Product Description

Genre: Television: Series
Rating: NR
Release Date: 12-AUG-2008
Media Type: DVD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22924 in DVD
• Brand: LOVE BOAT
• Released on: 2008-08-12
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Color, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Dubbed in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 4
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 644 minutes

Amazon.com
The Love Boat is still "exciting and new" in these 12 star-studded episodes that completed its maiden season. The essence of comfort television, this decade-defining anthology series set aboard the Pacific Princess offered viewers a grand and glamorous escape as week after week Capt. Stubing, the Bligh with a heart of gold (Gavin McLeod), cute and capable cruise director Julie (Lauren Tewes), Yeoman-Purser "Gopher" (Fred Grandy), lecherous Adam "Doc" Bricker (Bernie Kopell), and bartender Isaac (Ted Lange) became entangled in their passengers' romantic crises. Each episode deftly interweaves stories ranging from silly (Gopher smuggles a monkey onboard) to sweet (two inexperienced newlyweds fail to, um, connect) to the serious (an older man feels he must give up his much younger lover). Unlike envelope-pushing shows of the day like Saturday Night Live and Soap, The Love Boat did not make waves. Nudge-nudge and wink-wink jokes aside, viewers could sit back, relax, and bask in the certainty that in most episodes true love would win out by the time the ship docked, with rocky marriages saved, rutted relationships rekindled, and new romances launched. Of course, what keeps us booking return passage on The Love Boat is the eclectic roster of guest stars, familiar hands from movies and television. It's always a joy to see Jim Backus at his blustery best, Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie crack wise, and Georgia Engel (McLeod's The Mary Tyler Moore Show costar) be charming and childlike. It's also fun to see stars cast against type, like Get Smart's Don Adams as a nightclub entertainer, Hee-Haw babe and former Playboy Playmate Barbie Benton as a French-speaking golddigger, and Sgt. Bilko's Phil Silvers as lonely man who gets a new lease on life. It's more fun still to spot future stars like Shelley Long (Cheers), taking her bookworm persona for a spin around the deck before breaking through on Cheers. This four-disc set somewhat makes amends to collectors for splitting the season by including The New Love Boat, the feature-length pilot that launched the series and christened the iconic crew. --Donald Liebenson

Customer Reviews

Season One, Volume Two!
Following the format of Love American Style (1969), ABC's "The Love Boat" (1977-1986) featured guest stars in comedy vignettes about love and romance. Unlike Love American Style, the stories were intertwined rather than telecast consecutively, featuring the guest stars along with a regular cast. Namely, the crew of the Pacific Princess. Starring as the ship's crew were Gavin MacLeod (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) as Captain Merrill Stubing; Bernie Kopell (Get Smart) as "Doc" Adam Bricker, Fred Grandy as Yeoman Purser Burl "Gopher" Smith; Ted Lange (That's My Mama) as bartender Isaac Washington; and Lauren Tewes as cruise director Julie McCoy. One of the most popular new shows of the 1977-78 season, The Love Boat received an extra boost in ratings when it was paired with similar hit series Fantasy Island the following season. From the lyrics ("Come aboard, we're expecting you") in the theme song performed by Jack Jones to the personalized opening cast credits ("Starring your Love Boat crew..."), the show purposely gave the impression that you (the viewer) were taking the cruises.

It was good to see the show finally come to DVD with The Love Boat - Season One, Volume One which featured decent video and audio. Complete the first season with The Love Boat - Season One, Volume Two. This 4-disc set features the show's remaining 12 hour-long Season One episodes; Full Frame (1.33:1) video; English, Spanish mono audio; Closed Captions; English, Spanish subtitles; plus the following guest stars: Bob Crane, Kathy Bates, Robert Hays, Pearl Bailey, Don Adams, Adrienne Barbeau, Desi Arnaz Jr., Stephanie Zimbalist, Scatman Crothers, Vicki Lawrence, Jim Backus, Barbi Benton, Monty Hall, real-life sisters Audrey Meadows and Jayne Meadows, Leslie Nielson, TV's "Brady Bunch" sisters Maureen McCormick and Eve Plumb, Morey Amsterdam, Annette Funicello, Antonio Fargas, Georgia Engel, Robert Mandan, Shelley Long and many more!

Also included in this set as an EXTRA is the following Special Feature: "The New Love Boat" (1977). Following several casting missteps in two earlier films (The Love Boat and "The Love Boat II"), this third pilot film (originally telecast May 5, 1977) finally got it right with the TV series' regular characters Gavin McLeod, Bernie Kopell, Fred Grandy, Ted Lange and Lauren Tewes as the Love Boat crew. Guest stars for this made-for-TV movie include Georgia Engel as a stowaway, Gary Frank and Melanie Mayron as a pair of tremulous honeymooners, Stella Stevens and Pat Harrington as an eternally bickering married couple, and Audra Lindley and Phil Silvers as, respectively, an outspoken middle-aged lady and a woebegone widower. Running time is 74 minutes. Here are the episodes contained in this volume, plus original airdates:

13. Family Reunion / Too Hot to Handle / Cinderella Story (1/7/1978)
14. Isaac's Double Standard / One More Time / Chimpanzeeshines (1/14/1978)
15. Hollywood Royalty / The Caper / The Eyes of Love / Masquerade (1/21/1978)*
16. The Congressman Was Indiscreet / Isaac's History Lesson / Winner Take Love (1/28/1978)
17. Last of the Stubings / Million Dollar Man / The Sisters (2/4/1978)
18. The Inspector / A Very Special Girl / Until the Last Goodbye (2/11/1978)
19. Computerman / Parlez-Vous? / Memories of You (2/13/1978)
20. Taking Sides / A Friendly Little Game / Going by the Book (2/18/1978)
21. Parents Know Best / A Selfless Love / The Nubile Nurse (2/25/1978)
22. Musical Cabins (5/5/1978)
23. The Business of Love / Crash Diet Crush / I'll Never Fall in Love Again (5/13/1978)
24. Gopher, The Rebel / Cabin Fever / Pacific Princess Overtures (5/20/1978)

*Episode 15 is presented in its original double-length format, before it was split in two for syndication.

Great tv memories!
I enjoyed season 1 volume 1 and I enjoyed volume 2 as well. I agree with some of the other reviewers that are disappointed that the complete season was not offered, however, I have been waiting for too long for this series to be released on dvd to protest buying it. The show is just as I remembered, cute, a little corny, and a lot of fun to watch. I can't wait until more seasons are released.

The pilot is included
At last vol II is announced and the 13 remaining episodes of season 1 will be included here together with the third love boat tv movie which aired in may 1977 but actually is the pilot tv movie for it was the first love boat movie which all the original cast were present.
According to [...] this movie will be included as a bonus in this dvd set so if this is true that's great news and we may get also the other movies in future love boat dvd releases as bonus