Who shot J.R.?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Who shot J.R.? was a national obsession. The 1980 event on the CBS television series Dallas when the character of J.R. Ewing (played by Larry Hagman) was shot by an unknown assailant (in the episode titled "A House Divided") in the final scene of the 1979-1980 TV season.
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[edit] Suspense and Resolution
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.
During the summer of 1980, the question, "Who shot J.R.?", was being asked in everyday conversations across America and worldwide. Ultimately, the person who pulled the trigger was revealed in the classic "Who Done It?" episode that aired on November 21, 1980. It was one of the highest-rated episodes of a TV show ever aired.
[edit] Influence on other TV shows
The great success of this 1980 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.
[edit] Who did shoot J.R.?
Ultimately, the character of Kristin Shepard (played by Mary Crosby) was revealed to have been the person who pulled the trigger in the classic "Who Done It?" episode. Kristin was J.R.'s scheming sister-in-law and mistress. Pregnant with J.R.'s child, Kristin shot J.R. in a fit of anger.
The second part of the cliffhanger, being that of whether J.R. was dead, was also resolved, being that J.R. had survived, despite being shot 2 times in the chest.
[edit] In Popular Culture
- The Simpsons has made several references to "Who shot J.R.?", such as:
- Homer watching the "Who Done It?" episode and responding with shock when it is revealed.
- In one episode Homer gets very angry and rips of his trademark white shirt, from which underneath it is another white shirt with I Shot J.R. written on it.
- There is a mock of "Who Shot J.R." when Homer's boss (Montgomery Burns) is shot in a cliff-hanger episode to end Season 6. The Season 7 opener reveals the assailant to be Maggie Simpson.
- In Friends when Chandler was becoming used to being unemployed, we see him watching the scene in which JR was shot. He is shocked and begins to ask loudly to no one "Who Shot J.R.? Who Shot J.R.?"
- In Father Ted, unstable Craggy Islander Tom always wears an "I shot J.R." t-shirt (presumably over 15 years old by the show's 1996 debut).
[edit] Trivia
- A session of the Turkish parliament was even suspended to allow legislators a chance to get home in time to view the Dallas episode.
- Betting parlors worldwide took in massive amounts of money. People were placing bets as to which one of the 10 or so principal characters had actually pulled the trigger that shot J.R.
- Security was tightened at the Lorimar studios where Dallas was filmed.
