- Title: Armistead Maupin's Tales Of The City
- Date: 28th September 1993
- Summary: Mary Ann Singleton, a fresh-faced girl from Clevelend on holiday in San Francisco, rings her Mom to say she won't be coming home. Her old school-friend, Connie Bradshaw, eager to show her what San Francisco has to offer, introduces her to the mysteries of 'cruising night at the local supermarket' where she meets someone who will become a close friend, Michael Tolliver, who is shopping with his friend Robert. Her apartment-hunting leads Mary Ann to the boarding house at 28 Barbary Lane, where the bohemian landlady, Anna Madrigal, welcomes her with a token home-grown joint. Once settled in her new home, Maryh Ann meets the melange of characters that make up Mrs Madrigal's Barbary Lane 'family'. Mona Ramsey takes Mary Ann uner her wing and finds her a job as Edgar Halycon's secretary at the ad' agency where she works. Edgar's handsome son-in-law Beauchamp Day, whose relationship with his society wife, Dede, seems beyond salvation, succeeds in charming Mary Ann into lunching with him and later invites her for a weekend at a place he knows up the coast. DeDe, having seen her husband with Mary Ann, quizzes him about his 'little lunchtime amusement'. Meanwhile, Edgar, whose own marriage is noticeably strained, visits a faith healer (Ruby Miller) hoping that she will cure his ailing kidneys. Back at Barbary Lane, another member of Mrs Madrigal's 'family', Brian Hawkins, tries his charm on Mary Ann, who isn't interested. Michael 'Mouse' Tolliver, lovelorn best friend who has now split up with Robert, spoils her with Chinese take-away and ends up moving back in with her. Edgar and Anna Madrigal meet for the first time and share sandwiches on a park bench. epi 1 cont... hour 2 Our characters continue their emotional, social and sexual meandering: Beauchamp and Mary Ann; Brian and Connie and then Hillary; DeDe and the grocery boy; Michael and Chuck and then Jon Fielden. Edgar and Anna trade a joint for a kite and Mona trades her job for her pride. Mary Ann despairs of San Francisco, but decides to stay. Beauchamp drives Mary Ann to Bulls Rush Inn, where he wines and dines her and takes her to bed. Meanwhile, Brian meets Connie Bradshaw at the Laundromat where he chats her up and takes her to bed. Mona accompanies Michael to the gay nudist part of the beach and worries that she's a fag hag. DeDe, despairing with her relationship with her ever absent husband, seduces the grocery boy, Lionel Wong, whom Beauchamp bumps into as he arrives back from seducing Mary Ann. Anna and Edgar walk together on the beach where she buys him ten minutes-worth of memories by trading her joint for a kite. In the Halycon board-room, Mona makes her presentation to the poker-faced chairman of 'Adorable Pantyhose' whose sexist comments make her lose her cool and, consequently, her job. Later that day Mona lies on the sofa in Quaalude heaven as Michael and his new companion Chuck arrive home. Brian goes to the Steam Bath House where he chats up a pretty blond called Hillary who plays with his machismo by turning him down because he's not gay. DeDe and Binky 'rap about rape' with Prue Giroux and her fellow debutantes. Michael continues his search for Mr Right, and bumps into gynaecologist Jon Fielden at the skating rink. Mary Ann has had her fill of San Francisco and pines for home, a desire immediately quelled by a phone call from her nagging Mom. Michael and Mona drop in and cheer her up with a 'Poulet Tolliver'.
- Description:A naive young secretary forsakes cleveland for San Francisco,tumbling headlong into a brave new world of laundromat Lotharios,cut throat debutantes and JockeyShorts dance contests.
- Broadcaster:Channel 4
- Collection: Channel 4
- Genre:Entertainment
- Producer:WORKING TITLE FILMS LIMITED
- Programme Episode:Episode 1
- Transmission Date:28/09/1993
- Rights:On Request
- Decade: 1990s