Saturday 9

The Love Boat

Welcome to Saturday 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme. 

Saturday 9: The Love Boat (1977)
 
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) The Love Boat ran from 1977 to 1987. It was in the Top 10 for seven of those 10 seasons. Are you familiar with the show? Were you a fan? 

I was a huge fan for most of the run, but I stopped watching after Lauren Tewes left the show.

2) Every week, viewers followed The Pacific Princess as she set sail to a glamorous

destination. Have you ever taken a cruise? If so, where did you go?

 
We took several cruises  -- to the Bahamas in 1987, the Western Caribbean in 2010, Eastern Caribbean in 2013, and Western Caribbean in 2016.  I'd love to go again, when it's safe.

3) Gavin MacLeod played Captain Steubing. Born Allan See, he came up with the stage name by combining the first name of a fictional character he admired, and the last name of a teacher who influenced him. Using his formula, give yourself a stage name. For example, Sam would be Hermione Hart (Hermione from Harry Potter; Hart for her Kindergarten teacher).


Oh dear.  Well, here goes. I'm Lessa Samito.  Lessa is a character in The Dragonriders of Pern.  Mr. Samito was my high school social studies teacher, the man responsible for my undergraduate degree in history and also for my J.D.

4) After the series ended, Fred Grandy (aka "Gopher") went on to become a Congressman from Iowa and then CEO of Goodwill Industries. If you had a bag of gently-used items to donate, where would you take them?

I bring them over to the synagogue, where the social action committee sorts them and donates to various local charities.
 
5) Ted Lange is best known for his role as the ship's bartender, Isaac. But he began his career performing the classics, and appeared at Colorado Shakespearean Festival and London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Let's class up this joint. Give us a little Shakespeare.  

Double, double toil and trouble;

Fire burn and caldron bubble.

Fillet of a fenny snake,

In the caldron boil and bake;

Eye of newt and toe of frog,

Wool of bat and tongue of dog,

Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,

Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,

For a charm of powerful trouble,

Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Double, double toil and trouble;

Fire burn and caldron bubble.

Cool it with a baboon's blood,

Then the charm is firm and good.

6) Bernie Kopell played the ship's doctor, Adam Bricker. Kopell first appeared on TV in 1961 and was a regular on Get Smart and That Girl, and he's still acting today. But Love Boat was, by far, his favorite role. Working on the show was "absolute heaven" because he was paid to travel the world and meet his acting idols, like Oscar winners Greer Garson, Joan Fontaine and Eva Marie Saint, who appeared on the show. When you think of the best job you have ever had, what made it so good: the pay, the location, the people you met, or the work itself?

One summer during college I worked for Estee Lauder.  The company has several manufacturing facilities on Long Island, and I wound up in a packaging plant, on the assembly line.  Worked my butt off, gained an appreciation for the men and women who work  in factories full time, and ... got a whole bunch of Estee Lauder, Clinique, Aramis, etc. free or heavily discounted.

7) Lauren Tewes played Cruise Director Julie McCoy. Today she lives in Seattle, appearing in local theater and -- between acting assignments -- working as a chef for a catering service. Have you hosted dinner for more than 8 people? If yes, do you remember what you served?

We do a lot of backyard barbecues, with burgers, hot dogs, corn, salads, etc.

8) For the first nine seasons, the theme was sung by Jack Jones. The Grammy-winning singer says one of his career highlights playing Sky Masterson onstage in Guys and Dolls. In his late 50s at the time, had had to go outside his comfort zone, dancing and acting as well as singing before a live audience. Tell us about something new you tried recently.

We do a lot of Mexican take out.  I was bored with my usual orders, so I tried the chimichanga.  Not my favorite, I'm afraid.  I'll stick to the fajitas next time.

9) Random question  -- Which would you rather receive as a gift: one $500 wristwatch, or five $100 wristwatches?

I'd be afraid I'd break the $500 watch.  So give me the $100 watches.