joe
1st Level
Don't let life de-Dave you...
Posts: 31
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Post by joe on Sept 6, 2010 10:01:49 GMT -5
Hey, Bert Viola and Agnes Di Pesto - a little Italian flavouring to any show is a good thing !
I love it in "In and Outlaws" when he complains about Sicily missing from the ice sculpure, I live in Sicily so grazie mille Bert...
Also when he falls into the car and asks the guy "Are you Italian, can I borrow your sister for a couple of hours " SMACK!
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Post by missingmymoonlight on Sept 15, 2012 20:10:28 GMT -5
Been on this Board too much today, but I just saw this strain and couldn't let the night end without raving about both Herbert Viola and the wonderful actor who played him, Mr. Curtis Armstrong. "Mister" because he earned it as an actor who more than held his own on the show and because I want to show my respect. More specifics later but, in short, Curtis Viola ("take the beltway around this one, bucko") was a GREAT addition to the show. I did NOT enjoy his episodes with Agnes but they were conceived and perceived as supporting players and never meant to carry entire shows. Viva Curtis Armstrong! You ROCK.
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Post by jpen on Sept 15, 2012 21:31:53 GMT -5
missingmymoonlight, I totally agree with you...Curtis added so much to this show! And you gave a shoutout to one of my very favorite Bert scenes (and lines). I LOVE how he stands up to Sam--all 5'5" of him--in defense of his lady love and his bosses. As with my other fave Bert moment (his towel-clad speech in "Tale of Two Cities"--by FAR the best thing about that episode! ), David could take a lesson from his courageous, if hairy, sidekick.
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harvestmoon
1st Level
It's the moon; not tis the sun; if I say tis the moon, then tis the moon!
Posts: 8
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Post by harvestmoon on Oct 4, 2012 13:51:00 GMT -5
It's funny, Bert kind of grew on me. I remember not liking him much when I watched as a teen but from an adult's point of view I think he's fab and very funny. My favourite Bert scene is his first chase in 'Take a Left...' I also love his beepers scene.
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goldilocks
3rd Level
You know he is perfect for me...but you and me...we...we..
Posts: 887
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Post by goldilocks on Oct 8, 2012 18:55:25 GMT -5
Bert Viola... he is cute and very funny. I liked this character from the very beginning. I love it how he can't stop talking and annoys everybody with his long, long speeches My favorite scene is the one from "Perfetc" when he falls on the floor and begins to show "angels". The whole speech is brilliant too! Bert is a part of the Moonlighting family, he is great!
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Post by revisit2015 on Sept 30, 2015 1:46:50 GMT -5
I cannot express more strongly the visceral reaction that Bert Viola inspires in me. That is probably because EVERY character that Curtis Armstrong plays (and his reality show) elicit the same response.
I can't count how many times I've shouted at the screen "Dude, Shut the hell up!".
I guess he fits the cast - far be it for me to judge on that score - but he is the part I like(d) the least about the series.
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Post by bertviola on Nov 8, 2018 23:11:54 GMT -5
I was always quite surprised that the majority of ML-Viewers seemed to hate or at least dislike Bert. I didn't really know Curtis, except for his voice work in American Dad, but I already really liked him there. When I first saw ML 2014, I instantly thought "Hey man, that's Snot!" As for ML, I think he really, really added to the fun and depth of the show. People say they don't like the Bert and Agnes episodes, but I always felt that they mirrored Dave and Maddie, only that they did it right(that's why they got their happy ending). And without Bert, wouldn't it be depressing to see Dave? I mean, basically, he's a very lonely man who has no friends(except those Tomcat guys from NY that he sees like once every 10 years or so). I always thought Bert was great as his Wannabe-Buddy and I liked his approach to being a detective^^. He was clearly a smart guy, but he often made himself sound sort of pseudo-intellectual(although I felt he probably was smarter than Maddie and Dave). To me, Moonlighting really hit its peak when he was on the show. Maybe I feel that way because I didn't get to see the show when it originally ran(it started in March 1985 and that's when I was just created^^). But how can you not like this guy:)? He's such a sweetheart and really seems like the kind of guy you want to be friends with(and in real life, he seems to be one of those few celebreties that really is down to earth). My favorite scene is probably when he serenaded to Agnes:). I remember watching that and almost shedding a tear, thinking how sweet it is:').
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vic
1st Level
Posts: 31
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Post by vic on Nov 10, 2018 15:25:52 GMT -5
Just a little background, which leads into my opinion of Herbert Viola.
I remember when I was a kid, seeing some episodes when it first aired because my mom watched it. I have fleeting memories of the show: Bruce Willis in his heart boxer shorts, and seeing a lot of Mr. Viola and Ms. Dipesto. I didn't care for the show, but I remember disliking the "Booger" guy even more than the nutty secretary.
I just recently got into the show, having read up on it's rise to the top and its demise. I stuck with the early episodes, loved them, and the trio of David, Maddie and Ms. Dipesto. I assumed that the producers introduced Bert as a solution to the decline in ratings, kind of like when family sitcoms add a new kid out of nowhere. I stayed away from the later episodes.
So, as a new fan I still resented Bert.
Then I saw an episode where Agnes was angry at him for some reason and suggests to Maddie making some cuts to staff for financial efficiency and looks to Herbert. The camera pans to Herbert's face, and he has this sudden expression bewilderment and paranoia. In that moment he won me over.
But I still felt that the show was better with it's original formula of David, Maddie, and Agnes. Then I saw more episodes of the four of them, and no, the show's decline was in no way part of Mr. Viola's introduction, and actually, it made the show better. I don't know about the Agnes/Bert-centered episodes, as I've stayed away from those. But every time I see him on the show, it's funny, and it doesn't feel like it's taking away from the saga of Maddie and David.
When he's taking on a surveillance mission with David and taking it super seriously, that was hilarious. When he's telling David, and later the police, about who he thinks is a dirty cop...perfect delivery. When he's talking about "carrying this place" on his shoulders, the agency, and the show as well... his dialogue and the way he delivered was great stuff.
I also liked his rivalry with McGillicuddy.
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Post by northernlight on Aug 9, 2021 12:53:23 GMT -5
I never liked Viola. I found him rather grating. Having watched the show all over again many times on DVD's over the last twelve years, I can see that he was a good character, well-written, brilliantly acted... yet I still can't really take to him.
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