Customer Reviews

Hotel: The First Season

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Based on Arthur Hailey's popular novel and the 1967 film of the same name, ABC's "Hotel" (from super-producer Aaron Spelling and Douglas S. Cramer) was basically a land-based Love Boat set at San Francisco's opulent St. Gregory Hotel (utilizing exterior shots and modeled interiors of real life Fairmont Hotel San Francisco) featuring a combo of guest stars along with a regular cast in intertwined stories of primetime soap love, lust and drama (and occasional comedy).

Starring as the St. Gregory Hotel staff was ever-dapper James Brolin (Pensacola: Wings of Gold, Marcus Welby, M.D.) as Peter McDermott, the manager; gorgeous Connie Sellecca (The Greatest American Hero) as Christine Francis, the assistant manager and eventual love interest for Peter; Shea Farrell as Mark Danning, director of guest relations; Nathan Cook as Billy Griffin, ex-con turned chief of security; Michael Spound and Heidi Bohay as newlyweds Dave and Megan Kendall, a bellhop and desk clerk respectively (who themselves would marry in 1988); plus lovely Shari Belafonte-Harper (daughter of Harry Belafonte) as Julie Gillette, manager of hotel information. Look for legendary screen star Bette Davis in her first TV series role (pilot only) as St. Gregory owner Laura Trent who, due to illness, was replaced thereafter by her All About Eve co-star Anne Baxter who took over as her sister-in-law, Victoria Cabot.

A well-made primetime soap done in proven Love Boat style, Hotel was one of the early hits of the 1983-1984 season. It probably didn't hurt that for 4 of its 5 seasons the show originally ran after Dynasty on Wednesday nights at 10p. From the excellent cast to the elegant, atmospheric decor of the St. Gregory itself, Hotel oozed with style and class. This is exemplified in the show's regal opening theme by late great composer Henry Mancini (The Pink Panther, Newhart, Remington Steele). Available [at last] on DVD for the first time, Hotel - The First Season is a 6-disc, Full Frame (1.33:1) video, English mono audio set featuring all 22 regular Season One episodes plus the two-hour pilot movie. The set also hosts the following guest stars:

Melissa Sue Anderson, Scott Baio, Adrienne Barbeau, Michael Bell, Lloyd Bochner, Danielle Brisebois, Morgan Brittany, Diana Canova, Gary Collins, Lydia Cornell, Cathy Lee Crosby, Mary Crosby, Scatman Crothers, John Davidson, Phyllis Davis, Elinor Donahue, Michael Dorn, Ron Ely, Morgan Fairchild, Jose Ferrer, Eva Gabor, Albert Hague, Richard Hatch, Pamela Hensley, Jon-Erik Hexum, Robert Hooks, Ken Howard, Barnard Hughes, Englebert Humperdinck, Arte Johnson, Shirley Jones, Louis Jourdan, Steve Kanaly, Stacy Keach, Sr., Sally Kellerman, Ken Kercheval, Lorenzo Lamas, Martin Landau, George Lazenby, Kay Lenz, Liberace, Jeremy Licht, Heather Locklear, Bill Macy, Peter Marshall, Dina Merrill, Vera Miles, Erin Moran, Phil Morris, Tracy Nelson, Donald O'Connor, Alan Oppenheimer, Donna Pescow, Michelle Phillips, Robert Pine, Don Porter, Markie Post, Dack Rambo, Lynn Redgrave, Robert Reed, Pernell Roberts, Emma Samms, Ted Shackleford, Jan Smithers, Tori Spelling, Robert Stack, Connie Stevens, McLean Stevenson, Parker Stevenson, Vic Tayback, Charlene Tilton, Dick Van Patten, Robert Vaughn, Carlene Watkins, Larry Wilcox, Steven Williams, Shelley Winters, Jane Wyatt and more.


Episodes include:

Pilot (8/21/1982)
1. Blackout (9/21/1983)
2. Choices (10/5/1983)
3. Charades (10/19/1983)
4. Secrets (10/26/1983)
5. Relative Losses (11/2/1983)
6. Flashback (11/9/1983)
7. Confrontations (11/16/1983)
8. Faith, Hope, & Charity (11/23/1983)
9. Deceptions (11/30/1983)
10. The Offer (12/7/1983)
11. Christmas (12/21/1983)
12. Designs (12/28/1983)
13. Reflections (1/4/1984)
14. Tomorrows (1/11/1984)
15. Passages (1/18/1984)
16. Mistaken Identities (2/1/1984)
17. Wedding (2/22/1984)
18. Memories (2/29/1984)
19. Encores (3/7/1984)
20. Prisms (3/14/1984)
21. Trials (5/2/1984)
22. Lifelines (5/9/1984)

While I understand the comparison to Love Boat because of the stars who permeated the show, that's where the similarities end. This series was a drama which often featured suspense. If you've never seen it I highly recommend it. Good acting and writing.

At last the 1983 series are released in dvd.
Hotel's first season is available in july with the pilot telefilm and all 22 episodes of the first season included in this set.
Hotel run for 5 seasons until 1988 which means there are 4 more seasons to be released SO IF U WANT THIS GEM BUY THIS FIRST SEASON.
As simple as that. Hotel had a lot of similarities with "the love boat" only it's own stories were set in a hotel. not in a boat.
Anyways it's great to have this series on dvd and still i wait for FALCON CREST TO BE RELEASED.

Excellent TV series from the mid eighties. Now I can finally watch some of the episodes that never have been shown on German TV.

But how much longer do we all have to wait for season 2?
It's quite a while now since season 1 has been released and according to the other reviewers there is enough demand for the 2nd season and the 3rd and 4th season as well!

PS: It's December 2011 now and more than two years later the second season from "Hotel" is still not out. Why???

I am writing this review only to mention that the original pilot starring Bette Davis is included, but her presence is not mentioned anywhere in the set, not on the back, or inside with the guest stars. Ok she is not a guest star because she was supposed to be a permanent role but you would think someone could have added her name on the packaging? I only bought this for her :)

This show is great. Was great. Well, great for a mid 80s TV show. It is sort of a mix between Dynasty, Love Boat, and Heart to Heart or something. I used to watch this in re-runs when I was a teenager and seeing it again after all these years has been lots of fun. The stories are interesting, the characters likable and the fashion...seeing all that sparkly, Halston-inspired 80s fashion that is just starting to be in again is amazing. The stories, like i said, are interesting, but alas only if real life played out like this. I mean here you have a bunch of really good people running this place and they treat others and each other with so much humanity. For example, they let a stranded artist stay in the Presidential Suite free of charge and the assistant to the manager gets her job (without a degree and experience) by sneaking into the office and telling 200 applicants that there wont be any interviews; the hotel owner personally backs up a hooker who has been raped and brings charges against a financial giant...it just goes on and you think to yourself, wow, this isnt even real; until you realize that it could be and how much of a better place this world could be if people were nice to each other and said yes and gave you opportunities etc.

Today, or in real life, you get turned down for the job even if you do have the qualifications and if you pull off what Connie Sellecca did then you will probably not only not get hired but also sued; no one let's you stay even in the broom closet for one night for free, much less the Presidential suite and no business owner risks his business and reputation to stand up for the rights of a prostitute. But in this TV show, they do...and that's what it's about: it's sort of like Fantasy Island meets Love Boat in a Hotel. I think it's about possibilities and most shows in the 80s were like that.

Today it's all about vampires, werewolves and terrorism and social causes and -isms in general. Watching a "cheesy" show (for today's standards) is refreshing; it is easy fun and light entertainment and it always puts a smile on my face for some reason.

So happy that season 1 got released but it has now been two years and I doubt we'll soon see the remaining seasons. I personally blame the price: I think CBS marketed this DVD release at too high a price. Shame as it is a really thoroughly enjoyable show to watch.

Please release subsequent seasons at an affordable price!!!

I enjoyed this DVD set very much! I am anticipating the second season to be released very soon! It is very nicely done and the level of acting is very high. As usual loyal viewers will have to wait to see if the powers that be will release the rest of the series, but as one myself, I surely hope so.

Originally crafted by producer Aaron Spelling as a land-bound companion to "The Love Boat", HOTEL operated in much the same way, with a parade of celebrity guest stars checking in, week after week, for glittery drama at the fictional St. Gregory Hotel in the heart of San Francisco.

Unlike "The Love Boat", though, the regular cast members took prominent roles in the storylines; and the show's later timeslot afforded writers the opportunity to give a darker, far more serious edge to the material. James Brolin starred as the St. Gregory's affable manager Peter McDermott; Connie Sellecca is his lovely assistant Christine Francis. The regular "staff" includes Shea Farrell, Heidi Bohay, Michael Spound, Shari Belafonte and Nathan Cook.

In the original movie-length pilot episode, Bette Davis added gravitas to the proceedings, playing the St. Gregory's owner, Mrs Laura Trent. Davis was to continue as part of the cast for the main series, but after suffering a severe stroke, she was replaced (quite ironically) by her dear friend and "All About Eve" co-star Anne Baxter. Baxter plays Trent's sister-in-law Victoria Cabot, but for all intents and purposes the roles are interchangeable. Baxter's cultured, warm Mrs Cabot is the glue that holds the early seasons together (Baxter sadly passed away during production on the third season).

Originally following "Dynasty", HOTEL was a solid ratings winner. It's fun to see some stars from "Dynasty" checking into the St. Gregory (Emma Samms, Heather Locklear, Bo Hopkins and Lloyd Bochner all feature in the debut season, not to mention "Dallas" favourites Charlene Tilton, Steve Kanaly and Ken Kercheval!). This first year also includes the likes of Nanette Fabray, Hermione Gingold, Shirley Jones, Jack Gilford, Hope Lange, Connie Stevens, Leigh Taylor-Young, Lynn Redgrave, Paul Burke, Martin Landau, Carol Lynley, Eleanor Parker and Barbara Parkins.

Let's hope Season Two isn't far away! 80's TV gloss at it's best.

Includes:
* Hotel (movie-length pilot) (guests include Alejandro Rey, Erin Moran, Morgan Fairchild)
* Blackout (guests include Tracy Nelson, Stewart Granger)
* Choices (guests include Peter Marshall)
* Charades (guests include Ron Ely, Peggy Cass, Robert Vaughn)
* Secrets (guests include Michelle Phillips, Robert Reed)
* Relative Losses (guests include Vic Tayback, Donna Pescow)
* Flashback (guests include Cathy Lee Crosby, Diana Canova)
* Confrontations (guests include Abby Dalton, Scatman Crothers, Parker Stevenson)
* Faith, Hope & Charity (guests include Scott Baio, Don Porter)
* Deceptions (guests include John Davidson, Jean Simmons, Elinor Donahue)
* The Offer (guests include Donald O'Connor, Margaret O'Brien, Liberace)
* Christmas (guests include Tori Spelling, Jane Wyatt, Iggie Wolfington)
* Designs (guests include Cristina Raines, Gary Collins, Nolan Miller, Constance McCashin, Monte Markham)
* Reflections (guests include Kay Lenz, McLean Stevenson, Danielle Brisebois, John McCook, Joanna Pettet)
* Tomorrows (guests include Jon-Erik Hexum, Adrienne Barbeau, Anne Jeffreys, Robert Sterling, Sachi Parker)
* Passages (guests include Barnard Hughes, José Ferrer, Pamela Hensley)
* Mistaken Identities (guests include Lance Kerwin, Tom Smothers, Carlene Watkins)
* The Wedding (guests include Mary Crosby, Boyd Gaines, Steve Forrest, Vera Miles, Dina Merrill, Robert Stack)
* Memories (guests include Roy Thinnes, Cassie Yates, Rod McCary)
* Encores (guests include Jan Smithers, Engelbert Humperdinck, Marilyn Hassett)
* Prisms (guests include Louis Jourdan, Eva Gabor, Markie Post, Morgan Brittany)
* Trials (guests include Shelley Winters, Lew Ayres)
* Lifelines (guests include Howard Duff, Sally Kellerman, Ted Shackelford, Melissa Sue Anderson, Denise Alexander)

It was great to see this series again! Please don't stop now... I am anticipating the release of all the seasons!

Nicely done! Holding on for the next season!

Debbie