‘Love Boat’ Star Bernie Kopell Revealed Which Guest Star Wanted the Most Attention
The Love Boat was one of those shows that not only had an amazing main cast but also featured a huge amount of rotating guest stars as well. It was so much fun for fans to guess who might make an appearance each week, and the show reportedly had over 2,000 guest stars during its 10 seasons. One of the main stars, Bernie Kopell, who played Dr. Adam Bricker, admitted that one of those stars tried to steal the spotlight from everyone else.
During “The Love Boat: Behind the Scenes Stories” panel aboard Enchanted Princess on Friday, Sept. 6, he said that person was the late Debbie Reynolds. She appeared in several episodes during Season 4 and Season 6. The 91-year-old explained, “Debbie Reynolds always had to be the center of attention.” He added, “She didn’t care for some magicians. And so, she went over to the band leader and she whispered something in his ear. I don’t know what it was. And then she came to me and she said, ‘Bernie, you don’t do anything. I’ll just do everything. You just stand there.’”
Everett Collection
Kopell continued, “They played the Fandango, and she whirled around by herself, and whirled nearer to me, then came away from me. And our scene ended with her jumping up onto my right shoulder to tremendous applause. Debbie Reynolds and the Disappearing Magician.” Sadly, Reynolds died in 2016, just a day after her daughter, actress Carrie Fisher, passed away.
Everett Collection
These days, Kopell continues to tour around the country to talk about memories from The Love Boat. He even promotes The Love Boat Celebration at Sea event on a cruise that will be gearing up for another sail in 2025. If you have been on one of the cruises or plan to, let us know in the comments! Or tell us who your favorite guest star on The Love Boat was. So many to choose from!
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’80s Where Are They Now
March 2023
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