TV Flash
All episodes Season 2 S02E27 1979-05-12 60 min 1970s ABC

The Love Boat

Third Wheel / Grandmother's Day / Second String Mom

TV Flash files “Third Wheel / Grandmother's Day / Second String Mom” as the last listed hour of season 2 — The Love Boat (1977–1986) on ABC, season 2, episode 27, aired 1979-05-12, 60 min.

From the desk

How this hour is filed

This leaf is S02E27: listed hour 52 of 245 in the The Love Boat guide, last listed hour of season 2. It aired 1979-05-12 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “Super Mom / I'll See You Again / April's Return” (S02E26). Next is “Alaska Wedding Cruise: Carol & Doug / Peter & Alicia / Julie / Buddy & Portia (1)” (S03E01).

The Love Boat — Third Wheel / Grandmother's Day / Second String Mom (S02E27)

Catalog log

Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.

When Gopher series star Fred Grandy and his fun loving mother (Ethel Merman) begin their irrepressible clowning on a Mother's Day Cruise, his dad feels left out; a middle-aged husband and wife get the surprise of their lives when they discover there's a baby on the way, and a recent bride (Beth Howland) gets an accelerated course in motherhood when she has to deal with her husband's (Ken Berry) strong-willed teen-age daughters (Shelley Juttner and Michele Tobin) when the "The Love Boat" sails on the ABC Television Network, SATURDAY, MAY 12 (9:00-10:00 0.m., EDT). In "Third Wheel," written by Lee Aronshon, Gopher, who has never been close to his conservative father, Elliot Smith (Cummings), asks his mother, Ros (Ms. Merman), to perform a musical number with him for the crew show. Later they both realize they have hurt Elliot, who used to do the number with Ros in college. Maggie O'Brien (Ms. Fabray) learns from Doc that she is pregnant and dreads breaking the news to husband Mac (Nelson), who is elatedly planning a future for just the two of them now that the last of their grown children has left home, in "Grandmother's Day," written by Ann Gibbs and Joel Kimmel. In "Second String Mom," written by Lee Aronsohn, Lee Noble (Ms. Howland) is beginning to lose hope of winning the affection of her stepdaughters when they make a forbidden shore trip and suddenly need her help.

Viewer FAQ

Where does Third Wheel / Grandmother's Day / Second String Mom sit in the The Love Boat guide?

S02E27 is listed hour 52 of 245 — last listed hour of season 2, season 2 episode 27.

When did The Love Boat S02E27 air?

Third Wheel / Grandmother's Day / Second String Mom aired 1979-05-12 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

Filed by Lana Reyes · Red Carpet Reality · Show package

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…

Open the The Love Boat package · Season 2 hub

Filed against

Also in season 2

← Full episode guide · Show package · All shows