The Love Boat's Fred Grandy Reveals Billy Crystal Auditioned for the Role of Gopher But 'He Really Hated the Script'

• The boat of love stars Fred Grandy, Bernie Kopell, Ted Lange and Jill Whelan set sail on Princess Cruises’ The The ship of love A celebration at sea that left Brooklyn, NY on August 31st and traveled through New England and Canada for seven nights
• Grandy, who played wallet Burl “Gopher” Smith, recalled during a Q&A about Princess Enchanted that he was up against Billy Crystal for the role
• The actor and politician told PEOPLE that he doesn’t think “there’s a group that’s as tightly knit professionally and personally” as actors. The boat of love

Fred Grandy admits he may not have been the first choice to play wallet Burl “Gopher” Smith The boat of love.

“I was the last man standing when it came to casting this role,” Grandy, 76, said during the interview The The ship of love: board Stories behind the scenes on Princess Cruises’ The The ship of love Celebration at sea 2024 sailing.

One actor also in the game: Billy Crystal. “Billy is done with a show we wrote called The kissing bandit,” Grandy said at a Q&A alongside co-stars Bernie Kopell, Ted Lange and Jill Whelan. “A nice guy, very funny and not that full of himself. But I remember it was kind of a lesson in humility when he told me how much he really hated the script.”

Bernie Kopell was happy that ‘my hair didn’t fall off’ during the love scene with The ship of love Guest star Juliet Prowse

Kopell, 91, took over the role of ship’s doctor from Dick Van Patten, who had a role in the first two pilots for The boat of love.

“Suddenly we find out that Dick Van Patten had a contract with ABC. They got him out to work Eight is enoughand it opened the door for any established actor to audition for the role of the Doctor, myself included,” Kopell said aboard the Enchanted Princess. “I auditioned and this guy auditioned, another guy auditioned and after a while my agent called and screamed into the phone, ‘You got the part!'”

The Be smart The star said the role “changed my life”, adding: “It was a real treat and I was so grateful for that life-changing experience and here I am, still working at the age of 91.”

‘The Love Boat’ stars (from left) Bernie Kopell, Jill Whelan, Ted Lange and Fred Grandy in The Enchanted Princess.

Princess cruises

The boat of love it ran for 10 seasons, and the cast remained the same. Grandy, Lange, 76, and Whelan, 57, starred in the play I’m not Rappaport in Michigan earlier this year and already plan to be aboard the Regal Princess when Princess Cruises The boat of love Celebration at Sea departs from Galveston, Texas next November.

“There are actors who are very cohesive and get along and correspond and stuff, but I don’t think there’s a group that’s as tight-knit professionally and personally as our group,” Grandy told People during The love of Bot Sea sailing celebration that lasted from August 31 to September 9. 7. “I’m not sure what the reason for that is, but obviously I’m not going to question it because it’s been very successful and profitable for us.”

It’s grandma time The boat of love also helped him find success when he turned to politics. “When I announced to Aaron Spelling that I wanted to leave the show and come back to Iowa to run for Congress, his first response was to sue me for anticipatory breach of contract,” Grandy said of the show’s executive producer. “I don’t think it’s a term that exists in legal jargon, but he had enough power in Beverly Hills to invent it.”

‘The Love Boat’ stars (from left) Jill Whelan, Bernie Kopell and Fred Grandy in 1983.

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

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Spelling, who died in 2006 at age 83, ultimately did not sue Grandy, and the actor went on to serve four terms as a Republican congressman in his home state of Iowa.

“The fact that he didn’t, I think, is because people in Iowa who were big fans of the show were willing to take him to court,” Grandy said. “After we resolved all our disagreements, I returned to his office and asked him for a political contribution, which he did not give me, but [Love Boat producer] Douglas Cramer did.”

Fans aboard the Enchanted Princess heard from Grandy, Kopell, Lange and Whelan during two panels moderated by author Jim Colucci and had the opportunity to attend a cocktail party hosted by ship of love’with bartender Lange, test their knowledge on The boat of love trivia, sip specialty The ship of love cocktails and watch episodes of the show in the ship’s outdoor cinema. Whelan, Princess Cruises’ Celebrations Ambassador, participated in Enchanted Princess’ August 31 sailing celebration, the captain’s champagne toast at the waterfall, the onboard vow renewal ceremony and the farewell show on Friday, September 7.

Fred Grandy and Lauren Tewes in ‘The Love Boat’ in 1983.

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Ted Lange once confronted Aaron Spelling about the prominence of White Cast on The ship of love: ‘Why can’t I greet people?’

Travelers who have decided to The ship of love The VIP package also had the chance to spend time with the star at a welcome reception in the ship’s adults-only sanctuary, The Sanctuary, and a cast dinner in the Enchanted Princess’s Amalfi dining room.

Except The ship of love ceremony, guests enjoyed entertainment such as magic and comedy by Quinn “The Mighty Quinn” Beasley and Eric Buss, DJ sets by DJ Robert Micheal, live music by Arny Galoy, Jowita, The Pipers Chair and Pinnacle, and a staging of the musical Rock opera. Passengers had the opportunity to dine at specialty restaurants such as The Catch by Rudi, Crown Grill and 360, which offers an impressive seven-course meal during which Brooke Shields takes guests on a sensory journey through Europe.

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The boat of love streaming on Paramount+.

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Source: HIS Education