Did Robert Conrad Really Hate Gabe Kaplan After ‘Battle of the Network Stars’?
What To Know
- The famous 1976 Battle of the Network Stars race between Robert Conrad and Gabe Kaplan sparked a long-standing rumor that Conrad hated Kaplan after losing to him.
- Despite widespread belief in a bitter feud, the two actors simply lost touch as their lives went in different directions, not due to animosity.
If someone really wanted to understand just how different television was in the ’70s, they would only need to look at one program: Battle of the Network Stars. Back before the days of endless streaming services and hundreds of cable channels, audiences basically just had NBC, ABC, and CBS. Eventually, Fox would show up, but that wouldn’t be for another decade or so. As one might expect, the rivalry between these three networks was very real.
In 1976, someone had the brilliant idea of taking that ratings war and turning it into a real-life sporting event. They gathered up the biggest television actors of the day, dressed them in bright tracksuits, and made them compete in swimming, tug-of-war, and relay races.
Battle of the Network Star producer Vin Di Bona told The Hollywood Reporter in 2013, “All the stars wanted to do it because there was a rivalry. They really wanted to outdo themselves.”
Out of this nutty, but oh-so-wonderful television experience came a moment that people still talk about today. It was a one-on-one sprint between action star Robert Conrad and Gabriel Kaplan.
Conrad was the captain of the NBC team and the tough guy of TV, known for shows like The Wild Wild West and Baa Baa Black Sheep. He was a former boxer and martial artist who did his own stunts. He didn’t treat the event like a silly game; he was there to win.
Kaplan captained the ABC team. As the star of the hit comedy Welcome Back, Kotter, Kaplan was seen as a funny, laid-back kind of guy. With his curly hair and mustache, he looked like the underdog who was just there to crack jokes on the sidelines.
The outcome of the race, which had Kaplan decisively beating Conrad, was so surprising that it sparked a rumor that lasted for over 40 years. Not only was the TV audience shocked, but it is highly likely that both runners were as well. And the story just wrote itself. People truly believed that Conrad hated Kaplan for making him look bad. But did he really?
In an industry where pride matters a lot, people just assumed that a tough guy like Conrad could never forgive a public embarrassment like that. Over the next few decades, the rumor just became accepted as fact. Since the two men never seemed to interact after that day, fans and Hollywood insiders simply made the easy assumption that they were bitter enemies.
However, it turns out the story of a bitter, lifelong feud is just a myth. While it is true that the two actors did not speak for many years, it was just because their lives and careers went in different directions, not because of a burning hatred.
The rumor was finally put to rest in late 2018. Forty-two years after the race, Kaplan decided it was time to reach out. He used a mutual contact to ask if Conrad would be willing to meet up.
Writing about their reunion on the Television Academy website, Kaplan said this, “Lunch was at his house. Conrad had been injured in a bad traffic accident that left him partially paralyzed, and he’d later experienced a stroke. We greeted each other warmly, but had he really mellowed? This was still Robert Conrad.”
However, all of Kaplan’s concerns were resolved when he arrived at Conrad’s home in Southern California. Right from the get-go, his host was warm and welcoming. The two of them had a great time talking, sharing a meal, and laughing about a 40-year-old television argument.
Conrad passed away in early 2020, but he did so having made peace with his most famous television rival. As for Kaplan, he is still winning at the poker table, as well as in life.
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Puzzler 70s TV Dramas
Vol 1, Issue 12
The 1970s! All the drama ... with plenty of themed puzzles, trivia, crosswords, photos and more.
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