ABC SUNDAY NIGHT MOVIE: MOONLIGHTING (TV)
Summary
This made-for-television production is the pilot in this comedic private detective series about David Addison and Maddie Hayes of the Blue Moon Detective Agency.
The program opens with Jonathan Kaplan waking early and leaving for a morning jog. Meanwhile, the blonde-mohawked Klaus Gunter arms himself. In the park, Klaus pulls his gun on Jonathan, causing him to flee and get hit by a car. As Jonathan lies on the ground dying, Klaus removes Jonathan's wristwatch. Elsewhere, former model Madeline "Maddie" Hayes awakens to find her chef Andre throwing dishes in anger after receiving another check which bounced. Maid Selma tells Maddie how dire her financial problems seem to be.
Maddie goes to her accountant Alan Webb to learn that her business managers have bilked her and she is now broke. However, Alan tells her that she still owns some liquid assets, mostly financially insolvent business investments that were kept as tax write-offs. Alan tells her to visit each of these businesses and to immediately close them.
She first heads to City of Angels Investigations, meeting with secretary Agnes DiPesto and agency head David Addison. David vaguely recognizes the former model, not letting her get a word in as he tries to place her. Eventually, Maddie reveals that she owns the agency, shocking David. Maddie fires David and tells him she is closing the doors of City of Angels. David can't believe it, calling Maddie a "cold bitch."
That night David sits alone in his office in the dark. A sad Agnes comes by, telling David it is time for them to finally leave. David calls Maddie's house, questioning Selma as to her whereabouts. Meanwhile, Maddie goes to a ritzy restaurant on a date with plastic surgeon Dr. Spellner.
In the meantime, at a family gathering, young Jennifer celebrates her birthday with all her relatives, including her grandfather Heinz. Then, Heinz gets a call from Klaus, claiming he needs to get rid of the watch. David arrives at the restaurant, getting Dr. Spellner to leave the table so that he can speak with Maddie about the "big mistake" she is making in closing down the agency. Meanwhile, Klaus gets pulled over by two sinister men in a limo -- Simon and Alistair -- who wish to "negotiate" for the wristwatch. Klaus tries to flee and is subsequently chased by the pair.
David continues pushing Maddie to keep City of Angels open, claiming he can make her money and be a great detective with her as his partner. David claims that one big case is all he needs to have some success. As David continues pushing Maddie, Klaus runs into the restaurant where Maddie is dining. Klaus emerges from an elevator and slips the watch onto Maddie's wrist. He then keels over with a knife in his back, causing Maddie to faint.
Simon and Alistair observe the watch's transfer from nearby, as does Heinz. Afterward, David meets with the police, who question him about Klaus's murder, as well as Jonathan's death. As the grilling ends, David calls Maddie his "partner," infuriating her.
By the time Maddie leaves the police department, entertainment reporters have intercepted her. Mary Hart asks if it is true that Maddie is forming the Blue Moon Detective Agency with David in order to investigate the crime. An angered Maddie chases after David and he apologizes. David claims he will now be out of her life. However, Maddie needs a ride home and departs with David.
Back at Maddie's house, she and David are held up by Simon and Alistair. Simon questions Maddie and David about the watch, which she claims was left with the police. Simon says he doesn't believe her, and threatens to get "the truth" from them at any cost.
David and Maddie try to talk their way out of a jam with Simon and Alistair. David and Maddie are finally able to take brief control of the situation but quickly squander their advantage. Simon takes David and Maddie to the kitchen, where they are tied up and prepared for torture via a hot stove. Eventually, when Maddie doesn't crack, the men believe that the watch is currently with the police.
Upon the departure of Simon and Alistair, Maddie unties David but David refuses to untie Maddie until he brings her up to speed. David reveals that he switched his own timepiece with the highly desired watch and, in fact, currently wears it. David says they need to escape their situation and won't untie Maddie until she understands. She says she does, then punches him for putting her in mortal danger. They go back to the agency office to spend the night.
The next day, David takes Maddie to a pawn shop to have the watch's value assessed. When he learns the watch is only worth three dollars, he is confused. The pawnbroker finds some numbers etched into the watch that could mean something. After David and Maddie leave, Heinz appears, questioning the pawnbroker on the watch and its numbers.
David gets a morning paper and has Maddie look up Jonathan's obituary. David and Maddie go to interview Jonathan's wife Susan, who immediately recognizes Maddie from her modeling days. They question the drunken Susan about the watch, and she reveals that her father-in-law was a watchmaker who may have helped the Nazis smuggle four million dollars worth of diamonds back to America and into hiding. Susan discusses how her husband would never sell off the precious watch that his father left him, even though a man matching Heinz's description came to their house and offered five thousand dollars for it.
Afterward, David is convinced that the diamonds are still hidden and they have the inside track on them. David and Maddie return to their car to find Simon's corpse in the back seat. David realizes it is a warning while Maddie is freaked out. Maddie eventually tells David that, though she has had "fun" with him, she has to beg out of the detective game. At a bar, Maddie says that she's taking the watch to the police. David relents, but asks her for a dance before they part ways.
By the next day, Maddie storms into City of Angels, angered that David stole the watch from her while dancing and still hasn't closed up shop. David tells her he has figured out where the diamonds may be; he thinks the watch numbers denote latitude and longitude. They go to the library to study a map, which puts the location near a skyscraper with an art deco facade that matches that of the watch's design. David and Maddie go to the building's top floor and make their way to the outside clock face. David thinks the "rocks" are embedded in the actual clock and wants to reach it.
Instead, Maddie climbs to the clock face and gets stuck on the large minute hand. David gets a ladder to try and rescue her but instead puts her in an even more precarious position as the ladder veers backward and leaves her hanging off the side of the building. However, David is able to finally save her. The pair then finds the bag of diamonds which Maddie dislodged from the clock.
Heinz then arrives, pulling a gun on the pair. David throws the diamonds to Maddie and climbs to the end of the ladder, still positioned to hang over the building's ledge. Maddie and David play a game of keep-away, forcing Heinz to pursue David to a dangerous place. Heinz tries to steal the diamonds but instead causes his own fatal fall to the ground, accompanied by the gems. Finally, David climbs back to safety.
The next day at Maddie's house, David again proposes that Maddie become his detective partner. Maddie agrees to think about it over the next twenty-four hours, just as photographers mob them to celebrate the pair's accomplishments. Also includes an "ABC News Brief" with Judd Rose and an "Eyewitness New Brief" hosted by Janet Zappala. Includes commercials. This program is closed-captioned.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: March 3, 1985 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:58:55
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:05142
- GENRE: Comedy; Drama, police/private detective
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Drama, police/private detective
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1985-1989
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - "into the night" motion picture
- TV - Commercials - AT&T calling plans
- TV - Commercials - Almond Joy candy bars
- TV - Commercials - Apple computers
- TV - Commercials - Aqua-fresh toothpaste
- TV - Commercials - Best Foods mayonnaise
- TV - Commercials - Cadbury's fudge
- TV - Commercials - Chevrolet automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Dannon yougurt
- TV - Commercials - Don't Drink & Drive
- TV - Commercials - Fruit Corners fruit bars
- TV - Commercials - G.I. Bill & Army college fund
- TV - Commercials - GTE yellow pages
- TV - Commercials - Kellogg's Raisin Bran cereal
- TV - Commercials - Mazda automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Mercury automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Midas mufflers
- TV - Commercials - Nabisco LifeSavers candies
- TV - Commercials - National Dairy Board for milk
- TV - Commercials - Pacific Bell Yellow Pages
- TV - Commercials - PeoplExpress airlines
- TV - Commercials - Pontiac automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Pontiac automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Prudential-Bache Securities
- TV - Commercials - Skor candy bars
- TV - Commercials - Sony Triniton televisions
- TV - Commercials - Stayfree maxi-pads
- TV - Commercials - Summer's Eve feminine wash
- TV - Commercials - Visine eye drops
- TV - Commercials - Woolite cleaner
- TV - Commercials - Xerox copiers
- TV - Commercials - am/pm mini-markets
- TV - Promos - "Harcastle & McCormick
- TV - Promos - "MacGruder & Loud"
- TV - Promos - "Moonlighting: The Series"
- TV - Promos - "Night of 100 Stars II"
- TV - Promos - "Space Future"
- TV - Promos - "The Fall Guy"
- TV - Promos - "The Gauntlet"
- TV - Promos - "Women in Blue"
- TV - Promos - "World News Tonight With Peter Jennings"
CREDITS
- Glenn Gordon Caron … Executive Producer, Writer
- Jay Daniel … Producer
- Artie Mandelberg … Associate Producer
- Pauline Miller … Associate Producer
- Robert Butler … Director
- Lee Holdridge … Music by, Theme Music by
- Al Jarreau … Theme Music by
- Cybill Shepherd … Cast, Madeline "Maddie" Hayes
- Bruce Willis … Cast, David Addison, Jr.
- Allyce Beasley … Cast, Agnes DiPesto
- Robert Ellenstein … Cast, Heinz
- Jim MacKrell (See also: Jim McKrell) … Cast, Dr. Spellner
- James Karen … Cast, Alan Webb
- Rebecca Stanley … Cast, Susan Kaplan
- Dennis Lipscomb … Cast, Simon
- Frederick Coffin … Cast, Pawnbroker
- Mary Hart … Cast, Herself
- Henry Sanders … Cast, Investigator #1
- Liz Sheridan … Cast, Selma
- Dennis Stewart … Cast, Klaus Gunter
- Joe Whipp … Cast, Investigator #2
- Jean Adams … Cast, Old Lady
- Rachel Bard … Cast, Grandma
- Blake Clark … Cast, Newstand Man
- Suzanne Fagan … Cast, Female Driver
- Sam Hennings … Cast, Jonathan Kaplan
- Joan McMurtrey … Cast, Mother
- Ira Rosenstein … Cast, Bartender
- John Medici … Cast, Andre
- Brian Thompson … Cast, Alistair
- Tricia Tomicic … Cast, Jennifer
- Michael Voletti … Cast, Maitre D'
- for "ABC News Brief"
- Judd Rose … Anchor
- for "Eyewitness News Brief"
- Janet Zappala