.

But then again the DebraLee Scott thread got more interest than I expected a few years ago too.

DebraLee's tits flopped out on an episode of Password. For that she will forever be a DL icon!

[quote] The first real episode has Bonnie Franklin as the Captain’s ex-wife.

If this is true, it must be why Vicki was such an insufferable twat.