The Love Boat The Italian Cruise: The Venetian Love Song/Down for the Count/Arrividerci, Gopher/The Arrangement: Part 1 (1977–1987) Online

Back when this episode aired, it was promoted on reuniting Ernest Borgnine and Shelley Winters from a decade earlier when they sailed on the Poseidon.

I finally watched the episode and was thoroughly disappointed. Where to begin? John James, David Birney, Christopher Norris and Fred Grandy in a dual role, all doing Italian accents. Big misses all the way around.

Why waste Birney as an Italian gigolo? Why have the character insist he is a count and a parttime actor, but must work as a gigolo for rich American women? Why not just say he is a football player as well? American football player of course.

Top this all off with the endless sight-seeing of Rome, with little narrations by Captain Stubing placed over the sites.

The music grew increasingly irritating in part one, not as bad in part two.

After all of this, little things like Borgnine saying to Winters when they left the old country stand out. They were supposed to be Italian immigrants. They were IN the old country.

About the only thing that stood out authentic was when Borgning gives the flowers intended for Winters to a little girl and she curtsies to him. Most natural looking Italian bit in the whole show.

Watches like an oddity.

"Venetian Love Song/Down for the Count/Arrividerci,Gopher/The Arrangement – Part 1" is the first part of the first episode of The Love Boat on its sixth season or sixth year that it is being on air.As a sign of its success,producer Aaron Spelling offers the Pacific Princess a cruise to Italy.The guest stars appearing on the Italian cruise are Candice Azzara, David Birney, Meredith Baxter, Ernest Borgnine, Rossano Brazzi, John James, Christopher Norris, Marie Osmond and Shelley Winters.

As stated earlier,the Pacific Princess is headed to a cruise in Italy.During the Italian cruise,we get to meet different passengers that are involved in the "usual Love Boat stories" of escapism,romance and humor.We get to meet a patriarch and matriarch from Italy who are with their two daughters and granddaughter. The older couple - patriarch and matriarch - are fighting and quarreling to the point of filing for a divorce. The daughter is in a blind date with someone who apparently is more of a womanizer rather than a true romantic.Meanwhile,the daughter meets someone whom he is attracted and the man is likewise attracted to her despite the fact that she has been promised to have someone to love back home.Finally among the crew,Gopher meets someone who reminds him of a person that he met a few years back.

Well,the Love Boat is on its sixth year.It has provided viewers the same predictable and common stories of romance and humor involving interesting passengers for the last six years on air.But what is giving it high ratings are the numerous big stars willing to appear as guest stars and willing to take part in these stories.The sixth season continues to do likewise having Shelley Winters and Ernest Borgnine as the matriarch and patriarch respectively.Having Marie Osmond included proves to be awesome.

The most authentic thing about this episode by far was when Ernest Borgnine was at the table at the ship's formal night (assuming so since he was in a tuxedo) complaining of heartburn from Shelley Winters' cooking. There was a glass of an effervescent drink in front of him. If you look closely you'll see the distinctive cobalt blue bottle of Brioschi on the table (and later in his hand as he leaves). This was a staple in Italian and Italian-American households for decades for heartburn, aka "agita" - my Italian grandparents ALWAYS had it in the pantry. I smiled when I saw it.

But what was the deal with Gopher's gloves? Was something really wrong with his hands? "Poison ivy" was mentioned in the first minute or two of the show and nothing after that.