The British Satire program, Spitting Image aired regularly on the BBC from 1984-1996. It featured famous characters in British and international life re-created in the form of latex puppets, which -- in the manner of newspaper political cartoons -- grossly exaggerated that person's most obvious facial or personality characteristic.

In an April 1988 episode named "The Ron and Nancy Show" created as a special for U.S. television, the central action of the episode is a satire on President and Nancy Reagan wherein there is a 45th anniversary party celebration. In attendance at the party in addition to the Reagans are many celebrities of the time: Bill Cosby, Slyvester Stallone, Tina Turner, Jack Nicholson, Bob Hope, to name a few. Two well known faces from TV are there too: Moonlighting's Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis. They are only on screen for a few seconds, but each snippet manages to send up specific aspects of their relationship and/or public persona.

The Spitting Image Puppet of Cybill Shepherd

The Spitting Image Puppet of Bruce Willis

First Clip:

17 seconds

The first excerpt is a pan around the table where the dinner guests have gathered for a rehersal. Look closely to the right of the screen and about 11 seconds into the clip you will see Cybill and Bruce going at each other. (When the Bob Hope puppet starts to speak, he is standing right beside them.) If you watch this clip closely you will see them smack and push at each other, and then she ends up under the table on the floor, and he is right after her. This clip parodies all the "Cybill and Bruce are fighting" rumors that continued to circulate in the press.

Second Clip:

16 seconds

In this second excerpt the dinner guests have been cued to show support for what Nancy Regan is saying with the directive: "Bang on the table." Watch the Bruce Willis puppet's reaction to this! This little snippet is a clever way to poke fun at the reputation Moonlighting has for bawdy innuendo and double entendre.