6.8 /10 1 Votes
5.7/10 TV Directed by Bob LaHendro Country of origin United States Final episode date 25 April 1975 | 7.8/10 IMDb First episode date 24 January 1975 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Written by Ron ClarkDecia BakerWoody KingLanford Wilson Starring Richard MasurConchata FerrellJames CromwellAl Freeman, Jr.Jeannie LineroGloria LeRoyRobin WilsonStan GottliebLee BergereHenry CalvertCharlotte Rae Network American Broadcasting Company Cast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hot l baltimore promo
Hot l Baltimore is an American sitcom adapted from an off-Broadway play of the same name by Lanford Wilson.
Contents
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, 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, WJZ-TV, then ABC's Baltimore affiliate, never carried the show, but instead, carried alternative programming, leaving Baltimore viewers to have to watch the show on WJLA, ABC's Washington, D.C. affiliate.
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.
