Hotel (TV series)

infobox television
show_name = Hotel


caption = Main title caption
format = Drama
runtime = 1 hour
creator = Aaron Spelling
starring = Anne Baxter
James Brolin
Connie Sellecca
Shea Farrell
Nathan Cook
Michael Spound
Heidi Bohay
Shari Belafonte
country = USA
network = ABC
first_aired = September 21, 1983
last_aired = May 5, 1988
num_seasons = 5
num_episodes = 114
imdb_id = 0085032

"Hotel" was based on the book of the same name by Arthur Hailey, which was also adapted into a 1967 movie, aired as a weekly prime-time soap opera on ABC from September 21st, 1983 to May 5th, 1988, in the timeslot following "Dynasty". The series was set in the elegant and fictictious St. Gregory's Hotel in San Francisco and episodes were partly self-contained, contained some humor, often dealing with the dramas of the guests, and partly concerned with ongoing storylines amongst the hotel staff.

The series was created by Aaron Spelling. In 1983, Spelling produced the pilot and later sold it to ABC.

"Hotel" was cancelled in 1988, after a combination of low ratings and because of Nathan Cook's illness, which eventually led to his deathFact|date=May 2008. After the show cancellation, the show became popular in syndicated reruns and on SOAPnet.

Background

In San Francisco's St. Gregory Hotel, the show centered around Peter McDermott (James Brolin), a handsome General Manager who replaced rich aristocrat, Victoria Cabot (Anne Baxter) after her death and had inherited half of her interest to her loyal assistant. In turn, she previously watched herself during the operation on behalf of her sister-in-law, Laura Trent (Bette Davis). Among many of McDermott's staff, he is assisted by an attractive promotions manager, Christine Francis (Connie Sellecca), who not only fell in love with him instantly, but was also appointed as General Manager of "Hotel". Other characters include a charismatic and a popular PR director, Mark Danning (Shea Farrell), a black ex-con man, Billy Griffin (Nathan Cook), who became McDermott's straightman before promoting as a security director, the lovely Julie Gillette (Shari Belafonte) was the receptionist at the information center and encouraging newlyweds, Dave and Megan Kendall (Michael Spound and Heidi Bohay) had opposite jobs as a bellhop and a desk clerk.

pecial guest stars

During its five-year-run on "Hotel", many familiar and/or unfamiliar actors went on and/or have achieved greater fame:
*Johnny Depp
*Scott Baio
*Peggy Cass
*Cathy Lee Crosby
*Bette Davis
*Patrick Duffy
*Nanette Fabray
*Morgan Fairchild
*Estelle Getty
*Shirley Jones
*Lorenzo Lamas
*Heather Locklear
*Peter Marshall
*Erin Moran
*Tracy Nelson
*Alan Oppenheimer
*Dick Van Patten
*Donna Pescow
*Michelle Phillips
*Lynn Redgrave
*Ted Shackelford
*Jan Smithers
*Stella Stevens
*Dee Wallace Stone
*Elizabeth Taylor
*Leigh Taylor-Young
*Gordon Lightfoot
*Bianca Jagger+Edy Jagger

Bette Davis appeared in the pilot episode as Laura Trent, and publicity for the series indicated that Davis was to be a regular on the program, however the onset of ill health forced her to withdraw from the series (although she continued to act in movies before her death several years later).

Trivia

* James Brolin, Connie Sellecca, Shari Belafonte-Harper and Nathan Cook are the only actors to appear in every episode of the series.
*In 2003, Aaron Spelling tried to make a remake of the show, twenty years after it's premiere. The pilot, which starred Michael Jai White and Christina Vidal was shot for UPN, who passed on the show.

External links

* [http://imdb.com/title/tt0085032/ Hotel] at the Internet Movie Database.