Hot L Baltimore

Hot L Baltimore Summary | Act 1 Summary

Hot L Baltimore is Lanford Wilson's three-act play about the lives of a motley group of characters, whose lives are about to be altered by the upcoming destruction of a dilapidated hotel in which they reside.

The Hotel Baltimore was built during the heyday of the railroads in the late nineteenth century, and its interior reflects the Art Deco interior design of that period. The hotel's gleaming persona has diminished, along with the waning of the railroad as a means of mass transportation.

Clearly, the hotel has seen better days. The lobby and lounge area is clean, but run down. The lighted sign outside has lost its "e," so that it reads, "Hot L Baltimore."

As the play opens, it is 7 o'clock in the morning on Memorial Day. A young man, named Paul Granger III, sleeps in one of the lounge chairs. Another man, named Bill, who is the night clerk, mans the check-in desk and switchboard, along with a hotel resident referred to only as Girl. Girl is a nineteen-year-old call girl and sometimes sits with Bill during his night shift, when she is between calls.

Bill begins to make wake-up calls to residents via the switchboard. The Girl tries to flirt with him, but he nervously deflects the Girl's attentions. A woman of 68, named Millie, descends the hotel steps and greets Bill and the Girl. Millie bemoans the fact that she has retired from a career as a waitress, yet her body cannot sleep in after rising early for so many years.

Bill mentions that a local hotel called the Pioneer is being torn down and motions to Millie behind the Girl's back, when he says that the Pioneer is not the only hotel falling victim to a wrecking ball. Millie does not register any surprise at this bit of information, clearly resigned to the fate of useless things.

A 55-year-old woman, named Mrs. Bellotti, enters the hotel lobby to look for Mr. Katz, the hotel's manager. Mrs. Bellotti is concerned, because Mr. Katz has evicted her son, named Horse. He has nowhere else to live. Bill repeatedly tells Mrs. Bellotti that Mr. Katz comes into work at 8 o'clock, but she whines about Horse's plight to anyone who will listen.

Bill tries to maintain the switchboard activity among all these distractions and gets frustrated at the Girl's good-natured attempts to help. Bill suggests that the Girl distribute the mail in the residents' mailboxes. The Girl soon sees that the letters are eviction notices and leaves them for the day desk clerk to distribute, as the Girl does not want to be associated with such a negative activity.

Mrs. Bellotti tries to discern from Bill why Mr. Katz has evicted Horse, but Bill defers any response. Finally, Bill suggests that Mrs. Bellotti visit the coffee shop on the corner to wait for Mr. Katz' arrival. Mrs. Bellotti exits the hotel.

Bill changes the subject and begins to talk to Millie again about the time she worked at the soon-to-be demolished Pioneer Hotel. Mille had worked as a waitress there for many years and is proud of the fact that President Calvin Coolidge always requested to sit in her section of tables, when he visited the establishment.

The Girl is inquisitive about any possible encounters Millie may have had with any ghosts in a building that had been around for so long. Millie tells her that there were quite a few ghosts in the hotel, and a few that frequented the restaurant. One ghost in particular was the figure of a shy woman, who never sat, but just stood at the doorway to watch the restaurant activities.

The Girl inquires about the possibility of any ghosts residing in the Hotel Baltimore. Millie advises her that sprits do not like to be discussed, so the topic is dropped. The Girl would like Millie to tell her fortune. However, she abruptly changes the subject, when she hears the whistle of a train. The Girl remembers the conversation about ghosts, and asks Millie what will become of the Hotel Baltimore ghosts. Millie replies that the ghosts will probably move along with the hotel guests with whom they have become attached.

Another hotel resident, a prostitute named April Green, enters the lobby and complains about the lack of hot water this morning. April also complains that it is too light in her room to sleep during the day, and the Girl reminds April that they are observing Daylight Savings Time. April does not like clocks and does not keep one in her room.

April begins to head back to her room upstairs, but the arrival of elderly Mr. Morse into the lobby distracts her. Mr. Morse is outraged. He is getting a cold, because the window in his room will not close all the way. When no one takes Mr. Morse's complaint very seriously, he threatens to hold the hotel responsible for his hospital bill should his health deteriorate any further.

Two more hotel residents, a 24-year-old woman, named Jackie, and her 19-year-old brother, Jamie, enter the hotel lobby. Jackie tries to enlist some help from April, who deflects any requests. Jackie then tries to warm up to Bill, who can see a request for a favor coming. He also deflects Jackie, who decides to wait for Mr. Katz to arrive.

Bill offers to send someone to Mr. Morse's room to close the window, but Mr. Morse declares that it will take someone with some appropriate tools to fix it properly. Bill once more tells Mr. Morse that he will send someone upstairs to close the window.

Jackie sees the possibility to make a quick friend of Mr. Morse and offers to close the window for him. Jackie heads upstairs to work on Mr. Morse's window, despite Bill's request that she not do it. Mr. Morse and Jamie start a game of checkers, and the Girl is once more distracted by the sound of a train whistle. She tells the group that she used to live by a railroad track and misses waving to all the people.

Finally, Mr. Katz arrives for work and inquires about the boy sleeping in the lobby. Bill tells him that the boy has been waiting for Mr. Katz since four o'clock this morning. Mr. Katz tells Mr. Morse that some of the residents have been complaining about Mr. Morse's vocal exercises. April breaks into the conversation with her complaint about the lack of hot water. Suddenly, Bill jumps up, remembering that Jackie had gone to Mr. Morse's room.

Jackie re-enters the lobby and is happy to see Mr. Katz, because she wants to ask a favor. Jackie tells Mr. Katz that she has just paid cash for a new car and needs new license plates. However, she cannot get the plates, until she purchases auto insurance. Jackie has recently lost her job at a pet store and cannot afford the insurance. Jackie does not ask Mr. Katz to give her the money but wants him to co-sign on a loan from the bank.

As Mr. Katz attempts to deflect Jackie's request, another hotel resident and prostitute, named Suzy, enters the hotel lobby with a male customer. The man is impatient, as Suzy chats with her friends in the lobby, and she is informed about the hotel's imminent demise. Mr. Katz disapproves of Suzy entertaining customers in her room, but Suzy contends that the man is a friend. They head upstairs for a drink.

Mrs. Bellotti returns to the hotel to discuss Horse's situation with Mr. Katz, who will not consider any of her pleas to let Horse stay. Horse's alcoholism is his main problem, but Mrs. Bellotti swears that Horse will behave if he is allowed to return. Mr. Katz will not be swayed on the issue and demands that Mrs. Bellotti remove Horse's belongings from his room.

Mrs. Bellotti is now distraught and tells the group that her husband has just had a leg amputated, due to complications from diabetes, and cannot help her with the removal of Horse's items. Mr. Katz tells her to take her time, but to make sure that the articles are removed.

Jamie has overheard this conversation and offers the fact that his and Jackie's father died from diabetes. Jackie chastises Jamie for sharing their personal information. Jackie can smell that Jamie has been smoking and reprimands him for that habit as well. Jamie removes himself from Jackie's presence and offers to help Mrs. Bellotti remove Horse's belongings from his room.

The Girl takes a phone call, which is obviously from her pimp. Bill is irritated that she is making an appointment to meet a customer this early in the morning. The Girl accuses Bill of being an ogre, because he will not give her a ride to her appointment, even though he will be driving right past the hotel where she is to meet her customer.

In the meantime, the others in the group have begun to discuss the eviction notices, and most of the residents have no qualms about leaving the hotel. Jackie claims that she and Jamie are headed for Idaho, anyway, so this news does not affect them at all.

Suddenly, Suzy's customer stalks through the lobby. Suzy appears, wrapped only in a towel, yelling that the man had beaten and locked her out of her own room. Mr. Katz demands that Suzy return to her room, but she is hysterical that no one will come to her defense in the situation.

Paul awakens from his position in the lounge chair, senses the activity around him and declares the hotel to be a flophouse. Suzy and Jackie agree with him, as Mr. Katz continues to yell at her to go upstairs to get dressed. Jamie descends the stairs, carrying a box filled with some of Horse's belongings and drops the box immediately upon seeing Suzy in her state of undress.