Hot l Baltimore

Hot l Baltimore
Created by	Lanford Wilson
Written by	Ron Clark Decia Baker Woody King Lanford Wilson
Directed by	Bob LaHendro
Starring	Richard Masur Conchata Ferrell James Cromwell Al Freeman, Jr. Jeannie Linero Gloria LeRoy Robin Wilson Stan Gottlieb Lee Bergere Henry Calvert Charlotte Rae
Composer(s)	Marvin Hamlisch
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	13
Production
Executive producer(s)	Norman Lear
Producer(s)	Rod Parker
Editor(s)	Terry M. Pickford
Running time	22 minutes
Production company(s)	T.A.T. Communications Co.
Distributor	Columbia TriStar Television Sony Pictures Television
Release
Original network	ABC
Audio format	Monaural
Original release	January 24 – April 25, 1975

Hot l Baltimore is a 1975 American television situation comedy series adapted from a hit off-Broadway play of the same name by Lanford Wilson.

Premise and run

The show took place in the fictional Hotel Baltimore in Baltimore, Maryland, and drew its title from the cheap establishment's neon marquee which had a burned-out letter "e". The half-hour series premiered January 24, 1975,^[1] and was produced by Norman Lear for ABC. It was the first Norman Lear property to air on ABC. The cast included Conchata Ferrell, James Cromwell, Richard Masur, Al Freeman, Jr., Gloria LeRoy, Jeannie Linero, and Charlotte Rae.

The series had several controversial elements, including two primary characters who were prostitutes, one of whom was an illegal immigrant, and one of the first gay couples to be depicted on an American television series. Because of the subject matter, the show was the first ABC network show to have a warning at its opening, cautioning viewers about mature themes. (All in the Family, also produced by Norman Lear, ran a similar disclaimer when it debuted in 1971 on CBS, but ceased doing so after that.) The network supported the show and gave it a full publicity campaign, but it failed to win an audience and was canceled after 13 episodes. Its last telecast was June 6, 1975. Ironically, the show was never carried by the local ABC affiliate in Baltimore, anytime during its run. WJZ-TV in Baltimore carried alternative programming, leaving Baltimore viewers to watch the show on WJLA, ABC's Washington. D.C. affiliate.^[1]

Significance for Norman Lear

This series is notable as the first failure for producer Norman Lear after a streak of mega-hit TV series, beginning with All in the Family (1971) and continuing with Sanford and Son, Maude, Good Times, and The Jeffersons.

Episodes

Nº	Title	Directed by:	Written by:	Air date
1	"Suzy's Wedding"	Bob LaHendro	Ron Clark, Rod Parker	January 24, 1975
Suzy announces she is going to marry a Hollywood producer.
2	"Millie's Beau"	TBA	Rudy De Luca, Barry Levinson	January 31, 1975
Millie's new boyfriend turns out to be one of Suzy's clients. The residents try to figure out a way to tell Millie.
3	"Suzy's New Job"	Bob LaHendro	Woody Kling, David Swift	February 7, 1975
After she loses her job as a dance teacher, Suzy decides to complain to the White House.
4	"The Rent Increase"	TBA	Barry E. Blitzer, Jack Kaplan	February 14, 1975
Ainsley's mother issues an unexpected rent increase to the tenants. On the verge of being evicted, the residents are moved to protests, with a highly imaginative maneuver by Moose.
5	"George and Gordon"	Burt Brinckerhoff	Woody Kling	February 21, 1975
George and Gordon's latest spat promises to blossom into a hotel-wide fray.
6	"The Date"	Bob LaHendro	Ron Clark	February 28, 1975
Just to prove that he's not afraid of anything, Bill agrees to take April out on a date.
7	"The Deportation of Suzy"	Bob LaHendro	Elias Davis, David Pollock	March 7, 1975
Suzy is threatened with deportation as an undesirable alien.
8	"Mrs. Bellotti's Boyfriend"	TBA	Charlie Hauck	March 14, 1975
Mrs. Bellotti has fallen deeply in love with Chapman Packer, but her first love is her son Moose, and everything hinges on a very successful meeting of the two men in her life.
9	"Bingham's Con"	TBA	Jay Sommers	March 21, 1975
Ex-convict Mojo Thompson arrives at the hotel in search of his old buddy Charles Bingham. Mojo soon enthralls the residents with wild tales of his former shenanigans, but in the process he also happens to divulge a few secrets from Charles' past, things Bingham would rather keep dead and buried.
10	"Historic L Baltimore"	TBA	Douglas Arango, Phil Doran	March 28, 1975
Ainsley's mother has successfully targeted the Hotel Baltimore for a wrecking ball. Hoping to save the building from an untimely demolition, Clifford manages to have it declared a historic landmark. However, the scheme quickly backfires; with the building now more valuable ever, a Japanese corporation decides to purchase it, but the unlikeliest of residents may prove to be the hotel's ultimate savior.
11	"Ainsley Loves April"	TBA	Woody Kling	April 4, 1975
An armed gunman invades the hotel lobby and threatens the residents, but is defeated by April. Having witnessed April's heroism, Clifford Ainsley suddenly sees her in a very different light; he falls head over heels in love with her, giving April a rare opportunity to be treated like a queen.
12	"Suzy's Problem"	TBA	Charlie Hauck	April 11, 1975
13	"Ainsley's Secret"	TBA	Elias Davis, David Pollock	April 25, 1975
Evie, a woman from Ainsley's past, arrives at the hotel and accuses him of being the father of her child, which he vehemently denies. Ultimately, he agrees to settle the problem with a payoff to Evie. Although he couldn't possibly be the father, the reason he couldn't forms the crux of Ainsley's secret.

References

1. Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (Oct 1995) [1979]. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows: 1946-Present (trade paperback) (Sixth ed.). New York: Ballantine Books, a Division of Random House, Inc. ISBN 0-345-39736-3.

External links

• Hot l Baltimore at the Internet Movie Database
• The Hot l Baltimore at Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Hot l Baltimore at TV.com