Bruce stood up Cybill, who settled for Stu

The first time as a TV critic I did not meet Bruce Willis was in January 1985, when ABC showed the pilot of  “Moonlighting” and introduced the stars to a mass press conference of TV writers at the Century Plaza just outside Beverly Hills.

Well, half the stars, anyway.

Established star Cybill Shepherd showed up in the ballroom. Her nobody co-star, who still had a full head of hair, refused to attend.

In Hollywood, this was astonishingly rude, and bad business. Who was this former bartender to blow off a million dollars worth of free publicity? (ABC flacks knew the critics had fallen in love with the pilot, and the press session would be an easy ride.)

Two major surprises: The Willis no-show, and who escorted the glamorous Shepherd into the ballroom at 8 a.m. — the first big presser of the day. More on that later.

The show was a huge hit. It paved the way into the movies for Willis, the German-born (his father was military and stationed in Germany), off-Broadway actor. He then achieved world-wide acclaim as an action star.

Willis’ hard-on for the press from the jump was more than curious. Weird, actually, because even though he high-hatted the press, journalists were not put off by the snub. It was like the geek who keeps sending  bouquets to the head cheer leader even though he knows she throws them in the trash. 

Shepherd, on the other had, had a goofy sense of humor, liked the press, and it liked her, starting with her role as a sexy teenager in “The Last Picture Show” (and someone should make a sequel). It was known even then that Willis and Shepherd got along on the set like a python and a mongoose. 

Over a long career, the 67-year-old actor generally received warmth and adoration from the press, carrying over from his acting to acclaim for his successful singing career on Motown.

And now that he has been diagnosed with aphasia, there is a torrent of praise.

The best insight into his character probably came during his frequent visits to David Letterman’s late-night TV show, where Willis appeared in a dress, or bald for the first time, or ready to engage in any half-witted but hilarious sketch that showed he was a self-deprecating stitch https://youtu.be/JmMMgKLITpA who delighted in exploding his onscreen heroic image. https://dai.ly/x27a6z 

It never hurt him.

Sadly, we will never see him that way again.

Happily, you can find video all over the internet. https://youtu.be/Tef4zX-O2ow 

Oh — surprise No. 2.

Just before the press conference, I stopped into the ABC penthouse hospitality suite for a cup of coffee.

The place was empty except for. . . Cybill Shepherd, who had walked in for a glass of OJ and, as I remember, to chant, because she was nervous.

So was I.

I had prepared my “press conference questions,” but I was struck dumb by the gorgeous actress in front of me — no retinue, no manager, no press agent.

She looked at my name tag and said, “Oh, Philadelphia Daily News.”

I smiled. “At your service.”

We chatted briefly about “Moonlighting,” and prepared to take the elevator down to the ballroom.

“I’m nervous,” she said with a smile. “Will you give me a hug?”

I smiled and took her in my arms.

She smelled great.

“Do you know how to get to the ballroom?”

I smiled and offered her my arm, which she took and squeezed in the elevator.

It was now 8:05 and the doors to the ballroom were closed.

I opened them and, arm in arm, walked her to her seat on the podium. It was quite an entrance.

There were about 100 journalists in the room and I could tell half the guys had a stroke.

I could see the dropped jaws; I could hear the exploding heads.

The minute the conference ended, I was surrounded by my peers.

“How the hell did that happen?” they wanted to know. “Where did you meet her, where were you coming from?”

My reply then was, “A gentleman never tells.”

You are the first to hear the whole story.

And I never did meet Bruce Willis.