The Man in the Iron Shorts/The Victims/Heavens to Betsy 

Gopher's new suit of armor leads to a mishap. Joan's daughter Vanessa falls for the son of the drunk driver who killed Joan's husband. Reverend David Ruland leads a mission study society but two members are smitten with him.

Director:

Jerome Courtland

Writers:

Wilford Lloyd Baumes (developed by) (as W.L. Baumes), Harvey Bullock (teleplay)

Stars:

Gavin MacLeod, Bernie Kopell, Fred Grandy

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Gavin MacLeod	...	Captain Merrill Stubing
Bernie Kopell	...	Doctor Adam Bricker
Fred Grandy	...	Ship's Purser 'Gopher' Smith
Ted Lange	...	Bartender Isaac Washington
Jill Whelan	...	Vicki Stubing
Lauren Tewes	...	Cruise Director Julie McCoy
Sharon Gabet	...	Laura Tensley
Laurence Lau	...	Webb Jones
Denise Miller	...	Vanessa Heinsley
Taylor Miller	...	Gail Cowler
Robert Pine	...	Reverend David Ruland
Janine Turner	...	Beatrice 'Betsy' Dunvar
Ruth Warrick	...	Joan Heinsley

Storyline

Gopher (Fred Grandy) returns from vacation with a new girlfriend, named Gail Cowler (Taylor Miller), who is a history teacher. He also has a trunk carrying a suit of armor, which he dons in order to impress her. But when Isaac (Ted Lange) tries to help him get out of the suit, he breaks the bolt and traps Gopher inside. Captain Stubing's (Gavin MacLeod) longtime friend Joan Heinsley (Ruth Warrick) was widowed in a drunk driving accident, years earlier. The pain of losing her husband never completely healed and now intensifies as her daughter Vanessa (Denise Miller) falls for Webb Jones Junior (Laurence Lau), the son of the drunk driver who took Joan's husband's life. Reverend David Ruland (Robert Pine) leads a mission study society on board the cruise, but two of his members, Betsy Dunvar (Janine Turner) and Laura Tenley (Sharon Gabet), are smitten with him.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Episode guest stars were primarily actors on ABC soaps. Ruth Warrick, Laurence Lau, and Taylor Miller from All My Children, Sharon Gabet from The Edge of Night and Janine Turner from General Hospital.

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Goofs

At the end, Gopher's lady friend says it is a good thing she is a fan of the Medieval era and not the Cenozoic era, implying that the Cenozoic era was a long time ago. While that era began some 60 million years ago, it continues through the present day.

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Soundtracks

The Love Boat
Written by Paul Williams and Charles Fox
Performed by Jack Jones

User Reviews

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 November 1982 (USA)

Filming Locations:

The Lot - 1041 N. Formosa Avenue, West Hollywood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aaron Spelling Productions, Douglas S. Cramer Company, The Love Boat Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1