The Nutt House was a once-prestigious New York hotel that had seen better days. You wouldn’t want to stay there but it was fun to look in on the occupants – although there were precious few, because the place was run by a gang of lunatics.
The staff included Ms Frick (Cloris Leachman), the head housekeeper, who was overpaid, overwrought and oversexed; Reginald J Tarkington (Harvey Korman), the manager who was almost as suave as he thought he was; Freddy (Mark Blankfield), the nearly blind elevator operator; Mrs Edwina Nutt (Cloris Leachman in a second role), the eccentric and miserly owner who refused to renovate or invest any money in the hotel; Sally Lonnaneck (Molly Hagan), Mrs Nutt’s secretary (who was almost normal); Charles Nutt III (Brian McNamara), Mrs Nutt’s playboy grandson who had to take charge of the hotel, and an assortment of senile doormen, inept bellboys and incompetent maids.
The Nutt Hotel set was actually the set built for the movie Big Business (1988). The producers couldn’t obtain permission to film inside the actual Plaza Hotel in Manhattan, so had it recreated on sound stages, and built The Nutt House around it to try and recoup construction costs.
Unfortunately, The Nutt House proved an expensive flop. It was poorly received by the viewing public and the show was cancelled before all episodes had been aired.
Ms Frick/Mrs Edwina Nutt
Cloris Leachman Reginald Tarkington
Harvey Korman Charles Nutt III
Brian McNamara Sally Lonnaneck
Molly Hagan Dennis
Gregory Itzin Freddy
Mark Blankfield Maria
Gloria Hayes Dixie
Patti Tippo
