Bruce Willis: stepping away from acting

[Edd]

Moonlighting was groundbreaking TV. They really played with format and seemed to do whatever they wanted. You'd assume its going to be a lightweight crime-solving show, but it was completely original. It ran out of gas fast, kind of like Twin Peaks. I was in high school and a lot of us watched it.

 

[Cmaier]

Moonlighting was groundbreaking TV. They really played with format and seemed to do whatever they wanted. You'd assume its going to be a lightweight crime-solving show, but it was completely original. It ran out of gas fast, kind of like Twin Peaks. I was in high school and a lot of us watched it.

the problem was the actors didn’t get along, the writing had so much dialog that the writers couldn’t keep up with the air schedule, and eventually all those problems meant that it just didn’t make financial sense to continue it. I loved the show, though.

 

[mollyc]

Not sure that made it over here. Or maybe I'm too young!

I'm 48 and remember watching WKRP. It had Loni Anderson in it, who was married to Burt Reynolds for awhile.

 

[Hrafn]

Moonlighting was groundbreaking TV. They really played with format and seemed to do whatever they wanted. You'd assume its going to be a lightweight crime-solving show, but it was completely original. It ran out of gas fast, kind of like Twin Peaks. I was in high school and a lot of us watched it.

Yeah, we enjoyed it as well. I think I liked it better than "Remington Steele".

 

[Yoused]

Yeah, NE was an amazing show, and yes, it's trapped in some kind of rights limbo, I've read it's due to music, but also some contracts with actors, who knows. There were some DVD sets made, and a few still pop up on FleaBay, but I'd love to see it streaming.

I remember one episode where they used the first full stanza of a song called Lay My Love which was the only time I clearly recall hearing an American TV show use Brian Eno (though there is a vast desert of TV beyond my experience).

I did see a very early Bruce Willis' performance, as the main character in the first '80s Twilight Zone episode, Shatterday (a Harlan Ellison classic).

 

[Cmaier]

I remember one episode where they used the first full stanza of a song called Lay My Love which was the only time I clearly recall hearing an American TV show use Brian Eno (though there is a vast desert of TV beyond my experience).

I did see a very early Bruce Willis' performance, as the main character in the first '80s Twilight Zone episode, Shatterday (a Harlan Ellison classic).

I recall an episode where the entire soundtrack was based on billy Joel’s The Bridge album, including having an orchestra perform slowed down instrumental versions of the songs as background music.

 

[Roller]

I wonder if that means he's had some strokes. Aphasia doesn't usually present on its own.

I hated Moonlighting. I've liked Willis more and more as he's aged.

Hard to say. There are several categories of aphasia, as well as multiple causes that include stroke. I wish Mr. Willis well. I’ve been a fan for many years, particularly of the Die Hard films.

 

[Alli]

Yeah, we enjoyed it as well. I think I liked it better than "Remington Steele".

Oh gawd....talk about awful! That show was just plain bad.

Hard to say. There are several categories of aphasia, as well as multiple causes that include stroke. I wish Mr. Willis well. I’ve been a fan for many years, particularly of the Die Hard films.

My mother came up with another unpleasant suggestion, that he's suffering early onset Alzheimer's.

 

[Yoused]

Geez.

Yeah, he had some direct-to-video style stinkers (even some during his peak), but he did make these incredible films:

Die Hard and at least 2, and I enjoy 3 too: SLJ, Jeremy Irons tying the story into #1, it works!
Pulp Fiction
Unbreakable
The Sixth Sense
12 Monkeys

Plus terrific in The Fifth Element, Looper, Last Man Standing.

You left out 2 or 3 of his best ones. I greatly enjoyed Bandits, as he had to play really hard against Billy Bob and Cate. And of course RED (and perhaps its sequel). His movies work best when they are not trying to task him with carrying the whole thing (cf. Nobody's Fool).

 

[Clix Pix]

Oh gawd....talk about awful! That show was just plain bad.

My mother came up with another unpleasant suggestion, that he's suffering early onset Alzheimer's.

Or Dementia with Lewy bodies, which also can present early? Do either of these also include aphasia as part of the package, though?

 

[Yoused]

Or Dementia with Lewy bodies, which also can present early?

He is older than Robin Williams was.

 

[Edd]

WKRP in Cincinnati and Northern Exposure have issues with music rights. I've seen WKRP on Hulu with good songs being replaced by generic garbage. It affects the show a bit. NE doesn't stream at all on the regular services. I assume Moonlighting has similar conflicts.

Northern Exposure is on Prime! Moonlighting is on Hulu, for that matter, but that’s probably been mentioned here.

 

[Citysnaps]

I did see a very early Bruce Willis' performance, as the main character in the first '80s Twilight Zone episode, Shatterday (a Harlan Ellison classic).

Speaking of Ellison... I love this gem: