The Love Boat
Ace in the Hole / Uncle Joey's Song / Father in the Cradle
TV Flash files “Ace in the Hole / Uncle Joey's Song / Father in the Cradle” as a desk essential hour — The Love Boat (1977–1986) on ABC, season 7, episode 18, aired 1984-01-28, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S07E18: listed hour 184 of 245 in the The Love Boat guide, hour 18 of 27 in season 7. It aired 1984-01-28 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “Aunt Emma, I Love You / The First Romance / Hoopla” (S07E17). Next is “Polly's Poker Palace / Shop Ahoy / Double Date / The Hong Kong Affair / Two Tales of a City (1)” (S07E19).
Essential hour: “Ace in the Hole / Uncle Joey's Song / Father in the Cradle”. Ace in the Hole / Uncle Joey's Song / Father in the Cradle is late-run anthology comfort. Theme as furniture: guest-star morality still boarding weekly without needing a serialized spine.
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
In "Ace in the Hole," written by Ben Joelson and Art Baer, Captain Stubing hires a devastatingly handsome new ship's photographer, Ace (Ted McGinley). Right off the bat, Ace is in trouble. He attracts the attention of the two sisters (K.C. Winkler & Julie Ronnie) who are aboard ship to visit Doc and Gopher. In addition, Ace doesn't know how to develop his own film.
Viewer FAQ
Where does Ace in the Hole / Uncle Joey's Song / Father in the Cradle sit in the The Love Boat guide?
S07E18 is listed hour 184 of 245 — hour 18 of 27 in season 7, season 7 episode 18.
When did The Love Boat S07E18 air?
Ace in the Hole / Uncle Joey's Song / Father in the Cradle aired 1984-01-28 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 7
- S07E01 The Pledge / East Meets West / Dear Roberta / My Two Dumplings (1)
- S07E02 The Pledge / East Meets West / Dear Roberta / My Two Dumplings (2)
- S07E03 Bricker's Boy / Lotions Of Love / The Hustlers
- S07E04 Prisoner Of Love / Youth Takes A Holiday / Don't Leave Home Without It
- S07E05 Rhino of the Year / One Last Time / For Love or Money
- S07E06 Friend of the Family / Affair on Demand / Just Another Pretty Face