The Love Boat II (1977)

This second of two pilot films for the Love Boat TV series was originally telecast on January 21, 1977. After the shakedown cruise, several of the actors playing the crew of the Pacific Princess were replaced. In Love Boat II, Ted Lange, Bernie Kopell and Fred Grandy portray the roles they would be playing for several seasons thereafter, namely Isaac, Doc and Gopher, respectively. But instead of Gavin McLeod as the Captain and Lauren Tewes as the cruise director, Love Boat II offers us Quinn Redecker in the former part, and Diane Stilwell in the latter. As with the first Love Boat, this second pilot fills its time with four separate sets of passengers, each in their own self-contained plotline. Hope Lange plays a wife who, fed up with philandering husband Robert Reed, takes up with tennis pro Lyle Waggoner. Divorcee Celeste Holm is reunited with old flame Craig Stevens. CPA Bert Convy (practically a "regular" of the subsequent series) pursues cruise director Diane Stillwell. And last but not least, shy psychiatrist Ken Berry falls for brash cruise entertainer Candice Azzara. The Love Boat series proper would commence in September of 1977, and sail on until late 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi