The Love Boat (TV Series) A Tasteful Affair/Oh, Dale!/The Main Event (1977) User Reviews

This "Love Boat" episode is classic!

[jseay-3 · 15 August 2006]

This episode represents "Love Boat" at its finest: It was truly funny. It had an air of silliness that the show lost in later seasons, when it became laden with melodrama and its sets, costumes and the entire "feel" of the show took on the glamorous air of "Dynasty." Big mistake, but I digress.

Favorite scenes: When John Ritter's love interest accidentally falls overboard, he jumps in after her. A hilarious, unexpected turn of events to be sure; but also interesting in that the production actually filmed stunt doubles going overboard, on location, from the Pacific Princess (probably while docked in port, though). It was this extra step to make the production more realistic ... from soundstage to "on location" ... that makes the sequence really pop.

Also, Sherman Hemsley and LaWanda Page (a bickering husband and wife) who get into an argument on one of the ship's elevators. He wanted to go up, she wanted to go down. Both Hemsley and Page were in classic form. Every time one of them made a point in the argument, the corresponding elevator button was pushed, resulting in an electrical short circuit and a stalled elevator. Hi-jinx ensue as they try to escape, and then make up.

This episode hurt my brain!

[Wes54 · 1/10 · 24 April 2019]

Couple 1: I'm spending your money on this cruise, but I'm going to complain about you having to work because everything should be free! Then I'll ask you to join me when you obviously can't. And finally, I'll storm off because the ship DARES to leave before you can walk me to my cabin!!!!!!

Couple 2: Where were you when I was busy destroying our marriage?! Um...here on this ship? I'm a Cruise Director, not a Marriage Counselor!

Couple 3: You want a ticket? Sure! Just put on this dress, and we'll spend the next week pretending you're a woman!

Ritter in Drag / LaWanda and Sherman are Stuck

[WalterKafka · 6 February 2024]

We had Suzanne Somers, now here's John Ritter, doing his Ritter thing. Ritter is married to Jenifer Shaw's character. He's got to dress in drag to stay on board the ship. You used to be able to get away with such things. Ritter comes out of a stall in a dress in a bathroom set the show wouldn't return to again. Gopher is stupid enough to fall for the outfit. This is the early silly Gopher, not the more serious character he'd become. Ritter's character finds a room with Susan Ridley (Tovah Feldshuh.) She's moaning because of a lost love. Plus you get Aunt Esther (LaWanda Page) and George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsey) stuck in an elevator together. They're a bickering couple. He plays the 'Sasuage King.' Of course they work it out in the end. Are those Star Trek sound effects when they push elevator buttons? This is my favorite segment. I'm a sucker for bickering couple humour. Dennis Cole and Jaclyn Smith were married for three years. He's an impossibly handsome type. She's best known for Charlie's Angels, of course. Cole's character recommends 'A Movable Feast.' Good book. I like the anecdote about Hemingway and Fitzgerald. Once again you get some actual location footage on a real cruise ship. Doc is distracted by 'Greta Wilkes.' Hubba hubba. 'That's a linen closet,' Stubing says. You can't fool him. You know I have the hair on my chest, so now I just need the gold chains. How much do gold chains cost? On Kafka's Love Boat Scale, this episode gets 3 1/2 * out of a possible 4 *.