1 9 8 0 – 1 9 8 4 (USA)
37 x 30 min episodes
Junior illustrator – and aspiring artist – Kip Wilson (Tom Hanks) and junior copywriter – and aspiring novelist – Henry Desmond (Peter Scolari) work together at the Livingston, Gentry & Mishkin advertising agency in New York City and share an apartment.
When their apartment building is torn down to make way for condos, they have nowhere to go.
The office receptionist Amy (Wendie Jo Sperber), who has a crush on Henry, suggests they stay at her hotel temporarily.
Unfortunately, it’s the Susan B. Anthony Hotel For Women and Kip and Henry must dress as women so they can stay at the all-girl residence.
Kip is “christened” Buffy by Henry and Henry is named Hildegarde by Kip. Amy is the only woman who knows that Buffy and Hildegarde are actually Kip and Henry.
After Kip meets Amy’s roommate, shapely nurse Sonny (Donna Dixon), he decides to stay there permanently to be near her and he convinces Henry to stay to write a book about his experiences living as a woman.
Eventually, Henry and Kip reveal their true identities to the girls at the hotel, but nobody else – including the hotel’s formidable manager Lily Sinclair (Lucille Benson) – seems to catch on.
They finally go into the commercial production business with Amy, taking over the failing firm owned by Henry’s uncle Mort.
Sonny pursues her career as a nurse and Isabel takes over as manager of the hotel while waiting for her big break as an actress.
The series had a large and loyal following, although its ratings were never great.
Kip ‘Buffy’ Wilson
Tom Hanks
Henry ‘Hildegarde’ Desmond
Peter Scolari
Sonny Lumet
Donna Dixon
Isabel Hammond
Telma Hopkins
Amy Cassidy
Wendie Jo Sperber
Ruth Dunbar
Holland Taylor
Lily Sinclair
Lucille Benson
