Episode
The Love Boat: The Stimulation of Stephanie/The Next Step/ Life Begins at 40
Overview
A professor studies the causes of sexual stimulation, but doesn't realize that his test subject is in love with him. A woman tries to help her ex-football star husband move on after he gets cut by his team. Gopher accidentally aggravates the man with his comments. A woman books the honeymoon suite and schedules a reception, despite the fact that she isn't seeing anyone. She hopes that she can find a husband before her 40th birthday in a few days. Julie tries to talk her out of the wedding, and teach her that her self-worth shouldn't be based on her marital status.
Details
- Series
- The Love Boat
- Season
- Season 3
- Episode
- Episode 14
- Air date
- 1979-12-01
- Runtime
- 60 min
Episode context
The Stimulation of Stephanie/The Next Step/ Life Begins at 40 is Episode 14 in Season 3 of The Love Boat. It aired on 1979-12-01. The runtime is 60 min.
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Episode 13: Not Now, I'm Dying/Eleanor's Return/Too Young to Love
Doc suspects that a friend's boyfriend is still playing the field. When she tries to prove him wrong by suggesting a quickie wedding, the man claims to have contracted a terminal illness. Capt. Stubing hopes for another chance at love with his recently divorced ex-flame, Eleanor, but she takes an interest in someone else. The captain assigns Gopher to keep an eye on two teenagers who are posing as newlyweds and shacking up in the honeymoon suite, as one of them is the daughter of the Executive Vice President of the cruise line.
Episode 15: The Spider Serenade/Next Door Wife/The Harder They Fall
Gopher finds romance with a recently separated passenger--until her estranged husband suddenly shows up and announces his intention of winning her back. A woman tries to pry her soon-to-be-ex-husband away from his girlfriend by coming on the cruise and rooming in the cabin next to theirs. Two distinguished passengers, who squared off in a boxing match decades earlier, renew their rivalry. They schedule a fight on the ship to settle the score once and for all.
More episodes from this season
Episode 12: Brotherhood of the Sea/Letter to Babycakes/Daddy's Pride
The crew plans a surprise birthday party for Julie. Isaac, Gopher and Doc try to keep her from getting suspicious by claiming that all of their secretive conversations are part of the ""Brotherhood of the Sea,"" a clandestine organization that only accepts men. This infuriates Julie, who becomes determined to break down the gender barrier at any cost. She winds up ignoring a potential suitor while the guys try to distract her by putting her through an ""initiation"" process. A philandering man relies on his awkward but sweet assistant to keep his various girlfriends from learning about his activities. A young gymnast grows tired of the pressure placed on her by her overbearing father, who is determined to mold her into an Olympic champion. A lonely rich boy, travelling on the cruise alone, tries to encourage her to have some fun.
Episode 16: Making the Grade/The Gift/Doc's 'Ex' Change
Doc's most recent wife, Samantha, comes aboard with some shocking news: thanks to a crooked divorce lawyer who never filed their papers, they are still married. A man admits to his wife that he ""borrowed"" from his company's petty cash to pay for their cruise, as he felt ashamed by the fact that he couldn't give her things. They believe they may have found a way out of their predicament when they find 2000 dollars hidden in a jacket loaned to them by a passenger's wife. The man tries to retrieve his money without letting his wife find out that he is still gambling. A boy is horrified when his mother begins dating his hated history teacher.
Episode 11: Critical Success/The Love Lamp Is Lit/Take My Boyfriend, Please/Rent a Family/The Man in Her Life (2)
A jealous Stacy comes to regret pushing Mark away. Wendy and Bill try to stop her mother from leaving after she misinterprets their purchase of wedding rings. Paul tries to keep his boss from learning about his girlfriend; and Lisa from learning about his ""family."" The Haymans have second thoughts about the diamond heist--and their break-up--after meeting the kids from the orphanage. Stella stings Elliot when she offers her harsh opinion about his play.
Episode 17: April's Love/Happy Ending/We Three
April returns to the ship with her fiancé, a former used car salesman turned manager whom she has known only a few weeks. The crew is certain that the man is scamming her. A couple comes aboard the ship to finish a script before filing for divorce. A man is shocked to run into the daughter he gave up for adoption and her adoptive mother. He agonizes over whether to tell her the truth about her parentage.
Episode 10: Critical Success/The Love Lamp Is Lit/Take My Boyfriend, Please/Rent a Family/The Man in Her Life (1)
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders come on board as part of a charity fundraiser for an Acapulco orphanage. One of the cheerleaders enlists the help of her friends to dodge the advances of a persistent suitor, who has followed her onto the ship. A cheerleader's mother mistakenly fears that her daughter is trying to steal her boyfriend. A man, who has been lying to his boss about having a family, hires a group of actors to pose as his mother, wife and son for the company's "family cruise." This complicates his romance with one of the cheerleaders. A divorcing couple plots to steal a valuable gem, which is hidden in a lamp that keeps getting passed between crew members. A famous dancer/actress who is helping with the charity event repeatedly declines Capt. Stubing's request that she take part in the performance. She is annoyed by the presence of her ex-fiancé, a notoriously tough theater critic.
Episode 18: Kinfolk/Sis and the Slicker/Moonlight and Moonshine/Too Close for Comfort/The Affair (1)
A singer worries that his hillbilly relatives will embarrass him and ruin his chance of catching a record producer's eye. The producer becomes attracted to the singer's sister, who begins to doubt her commitment to her fiancé from back home. An author pictures the family as potential characters for her next book. She poses as a mountain woman to get the grandfather to open up to her. Doc, Isaac and Gopher room with Capt. Stubing after their cabins are flooded. They proceed to drive him crazy, and won't let him get any sleep. Two couples take the cruise together. One of the women tries to convince her friend that their spouses are having an affair.
Episode 9: Never Say Goodbye/A New Woman/Trial Romance
Capt. Stubing receives a letter from his daughter, Vicki. When he tries to call her, he learns that she has run away from her aunt and uncle's home. She shows up on the ship and reveals that she has read her mother's diary, and now knows that the captain is her father. She wants to stay with him, but he feels that it is best that he return her. Vicki's aunt reveals that she is getting a divorce and wants to send her children away for a while so that they won't be affected by the proceedings. Capt. Stubing and Vicki are thrilled by the chance to live together on the ship. Julie plays matchmaker for two shy, old-fashioned people who are unaccustomed to the workings of modern romance. A man is annoyed by the presence of the woman who deadlocked the jury for the attempted murder trial on which they both served, leading to a mistrial. They constantly argue about the case.
Episode 19: Kinfolk/Sis and the Slicker/Moonlight and Moonshine/Too Close for Comfort/The Affair (2)
Danny blames his family when Steve fails to show for his performance, leading to a rift with his father and grandfather. Kitty considers leaving her family to marry Steve. The captain lays down the law to his annoying houseguests, who end up at each other's throats. Dave finds out about Frank and Cynthia's affair, which leaves the future of both marriages in doubt.
Episode 8: Cindy/Play by Play/What's a Brother For?
Gopher befriends a young woman who is constantly put upon by her mean-spirited stepmother and two gawky step-sisters. Gopher takes note of her singing talent and tries to help her get an audition with the famous singer who is performing on the cruise. A sports broadcaster clashes with his female partner. She grows tired of his sexist remarks and challenges him to a series of athletic contests, with the loser having to quit his or her job. A disabled man demands his brother's constant attention, complicating his potential romance.
Episode 20: Rent a Romeo/Matchmaker, Matchmaker/Y' Gotta Have Heart
Doc's plans for a rendezvous are spoiled when the woman's recently dumped (and extremely depressed) sister tags along on the cruise. Doc tries to get some privacy by having a playboy romance the sister. Vicki helps a young boy's efforts to reunite his divorced parents. A woman tries to keep her husband on a short leash, as he has recently undergone heart surgery and she fears he will drop dead at any moment.