"Sleeping together" connection w/ Remington Steele

[elvira]

You remember the line in "Bride of Tupperman" where Dave and Maddie are on the red-eye to Connecticut and are trying to sleep on the plane (using airplane pillows, etc), and David says something to the essence of, "...we're sleeping together."

Well, I'm going through the DVDs for Season One of "Remington Steele," and Steele (Pierce Brosnan) says a similar thing to Laura (Stephanie Zimbalist) after they both spend the night (with a client in the back seat) sleeping in a car. "Finally," Steele says, "we're sleeping together."

I'm sure someone has brought this up before (many, many times), but since I just saw the "Steele" DVDs, I was reminded of it all over again. After all, the "Steele" episode was written by Glenn Gordon Caron (creator of "Moonlighting"). Coincidence? I think not.

Here: I even did screenshots!



I have links to other screenshots from "Moonlighting" on my home page, in case you are curious. (Lots of screenshots from "Bride of Tupperman"—I guess I will have to post that in the pictures area of this message board!) Moonlighting Screenshots.

By the way, the "Steele" DVDs (or at least what I've seen so far) are quite excellent. Sharp pictures (just like the "Moonlighting" DVDs). If you are a fan, I definitely recommend you checking out "Remington Steele"on DVD as well!

(Edited this post to update web page URL.)

[gypsygem81]

Well I never watched Remington Steel, but it does sound like a bit more than a coincidence. Thanks for the link for the screenshots. They're really great. Why don't you post them on the Bride of Tupperman and My fair David threads?

Love Gem

[queensgirl]

Thanks for the find! I also have the RS first season DVDs, and I was wondering if you have the name of the RS episode with that scene? I would like the chance to check and compare and it's easier if I know which show to jump to. It does sound very familiar.

[Sakura]

Nice screenshots,elvira,I don't know the "Remington Steele" serie,but my father likes it
I think they are very familiar.
How about you?
Sakura_Star1

[elvira]

Thanks everyone!

The "Remington Steele" episode is on the first DVD, entitled "Signed, Steeled and Delivered." It's always been one of my favorite episodes because it's so consistently funny. There's a line where Steele says something like, "If you have ever seen a more pitiful creature in your life, I will leave in an instant!" (This referred to their new client, Sheldon Quarry, a sad sack who was running around town with a mess of red hair dye dribbling all over his head and clothes.) Well, you just have to see it. It's a great episode, and it does not surprise me that Caron wrote it!

Even though I love "Remington Steele" and it is wickedly funny, it definitely goes in a different direction than "Moonlighting." There isn't that same undercurrent of chemistry between the two leads—at least not with the same intensity as in "Moonlighting." Steele (Pierce Brosnan) is more of a "gentleman"—witty and whimsical, but not whacky and sexist (like David). Steele and Laura have opposite traits (like any good romantic comedy couple does), but these differences aren't quite so marked as with Maddie and David.

[Cindy]

Elvira

I really like your site. The screen caps are great and I love you doing the comparison with Moonlighting and Remington Steele in that one episode. You know if we sat here and discussed it I think we could find a lot of comparisons between the two.

Both are trying to make failed detective agency's work.

Both have woman Boss/business owener and male employee/detective.

Both mixed in romance and comedy and drama.

Both had sharp, witty repartee like dialogue.

Both shows started out centered our a successful lead actress but rapidly became a showcase for rising young lead actor.

[elvira]

Wow, thanks Cindy!

Yes, there are a lot of similarities between both shows; you described them very well. And you're right—there are many more similarities that I'm sure we'd uncover!

To my recollection, "Steele" went more with solving a case, where Moonlighting was more "relationship" driven. (And as we know, David was more of a sexist, while Steele was a "gentleman." Steele was "safer," in a way.)

[tobiagorrio]

"Steele" was also much more influenced by old movies than "Moonlighting" was, even though (ironically) Moonlighting got all the credit for referencing old movies, when it really didn't do it that often. "Steele" was intended to have the look and feel of an old Cary Grant movie, while Moonlighting was more modern-looking.

[Mulberry]

I don't know, but I can find a lot of references to old movies in Moonlighting. The main continuous reference I can think of is a stylistic one - the overlapping dialogue is very like Bringing up Baby and screwball comedies of the 1930s. Then there's the Big Man on Mulberry Street reference to the Broadway Melody sequence in Singing in the Rain (and Stanley Donen directed that episode). Then there's the Agnes/Burt episodes that reference North by Northwest (North by North Dipesto), Casablanca (Here's Living with you, Kid). And there's also the Bride of Frankenstein reference in Bride of Tupperman, and It's a Wonderful Life references in It's a Wonderful Job. My Fair David refers to My Fair Lady of course. Then there are the homages to 1940s films (MGM and Warner Bros) in The Dream Sequence always rings twice.

I'm sure there are many more, but it's a Monday morn and I've only had one cuppa so far..

Mul

[anadxof]

Wonderful screenshots, elvira! You mind if I take the ones you posted here? Will credit, of course. Just yesterday I watched the video of these two episodes in youtube, and these screen shots definitely show the similarities, even in the look of both male detectives. ;D
I love RS too. But yeah, Steele was "safer". Laura resisted 5 years!