For nine seasons, “The Love Boat” ferried audiences of the 1970s and ’80s away aboard the Pacific Princess for an hour of easy watchin’. Aaron Spelling’s beloved series became a Saturday night staple during its run, not only providing a reliable comfort watch but delivering star power in spades with its multiple guests. Across almost a decade, “The Love Boat” welcomed established and future stars, from Gene Kelly and Ginger Rogers to Janet Jackson, Martin Short, and Tom Hanks. The show also hosted almost every member of the “Gilligan’s Island” ensemble, including Alan Hale Jr., who appeared in two episodes of “The Love Boat” as separate characters.
Hale Jr. remains best known for playing Captain Jonas Grumby on “Gilligan’s Island.” But he had a prolific career outside of Sherwood Schwartz’s legendary sitcom. Many of his TV roles were in some of the best Western series of all time, but every now and then he left the Old West behind. In the early ’50s, for example, he headlined his own spy series, “Biff Baker U.S.A.,” which remains one of Hale Jr.’s best roles. Then, there was the time he boarded the Pacific Princess for the first time in 1979.
This was the year he reprised the role of The Skipper in the TV movie “The Castaways on Gilligan’s Island,” which followed 1978’s “Rescue from Gilligan’s Island.” ’79 was also the year Hale Jr. and Jim Backus reunited for low-budget action comedy “Angels Revenge.” Compared to that film, The Skipper’s “Love Boat” appearance was one of the greatest things he ever did.
Alan Hale Jr. played a retired boxer on The Love Boat
“The Love Boat” formula was simple. Each hour-long episode comprised three storylines that made for a perfect blend of romance, comedy, and drama. Of course, the drama was never too intense. Like “Gilligan’s Island,” “The Love Boat” was designed as pure escapism. As such, it was a familiar environment for Alan Hale Jr., who first set sail with Captain Merrill Stubing (Gavin MacLeod) and the crew in the 1979 episode “The Harder They Fall/The Spider Serenade/Next Door Wife.”
Hale Jr. appeared in the first of these storylines. He plays retired boxer and vice president of the cruise line Jack McTigue, who boards the ship only to find his old rival, Ed “Flash” Taylor (Milton Berle) is taking the same trip. The two guest stars have a great time playing up the pair’s still simmering rivalry, trading barbs over dinner in a delightful scene that proved how neither had lost a step. The two aging pugilists continue to get under each other’s skin and eventually agree to a boxing rematch to settle their old score once and for all. When they do come face-to-face in the ring, they manage to knock out Captain Stubing, which somehow leads to them burying the hatchet. “The Harder They Fall” is one of the show’s comedic storylines, though there’s certainly some drama to it. More than anything, it’s great to see Hale Jr. still on top of his game opposite Berle.
While “The Love Boat” taught Tom Hanks how to say “no” to a role, Hale Jr. wasn’t done following his 1979 appearance. The second time the “Gilligan’s Island” star guested on “The Love Boat” he was no longer a cruise ship executive with a score to settle, but a writer with a secret.
Alan Hale Jr. Returned to The Love Boat to play a crime author
After his first appearance “The Love Boat,” Alan Hale Jr. stayed as busy as he’d ever been. The year after facing off against Milton Berle, he appeared on Aaron Spelling’s other hit show of the time, “Fantasy Island,” which aired alongside “The Love Boat” as part of ABC’s Saturday night lineup. In 1981, Hale Jr. appeared in the last “Gilligan’s Island” TV movie “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island” but he’d soon return to Spelling’s on-screen universe when he made another guest appearance on “The Love Boat” in 1982.
Season 5, Episode 25 was titled “Burl of My Dreams/Meet the Author/Rhymes, Riddles, and Romance.” Hale Jr. was part of the middle storyline, in which he played successful crime author Gus Dolan. Julie McCoy’s (Lauren Tewes) cousin Paul Reese (Jared Martin) is a publishing executive who’s eager to sign Dolan, and tries to get close to his daughter, Kathy (Georgia Engel) in order to secure Gus’ signature. When Kathy discovers the truth, she’s upset, before Paul ultimately discards his contract with Gus to win her heart. But there’s more to story, as it turns out Hale Jr.’s writer has a secret…
This time, the “Gilligan’s Island” star was part of the romantic storyline, and he’s really only there to help facilitate the love story between Paul and Kathy. Still, it’s a pleasure to see him show up on the cruise ship again, in what was his last TV role prior to voicing The Skipper in the bizarre “Gilligan’s Island” animated spin-off “Gilligan’s Planet.”
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