The Love Boat
The Joker is Mild / First Time Out / Take My Granddaughter, Please
TV Flash files “The Joker is Mild / First Time Out / Take My Granddaughter, Please” as hour 6 of 245 in the TV Flash guide — The Love Boat (1977–1986) on ABC, season 1, episode 6, aired 1977-10-29, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S01E06: listed hour 6 of 245 in the The Love Boat guide, hour 6 of 25 in season 1. It aired 1977-10-29 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “Help! Murder! / Isaac the Groupie / Mr. Popularity” (S01E05). Next is “The Identical Problem / Julie's Old Flame / The Jinx” (S01E07).

Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
In "The Joker is Mild," has-been comedian Barry Keyes (Phil Foster) abuses his family tie with cruise director Julie in an astonishing attempt to make a comeback. Richard Kinon directed the script by David Ketchum and Tony Di Marco. Academy Award-winner Ruth Gordon plays Mrs. Warner, a lovable but pushy grandmother who wants to find a husband for her attractive granddaughter, Shirlee (Patty Duke Astin). Granny decides that Doc would be perfect for Shirl, but the young woman becomes smitten with Dave (Tab Hunter), a school teacher. Barry Blitzer wrote the script and Richard Kinon directed. In "First Time Out," Danny (Robert "Welcome Back, Kotter" Hegyes) has had virtually no experience with women, and his fraternity brothers (W.K. Stratton, John Mark Robinson and Meegan King) are determined to arrange a romantic liaison. But Danny meets Barbara (Maureen McCormick) and nature takes its course.
Viewer FAQ
Where does The Joker is Mild / First Time Out / Take My Granddaughter, Please sit in the The Love Boat guide?
S01E06 is listed hour 6 of 245 — hour 6 of 25 in season 1, season 1 episode 6.
When did The Love Boat S01E06 air?
The Joker is Mild / First Time Out / Take My Granddaughter, Please aired 1977-10-29 and is listed at 60 minutes.
Do I watch in order?
No. It is a multi-story guest-star anthology with a regular crew. Sample any cruise; Stubing's ship is the constant.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Gavin MacLeod's Captain Stubing hosts three guest-star storylines a week while Julie, Doc, Gopher, and Isaac keep the Pacific Princess meddling. Aaron Spelling cruise-ship anthology as comfort franchise: formula as feature, theme as furniture. Bon voyage, subtlety — the cameo sport still photographs.
The first image is white: uniforms, rails, Pacific soft-focus, and Gavin MacLeod's Captain Merrill Stubing hosting three guest-star storylines before the dessert cart. ABC's The Love Boat (1977–1986) turned cruise vacation into Aaron Spelling's floating hit factory — nine seasons, 245 episodes, formula as feature. Lauren Tewes's Julie McCoy, Ted Lange's Isaac, Bernie Kopell's Doc, and Fred Grandy's Gopher never age out of meddling. Jeraldine Saunders' nonfiction about cruise life inspired the premise; Wilford…
Filed against
- Gavin MacLeod as Capt. Merrill Stubing
Gavin MacLeod's Capt. Merrill Stubing hosted three guest-star storylines a week on The Love Boat while Julie, Doc, Gopher, and Isaac kept the Pacific Princess meddling. Aaron Spelling cruise-ship anthology as comfort franchise: formula as…
- Bernie Kopell as Dr. Adam Bricker
Bernie Kopell’s Dr. Adam Bricker kept The Love Boat meddling — Gavin MacLeod’s Captain Stubing, three guest-star storylines a week, Julie, Gopher, Isaac, Aaron Spelling cruise-ship anthology as comfort franchise. Formula as feature, theme…
- Fred Grandy as Burl 'Gopher' Smith
Fred Grandy kept the Pacific Princess meddling as Burl 'Gopher' Smith on The Love Boat — three guest-star storylines a week, Aaron Spelling cruise-ship anthology as comfort franchise, formula as feature. Bon voyage, subtlety. TV Flash…
- Ted Lange as Isaac Washington
Ted Lange poured The Love Boat as Isaac Washington — bartender as Greek chorus, three guest-star storylines a week, Aaron Spelling cruise-ship anthology as comfort franchise. Formula as feature, theme as furniture. TV Flash files him as…
- Lauren Tewes as Julie McCoy
Lauren Tewes's Julie McCoy kept The Love Boat meddling on schedule — Gavin MacLeod's Captain Stubing, three guest-star storylines a week, Aaron Spelling cruise-ship anthology as comfort franchise. Formula as feature, theme as furniture.…
Also in season 1
- S01E01 The Captain and the Lady / One if By Land / Centerfold
- S01E02 Oh, Dale! / The Main Event / A Tasteful Affair
- S01E03 Ex Plus Y / Graham and Kelly / Golden Agers
- S01E04 Message for Maureen / Acapulco Connection / Gotcha
- S01E05 Help! Murder! / Isaac the Groupie / Mr. Popularity
- S01E07 The Identical Problem / Julie's Old Flame / The Jinx