Those few episodes where the Love Boat takes real cruises gives the whole game away. The real ship looks nothing like the usual sets.
On the real ship the accommodations look more cramped, with low ceilings; TV show sets rarely have ceilings. The companionways look about the same but nothing else does.
Nevertheless the real cruises have movie-length episodes and impressive casts.
Debbie Reynolds and Gavin McGavin are a couple behind some sort of cockamamie marriage contest while their own marriage sails near dissolution.
Gopher joins Ann Jillian and Dawn Wells as contest judges.
Meanwhile, Peter Graves is a concerned father trying to break up his son's forthcoming nuptials.
Naturally, 1970s TV stars peep in. Donny Most and Erin Moran from "Happy Days." Ted Knight from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." From the early 1980s, Charlene Tilton from "Dallas." Back then, these were names to conjure with.
So sit back, ignore the fact that the real ship looks nothing like the usual sets, and voyage with the has-beens. Also ignore the fact that in tropical climes Ted Knight is sweating like a pig. If pigs do sweat. I have yet to determine that.
On the real ship the accommodations look more cramped, with low ceilings; TV show sets rarely have ceilings. The companionways look about the same but nothing else does.
Nevertheless the real cruises have movie-length episodes and impressive casts.
Debbie Reynolds and Gavin McGavin are a couple behind some sort of cockamamie marriage contest while their own marriage sails near dissolution.
Gopher joins Ann Jillian and Dawn Wells as contest judges.
Meanwhile, Peter Graves is a concerned father trying to break up his son's forthcoming nuptials.
Naturally, 1970s TV stars peep in. Donny Most and Erin Moran from "Happy Days." Ted Knight from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." From the early 1980s, Charlene Tilton from "Dallas." Back then, these were names to conjure with.
So sit back, ignore the fact that the real ship looks nothing like the usual sets, and voyage with the has-beens. Also ignore the fact that in tropical climes Ted Knight is sweating like a pig. If pigs do sweat. I have yet to determine that.
