Before The Love Boat, Gavin MacLeod Guest-Starred In This '60s Western Series
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Gavin MacLeod is something of a TV legend. He became the captain on "The Love Boat" after just one episode because the first captain, Ted Hamilton, was too sexy. That led to an incredible decade-long, 10-season run on the series, which was a defining cornerstone of television in the '70s and '80s. But long before he took on the role of Captain Merrill Stubing, he lent his services to a long-running Western TV show.
"Death Valley Days" was one of TV's first anthology shows, airing mostly in the '50s and '60s. As the title implies, it's set in Death Valley and showcases frontier tales and local folklore. What's interesting about the show's hook is that the stories showcased in each episode are based in fact, generating from true stories that allegedly took place in California's infamous region.
MacLeod took part in not one but two episodes of the show during its run. His first appearance came in Season 9 in an episode entitled "Yankee Confederate," in which he played a man by the name of Dandy Martin. The episode focuses on a Union officer named Parker (Tod Andrews) who has met his match with a Southern patriot. MacLeod later returned to the show in a Season 16 episode titled "The Great Diamond Mines," playing a character named Phil Arnold. In that episode, a prospector and his partner attempt to con a banker.
Because the show ran for so long, quite a few legends passed through its doors over the years. Clint Eastwood also appeared in "Death Valley Days" before he became a Hollywood legend, and perhaps even more interesting? Eventual president Ronald Reagan, back when he was an actor, served as a presenter of the series.
Gavin MacLeod was a small part of the massive show that was Death Valley Days
Despite the fact that it doesn't get talked about too much these days, "Death Valley Days" had a dizzyingly successful run. The show lasted a downright shocking 18 seasons stretching nearly 20 years, airing a total of 452 episodes. In the modern era, when it feels like shows have a hard time getting more than a few seasons with eight or so episodes per season, that's truly difficult to wrap one's head around.
It's similar to "Gunsmoke," which was abruptly canceled after a 20-year run. "Gunsmoke" aired a staggering 635 episodes from 1955 to 1975, roughly in the same time period as "Death Valley Days." It was a different time, but a Western with a formula could enjoy a healthy lifespan during this era.
Gavin MacLeod had a small part to play in this show's massive run. MacLeod was one of the actors who died in 2021 at the age of 90, but he left behind a truly massive body of work, mostly in the realm of television. He amassed well over 100 acting credits during his years in Hollywood. Some of his other notable roles were in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "McHale's Navy."
And this also wasn't his only stint on a popular Western TV show. MacLeod also appeared in episodes of "The Big Valley" and "Lancer," among others.