Jill Whelan – The Love Boat

Interview By: Lisa Steinberg

Q) What do you think it is about “Love Boat” that makes it so popular?

A) This is the kind of show you can sit down and watch with the family. And you don’t see that anymore with shows on Netflix. So, this is still kind of a fun, nostalgic way to watch TV with your kids. We thought it was very cheeky back-in-the-day, but now you look at it twenty to thirty years later that it is so innocent compared to what is on TV now.

Q) With the big anniversary of the show, what do you think it is about the show that makes it relatable and transverses time?

A) I think probably it is the basis of the story is about love and connecting with other people. That sort of transcends any era. That’s the basis of why people still like it. When it first started, it was right after the recession and nobody could go anywhere. So, you could afford to do a lot of arm-chair travel because we went all over the world. But now I think that people who saw it when it was around the first time it is very nostalgic for them to think back to those times when they were babysitting on a Saturday night or sitting with their parents or grandparents watching the stories. For the new people to watch is kind of an old format of television that we don’t see anymore. We’re so inundated with reality TV and shows where it is about the hype of the negativity and how people relate to each other. This show was not about that. It was about people communicating with each other and falling in love or falling back in love if it was a second romance. It was a very positive, lighthearted entertainment. It was a nice release.

Q) What were some of your most memorable moments from being a part of the show?

A) For me, besides the incredible guest stars, like Gene Kelly and I got to dance with Ginger Rogers and Ethel Merman and I were pen pals, which was pretty amazing, but I got to travel. The travel for me was amazing because I was in school and my teachers would coordinate my studies with where we were traveling. For instance, while we were studying the Great Wall of China, I was actually standing on it. One of my favorites, which wasn’t so funny at the time, but it’s fun now because I got out and survived was once Debbie Allen and I were held at gunpoint at the Sphinx. We wanted to get a closer look so we went around a fence and there was an Egyptian guard who wanted us to pay him off to let us go. Debbie got very ghetto on him. There was a lot of neck rolling and a lot of expletives. She just grabbed my hand and we backed out. It was a fun memory NOW because it is funny. There were just so many incredible opportunities that we got to do. In Egypt we got to ride Arabian horses at sunset in front of the pyramids. That is just a phenomenal memory. There are so many it’s hard to pick!

Q) I imagine it was nice growing as a person and learning about yourself through portraying this character.

A) It was a very interesting experience to go through puberty in front of America. That was a very interesting experience, but it was fun. It was all I knew. So, for me, it was a normal thing.

Q) Who were some of your standout guest stars or guest stars you wish had made an appearance?

A) Some of the standout ones were Tom Hanks. That was quite wonderful! Again, Ethel Merman. Olivia De Havilland who played Melanie in Gone With the Wind was someone I was so thrilled to work with because I was a huge fan of the film. And the musicals we did with Carol Channing, Ann Miller, Van Johnson and Cab Calloway. They were just these incredible MGM stars we got to dance with and sing with. It was incredible! Andy Warhol is probably a favorite. When I was shopping in New York on a personal trip in this leather store looking at a jacket. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see a woman. She said, “Excuse me, are you Jill Whelan?” I said, “Yes, I am.” She said, “I work for Andy Warhol and if he knew you were in town he would be so excited! Do you think you have time to come down with me to The Factory?” I said, “Yes!” I went down to The Factory and he gave me a tour. He signed a couple of posters for me and I gave one to my brother. When does that happen?! That was pretty amazing. We pretty much had everyone we would have wanted back then. So, I don’t think I can think of anybody that we didn’t get.

Q) Aside from the legacy and your memories, what have you taken away from your time on “The Love Boat?”

A) I’m very cognizant that it is not like any other experience people were having on television in the 80’s. We were the only show that traveled like that and had guest stars like that. It was a really special time and I’m very aware of that. People always ask, “Do you hate it when people come up to you?” And I really don’t. People could come up to you all the time and say horrible things, but they don’t. To have people come up to you and say really nice things is a blessing and an honor. I feel very fortunate to have been a part of something that has given people such fond memories. I think that is my take away from it, how lucky I was to be a part of it.

Q) What legacy do you think the show has left in the TV world?

A) I’ve never think in terms of whether we have left a legacy in television. I think it’s great if we have. It’s kind of hard to see the forest through the trees on that one. It would be an honor if we had. We just gave everyone some really good memories. I think we did when families got to sit and watch it together. I think that really is probably the best take away for me.

Q) What are the upcoming projects we’ll get to see you in?

A) I have a bunch of stuff coming up. The entire cast is doing The Rose Parade. I just did an episode of “Real Husbands of Hollywood.” I have another project coming up on ABC that I can’t talk about yet. Then, I’m bringing back a show I did in New York that is a one woman show I wrote, put together and produced called Jill Whelan: An Evening In Dry Dock. I’m starting to do that in February. I will be on a cruise ship doing it first and then I don’t know where it will be after that.