Since I just reviewed "Park Place" (the show that was on after this one,on CBS Thursdays:April 9th,16th,23rd & 30th,1981,"4" years before "227".)I figured I'd review this one too. I can't "really" rate it but I do know it was good so I'll give it 8 out of 10.
The set up was this,Florence meets the owner of the St. Fredrick Hotel,located in Manhattan and he hires her to be his executive housekeeper. (In charge of all the other ladies who clean the rooms).
Thus The Jeffersons loses one of it's best characters (temporarily). Co-starring with Marla was M*A*S*H's Larry Linville as the hotel's stuffed shirt manager Lyle Block,basically another Frank Burns role for him,which he was never able to get away from. True to the CBS form at the time,the show was very funny (mostly Florenece's wise-cracks and one-liner insults).
The episode I really remember is the possibility that one of the floors of the hotel is haunted by spirits or ghosts and I remember the end of it where both Linville & Gibbs end up quickly exiting the area,despite having reached the conclusion it's not "spooked".
(Spoiler,kind of:)Despite not being on the air very long,"Checking In" and "Park Place" were yanked off the schedule and Florence returned to, "The Jeffersons". How? The St. Fredrick burns down (off camera),with all barely escaping with their lives! She shows up at George and Lousie's with singed clothes and looking a mess,on top of that her former bosses have hired another housekeeper but after "competing" with each other for the job...she gets her old job back! (Isn't TV great?)
Lastly,all cast members except Jordan Gibbs,had previously or went on to established careers. Liz Torres later co-starred in "The John Laroquette Show",Ruth Brown was a former 1960's Motown singer,Patrick Collins and Robert Costanzo while not leads have guested on a variety of TV shows and done animated voice work,such as "Fairly Odd Parents".
