Ted Lange, 77, has had an impressive and storied career, but his most iconic role may be playing bartender Isaac Washington on The Love Boat. The long-running series boasted a lot of celebrity guest stars over the course of nine seasons, but there’s one in particular who stands out to him.
One moment from Lange’s January appearance on the Still Here Hollywood podcast is making the rounds on TikTok all over again. In the video below, we can see Lange’s take on what happened when the iconic Gene Kelly guest-starred on an episode of The Love Boat — and why Lange was warned to stay away from him while on set.
After naming Kelly as one of his favorite guest stars on the show, Lange went on to say that the “muckety-mucks” who worked on the show warned him not to even speak to the dancer.
“He’s a grumpy guy, so just leave him alone. When you do your scenes, fine, but don’t talk to Gene,” Lange was told.
But Lange refused to take that advice and when the opportunity to make conversation with Kelly during some downtime in filming came up, he just had to take it and asked him what it was like to worth with the Nicholas Brothers,
“So he told me this wonderful story about the Nicholas brothers. And then, they call us on the set, we go on the set, we do a scene together,” Lange said. “Then we’re done and we go back to the bus, the little bus. He says, ‘Hey, you want to have a drink with me at the hotel?'”
Lange took him up on the offer, and said that his time with Kelly was “wonderful,” adding, “I bet everybody when they get a chance to talk to him, talks about Singin’ in the Rain. I had no interest in Singin’ in the Rain, because I knew the Nicholas brothers.”
Where Is Ted Lange Today?
Though his Love Boat days are far behind him, Lange is still working.
One of his most recent projects is his play, Lady Patriot, which he has written and directed. According to Playbill, the show is about Varina Davis, Elizabeth Van Lew, and Mary Bowser, three women who lived during the Civil War. His Love Boat costars, Fred Grandy and Jill Whelan, are set to star in the Off-Broadway production for 12 performances this September.
“Reading a book on the life of Elizabeth Van Lew, I happened upon the contribution of black slave, Mary Bowser, as a Union spy,” Lange said in a statement to the outlet. “I added into the mix the plight of the confederate first lady, Varina Davis. I soon realized I had a story about the patriotism of three different schools of thought. I delight in working with my Love Boat cast mates Jill and Fred. We have artistic chemistry, and it is fun to see our love of theatre blossom on stage.”
It sounds like this is going to be a very busy (and exciting) fall for Lange!
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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