Even with a powerhouse like Mel Brooks at the helm as one of the producers, this briefly aired sitcom (only 10 episodes including the pilot) seems like a sure thing with leads Cloris Leachman and Harvey Korman. What is had in talented stars, it lacked in a charismatic supporting cast, and just seemed to be another rip-off of British sitcom "Fawlty Towers" which had already flopped as the Bea Arthur series "Amanda's by the Sea".
The pilot featured Leachman in a dual role as Ms. Frick, the severe looking manager of housekeeping and Mrs. Nutt, the elderly hotel owner. Mrs. Nutt was dropped after the first aired episode, handing over the reins to grandson Brian McNamara, a preppy playboy type easy on the eyes but not really interesting as a continuing character. Korman, as the hotel manager, seemed very strict in the pilot, but in the remainder episodes, revealed himself to be a complete pussycat. Leachman got to be a little bit zanier, insinuated to be a bit of a nymphomaniac and similar in strength and dominance as her "High Anxiety" character Nurse Diesel. The bulk of the episodes surround the two veterans of several Mel Brooks films, with a little bit of story thrown to McNamara and hotel secretary Molly Hagen who had the potential to be an interesting character but was never fully developed.
There was also a nearly blind elevator operator and an assistant manager who did nothing but operate the reception desk and ogle the ladies. In the first two episodes, there was an elderly porter outside the hotel, and there was also two maids seen on occasion who did nothing but stand around and gossip. Obviously, Leachman and Korman could not dominate every episode, but they did get the bulk of the slapstick and funny lines. Everybody gave their all, but as the episodes flowed by, it was obvious that this hotel would end up being closed up shortly, following in the footsteps of "Amanda's" and later unintentionally imitated again as "The Golden Palace".
The pilot featured Leachman in a dual role as Ms. Frick, the severe looking manager of housekeeping and Mrs. Nutt, the elderly hotel owner. Mrs. Nutt was dropped after the first aired episode, handing over the reins to grandson Brian McNamara, a preppy playboy type easy on the eyes but not really interesting as a continuing character. Korman, as the hotel manager, seemed very strict in the pilot, but in the remainder episodes, revealed himself to be a complete pussycat. Leachman got to be a little bit zanier, insinuated to be a bit of a nymphomaniac and similar in strength and dominance as her "High Anxiety" character Nurse Diesel. The bulk of the episodes surround the two veterans of several Mel Brooks films, with a little bit of story thrown to McNamara and hotel secretary Molly Hagen who had the potential to be an interesting character but was never fully developed.
There was also a nearly blind elevator operator and an assistant manager who did nothing but operate the reception desk and ogle the ladies. In the first two episodes, there was an elderly porter outside the hotel, and there was also two maids seen on occasion who did nothing but stand around and gossip. Obviously, Leachman and Korman could not dominate every episode, but they did get the bulk of the slapstick and funny lines. Everybody gave their all, but as the episodes flowed by, it was obvious that this hotel would end up being closed up shortly, following in the footsteps of "Amanda's" and later unintentionally imitated again as "The Golden Palace".