The Love Boat (TV Series) Winner Take Love/The Congressman Was Indiscreet/Isaac's History Lesson (1978) User Reviews

Chief Priscilla

[WalterKafka · 11 February 2024]

'What do you say? They do call this The Love Boat.' Holy cow, this is a wild cast. A cast like this is kind of why I enjoy The Love Boat. The gimmick here is that the show is hosting a beauty contest. One lucky lady will be chosen as the winner. (Teresa would be my choice.) Graham Jarvis was a favorite on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. He plays the organizer of the Beauty Contest. Scatman Crothers needs no introduction, I think. He comes on ship singing and scatting. Later, he does the Hambone. He didn't do the Hambone in The Shining. (You make your own conclusion.) Hey, Isaac's Hambone is pretty good too. Marcia Brady, Maureen McCormick, is back for the second time. She's one of the contestants. Priscilla Barnes - future Three's Company cast replacement - is here as another one of the contestants. I've always loved her as a comic actress. Vicki Lawrence is on board. Vernee Watson, future Fresh Prince mom, is here too. She's a student studying black history. She's got some things to learn about black culture, specifically the fine art of hamboning. This is a woman who takes a luxury cruise and complains about slavery. Someday, she may be Vice President. Have I mentioned Dick Van Patten and Bobby Sherman? The latter is trying to help Marcia Brady out of her morality clause. I'd rather look at Priscilla Barnes than Dick Van Patten. On Kafka's Love Boat Scale, this episode gets 3 1/2 * out of a possible 4 *.

The infamous "Hambone" episode.

[Reaper · 5/10 · 1 September 2017]

Scatman Crothers, who as a working actor worked a lot (genuine respect for that, at least), took this guest starring role where he became the second coming of Willie Best. He teaches the entire crew the important lesson that racial stereotypes were long gone before the 70's, which is why Isaac could become a bartender on a cruise ship (also, don't question the idea that a PhD candidate would go on a cruise to research her thesis. The less you think about that or anything else, the happier you will be).

Meanwhile, Priscilla Barnes discovers that sexual assault can be powerfully romantic, while helping Maureen McCormick (Marsha! Marsha! Marsha!) win a beauty pageant, or something.

Pretty awful stuff, but no more awful than any other Season 1 episode.

Maybe not as much BUT Stereotypes still exist

[tamyabonet2 · 4/10 · 23 December 2020]

He teaches the entire crew the important lesson that racial stereotypes were long gone before the 70's, which is why Isaac could become a bartender on a cruise ship.

You must be kidding Racial stereotypes still exist period