Love Tips From ‘The Love Boat’ Captain

As Valentine’s Day approaches once again, we”the good citizens of the Pacific Palisades”should consider ourselves a fortunate lot. While we Palisadians may not have a direct phone line to Cupid, we do have the next best thing. After all, who’s a better authority on the matters of the heart than our Honorary Mayor, the former captain of ‘The Love Boat’: Gavin MacLeod. Any avid boob tuber knows actor MacLeod from the classic ‘Mary Tyler Moore’ sitcom, on which he played Murray. Yet his most famous role is no doubt that of Captain Merrill Stubing. So the Palisadian-Post decided to check in on MacLeod and see exactly what the star of ‘The Love Boat’ will be doing on February 14. Surely, MacLeod must have some tips on making love spring eternal…or at least spring through the end of this weekend. Well, for romantic inspiration, look no farther than the personal story of Gavin and Patti MacLeod. ‘It’s a true love story,’ MacLeod tells the Post. ‘We got married in the ‘Mary Tyler Moore’ days [early ’70s]. Everything was great, we were doing theater all over the country.’ After ‘Mary’ had ended, MacLeod boarded another TV phenomenon, ‘The Love Boat,’ in the late ’70s. He was so busy that ‘my feet wasn’t touching the ground. The Captain was the leader, I had to do everything.’ The long hours took their toll on his marriage. In 1981, MacLeod chose career over love. Gavin divorced her. At first, it seemed like the right decision for MacLeod, who was ‘sowing some oats.’ He had the big house on the hill, he had the hot career. But bachelorhood quickly wore thin. Alcohol became a problem (although, for the record, MacLeod is loath to blame ‘Love Boat”s Isaac the Bartender for his over indulgence). Soon, that big house began to feel pretty empty. ‘I had everything but nothing,’ says MacLeod. Three years after leaving Patti, MacLeod worked his way back to his true love. ‘What happened to bring us back together was something that happened to my mom,’ MacLeod recalls. ‘She was 78, they found a cyst inside her brain. I made a deal with God: If you let my mother live, I’ll turn my life over to you. ‘ MacLeod’s mother not only survived, but lived to be 97. ‘Something told me to call Patti, whom I had not talked to in three years,’ says MacLeod. Gavin and Patti reunited in 1984, and remarried in 1985. The MacLeods have been solid ever since, enjoying life in the Highlands. ‘Living up here is like when I was working in New York and living in Connecticut,’ says the erstwhile Merrill Stubing, well’ merrily! The secret to a healthy, lasting marriage? ‘I don’t think there should be any secrets from each other when you’re married,’ offers MacLeod. ‘Trust is the most important thing. Having the same sense of humor. That can get you through so many rocky moments.’ So back to our original question: how will Gavin and Patti celebrate Valentine’s Day 2008? ‘We’re going to start the day the way we always do,’ says MacLeod, ‘with Bible study. I will see Marilyn Crawford in the Chamber of Commerce and give her a box of candy. ‘Two of our grandkids are coming in from Hawaii. Patti and I will have a big dinner at home. We’re going to watch one of our favorite movies, ‘An Affair to Remember,’ with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr.’ Speaking of Grant, MacLeod has a fitting anecdote for you romantics out there. We all do crazy things in the name of love, and MacLeod is no more sane than the rest of us. He recalls one situation that surely tested his marriage. MacLeod had played in the 1958 naval comedy ‘Operation Petticoat,’ opposite Grant, and 25 years later, the MacLeods attended a fundraiser in the early 1980s when in walked Grant and wife Barbara Harris. All heads turned. And Patti insisted that Gavin introduce her to Grant. Reluctantly, MacLeod agreed. ‘I was so nervous,’ recalls MacLeod on approaching the icon. ‘My heart was going out of my chest. I interrupted him, ‘Excuse me, Mr. Grant.’ He said, ‘Gavin, Gavin, Gavin! I’m so proud of you.” What started out as torture turned into a wonderful reconnection. They enjoyed a conversation that was, in hindsight, poignant. ‘Five days later,’ MacLeod explains, ‘[Grant] was in Davenport, Iowa, doing his one-man show. He went back into the green room. He had a heart attack and died.’ MacLeod is thankful that he Grant-ed his wife’s wish. ‘If you risk something for somebody else to make them happy,’ says MacLeod, ‘sometimes it makes you happy, and I’ll never forget that moment as long as I live.’ You can experience more ‘Love’ from Capt. Stubing when the first season DVD of ‘The Love Boat’ comes out on Tuesday, March 4.