qormi Darren McGavin seems like the kind of riverboat captain you wouldn't want to work for. He has his nose in everything and gives new meaning to the term,"micromanaging". He knows everybody's business, personally greets each passenger, conducts bed checks, inspects all cargo personally, and constantly offers advice. He's like a cross between Sigmund Freud and Dear Abby as he instantly diagnoses people's behavior disorders and offers unwarranted, contrary opinions.Oh - and the chicks really dig him while barely noticing 23-year-old stud Burt Reynolds. Then, he has to be the most macho guy in the West. Burt Reynolds cringes at gunfire while McGavin fearlessly delves into the fray, dodging ricocheting bullets and planting a well-timed fist to the face while sporting a rakish grin. No wonder Reynolds quit halfway through the first season. You can't compete with God. This show, which was half frontier Love Boat and half frontier Untouchables managed to chug along for two seasons.

bkoganbing Riverboat was a television that never quite developed it's audience. My guess is that the reports of the fighting on set which I well remember got more attention than the show itself.Darren McGavin who had a few film credits, most notably The Man With The Golden Arm and a half hour version of Mike Hammer that ran in the middle fifties was the captain of the Riverboat Enterprise and star of the show. Who could possibly have known what an illustrious history that name for vessels would have?His co-star was young Burt Reynolds in what was to have been his first big break. Like John Wayne in The Big Trail which was supposed to make him a big star, it flopped and Reynolds would have to wait a few more years for stardom.The main thing was how the two of them didn't get along, McGavin and Reynolds. If we had tabloid TV back in those days, McGavin and Reynolds would have been feature stories. Maybe one day Burt Reynolds will tell us the reason, we certainly can't hear it any more from McGavin.John Mitchum's rollicking memoir, Them Ornery Mitchum Boys, does devote a bit of space to Riverboat. Bob's younger brother was a series regular and he does say that the cast generally sided with Reynolds, feeling that McGavin was the heavy here. He also said that everyone else also felt that Reynolds was a star in the making.It wasn't a bad series, but it will be more known for the offstage battling than anything else.

jwbkatfish I remember that the name of the Riverboat was the "Enterprise". The only episode I can recall is one that involved a young lawyer named Abe Lincoln defending a bridge builder that Capt. Holden's Enterprise damaged. I believe Lincoln won the case. The "Star Trek Enterprise" series left out the "Riverboat Enterprise" in their opening credits when they featured other Enterprises, (sailing ships, aircraft carriers and shuttles, etc.)I always thought it was unfortunate it was left out... Riverboat was a show that I've been trying to recall for some time. I believe that it was on Sunday nights. Will miss you Darren Jerry 2/26/05.

guyinnanaimo This was a very good television series for its day. What should be noted is that McGavin and Reynolds had a feud during this television series. I seem to recall it was around who's the actual star/salary paid/whatever?. To my knowledge, these two haven't been friendly since ~ almost 50 years! They don't mention each other's name when commenting about this show. It's VERY hard to ensure we get a "maximum 1000 words or a minimum of 10 lines" as per your posting guidelines, when our comments, while they may be valid after your review, may not meet this criteria. Perhaps you could consider LOWERING this guideline for some of us avid contributors!?