The Love Boat Unofficial Home Pages

"Loooove...exciting and new...come aboard...we're expecting you..."

From 1977 to 1986 on ABC, those words were synonymous with cheezy romance, wacky guest stars and fine adult entertainment on The Love Boat. Captain Steubing guided the Pacific Princess around the world to "exotic ports of call" with a cadre of lovers in tow. It was a given that some of the lovers would be unattached at the start of the voyage, and that they'd inevitably end up in blissful love by the end of the show.

At his Love Boat Unofficial Home Pages, uberfan Rick Portes has created the ultimate tribute and information resource for those who recall both the original show and the 1990s resurrection on UPN, Love Boat: The Next Wave. Whether you appreciate the show as sincere entertainment or appreciate it for all its smarmy kitsch value, his site is a blast to peruse, with full info on all the show's guest stars, a complete episode guide and even a listing of Love Boat collectibles. (Even the Love Boat board game. Fun for the whole family!)

Die-hards can even join Rick on the first-ever International Love Boat fan cruise. Check back at the site often for more info, and read on here for a glimpse inside the mind of the world's biggest and best Love Boat fan...

I guess my first question is this: of all the shows from the past fifty years of television, why are you most passionate about The Love Boat?

Along with most of the country, I was always a fan of the show. Though the critics hammered the program, it aired for 10 years with 255 episodes and 5 two hour movies... not a bad track record! It was a program of the times... it brought a new era of open and casual sex, relationships and cruising/travel to the screen. I watched it, along with most people to see which famous guest stars would be on the show that week. Granted, Love Boat was not Hamlet, but did provide fantasy, escape, romance and just good old entertainment. The program was a cross between Love American Style, another popular show of the era and Fantasy Island. You could always count on several similar stories each week... the couple that came on board to break up, the couple that meet on board and the couple that "never knew they really loved each other until they came on board", or thereabouts. My web site on the Love Boat brings around 10,000 visitors a day from around the world and from the email I get, everybody has a fun sense and recollection of the show. Interestingly enough, a lot of younger people who were not around when the show originally aired are into the program. I enjoy sharing my thoughts and information that people send me... I've sort of become a clearing house of information. As a note, I have just met with producers from A&E who want to include a segment on me for an upcoming series they are doing on the five TV shows that "made a difference" in the 70s and 80s.

I understand you were an extra on the show. What was that experience like?

Very cool...I was treated as a special extra! Everybody was friendly, posed for pictures and talked with me. They all knew I was coming to the set, and made me feel quite special. Thanks to the executive producer, David Landsberg, I even got a scene with Robert Urich and let me tell you, my knees were knocking together when that big Panavision camera was shoved in front of my face! Aside from looking like I have no neck and displaying the worst acting seen on TV since Andy Warhol appeared on the show, I made the final cut and had my 15 seconds of fame! My wife Dori and I hosted a "debut party" at our house the night of my premiere and ended up listening all night to the boos and shouts of our friends...but I think they were just jealous. After all, I was the one on TV, not them. As a note here, 3 weeks after I appeared, the show was canceled...any connection?

You run pages on both the old and new versions of the show. What do you think are the main differences between the two? Do you prefer one over the other?

The original show was the gem, the original and best. Though I certainly liked the new show, maybe it just was wrong for the times. Sex is everywhere on TV, millions of people have cruised, a lot of the mystery is gone. The primary difference is that the original show was certainly a showcase for movie and TV stars who were either on the way up or down in their careers. You knew just about everybody who would appear on the show. The Next Wave, unfortunately, usually had a roster of unknown guest stars. You were lucky if you knew one person listed in the credits. This was the show with the budget, the set was just amazing...they recreated a complete ship, with the lobby, including glass elevators and the big circular staircase. Never seen anything like it. The second problem with The Next Wave, in my humble opinion, was that is was on UPN and not ABC. I don't think it was promoted properly and did not benefit from a strong lead-in.

Who's your favorite classic Love Boat guest star? Least favorite?

This is a silly question...Charo was funny as the reoccurring guest star, but the fun now is to watch a show and count the stars who are no longer with us. I have a web page dedicated to "Those stars no longer with us" and get a lot of feedback on comments I have made on this page.

Do you have all the shows on tape, and if so, how often do you watch various episodes?

I have about about 200 episodes on tape, recorded from various networks and cable in rerun. I even have the two original pilots from 1976 and 1977. Every once in a while, I'll pop in a tape and have it on while I work. Don't think I sit around every night watching Love Boat....that would make me just a little crazier than I am! Let's call it a pride of ownership thing!

Wasn't it so surreal when Andy Warhol guest-starred and his character had a past love affair with Marion Ross? Do you think that's the weirdest happening ever on the Love Boat, or is there another odd thing you'd rank above it?

I can't believe to this day, that they got Andy Warhol to appear on the show. Good grief...I just was contacted by a museum in Holland that is staging a Andy Warhol exhibit. They wanted to know more about it! The writers got a little crazy in the later years of the show with musical numbers and fantasy segments. One of my personal favorites is a two part episode with Ethel Merman, Cab Calloway and Ann Miller all singing and dancing in the halls and decks. Very wacky!

Who's your favorite cast member?

All of them... no, it's not a cop-out... the entire cast worked together as an ensemble so well. We knew all their quirks, their personalities, faults and felt like they were part of a family.

It looks like there's a lot of Love Boat collectibles out there. Do you own any of them? What's the coolest?

I have most of the collectibles out there...I have through the years bought some on E-Bay, and others people have sent some to me as gifts. My personal favorite is the 13" model of the ship, complete with decals. The dumbest is the board game...I have that also. Complete with a board, dice, markers, cards and the shortest set of rules. I wonder if anybody actually played it? Quite stupid.

What current shows are worthy to stand alongside Love Boat?

It's hard to say what shows will endure the length of time that The Love Boat did. There are certainly, in my humble opinion, excellent comedy shows on TV, such as Frasier, Dharma and Greg...exploring new horizons of relationships and sex. I don't think the original Love Boat would make it today. It was the right show for the times.