This was another sitcom produced by Norman Lear. It started in January of 1975 and lasted to June of 1975. It was said this show brought sexual innuendo to the home screen.

I haven't seen it personally, but my mom has. She told me that it was a pretty funny show.

I vaguely remember that show. I do recall Charlotte Rae was wonderful as Mrs. Bellotti whose crazy son Moose was always causing trouble. I don't think Moose was ever actually seen, but there was a lot of talk about his many wild antics, including gluing himself to the ceiling and running around naked with a Hershey's Kiss in his navel. (He claimed that he was a chocolate chip cookie.)

There were some other fine cast members, including James Cromwell, Conchata Ferrell, and Richard Masur. I think it was just a little ahead of its time, though, so it didn't have much of a chance to stay on the air for very long.

Originally posted by Pentimento
I vaguely remember that show. I do recall Charlotte Rae was wonderful as Mrs. Bellotti whose crazy son Moose was always causing trouble. I don't think Moose was ever actually seen, but there was a lot of talk about his many wild antics, including gluing himself to the ceiling and running around naked with a Hershey's Kiss in his navel. (He claimed that he was a chocolate chip cookie.)

There were some other fine cast members, including James Cromwell, Conchata Ferrell, and Richard Masur. I think it was just a little ahead of its time, though, so it didn't have much of a chance to stay on the air for very long.



I read that the show had Average ratings at best in the veru beginning and fell off as the season went on

Originally posted by Pentimento
I vaguely remember that show. I do recall Charlotte Rae was wonderful as Mrs. Bellotti whose crazy son Moose was always causing trouble. I don't think Moose was ever actually seen, but there was a lot of talk about his many wild antics, including gluing himself to the ceiling and running around naked with a Hershey's Kiss in his navel. (He claimed that he was a chocolate chip cookie.)

There were some other fine cast members, including James Cromwell, Conchata Ferrell, and Richard Masur. I think it was just a little ahead of its time, though, so it didn't have much of a chance to stay on the air for very long.


Norman Lear was known for putting the C in Controversy

Charlotte Rae was in the show? Gee doesn't sound like she would be in a show that has a nutty son. Choris Leachman yes charlotte no. I thought I read that Linda Gray has a part in the show.

Originally posted by vze3t9q9
Charlotte Rae was in the show? Gee doesn't sound like she would be in a show that has a nutty son. Choris Leachman yes charlotte no. I thought I read that Linda Gray has a part in the show.


From the look of the cast list, linda gray was not in the show.

Well she was in some short lived show before Dallas. I thought it was this show. I did not see Hot l Baltimore. So I was just guessing and my gues was wrong. so sorry.

Originally posted by vze3t9q9
Well she was in some short lived show before Dallas. I thought it was this show. I did not see Hot l Baltimore. So I was just guessing and my gues was wrong. so sorry. You might be thinking of another short-lived Norman Lear comedy called All That Glitters which aired in April-July of 1977, the year before the premier of Dallas.

LOVED Hot L Baltimore!

Charlotte Rae and her son Moose. (played by Richard Masur if I remember correctly.)

By the way, check out the great Odd Couple shirts and stuff I found:
Odd Couple stuff (http://www.cafeshops.com/theoddcouple)

Originally posted by Orville Kruger
LOVED Hot L Baltimore!

Charlotte Rae and her son Moose. (played by Richard Masur if I remember correctly.)

By the way, check out the great Odd Couple shirts and stuff I found:
Odd Couple stuff (http://www.cafeshops.com/theoddcouple) No, Moose was not played by anyone. That's what made him such a great character -- he was left entirely to the viewers' imaginations.

Just a friendly suggestion: Since it appears as though you signed up for the main purpose of promoting an online gift shop, you might want to reconsider doing that. I understand it's frowned upon here.

i loved this show. it was really good.

Does anyone have any episides of this show or All That Glitters?

Originally posted by Archie and Edith
Does anyone have any episides of this show or All That Glitters?


I think Hot L Baltimore is one of the lost TV shows of the 70's.

Originally posted by Pentimento
I vaguely remember that show. I do recall Charlotte Rae was wonderful as Mrs. Bellotti whose crazy son Moose was always causing trouble. I don't think Moose was ever actually seen, but there was a lot of talk about his many wild antics, including gluing himself to the ceiling and running around naked with a Hershey's Kiss in his navel. (He claimed that he was a chocolate chip cookie.)

There were some other fine cast members, including James Cromwell, Conchata Ferrell, and Richard Masur. I think it was just a little ahead of its time, though, so it didn't have much of a chance to stay on the air for very long.

That act alone was very sickening and nasty that the FCC could have quickly canceled Hot_l Baltimore if it was aired right now.

Originally posted by Melonhead00
That act alone was very sickening and nasty that the FCC could have quickly canceled Hot_l Baltimore if it was aired right now.

Can you give me an example of the ACT you are referring to?

I was referring to that incident involving the character Moose from Hot_l Baltimore whereas he ran rampant in the nude with a Hershey's Kiss implanted in his navel aka bellybutton, citing that it was a chocolate chip cookie1, which was mentioned in the quote Pentimento wrote.

It was a funny show, ahead of its time. It was on on Friday evenings (one of the least viewed tv nights of the week) and it had a Columbian prostitute and a gay couple as members of the regular cast. Also, many "puritanical" tv stations refused to show "Hot L Baltimore." Too bad. The world was not yet quite ready for the adult dialogue of this show. It had a lot of potential.

Originally posted by Bob's TV Treasures
It was a funny show, ahead of its time. It was on on Friday evenings (one of the least viewed tv nights of the week) and it had a Columbian prostitute and a gay couple as members of the regular cast. Also, many "puritanical" tv stations refused to show "Hot L Baltimore." Too bad. The world was not yet quite ready for the adult dialogue of this show. It had a lot of potential.


I think Hot L Baltimore no longer exist on Video. I'm confident footage of that show is gone forever!!-lol

I think Hot L Baltimore is one of the lost TV shows of the 70's.


Not lost, just not aired since the advent of home recording. I'm quite sure that the 2-inch masters are sitting in Columbia's vault (they bought all of the Lear shows). Just not too much demand these days for failed mid-70s shows.

Originally posted by bencasey
Not lost, just not aired since the advent of home recording. I'm quite sure that the 2-inch masters are sitting in Columbia's vault (they bought all of the Lear shows). Just not too much demand these days for failed mid-70s shows.


Damm i wish I had the key to the Columbia Vault.-LOL

I don't think there were any other TV shows from the 1978s of before having a prostitute as a main character. If it ever airs on TV today, it should be rated TV-14 due to its content.

I don't think there were any other TV shows from the 1978s of before having a prostitute as a main character. If it ever airs on TV today, it should be rated TV-14 due to its content.


Maybe that's why the ratings were so horrible, the fact that a prostitue was the main character-lol

The show Hot L Baltimore was ranked #68 after the 1974-75 season


Blacks and White TV, 1983, F. Macdonald

i saw a promo for it once but i have never seen a full ep

i for got to add that the promo i saw didnt make the show seeem very funny or interesting and the laughter seemed canned

Hot L Baltimore was a middle of the pack series for ABC in the 1974-75 season, garnering a 14.7HH rating for the regular season (ranking 13 of 28 regular and summer series aired on ABC that season), which tied it with "Barney Miller", a mid-season series that was a surprise renewal (it's late season ratings showed uptick, as I remember), and ahead of the 14.4HH rating for "Almost Anything Goes", another summer reality-type series that got renewed.

The only two higher rated cancellations on ABC that season were the summer series "Adams of Eagle Lake" (20.6HH) and "Caribe" (18.9HH).

My memory of the ratings pattern for "Hot L Baltimore" was that it opened huge (for ABC, and on Fridays) and then fell each week. Its renew/cancel decision was not a difficult one as by the end most viewers had deserted the show and were watching NBC's "Rockford Files" or movies on CBS.

I liked the show for its outrageousness and button-pushing, the novelty of the hotel setting and the young Mr. James Cromwell...I also remember ABC ran really strongly worded viewer advisories before every episode to assuage the FCC and nervous affiliates (if memory is correct, ABC had a significant affiliate clearance problem with the show, at least initially, which also may have hindered its renewal prospects).

I agree with the earlier poster that I'm almost certain the series exists in someones vault somewhere (really, who would ever pitch out Mr. Lear's work), and the reason it has probably never seen syndication is the limited number of episodes produced and lingering memories of the show being controversial, which every broadcaster seems to shy away from these days.

There is ONE episode available for viewing at the Paley Center
(formerly the Museum of Radio and TV In Los Angeles).
I recall watching the show in prime time as a teenager, and
I liked it because it was controversial. I'd never seen
so many stereotypes packed into one half-hour sitcom before.

I'm so disappointed with Sony that they did not include this brilliant series in Mr. Lear's DVD tribute collection.

I'm so disappointed with Sony that they did not include this brilliant series in Mr. Lear's DVD tribute collection.


That's because Sony is more concerned with STEALIG from TV fans than Entertaining them.

Maybe that's why the ratings were so horrible, the fact that a prostitue was the main character-lol

Were there any other primetime TV shows with a prostitute as a main character?

Were there any other primetime TV shows with a prostitute as a main character?
It was almost never explored within the storylines, but the Miss Kitty character on 'Gunsmoke' was a prostitute.

I seem to remember a recurring character on 'Barney Miller' who was a prostitute, though I can't remember the name of the character.

Were there any other primetime TV shows with a prostitute as a main character?

"The John Larroquette Show" leaps to mind. As I recall, Gigi Rice's character, Carly, fits that description. She might not be considered a "main" character, but featured prominently.

I liked Hot L Baltimore for Conchata Farrell she had a great laugh, and Charlotte Rae was also a cast member. I wish they would release it on dvd.

That's because Sony is more concerned with STEALIG from TV fans than Entertaining them.

I'll agree with this about the suits at Sony, look what they did to FK for us FK fans. I don't understand the corporate mind. You can catch more flies with honey, than vinagar.

This was another sitcom produced by Norman Lear. It started in January of 1975 and lasted to June of 1975. It was said this show brought sexual innuendo to the home screen.

I remember watching it on ABC when I was a kid. It seemed to be pretty funny at the time and I missed it when it left the air.I really didn't understand "canceled" at the time and I remember hoping that it would come back.

Honestly, having seen snippets of the show at various sites online, I can see where a 1970's audience would have had trouble w/ the program as most of the jokes would have gone over most people's head. If they tried something like this now, perhaps the audiences would be more receptive.