Dallas (1978 TV series)

*Dallas*
Dallas
	Dallas title card from the 1989–1990 television season.
Created by	David Jacobs
Starring	Barbara Bel Geddes; Jim Davis; Patrick Duffy; Linda Gray; Larry Hagman; Susan Howard; Steve Kanaly; Howard Keel; George Kennedy; Ken Kercheval; Cathy Podewell; Priscilla Beaulieu Presley; Victoria Principal; Dack Rambo; Donna Reed; Charlene Tilton; Sheree J. Wilson
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	14 (including the miniseries)
No. of episodes	357 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	45 Minutes (excluding commercials)
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	April 2–30, 1978, as miniseries; September 23, 1978 as weekly program –; May 3, 1991

The Southfork Ranch, home of the Ewing family

The original cast of *Dallas*. Clockwise from top right are: Larry Hagman (in cowboy hat), Linda Gray, Jim Davis, Charlene Tilton, Victoria Principal, Patrick Duffy, and Barbara Bel Geddes.

Dallas was a highly popular, long-running American prime-time television soap opera that originally ran from 1978 to 1991. It revolved around the Ewing family, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching businesses. The show debuted in April 1978 as a five-part miniseries on the CBS network, then was broadcast on that network for 13 seasons, from Saturday, September 23, 1978, to Friday, May 3, 1991.

Dallas was one of the most successful drama series ever made, and also one of the longest-running shows in American prime-time television history.

The show's central character is John Ross "J.R." Ewing Jr., a greedy, scheming oil baron played by Fort Worth native Larry Hagman throughout the show's entire run.^[1] The series was a hybrid of Romeo and Juliet (Bobby Ewing and Pamela Barnes as star-crossed lovers whose families were sworn enemies) and Bonanza (an affluent western patriarch with three sons).

Creator David Jacobs originally created and came up with an idea for the series Knots Landing, but CBS wanted a glitzy "saga-like" show. Jacobs therefore created Dallas, a series about a wealthy family in the oil business. When Dallas proved to be a hit, CBS reconsidered Jacobs' original idea and turned Knots Landing into a spin-off of Dallas in late 1979.

The Dallas miniseries that started in April 1978 was shot entirely on location in Dallas, Texas. Later, most interiors for the show were shot at the MGM studios in Hollywood. Exteriors were shot at the Southfork Ranch in Plano, Texas, and other parts of Dallas, until 1989, when rising production costs led to all production being located in California.

Background

The show was known for its wealth, sex, intrigue, and power struggles. When the series began, the founder of Ewing Oil and patriarch of the Ewing family was Jock (veteran movie actor Jim Davis), an oil tycoon who had allegedly schemed his one-time partner, Digger Barnes (David Wayne, later replaced by Keenan Wynn) out of his share of the company and also his only love, Miss Eleanor "Ellie" Southworth (veteran stage/movie actress Barbara Bel Geddes^[2]). As the series advanced, the Jock-Digger story grew to encompass Jock's brother, as a nephew and niece sought their claim to the Ewing riches.

Together, Jock and Miss Ellie raised three sons, J.R. (played by I Dream of Jeannie star Larry Hagman), Gary (David Ackroyd/Ted Shackelford) and Bobby (Patrick Duffy). J.R., the eldest Ewing son, who was totally unscrupulous and unhappily married to a former Miss Texas, Sue Ellen Shepard Ewing (Linda Gray), was frequently at-odds with his youngest brother, Bobby, who had the morals and integrity that his eldest brother lacked.

After the Ewing family's illegitimate son^[3] 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.

The series capitalized on ending each season with ratings-grabbing cliffhangers. Some notable cliffhangers included the landmark "who shot J R?" episode, a floating female corpse in the pool, a blazing mansion fire, Bobby mistakenly being shot while sitting in J.R.'s office, and the kidnapping of Miss Ellie by her half-crazed sister-in-law. Usually, no longlasting damage was done to any essential cast member- unless they wanted to leave the series. Bobby was killed off in a season-long dream-sequence. The concluding Dallas episodes in 1991 leading up to "Conundrum" (the finale), saw J.R. seemingly being undone by a combination of his enemies and liquor.

Cast of characters

Original main cast

Larry Hagman as John Ross "J.R." Ewing Jr.: Eldest son of Jock and Miss Ellie.
Patrick Duffy as Bobby James Ewing (1978-1985, 1986-1991): Youngest son of Jock and Miss Ellie.
Barbara Bel Geddes (1978-1984, 1985-1990) as Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Southworth Ewing Farlow: Jock's wife, whose family owned Southfork Ranch originally.
Jim Davis as John Ross "Jock" Ewing, Sr. (1978-1981): Founder of Ewing Oil and head of the Ewing family.
Linda Gray as Sue Ellen Shepard Ewing (1978-1989): J.R.'s long-suffering alcoholic wife.
Victoria Principal (1978-1987) as Pamela Jean Barnes Ewing: Bobby's wife, who is forced to act as a buffer between the two feuding families.
Charlene Tilton as Lucy Ann Ewing Cooper (1978-1985, 1988-1990): Gary & Val's daughter. Saucy granddaughter of Jock and Miss Ellie.
Ken Kercheval as Cliff Barnes: Pam's brother, whose schemes are aimed directly against the Ewings, specifically J.R.
Steve Kanaly as Raymond "Ray" Krebbs (1978-1988): Ranch foreman; Jock's illegitimate son.

Additional cast members

Donna Reed (1984-1985) as Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Southworth Ewing Farlow
Susan Howard as Donna Culver Krebbs (1979-1987): Political woman who marries Ray.
Howard Keel as Clayton Farlow (Spring 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 (Spring 1985-1987): A wandering cousin, son of Jock's brother Jason.
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 young second wife.
Lesley-Anne Down as Stephanie Rogers (Spring 1990): PR woman who plots to make Cliff a powerful political figure.
Sasha Mitchell as James Richard Beaumont (1989-1991): J.R.'s illegitimate son with old flame Vanessa Beaumont.
Kimberly Foster as Michelle Stevens Beaumont Barnes (1989-1991): April's sister, who marries James Beaumont and then Cliff Barnes.
Barbara Stock as Liz Adams (Spring 1990-1991): Cliff's girlfriend during the final season.

Important secondary characters

Tina Louise as Julie Gray (1978-1979): J.R.'s first secretary, whom he is personally involved with until her accidental death in 1979.
Gene Evans as Garrison Southworth (January 1979): Ellie's long lost brother who is afflicted with a terminal illness and returns to Southfork to live out the rest of his life. Gary Ewing is named after him.
Mary Crosby (1979-1981, 1991) 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.
Ted Shackelford (1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1991 guest appearances) and David Ackroyd (briefly in 1978) 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 "Val" Clements Ewing (later Gibson Waleska Ewing) (1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1991 guest appearances): Gary's wife and Lucy's mother.
David Wayne (1978) 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.
Sandy Ward as Jeb Ames (1978-1979): One of J.R.'s business associates, involved in a deal based on the infamous Red Files.
John Ashton as Willie Joe Garr (1978-1979): One of J.R.'s business associates, involved in a deal based on the infamous Red Files.
Lisa LeMole as Susan (1978): J.R.'s second secretary.
Meg Gallagher as Louella Caraway Lee (1978-1981): J.R.'s third secretary.
Jeanna Michaels (1979-1981) and Donna Bullock (briefly in 1978) as Connie Brasher: Bobby's first secretary.
Don Starr as Jordan Lee (1979-1990): A member of the cartel.
Fern Fitzgerald as Marilee Stone (1979-1990): 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.
John Zaremba (1978-1986) and Dan Ammerman (briefly in 1978) as Dr. Harlen Danvers: The Ewing family physician.
George O. Petrie as Harv Smithfield (1979-1991): The Ewing family's attorney.
Tom Fuccello as Senator Dave Culver (1979-1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991): Donna's stepson.
Jeff Cooper as Dr. Simon Ellby (1979-1981): Sue Ellen's psychiatrist.
Jared Martin as Steven "Dusty" Farlow (1979-1982, 1985, 1991): Clayton's son and Sue Ellen's sometimes 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 controlling mother.
Leigh McCloskey as Mitch Cooper (1980-1982, 1985, 1988): Lucy's husband and Afton's brother.
Morgan Woodward as Punk Anderson (1980-1987): 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 falls in love with Bobby and kills him with her car. thus beginning the "dream" season.
Priscilla Pointer as Rebecca Blake Barnes Wentworth (1981-1983): Mother of Pam, Cliff and Katherine.
William Smithers as Jeremy Wendell (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 and later mother of his daughter Pamela Rebecca Cooper.
Anne Francis as Arliss Cooper (1981): Mitch and Afton's mother, Lucy's mother-in-law
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 fourth secretary.
Deborah Tranelli as Phyllis Wapner (1981-1991): Bobby's second secretary.
Sherill Lynn Rettino as Jackie Dugan (1979-1991): Pam's co-worker at The Store, later Cliff's secretary at Barnes-Wentworth Oil.
Alice Hirson as Mavis Anderson (1982-1988): Punk's wife and Miss Ellie's closest friend.
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.
Danone Simpson as Kendall Chapman (1983-1991): Ewing Oil receptionist.
John Beck as Mark Graison (Spring 1983-1984, 1985-1986): Pamela's beau after her first divorce from Bobby whom Pam vows to marry in Spring 1984 due to his contraction of a fatal disease. Mark is tragically killed in a plane crash and leaves Pamela a letter expressing his love for her and his knowledge that she still loved Bobby deeply. Graison reappears during the 1985-1986 "dream season" and marries Pamela...until she wakes up, of course.
Christopher Atkins as Peter Richards (1983-1984): Twenty-year old 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 and biological mother of Dusty Farlow.
Daniel Pilon as Renaldo Marchetta (1984-1985): Jenna's ex-husband and Charlie's father.
Jenilee Harrison as Jamie Ewing Barnes (1984-1986): Daughter of Jock's brother Jason who Cliff marries to gain control of her share of Ewing Oil.
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., romances Lucy in order to use her money.
Leigh Taylor-Young as Kimberly Cryder (1987-1988): 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): English film director who helps produce Sue Ellen's idea for an unflattering film about J.R., eventially Sue Ellen moves to London and marries him.
Gayle Hunnicutt as Vanessa Beaumont (1989-1991): Mother of James, an old flame of J.R., briefly attempts to rekindle their romance after J.R. has married Cally.
Susan Lucci as Hilary Taylor (1990-1991): Psychotic kidnapper who causes April's death as April and Bobby honeymoon in Europe.
Barbara Eden as LeeAnn de La Vega (1990-1991): Old girlfriend of J.R. who plots revenge against him.

Family tree

John Ross "Jock" Ewing, Sr.

Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Southworth Ewing Farlow

Clayton Farlow

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

Sue Ellen Shepard Ewing

Garrison Arthur "Gary" Ewing

Valene Clements Ewing

Robert James "Bobby" Ewing

Pamela Jean Barnes Ewing

John Ross Ewing III

Lucy Ewing Cooper

Mitch Cooper

Christopher Ewing (adopted)

Deaths and departures

By the time the series ended, most of the family had either died or departed:

Bobby was twice heartbroken, having lost both Pam and April.
Pam Ewing was severely injured in a car accident in the 1986-1987 season finale and left Bobby and Christopher due to her apparent inability to let them see her in such a physically disfigured fashion. Nevertheless, while Victoria Principal never returned again to the series as Pam during its final four years before cancellation, Margaret Michaels, a Principal look-alike, played the character in the season premiere of 1988-1989.
Donna and Ray divorced in 1987, the former moving to Washington, D.C. Ray then subsequently left Dallas with his new wife, Jenna, bound for Europe by the fall of 1988.
Lucy Ewing returned to Southfork in spring 1988, but then left again two years later for Europe as well.
Sue Ellen Ewing left Dallas in 1989 to move to London with her new film-director boyfriend and then-husband.
Clayton joined Miss Ellie in 1990 after a cruise to a more peaceful location.

As the final season drew to an end, only two characters rode the wave from inception to finish: J.R. Ewing and Cliff Barnes.

Episodes

Cliffhangers

Dallas was notable for its 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 from the loft, landing square on her stomach.

Resolution: Pam, who was pregnant with Bobby's child at the time, lost the baby and was told that she would never be able to carry a baby to full term.

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 afterward (Lab tests finally put 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. 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 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: A drunk Sue Ellen and Ray Krebbs' cousin Mickey Trotter are involved in a car accident just outside Southfork. Sue Ellen emerges unhurt, but Mickey is paralyzed and in a coma. After finding out that the driver of the other car was J.R.'s rival Walt Driscoll, out to kill J.R., 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." J.R., trying to stop Ray, throws a candle holder at him but misses him completely. In the process, another candle holder with lit candles falls and ignites a fire while Ray and J.R. brawl. J.R. knocks Ray out and tries to get upstairs to Sue Ellen and John Ross, who are asleep-or, in Sue Ellen's case, passed out drunk- 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. Mickey Trotter awoke, but was despondent over his paralysis and relapsed into another coma, during which Ray 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 three, J.R. was crossing people left and right. And just like in season three, 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: After rumours that the target was J.R., 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 reveals that he wants to remarry Pam (by this time the couple had been divorced for some time) and they agree to do so. After spending the night at Pam's house, Bobby is about to leave for 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, who apparently died in the accident) 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." Katherine, rumoured dead, returned at the beginning of season ten.

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

Resolution: see "Famous Episodes."

Season Nine cliffhanger: Pam, on her way home from the doctor's office after finding out she can conceive a baby, crashes into the fuel tank of a semi-truck, engulfing her car in a fiery explosion.

Resolution: see "Famous Episodes."

Season Ten cliffhanger: After a long year which ended in a messy breakup between J.R. and Sue Ellen, the two and Sue Ellen's beau Nicholas Pearce have a confrontation in J.R.'s high rise hotel suite. J.R. and Nick fight, and during the course of the fight Pearce goes over the balcony, and falls to his death. J.R. turns and is shot three times by Sue Ellen, who believes J.R. has murdered Nick.

Resolution: J.R. recovers (in true Dallas fashion, he had been shot three times in chest, but not seriously wounded), and they mutually agree not to press charges against each other.

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: J.R tried to find and destroy the movie in the beginning of the 13th season, but after that 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: This was not resolved (as this was the series finale), but it was later revealed in the first reunion movie that 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.

Famous episodes

Dallas is also known for a number of famous episodes:

"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 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.

"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 events take place (including an explosion in J.R.'s office), 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 "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 previous plot lines to be severed: Ray and Donna had adopted a deaf boy in Spring 1986, but had become estranged when the Fall season opened. In Spring 1985, Pam's half sister Katherine had died while knocking-off Bobby with her car. In the Fall, she was presumably still alive but forgotten. Bobby's replacement, cousin Jack Ewing, was now redundant and had to be discarded. Pam's new beau, Mark Graison, vanished. Continuity conflicts arose 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, and after having to be seen in almost every episode of the series, from her first in 1978 until 1987. 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.

While the actual cliffhanger in this season is the car accident involving Pamela Ewing (and Principal's subsequent departure from the show), there is a fantastic scene prior to the accident where J.R. and son John Ross are ousted from the former Ewing building by Jeremy Wendell, who was instrumental in the government crackdown on Ewing Oil, and now owns the building. When Jeremy reaches for the painting of Jock on the wall and says, "You'll leave now, and take this eyesore with you,", an incredibly aggressive J.R. shouts, "Wendell! You touch that painting and I'll kill you where you stand." J.R. takes the painting off the wall himself, holds it up in front of John Ross and says, "John Ross, THIS is Ewing Oil." This scene is often listed among the favorites by 'Dallas' fans.

Final episode

In this episode, titled "Conundrum" (originally aired on CBS, May 3, 1991), J.R. is contemplating committing suicide. Southfork was taken out of his control and given to Bobby by Miss Ellie, while Cliff Barnes now had control of Ewing Oil. Clayton had given J.R. voting rights at Weststar, but J.R. was tricked into believing he would become Chairman of Weststar by Carter McKay. J.R. had sold his half of Ewing Oil to Cliff to take over Weststar, but old foe Dusty Farlow revealed that he had sold his Weststar shares to McKay, thus making McKay the majority stockholder. McKay fired J.R. from Weststar after revealing that he had set him up (McKay had sent two Weststar directors to J.R. and convinced him to sell Ewing Oil to pave the way for a Weststar takeover that would never happen).

John Ross, his own son, disowned him and moved to London to be with his mother. Now, drunk and despondent, J.R. walks around the pool with a bourbon bottle and a loaded gun, when suddenly another person comes into view...a spirit named Adam (portrayed by Joel Grey), whose "boss" has been watching J.R. and likes him. Adam proceeds to take him on a journey to show him what life would've been like for other people if he hadn't been born. Among what he shows him:

Without J.R., Gary became the oldest Ewing son, and the youngest was Jason (who would have been born had J.R. never been around; Jason never appeared in the TV series as he didn't really exist).

With Gary in charge of Ewing Oil upon Jock's retirement, the company went bankrupt. Stress from it killed Jock, and Miss Ellie died of a broken heart two years later, she never meets Clayton Farlow.

Jason, a shady real estate developer swindled Gary and Bobby out of their shares in the company and Southfork, and proceeded to tear the compound down and build tract houses on it called Southfork Estates.

Having never met Pam, Bobby continued his wild ways from before and ended up as a down-on-his-luck hustler who was behind on alimony payments to his wife Annie and kids J.R., Bobby, and Ellie. He also ends up behind on his gambling debts to Carter McKay, who owns a casino in Las Vegas for reasons never explained (some internet rumours hint that McKay ended up here as he was fired by Jeremy Wendell at Westar but this is not mentioned, although it could be a deleted scene).

Gary became a successful divorce lawyer who never married, and thus never had Lucy Ewing, J.R.'s niece. (He does eventually meet Valene Ewing, his wife in the real world, but nothing ever comes of it other than a date whose outcome was never discussed).

Without having met J.R., Cally Harper never left her poor roots, and ends up as a battered wife who lives with her husband in a shack, where she kills him and (according to Adam) will be convicted and sentenced to life.

Without J.R. in the way and forcing him to be a part of the Ewing/Barnes rivalry, Cliff Barnes was able to earn a law degree and enter politics, becoming Vice President of the United States and later Acting President due to a stroke suffered by the President.

Since J.R. was never born (and thus, never shot), Kristin Shepard never met him (and never died of a ### overdose/drowning in the pool), and became a successful con artist in Los Angeles. She poses as a hooker initially and then a police officer, which sees her accept a bribe from an embarrassed customer.

Having never met J.R., Sue Ellen has become a successful soap opera star, with Nicholas Pearce (who was never killed off) as her loving husband.

With J.R. out of the picture and Jock dying before he could find out, Ray Krebbs never knew of his Ewing blood ties. After an injury he suffered in an Ewing Oil-sponsored rodeo, Ray became a down on his luck ranchhand, forcing to work two or three jobs to support his family, who are loving and very supportive of him. He does have a son called Jock.

After one final scene where Bobby settles his gambling debts with McKay, Adam eggs J.R. on to kill himself. J.R. won't do it, as he doesn't want Adam to be sent back to heaven with his job incomplete. It's at this point where Adam reveals that he's not an angel, but a minion of Satan.

A startled J.R. wakes up, gun and bourbon still in hands, and the scene appears to be a dream...only Adam returns, appearing to J.R. in his mirror and continuing to egg him on. J.R. slowly raises the loaded gun to his head, unaware that Bobby has returned home. The gun goes off while Bobby is in the hallway, and he rushes to J.R.'s room. He looks at what has gone down, gasps, "Oh, my God," and the series ends on that note with the fate of J.R. never settled (although it eventually would be five years later, in the reunion movie, Dallas: J.R. Returns.).

It was believed J.R. killed himself, although in later years it was revealed he had shot the mirror (although no glass was heard).

The episode was watched by 33.3 million viewers (38% of all viewers in that time slot)

Production details

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

Dallas originally aired on Saturday nights when it debuted as a regular series. Within a month, the show was moved to Sunday nights, where it would stay until halfway through the season, when it took a Friday-night slot. Dallas remained on Fridays until the show ended in 1991, alternating between 10 p.m. and 9 p.m. airings.

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.

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

Ratings

The show's seasonal rankings were as follows.

#44 (Miniseries, 1978)
#32 (Season 1, 1978–1979)
#6 (Season 2, 1979–1980)
#1 (Season 3, 1980–1981)
#1 (Season 4, 1981–1982)
#2 (Season 5, 1982–1983)
#1 (Season 6, 1983–1984)
#2 (Season 7, 1984–1985)
#6 (Season 8, 1985–1986)
#11 (Season 9, 1986–1987)
#22 (Season 10, 1987–1988)
#29 (Season 11, 1988–1989)
#43 (Season 12, 1989–1990)
#61 (Season 13, 1990–1991)

DVD releases

Season 1 on DVD is 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 Season 1 of the weekly series.

As of 2008, Warner Home Video will have released the first nine seasons of Dallas on DVD.

DVD Season	Common Season Count	Ep #	Region 1	Region 2	Comments
Seasons 1 & 2	Mini-series & Season 1	29	August 8, 2004	November 1, 2004	The first-and-second-seasons DVD box set has five double-sided DVDs, which contain the 5 episodes from the miniseries and the 24 episodes from the first regular season. The Region 1 release includes a "Soap Talk" "Dallas" reunion special as well as three commentaries by actors Larry Hagman and Charlene Tilton, and series creator David Jacobs.
Season 3	Season 2	25	August 9, 2005	September 26, 2005	The third-season DVD box set has five double-sided DVDs, which contain the 25 episodes from that season. It includes commentaries by Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray on two major episodes and the special documentary Who Shot J.R.?: The Dallas Phenomenon.
Season 4	Season 3	23	January 24, 2006	May 22, 2006	The fourth-season DVD box set has four double-sided DVDs, which contain the 23 episodes from that season. It includes a cast reunion special from 2004: Dallas Reunion: The Return To Southfork, which aired on CBS on November 7, 2004.
Season 5	Season 4	26	August 1, 2006	November 17, 2006	The fifth-season DVD box set has five double-sided DVDs, which contain the 26 episodes from that season. It includes a documentary called: A Living Landmark: A Tour of the Real Southfork Ranch.
Season 6	Season 5	28	January 30, 2007	February 19, 2007	The sixth-season DVD box set has five double-sided DVDs, which contain the 28 episodes from that season. It includes a documentary that delves into the legacy of "Dallas" then and now.
Season 7	Season 6	30	July 31, 2007	September 17, 2007	The seventh-season DVD box set has five double-sided DVDs, which contain the 30 episodes from that season. It includes the story behind the iconic Dallas theme song and is titled The Music of Dallas.
Season 8	Season 7	30	February 12, 2008	February 18, 2008	The eighth-season DVD box set has five double-sided DVDs, which contain the 30 episodes from that season. The special feature is called Dallas Makeover - Travila Style and deals with the Emmy award winning costumes of the show.
Season 9	Season 8	31	July 15, 2008	September 22, 2008	The ninth-season DVD box set has five double-sided DVDs, which contain the 31 episodes from that season. The special features include this documentary Seasons of Change - An in depth look at the most famous dream sequence of all time, the entire ninth season, and its impact on the storylines, the fans, and stars. Also includes a look back at Season 8 to examine the effect of Barbara Bel Geddes departure for a year, and then her eventual return.

The DVD box sets of seasons 10 through 14 are planned for release soon.

Bring Back Dallas - Special Reunion

In 2007, British comedian Justin Lee Collins went about searching for all the stars of Dallas to bring them back together for a special reunion party. The show was broadcast at 9 p.m. Sunday, May 27, 2007, on UK television network Channel 4 as part of the Bring Back... series. After hunting down most of the main cast by any means necessary (e.g., climbing over security fences and ambushing hotels), Collins managed to interview them and gain more knowledge about some of the decisions made throughout the show's seasons. He held his own Oil Baron's Ball, where unfortunately none of the cast turned up. However, in a surprise move, the actor that played baby Christopher (Eric Farlow) turned up.

Dallas: The Movie

A feature-length motion picture based on the Dallas story is presently in development. The movie is expected to be a comedy version of the long-running series. Betty Thomas (I Spy) will direct the film.

==Dallas: The Final Goodbye==]</ref>

CBS Sports also used a Dallas musical theme for the opening of its 1991 NFL Wild Card playoff between the Cowboys and Bears. It featured the 3 way split screen common to Dallas openings and introduced "characters" Jimmy Johnson, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Troy Aikman, and Steve Beuerlein. Pat Summerall narrated.

In the Family Guy episode "Da Boom" (1999), the Y2K virus changes civilization for the worse. In a parody of "Blast from the Past" episode 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. Bobby pauses, then asks, "What's Family Guy?"

Mentioned in The Message by hip hop DJ "Grandmaster Flash" as, "My brother's doing bad, stole 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.

Swedish group ABBA's final single "The Day Before You Came" (1982) relates the story of a mundane day in the life of an ordinary woman in the suburbs. The song incorporates the lines "I must have had my dinner watching something on TV / There's not a single episode of Dallas that I didn't see."

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.

The show Reno 911! sometimes references Dallas by having a character dream some event that happened on a previous episode, notably at the end of the season.

In The Young Ones episode Time, the opening sequence and credits parody Dallas. Neil (Nigel Planer) is E.T. , a hippy version of J.R. who donates all business assets to "the Brothers of the Soil Commune".

In the DuckTales episode "Ducks of the West", Scrooge McDuck meets up with a cow-cowboy named J.R. Mooing, who is 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.

During the mania surrounding "Who Shot J.R.?", Happy Days aired an episode in which the Fonz (Henry Winkler) was shot in the behind. Three different versions of the incident come forward, with the one told by Roger (Ted McGinley) being the most accurate. Fonzie, Chachi (Scott Baio), Roger and Potsie (Anson Williams) have gone camping. Fonzie and Chachi are at odds with Roger and Potsie trying to restore order. When Potsie intervenes, Fonzie tells him to mind his own business and shoves him hard enough that he hits the mantelpiece above the fireplace. This dislodges a mounted rifle, which discharges upon hitting the floor. Thus, the shooting is determined to have been an accident.

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.

The final episode of Newhart revealed the entire series was Bob Hartley's (the character that Bob Newhart played on The Bob Newhart Show) dream.

Ozzy Osbourne, in 1986 made a music video for the song "The Ultimate Sin" loosely based on Dallas. Ozzy played "J.R. Ewing" and his company was "Ozzy Oil".

In the Irish sitcom Father Ted, one of the locals on Craggy Island constantly wears a shirt that reads "I Shot J.R."

The theme song of the show itself has entered pop culture. It has been remixed by Crazy Frog, and used in a sample game in Sun Microsystems' JAVA MIDP Software Development Kit

In the Only Fools and Horses episode "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire", after Del Boy and Rodney have an argument about whether Del should go to Australia and become a millionaire or not, Albert believes that his two nephews are feuding just like the Ewing brothers. Del agrees by comparing himself to Bobby, but wouldn't compare Rodney to J.R.

Bill Haverchuck, a main character in the television series "Freaks and Geeks" mentions watching Dallas in multiple episodes. The show Dallas also plays a significant role, in episode number fourteen, Dead Dogs and Gym Teachers.

In the That '70's Show episode "Love Wisconsin Style", Eric (Topher Grace) sees Donna (Laura Prepon) drunk during the day and tells the guys, "It was like Sue Ellen on Dallas."

An episode from Smallville, "Suspect", it is used a plot similar to "Who shot J.R.?", being Lionel being shot and Johnathan Kent being frame by being drunk.

The Simpson episode "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" parodies "Who shot J.R.?". A deleted scene in "Bart vs. Australia" also includes a reference when one of the courtmembers shouts, "Don't tell us who shot J.R.!" whilst covering his ears.

In the song Live Television the Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour describes how during a visit to a friend's house he was left alone in the living room waiting for dinner while his hosts all packed in a small room to watch the show on television.

Their was one episode of Dallas where you can see the KDFW CBS Channel 4 (now Fox 4) television studio. Ironically, Dallas was aired on this television channel.

References and footnotes

^ Ironically, J.R. was only meant to be a supporting character when the show premiered: The show was originally based around J.R.'s brother Bobby and his new bride, Pam).
^ Donna Reed played Miss Ellie for the 1985 season only
^ The existence of an illegitimate son was not initially revealed

External links

[1] Ironically, J.R. was only meant to be a supporting character when the show premiered: The show was originally based around J.R.'s brother Bobby and his new bride, Pam).

[2] Donna Reed played Miss Ellie for the 1985 season only

[3] The existence of an illegitimate son was not initially revealed

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