Dallas (TV series)

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Dallas
Dallas title card from the 1989-1990 television season.
Genre	Soap Opera
Running time	45 Minutes
Creator(s)	David Jacobs
Starring	Barbara Bel Geddes Mary Crosby Jim Davis Patrick Duffy Linda Gray Larry Hagman Susan Howard Steve Kanaly Howard Keel Ken Kercheval Priscilla Presley Victoria Principal Dack Rambo Donna Reed Charlene Tilton Sheree J. Wilson
Country of origin	United States
Original channel	CBS
Original run	April 2, 1978–May 3, 1991
No. of episodes	357

Dallas was a popular, long-running primetime television soap opera about the Ewings, a very wealthy Texas oil family. It aired on the CBS network for 13 seasons, from April 2, 1978 to May 3, 1991, replacing the long-running crime drama, Kojak, which already ended its five-year run. It was broadcast around the world and is still considered to be the most successful drama series in TV history, in or out of the United States.

The Dallas series is probably best-known for the central character of J.R. Ewing, the vain, greedy, scheming, crass oil baron played by Fort Worth native Larry Hagman for the show's entire run. Ironically, J.R. was only meant to be a supporting character when the show premiered (the show was originally to be based around J.R.'s brother Bobby and his new bride Pam); however, the popularity of J.R. took off and he became the focus of the series.

Creator David Jacobs originally created and pitched Knots Landing, but CBS wanted a more glamorous show. Jacobs therefore created Dallas around a wealthy oil family. When Dallas proved to be a hit, CBS again turned to Jacobs to create a show, and Knots Landing was aired as a spinoff. Dallas started as a miniseries in April 1978 and was originally shot entirely on location in Dallas, Texas. Later, most interiors were shot at the MGM studios in Hollywood, CA.

Contents 1 Background 2 Cast of characters 3 Important secondary characters 4 Family tree 5 Famous episodes 6 Production details 7 Ratings 8 Dallas cliffhangers 9 DVD releases 10 References 11 Trivia 12 Dallas the Movie 13 Dissecting Dallas podcast 14 See also 15 External links

[edit] Background

This show was known for its sex, intrigue, struggling for money and power. When the series began, the founder of Ewing Oil and patriarch of the Ewing family was Jock (veteran movie actor Jim Davis), who had a lot of experience working in the oil wells and had supposedly schemed his partner, Digger Barnes (David Wayne later replaced by Keenan Wynn) out of his share and only love, Miss Eleanor "Ellie" Southworth (veteran stage/movie actress Barbara Bel Geddes). Together they raised three sons, J.R. (played by Larry Hagman), Gary (David Ackroyd later replaced by Ted Shackelford) and Bobby (Patrick Duffy). J.R. was the oldest, scheming, evil Ewing son, who was unhappily married to a former Miss Texas, Sue Ellen Shepard Ewing (Linda Gray). When he was looking for something or somebody, he would pretty much stop at nothing to attain his goal. J.R. was frequently opposed by his younger brother, Bobby, who wasn't just a ladies' man, but was also handsome and had the morals and integrity his older brother didn't have. After the Ewing family's illegimate son (though this was not revealed until a later season) and ranch foreman, Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly) had a short fling with an attractive young woman, Pamela Barnes (Victoria Principal), who was Digger Barnes' daughter and Cliff's (Ken Kercheval) sister, Bobby married her; Ray was dejected by this. After the new marriage, J.R. continued to jeopardize the new family's relationship to his advantage as president of Ewing Oil. Throughout the many seasons, the Ewings lived on a ranch called Southfork in Dallas, Texas. Southfork was the previous home of Miss Ellie's family, the Southworths.

During its second season, Lucy's (Charlene Tilton) mother, Valene (Joan Van Ark) arrived in Texas with Gary to reconnect the relationship they never had. Gary, an estranged son and black sheep of the clan who had been an outsider to his family tried to work for his brother but had found the work increasingly hard. J.R. was able to drive Gary and Valene away, leaving their only daughter to live at Southfork. Later, the following season, both Bobby and Miss Ellie had helped both Gary and Val out in purchasing a brand new house near the Fairgate Family's home (there was interplay between the two shows, especially during the early seasons), in California in a fictional suburban area called Knots Landing, after the two got remarried.

[edit] Cast of characters

Larry Hagman (original cast) as John Ross "J.R." Ewing, Jr.

Eldest son of Jock and Miss Ellie.

Patrick Duffy (original cast) as Bobby James Ewing (1978-1985, 1986-1991)

Youngest son of Jock and Miss Ellie.

Barbara Bel Geddes (original cast) (1978-1984, 1985-1990) and Donna Reed (1984-1985)

as Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Southworth Ewing Farlow

Jock's wife, whose family owned Southfork Ranch originally.

Jim Davis (original cast) as John Ross "Jock" Ewing, Sr. (1978-1981)

Founder of Ewing Oil and head of the Ewing family.

Victoria Principal (original cast) as Pamela Barnes Ewing (1978-1987)

Bobby's wife, who is forced to act as a buffer between the two feuding families.

Linda Gray (original cast) as Sue Ellen Shepard Ewing (1978-1989)

J.R.'s long-suffering wife.

Charlene Tilton (original cast) as Lucy Ewing Cooper (1978-1985, 1988-1990)

Gary & Val's daughter. Saucy granddaughter of Jock and Miss Ellie.

Ken Kercheval (original cast) as Clifford "Cliff" Barnes

Pam's brother, whose schemes are aimed directly against the Ewings.

Steve Kanaly (original cast) as Ray Krebbs (1978-1988)

Ranch foreman; Jock's illegitimate son.

Susan Howard as Donna Culver Krebbs (1979-1987)

Political woman who marries Ray.

Mary Crosby (1979-1981) and Colleen Camp (briefly in 1979) as Kristin Shepard

Sue Ellen's scheming sister, who has an affair with J.R. and then shoots him in the famous cliffhanger.

Howard Keel as Clayton Farlow (1981-1991)

Dignified, and sometimes hot tempered, oil baron. Miss Ellie's second husband, after the death of Jock.

Priscilla Beaulieu Presley (1983-1988), Morgan Fairchild (briefly in 1978), and Francine Tacker (briefly in 1980) as Jenna Wade

Bobby's first true love, before Pam.

Dack Rambo as Jack Ewing (1985-1987)

A wandering cousin.

Sheree J. Wilson as April Stevens Ewing (1986-1991)

Jack's ex-wife who eventually marries Bobby.

George Kennedy as Carter McKay (1988-1991)

Becomes the head of WestStar oil and the adversary of J.R.

Cathy Podewell as Cally Harper Ewing (1988-1991)

J.R.'s second wife.

Sasha Mitchell as James Richard Beaumont (1989-1991)

J.R.'s illegitimate son.

Kimberly Foster as Michelle Stevens Beaumont Barnes (1989-1991)

April's sister.

Barbara Stock as Liz Adams (1990-1991)

Cliff's girlfriend during the final season.

[edit] Important secondary characters

Ted Shackelford (1979-1981) and David Ackroyd (briefly in 1978-1979) as Garrison Arthur "Gary" Ewing

Alcoholic black sheep of the Ewing family and Lucy's father, who moves away to California to star in the spin-off series Knots Landing.

Joan Van Ark as Valene Ewing (1978-1981)

Gary's wife and Lucy's mother.

David Wayne (1978-1979) and Keenan Wynn (1979-1980) as Willard "Digger" Barnes

Cliff and Pam's father, former partner and sworn enemy of Jock Ewing. A legendary prospector but erratic personality, it was implied in Dallas: The Early Years that Digger could smell oil underground.

Tina Louise (original cast) as Julie Grey (1978-1979)

J.R.'s secretary and mistress in the beginning.

Don Starr as Jordan Lee (1978-1990)

A member of the cartel.

Fern Fitzgerald as Marilee Stone (1978-1990)

Promiscuous female member of the cartel, whose husband committed suicide after losing money in a deal with J.R.

Barbara Babcock as Liz Craig (1978-1982)

Pam's boss at The Store.

George O. Petrie as Harv Smithfield (1979-1991)

The Ewing family's attorney.

Tom Fuccello as Senator Dave Culver (1979-1991)

Donna's stepson.

Jared Martin as Steven "Dusty" Farlow (1979-1982, 1985, 1991)

Clayton's son and Sue Ellen's one-time lover.

Randolph Powell as Alan Beam (1979-1980)

Smooth-talking, ambitious lawyer who works for J.R. and was briefly engaged to Lucy.

Martha Scott as Patricia Shepard (1979 and 1985)

Sue Ellen and Kristin's mother.

Leigh McCloskey as Mitch Cooper (1980-1982, 1985, 1988)

Lucy's husband and Afton's brother.

Morgan Woodward as Punk Anderson (1980-1988)

Oil executive and good friend to Jock and Miss Ellie.

Joanna Cassidy as Sally Bullock (1980-1981)

Shipping magnate who sleeps with J.R.

Morgan Brittany as Katherine Wentworth (1981-1984, 1985, 1987)

Wicked half-sister of Pam and Cliff, who shot Bobby.

Priscilla Pointer as Rebecca Blake Barnes Wentworth (1981-1983)

Mother of Pam, Cliff and Katherine.

William Smithers as Jeremy Wendell (1980-1981, 1984-1989)

Head of the powerful WestStar Oil and proverbial thorn in J.R.'s side.

Audrey Landers as Afton Cooper (1981-1984, 1989)

Mitch's sister and aspiring singer who becomes Cliff's girlfriend.

Susan Flannery as Leslie Stewart (1981)

A public relations agent who works with Ewing Oil and secretly tapes her conversations with J.R.

Deborah Rennard as Sylvia "Sly" Lovegren (1981-1991)

J.R.'s secretary.

Deborah Tranelli as Phyllis (1981-1991)

Bobby's secretary.

Sherill Lynn Rettino as Jackie Dugan (1979-1991)

Cliff's secretary.

Alice Hirson as Mavis Anderson (1982-1987)

Punk's wife and Miss Ellie's close friend.

John Beck as Mark Graison (1983-1984, 1985-1986)

Pam's one-time fiancé who owns and operates Graisco.

Lois Chiles as Holly Harwood (1982-1983)

Oil heiress who becomes involved in a complex scheme with J.R. and causes Sue Ellen to drink again.

Timothy Patrick Murphy as Mickey Trotter (1982-1983)

Ray's rebellious cousin who becomes involved with Lucy.

Christopher Atkins as Peter Richards (1983-1984)

Young lover of Sue Ellen and mentor to little John Ross.

Omri Katz as John Ross Ewing III (1983-1991)

J.R. and Sue Ellen's son.

Shalane McCall as Charlie Wade (1983-1988)

Jenna's daughter.

Alexis Smith as Lady Jessica Farlow Montford (1984, 1990)

Clayton's criminally insane sister.

Daniel Pilon as Renaldo Marchetta (1984-1985)

Jenna's ex-husband and Charlie's father.

Jenilee Harrison as Jamie Ewing Barnes (1984-1986)

Cousin to the Southfork Ewings who marries Cliff.

Deborah Shelton as Mandy Winger (1984-1987)

A model who becomes one of J.R.'s many mistresses.

Joshua Harris as Christopher Ewing (1985-1991)

Bobby and Pam's adopted son, biological son of Kristin Shepard and Jeff Farraday.

Barbara Carrera as Angelica Nero (1985-1986)

Exotic businesswoman who dangerously tangles with J.R.

Steve Forrest as Ben Stivers/Wes Parmalee (1986)

Ranch hand who claims to be Jock.

Jack Scalia as Nicholas Pearce (1987-1988, 1991)

Stockbroker who becomes infatuated with Sue Ellen.

Andrew Stevens as Casey Denault (1987-1989)

Young hustler who works for J.R.

Leigh Taylor-Young as Kimberly Cryder (1987-1989)

Daughter of the largest owner of WestStar stock, whom J.R. tries to marry in order to gain control of the company.

Beth Toussaint as Tracy McKay Lawton (1988-1989)

Carter McKay's daughter who becomes involved with Bobby.

J. Eddie Peck as Tommy McKay (1989)

Son of Carter McKay, a drug dealer.

Jeri Gaile as Rose Daniels McKay (1989-1991)

Carter's young wife.

Ian McShane as Don Lockwood (1989)

Film director who directs Sue Ellen's idea for an unflattering film about J.R.

Gayle Hunnicutt as Vanessa Beaumont (1989-1991)

Old flame of J.R.'s and James' mother.

Lesley-Anne Down as Stephanie Rogers (1990)

PR woman who plots to make Cliff a powerful political figure.

Susan Lucci as Sheila Foley (1990-1991)

Psychotic kidnapper.

Barbara Eden as LeeAnn de La Vega (1990-1991)

Old girlfriend of J.R. who plots revenge against him.

[edit] Family tree

John Ross "Jock" Ewing, Sr.

Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Southworth Ewing Farlow

Clayton Farlow

John Ross "J.R." Ewing, Jr.

Garrison "Gary" Ewing

Bobby James Ewing

Pamela Barnes Ewing

[edit] Famous episodes

Dallas is also known for a number of famous episodes that made TV history:

• "A House Divided" and "Who Done It?" — The 1979-1980 season ended with the show's anti-hero, J.R. Ewing, being shot (in the episode "A House Divided"). Viewers had to wait all summer (and most of the fall due to a Hollywood actors' strike) to learn whether J.R. would survive, and which of his many enemies was responsible. "Who Done It?" aired on November 21, 1980, with the revelation that Sue Ellen's sister Kristin, shot him in a fit of anger. It was one of the highest-rated episodes of a TV show ever aired. A session of the Turkish parliament was even suspended to allow legislators a chance to get home in time to view the episode. The great success of this stunt helped usher in the practice of ending a television season with a big cliffhanger. This entered into United States popular culture, with t-shirts printed with such references as "Who shot J.R.?" and "I Shot J.R.!" being common over the summer. Charles Rocket, an actor on Saturday Night Live's controversial 1980 season, lost his job after he cursed on-air in reference to "who shot J.R.".

• "The Fourth Son" — Steve Kanaly, who played the role of ranch foreman Ray Krebbs, was growing frustrated with the direction of his character and was heavily considering leaving Dallas altogether. In 1980, while playing racquetball with Larry Hagman, Kanaly was convinced in a conversation that if any of the actors on the set resembled a son of Jock Ewing it would be him. Hagman dreamt up a storyline that Ray Krebbs would be the illegitimate son of Jock. With some convincing, Hagman then persuaded Leonard Katzman that the idea would work. However, previous episodes portrayed Kanaly having an affair with Jock's granddaughter, Lucy Ewing, so Katzman let the on-screen affair die-off and be forgotten before they utilized the storyline. It was originally slated to develop in the episode, "Dove Hunt", with Jock revealing the surprise in confidence to J.R., but this idea was nixed. Instead, the storyline unfolded on December 12, 1980. Ray's supposed father, Amos Krebbs (William Windom), who left him as a small boy, would show up on Ray's doorstep (with Ray wanting nothing to do with him). Amos Krebbs would later meet Jock and produce a diary belonging to his wife, Margaret Krebbs, Ray's mother, in which she admitted having an affair with Jock during the end of World War II. Margaret writes of Ray's first birthday and wishing his father (Jock) could be there. This was a landmark episode because it elevated Ray's status with the entire Ewing clan and also served as a basis for future storylines where Ray, J.R., and Bobby would unite as brothers and fight as Ewings.

• "Swan Song" — In the 1984-85 season ending cliffhanger, Jenna Wade, Bobby Ewing's fiancee is released from prison. (She was in it earlier in the season for a false accusation of murder against her ex-husband.) J.R.'s wife Sue Ellen has started drinking again, and thinks that she has seen her ex-lover Dusty Farlow. Bobby Ewing is unsure if he wants to marry Jenna, because he has started to have feelings for his ex-wife Pam. Lucy Ewing decides to marry her ex-husband Mitch Cooper, and the wedding is held at Southfork. Jenna can see at the wedding that Bobby is acting different, and she figures out that he is in love with Pam. After the wedding Bobby goes and proposes to Pam. She accepts! The next day, when Bobby is leaving to go tell Jenna that it's over, he gets hit by a car driven by his ex-sister-in-law Katherine Wentworth. He is then taken to the hospital and dies.

• "Blast From The Past" — One of the show's stars, Patrick Duffy, left the program in the spring of 1985. His character, Bobby, was plowed down by a car and died, on camera, on May 17, 1985. With ratings falling, and Duffy's career at a standstill, he agreed to return to the show for the 86-87 season. With Duffy in tow, the producers ended the 1985-1986 season (on May 16, 1986) with an episode in which a series of spectacular, improbable events take place (including an explosion in J.R.'s office which kills Sue Ellen), culminating in a scene where Pam wakes up in bed, to be greeted by Duffy emerging from a shower. In the closing credits for that episode, there was the bizarre credit of "Also Starring Patrick Duffy as ", leaving doubt as to exactly whom Duffy was portraying. Fans had to wait until September 26 to learn how the writers would explain his return. Most were disappointed with the solution, a pure deus ex machina: Pam had dreamt the entire previous season (1985-1986), including Bobby's death (an example of retroactive continuity, or a retcon). This caused a conflict elsewhere, as references to Bobby's death were made in the spin-off TV show, Knots Landing. After this, Dallas and Knots Landing effectively cut ties as they then took place in different universes.

• "Fall of The House of Ewing" — This cliffhanger marked the end of a contract player, as Victoria Principal had decided to leave the show after 10 seasons. The storyline had Pam returning to Southfork after phoning Bobby telling him after all their struggles to conceive a baby, she could finally be pregnant. Suddenly, an oil truck comes out of nowhere and a distracted Pam crashes into it, igniting a huge fireball. Pam survives the accident but is left with third degree burns. While in the hospital, she is suddenly whisked away, leaving no trace. Later in the season, she divorces (by mail) Bobby, giving him custody of their adopted son, Christopher. In subsequent seasons it is revealed that Pam was dying and chose to let her family believe that she had left, thus sparing them the trauma of watching her deteriorate.

• "Conundrum" — This, the series finale, saw a despondent and drunk J.R., having lost almost everything with meaning to him, roaming around Southfork with a gun, contemplating killing himself. In a sequence reminiscent of It's a Wonderful Life, an angel (played by Joel Grey) visits J.R. and shows him what life would be like if he had never been born. In this alternate reality, Gary had taken over Ewing Oil, and had eventually run it into the ground. The stress of seeing his beloved company ruined had killed Jock, and Ellie had soon followed. Among the things J.R. sees are the selling (and demolition) of Southfork, on which tract houses were built (by Jason Ewing, who would have been J.R.'s replacement in the family); Gary Ewing as a successful divorce lawyer (who never married); Bobby Ewing as a down-and-out divorcee struggling to make alimony payments to his wife and pay off his gambling debts to Carter McKay (who owns a casino); Sue Ellen as a successful actress who never had a drinking problem; Cliff Barnes as Vice President of the United States; Ray as an ordinary ranch hand (who had never learned of his Ewing ancestry); Cally (J.R.'s second wife) as a battered spouse; and Kristin Shepard (who never was killed at the end of the 1980-81 season) as a successful con artist. J.R. doesn't like any of this, and the angel is revealed to be a minion of Satan...at which point J.R. wakes up, thinking it's a dream. The minion reappears in J.R.'s mirror, egging him on to pull the trigger, which he does—just as Bobby walks into the house. He runs into J.R.'s room, sees the damage, and says "Oh, my God"—at which point the episode ends, as well as the series. (This was later resolved in the TV movie "JR Returns.")

[edit] Production details

A spin-off series, "Knots Landing", ran from 1979 to 1993.

Produced by Leonard Katzman, the "Dallas" television series was one of the first to be distributed globally. "Dallas" was eventually translated and dubbed into 90 languages in over 67 countries, a record that to this day still stands for an American television series.

The "Who Done It?" episode of "Dallas" that revealed "Who shot J.R.?", the famous 1980 cliffhanger, received the highest domestic ratings at that point with over 90 million American viewers tuning in for the answer. The last episode of M*A*S*H in 1983 finally beat the ratings; however, internationally "Dallas" still holds the record for the highest rated episode with nearly 360 million viewers tuning in to see who shot J.R.

[edit] Ratings

The show's seasonal rankings were as follows.

• #44 (Miniseries, 1978)
• #40 (Season 1, 1978–79)
• #6 (Season 2, 1979–80)
• #1 (Season 3, 1980–81)
• #1 (Season 4, 1981–82)
• #2 (Season 5, 1982–83)
• #1 (Season 6, 1983–84)
• #2 (Season 7, 1984–85)
• #6 (Season 8, 1985–86)
• #11 (Season 9, 1986–87)
• #22 (Season 10, 1987–88)
• #30 (Season 11, 1988–89)
• #43 (Season 12, 1989–90)
• #61 (Season 13, 1990–91)

[edit] Dallas cliffhangers

Dallas was notable for having a large amount of cliffhangers. Throughout the series' run, every season ended with some sort of cliffhanging ending designed to drive ratings up for the season premiere the following year.

Miniseries cliffhanger: Although this really wasn't a cliffhanger, the end of the fifth episode of this pilot miniseries saw J.R. go up to the loft of the barn to talk to Pam, who had gone up there to escape the wild time at the barbecue that was going on during the episode. J.R., intoxicated, tries to convince her to tell Bobby not to leave the ranch. However, she doesn't want to be bothered, and in trying to escape J.R. she falls off the loft, landing square on her stomach.

Resolution: Pam, who was pregnant with Bobby's child at the time, lost the baby and had her ability to conceive afterwards called into question.

Season One cliffhanger: Sue Ellen's drinking problem has landed her in a sanitarium, where she is pregnant with a child she believes is Cliff Barnes' (although this would later be proven false). She escapes from the sanitarium, gets drunk, and then gets into a severe car accident, putting her life and the baby's life in danger. The doctors deliver the baby, named John Ross Ewing III (after his father and grandfather), but he is very small on delivery and isn't out of the woods yet. Neither is his mother, who as the episode ends is clinging to life. A very distraught J.R. is watching his wife at the end of the episode in tears, saying that she's "just gotta live".

Resolution: After a two part season premiere in which the child was kidnapped, John Ross is returned to the hospital and Sue Ellen recovers, although the doubt surrounding her newborn son's paternity lingers for a while afterwards (DNA testing finally puts the paternity question to rest).

Season Two cliffhanger: To cap off a season where J.R. has angered nearly everyone in the state of Texas, someone comes into his office late at night and shoots him twice.

Resolution: As a result of the shooting, J.R. is temporarily paralyzed from the waist down and faces a long recovery. An investigation into the crime is conducted, and eventually Sue Ellen (who was the prime suspect) confronts Kristin, her sister about the shooting...and the mystery is solved. Sue Ellen realized that that night she stormed into Kristin's apartment with gun in hand and very drunk. Kristin calmly gives her another drink knowing full well that she could barely stand. After putting her unconscious in her car she takes the gun and shoots J.R. with it, later planting it in the house to frame Sue Ellen. However, Kristin is pregnant with J.R.'s baby, so he refuses to have her prosecuted, fearing another scandal. It is later revealed that after leaving Dallas, Kristin almost immediately miscarries J.R.'s child. Wishing to be able to blackmail J.R. at a later date, Kristin quickly becomes pregnant again with boyfriend Jeff Farraday (Art Hindle), and later gives birth to a boy, Christopher, who she claims is J.R.'s child.

Season Three cliffhanger: On his way to a late night business meeting with Bobby, Cliff notices a female body in the pool. He goes into the pool to see who it is (we are never told in this part who it is, although the viewer is led to believe it's Pam), then looks up to find J.R. standing on the balcony over the pool, right near a broken area where the person fell. Cliff, thinking J.R. did it, said, "She's dead. You bastard."

Resolution: The body was revealed to be that of Kristin Shepard, who earlier that year was revealed to have shot J.R. Her cause of death was ruled to be a combination of drowning and a PCP overdose. In the months that follow, Kristin's boyfriend Jeff Farraday, desperate for money to repay various drug dealers and other lowlifes, "sells" the infant Christopher Shepard to Bobby and Pam, and he is raised as Christopher Ewing.

Season Four cliffhanger: Cliff Barnes had been having a rotten year. First of all, his relationship with Sue Ellen (which had been rekindled that year) came to an end when Sue Ellen and J.R. decided to remarry after divorcing the previous season. To top it all off, thanks to J.R., Cliff nearly drove his mother's tool company into bankruptcy, causing him to lose his job. He ends up attempting suicide, and while he lays in a hospital bed, comatose, Sue Ellen tells J.R. that if Cliff dies they will not remarry.

Resolution: Cliff emerges from his coma in the second episode of the season, and Sue Ellen and J.R. remarry later on, with Cliff humiliating himself during the ceremony.

Season Five cliffhanger: Thanks to a hit-and-run accident involving a man out to kill J.R., Ray Krebbs' cousin is in the hospital, paralyzed and in a coma. Ray comes over to Southfork to confront J.R., blaming him for what happened. J.R. asks, "Are you drunk?" Ray replies, "No, I'm stone cold sober, and now I'm going to kill you." They fight, and during the course of the fight J.R. accidentally starts a fire. J.R. knocks Ray out and tries to get upstairs to Sue Ellen and John Ross, who are asleep (passed-out drunk, in Sue Ellen's case) and unaware of the fire creeping up to the second floor. Unfortunately, a falling beam knocks him down as Southfork burns around him.

Resolution: J.R. was able to get to John Ross and they jumped out of his bedroom window together into the pool. Bobby saved Sue Ellen. Ray's cousin, after awaking, became despondent over his paralysis and relapsed into another coma, at which point Ray illegally pulled the plug on him. Ray was found guilty of manslaughter, but was given a suspended sentence by a compassionate judge.

Season Six cliffhanger: Just like in season two, J.R. was crossing people left and right. And just like in season two, one night someone broke into his office at Ewing Oil and shot the man in J.R.'s office (who was sitting with his back to the assassin) three times. However, Bobby, sitting in the chair, takes the bullets and falls to the floor.

Resolution: Bobby was revealed to be the target. It turned out that the obsessive Katherine decided if she couldn't have him no one will. Bobby survives, and she is eventually caught.

Season Seven cliffhanger: Bobby and Pam have been divorced for some time now at this point. However, during a wedding later in the episode, Bobby reveals that he wants to remarry Pam, and they agree to do so. The following morning, Bobby is set to leave and return to Southfork to relay the news to his fiancee Jenna Wade, but is hit by a car trying to save Pam from being struck (by an escaped Katherine) and immediately goes into convulsions. He is rushed to the hospital, where after saying his final goodbyes to everyone, sheds one tear and dies.

Resolution: see "Famous Episodes."

Season Eight cliffhanger: As stated before, Pam wakes up to find someone in her shower. She opens the door to find her husband, alive and well.

Resolution: see "Famous Episodes."

Season Nine cliffhanger: Pam, on her way home from the doctor's after finding out she can conceive a baby, crashes into an oil tanker, which bursts into flames and engulfs the car, in which she is trapped.

Resolution: see "Famous Episodes."

Season Ten cliffhanger: After another Ewing divorce, J.R. and Sue Ellen's beau, Nicholas Pearce, get into a huge fight in J.R.'s high-rise condo, with Pearce falling off the balcony to his death. Sue Ellen, believing J.R. to have murdered Nicholas, shoots her husband three times.

Resolution: J.R. recovers (in true Dallas fashion, he had been shot three times in chest, but not seriously wounded!), and they mutally agree not to press charges against each other. However, later that season, J.R. finds himself in hot water with another woman.

Season Eleven cliffhanger: Sue Ellen, tired of being mentally beaten down by J.R., gives him a preview of what could happen if she got her revenge on him, showing him her biographical movie that would make him "the laughing stock of Texas", and threatening to release it if he ever displeases her again. She then, triumphantly, walks out his life forever (or until the reunion movie, at least).

Resolution: This never really was resolved, as no mention was made of the movie ever again.

Season Twelve cliffhanger: After committing himself to a sanitarium in order to get a voting majority in Weststar Oil, J.R.'s plan backfires when Cally Harper, his latest scorned woman, and his illegitimate son James Beaumont coerce HIM into signing a property waiver, and ends with James tearing up J.R.'s release papers, forcing him to stay in the asylum.

Resolution: After being placed in solitary confinement in the sanitarium and being diagnosed with paranoia, J.R. ends up leaving the sanitarium after bargaining with Cally.

Season Thirteen cliffhanger: After being shown what life would be like without him and being egged on by the devil to kill himself, J.R. fires a gun in his room. Bobby enters looks down, exclaims "Oh my God!", and we are led to believe that J.R. Ewing has committed suicide.

Resolution: J.R. shot the mirror, where the devil was appearing to him, and left Southfork that night for a stay in Europe, where he remained for five years.

[edit] DVD releases

• Seasons 1 and 2 were released on Region 1 DVD on August 8, 2004, and on Region 2 DVD on November 1, 2004.
• Season 3 was released on Region 1 DVD on August 9, 2005 and on Region 2 DVD on September 26, 2005.
• Season 4 was released on Region 1 DVD on January 24, 2006, and on Region 2 DVD on May 22, 2006.
• Season 5 was released on Region 1 DVD on August 1, 2006, and will be released on Region 2 DVD on Nov 17, 2006.
• Season 6 will be released on Region 1 DVD on January 30, 2007.

Some fans dispute the naming of the DVD "seasons". What is released as Season 1 on DVD was technically the original mini-series. When the show went to formal production as regular weekly series, what is on DVD referred to as Season 2 was really Season 1. If all of the series are eventually released on DVD, the final one will be referred to with this naming system as Season 14, when there was only 13 series produced, plus a mini-series.

The first and second season's DVD release set has a total of 5-double-sided DVD's, which contains all 29 episodes from those two season's. Plus, if you get the region 1 release, you'll also get the Soap-Talk Dallas Reunion special, with three commentairies by actors Larry Hagman and Charlene Tilton, with series creator David Michael Jacobs.

The third season's DVD release set has a total of yet again, a 5 disc double sided DVD set, with all 25 episodes from that season, plus commentairies from Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray on two major episodes, plus the special documentary Who Shot J.R.?: The Dallas Phenomenon.

The fourth season's DVD set has all 23 episodes from that season, spread over 4 double sided DVD's, the only real extra is the 2004 cast reunion special: Dallas Reunion: The Return To Southfork.

The fifth season's DVD set has all 26 episodes from that season spread over 5 double sided DVD's. The extra on that set is a documentary called: A living landmark: A tour of the REAL Southfork Ranch.

Season six is scheduled for release in the USA January 2007, while it will most likely be released in February for region 2 viewers. It will include an extra that delves into the legacy of Dallas then and now

[edit] References

• In the Family Guy episode "Da Boom" (1999), the Y2K virus changes civilization for the worse. In a parody of "the return of Bobby Ewing" climax, Victoria Principal and Patrick Duffy reprise their roles in a live-action segment at the end of the episode, when Pam wakes up and tells Bobby, who is in the shower, that she just dreamt about the strangest episode of Family Guy. They pause, then ask, "What's Family Guy?"

• On the TV series Father Ted, a character named Tom wears a shirt that says "I shot J.R.".

• Mentioned in The Message by rapper "Grandmaster Flash" as, "My brother's doing fast on my mother's TV / Says she watches too much / It's just not healthy / All My Children in the daytime, Dallas at night / Can’t even see the game or the Sugar Ray fight.

• Introducing Saturday Night Live's 1986-1987 season, Madonna, who hosted the first episode of the dismally rated 1985-1986 season, read a statement from NBC that claimed the previous season of SNL was "all a dream, a horrible, horrible dream." Coincidentally, on another ill-fated SNL season (1980-1981), Charlene Tilton hosted an episode (which Larry Hagman had turned down) centered around the "shooting" of Charles Rocket, a parody of the Who Shot J.R. story arc, in which Rocket says "I'd like to know who the f... did it." For his use of the profanity, he was fired.

• On That '70s Show when Donna is caught drinking, Eric notes that she was "like Sue Ellen on Dallas".

• A couple of scenes on The Simpsons episode entitled "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)" has Smithers' dream at the start of the show similar to Pam waking up and realizing Bobby's death was all a dream. Also, Smithers, thinking he shot Burns because he was drunk and he had a fired weapon on him, was similar to Sue Ellen during the Who Shot J.R.? mystery. In another episode, entitled (I Married Marge), Homer can also be seen wearing an "I shot J.R." T-shirt.

• In The Young Ones episode Time, the opening sequence and credits parody Dallas.

• On the sixth season of Married... with Children, an episode entitled Al Bundy, Shoe Dick mirrored Dallas' elimination of storylines via a dream. In real life, Katey Sagal (Peg Bundy) had gotten pregnant and it was written into the series. Ms. Sagal later had a miscarriage, and to write all of the baby events out of the show, that entire season up to that point was made a dream by Al Bundy.

• On an episode of Duck Tales, Scrooge McDuck meets up with a cow-cowboy named J. R. Mooing, which would be a parody of J. R. Ewing.

• In the last two seasons of The Drew Carey Show one of the opening montages is an homage to the opening of Dallas, containing Cleveland references.

• During a scene in The Wedding Singer, Frank Sivero, who plays Andy, refuses to leave the living room and says, "Hang on! I'm watching Dallas! I think J.R. might be dead or something! They shot him!"

• On The Parkers one episode consisted of a Dallas/Dynasty parody.

• On the ninth season of "Friends", an episode entitled The One With Pheobe's Rats we see Chandler watching television in his apartment. After hearing two gun shots, he sits up and says, "that's it?? It's over? Who Shot JR?"

• In the English soap opera "EastEnders" a story was created to intentionally spoof Dallas. The "Who Shot Phil?" story was an intentional parody of "Who Shot JR?"

• US sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air featured an episode in 1995 called "As The Will Turns", mocking soap operas. Will demands to be let out of his contract but when he is refused, wrecks the final scene, during which he says, "Yeah, I shot Carlos. And that's not all, I shot J.R. too. Also I shot the sheriff but I did not shoot the deputy (referencing Bob Marley as well)", referencing the "Who Shot J.R.?" storyline.

• The Jeffersons also had a Dallas parody through a script written Florence, the maid. The cast was George as G.R. Jenkins, Louise as Lou Weezy Jenkins, Helen as Ellen Wallis, Tom as Tim Wallis, Lionel as Leon Jenkins, and Jenny as Jannice Wallis Jenkins. There is even a scene in which G.R. is shot but fakes his coma to draw out the assailant -- Florence as Flossie.

[edit] Trivia

• Initially, Dallas was an extended pilot composed of five 60-minute episodes. The pilot generated enough popularity that the network decided to produce a standard weekly TV series. The pilot season is now referred to as season one officially by the DVD release on Warner Home Video.

• The series' 13 year span was able to delve into the history of the Southworth/Ewing family a total of six generations. It included Enoch Southworth - Great,Great,Great Grandfather, Aaron Southworth - Great, Great Grandfather, Eleanor Southworth Ewing Farlow - Great Grandmother, J.R. Ewing-Grandfather, James Richard Beaumont- Father, and Jimmy Beaumont - Son.

• Exterior locations were shot at the Southfork Ranch, which is now a tourist attraction and a convention center. Formerly known as Duncan Acres, it is located in Plano, a suburb north of Dallas. Many of the show's exteriors, including shots of each protagonist's respective skyscraper offices, were also shot in the Dallas area. The majority of the series' dramatic action was filmed in California at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios. The series was produced by Lorimar. Only once was interior shooting done at the real Southfork Ranch for dramatic purposes, that was for the 1998 TV movie, "War of the Ewings". The 2004 "Return to Southfork" reunion was also filmed inside, but that was a documentary, not an actual dramatic "episode" as such.

• When the "Who shot J.R.?" media frenzy began, Larry Hagman tried to renegotiate his contract. Producers Philip Capice and Leonard Katzman thought of firing him and replacing him with Robert Culp (J.R.'s ambulance was to have crashed and caught fire, necessitating extensive plastic surgery). However, Hagman announced that he may be leaving the series on an appearance on a British chat show (Wogan) during a promotional tour in the United Kingdom. The ensuing outcry led to the producers agreeing to Hagman's terms, increasing his salary and offering him a degree of creative input in the storylines.

• Larry Hagman and Ken Kercheval were the only cast members to stay with the series throughout its entire run. Kercheval, however, was not credited in the opening credits until the beginning of the third season.

• The Ewing's mansion shown in the pilot season was substantially larger than the one viewers were familiar with in the later TV series' episodes.

• Similarly, the interior of the Ewing mansion (with a seemingly endless supply of bedrooms for new cast additions) was much bigger than the exterior.

• Larry Hagman is the only actor to appear in all 355 of the total 356 episodes of the series, plus the two reunion movies; he did not film scenes for the episode immediately following J.R.'s shooting, as he was in a contract dispute, demanding more money.

• Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, Ken Kercheval, Linda Gray, and Steve Kanaly are the only actors to appear in both the first and last episodes of the series.

• The communist government of Nicolae Ceauşescu's Romania ran episodes of Dallas in the 1980s hoping that it would convince people that capitalism was corrupt and decadent. Instead it sowed discontent within the communist system, as viewers looked past the characters to the portrayal of American lifestyles. Soon after the government fell, a Romanian businessman created a Dallas-themed attraction complete with a replica of the Southfork Ranch, to celebrate the show's role in bringing down communism.

• The original Southfork ranch location (The Cloyce Box Ranch) where the initial five episodes of season 1 were filmed no longer exists, having been destroyed by fire. The series left that location at the end of the first season due to a request by the property owner, and moved to the ranch (Duncan Acres) where the series was filmed for the rest of its run. However, due to the expense of filming part of the season in Texas and part in California, exterior shooting at the Texas location ceased in the fall of 1989, and would not return there until the reunion movie Dallas: J.R. Returns in 1996. The frame still stands to this day of the original Southfork that was used in the pilot season in Frisco, Texas.

• There was also a 1980s computer game based on this TV series called Dallas Quest.

• Most of the buildings seen throughout the series in the show really exist in the Dallas skyline. For example, the original Ewing Oil building was in a building called the Renaissance Tower. Later on, through plot developments, JRE Enterprises operated out of a building called Fountain Place (to which Ewing Oil itself later moved to, and remained through the end of the series). In the TV movies, Ewing Oil operated out of the Bank of America Plaza. Likewise, Cliff Barnes' Barnes/Wentworth Oil operated out of a pair of buildings called "Campbell Centre I & II", which for a time in the 1990's were where the Belgian oil company Petrofina operated from in the Dallas area. Several episodes include shots of an abstract piece of sculpture on the grounds of the complex that features the Fina shield-shaped logo.

• One year into the production of "Dallas" the swarthy actor David Ackroyd was replaced by the blonde actor Ted Shackelford playing Gary Ewing. This was one of the typical Hollywood actor replacements in which the new actor doesn't even remotely resemble the initial one he or she replaces. However, Shackelford is much better known as Gary Ewing because of the long-running series Knots Landing.

• In Spring 2004, a primetime special was taped in which actors reminisced about their work on the series. It aired on November 7, 2004 on CBS, though it was delayed due to football. Sadly, actor Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow) had died earlier that same day.

• After Dallas ended, co-stars Patrick Duffy and Sasha Mitchell starred in a successful ABC sitcom, Step By Step. This was years after Duffy agreed to renegotiate his contract from Lorimar.

• Dallas probably inspired reality show The Will, which was infamous for being cancelled after a single episode.

• During the fourteenth and final season, Larry Hagman was reunited with former I Dream of Jeannie co-star Barbara Eden to play J.R.'s conniving ex-girlfriend, Lee Ann de la Vega. Subtly referencing the duo's former history on I Dream of Jeannie, Lee Ann revealed that her maiden name was Nelson, which was Hagman's last name on the sitcom.

[edit] Dallas the Movie

A feature length motion picture based on the Dallas story is presently in development. Actors signed on include: John Travolta as J.R. and Katie Cassidy as Lucy. Luke Wilson will play the role of Bobby Ewing. .[1] Also rumored are Sam Elliot as Jock Ewing, Shirley MacLaine as Miss Ellie and Lisa Rinna as JR's long-suffering wife, Sue Ellen.

Director Robert Luketic was once attached to helm the project but has now moved on. The media reported he was unhappy with some casting choices, but did not specify which ones. Both Betty Thomas (I Spy) and British director Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham) have subsequently been reported to be in negotiations to direct the film.[2][3]

In a BBC Radio Five Live interview on 21st April 2006, Gurinder Chadha confirmed her involvement in a movie version of Dallas. She claimed the script would be more "global" and that action would not necessarily be confined to the city of Dallas. Also, perhaps hinting at a more irreverent theme to the film, that one scene would show Miss Ellie hosting a charity event in aid of victims of the tsunami - by this meaning families who lost their oil rigs in the disaster!

Jennifer Lopez was originally cast as Sue Ellen, but since left the role, for reasons as yet undetermined. [4] In August 2006 Paris Hilton announced she was offered the role of Lucy Ewing, but believes she isn't ready for such a "demanding" role. However such an offer has not been verified.

Marcia Cross was rumored to be in the running for the role of Pamela Ewing. This was later contradicted by Luke Wilson, who revealed in an interview that producers are keen to cast Jessica Biel in the part. Nothing has been said yet whether Biel has accepted or still in negotiations.

In September 2006, it was announced that Luke Wilson, Shirley MacLaine, and Meg Ryan were all dropped leaving only John Travolta still on board. Reasons for doing so believe to be the director was dissatisfied with the casting choices.[5]

[edit] Dissecting Dallas podcast

Fan produced content has now extended to a podcast devoted to Dallas. In this podcast two guys named Justin & Bradley (who are obsessed with the show) dissect and discuss each episode of Dallas. The podcast is listed in the iTunes music store, and available at this link: [6]. Podcast main page is Dissecting Dallas website

[edit] See also

• List of Dallas episodes
• Dallas: The Early Years
• Dallas: J.R. Returns
• Dallas: War of the Ewings
• Knot's Landing

[edit] External links

• Dallas: Official Guide to the series
• Dallas: Official Fans Discussion Forum
• Dissecting Dallas podcast page
• Dallas Universe
• Encyclopedia of Television
• Dallas at the Internet Movie Database
• SOAPnet Dallas Page
• Ewings' Dallas Home Page with full episode guide
• "The Ultimate Cliffhanger, Who Shot J.R.?"
• "Black For President" Dallas Fan Page with Ultimate Casting Tips