The Dallas Decoder Interview: Linda Gray

August 31, 2015 by 9 Comments
Linda Gray, Road to Happiness is Always Under Construction, Ryder Sloan

Linda Gray (Photo by Ryder Sloane)

Linda Gray’s eagerly awaited memoir, “The Road to Happiness is Always Under Construction,” includes her reflections on life, her memories of “Dallas,” and lots of fun anecdotes — like the time Elizabeth Taylor jokingly referred to her as “the bitch with the long legs.” I spoke with Gray recently about the book, which will be released Tuesday, September 8.

Am I speaking to the “b” with the long legs?

[Laughs] You’re so funny. I think so, the last time I looked. Yep, that’s me.

I can’t bring myself to use the actual “b” word to describe you, but I guess Elizabeth Taylor could get away with it.

Yeah, she could. I just thought it was so funny because when she said that, everybody in the room fell down and laughed.

Well, before we get into that, let me just say: I love this book.

You sweetheart.

No, seriously. This book makes me want to be a better person.

Oh, bless you. I really spoke from my heart, and I wanted people not to become better people. I wanted to sort of put them on a little leash and yank them a bit and say, “Come on, people. You got a short life here. Instead of whining and complaining about everything, you could be doing something else, and here’s what helped me over my speed bumps.”

That’s what I took away from your book: You have to choose to be happy yourself. It’s such a simple thing, but I think we sometimes need to have someone else point it out for us.

We forget. All this stuff [in the book] is not earth shattering. It’s not new. This is just a loving reminder that we all have speed bumps. We all have things in our lives that aren’t perfect, but we get over them, and it’s the way we choose to get over them that makes a difference.

One of the things that struck me is that you have a few things in common with Sue Ellen. You both struggled in your marriages, for example.

We had things in our lives that were parallel, but J.R. and Sue Ellen were much more volatile. My marriage was just kind of — I should never have married him. He should have been the funny, great guy that everybody loves — the life of the party — but I shouldn’t have married him.

I think that comes through in the book. Your marriage wasn’t the happiest, but it wasn’t as dramatic as Sue Ellen’s.

My ex-husband was just like, “Oh, she’s off working.” He didn’t quite get it. It was like he was trying really hard to understand what was happening, but he didn’t like it. He wanted me to stay home, and then when this whole “Dallas” thing came about, it threw him. But he wasn’t a bad guy. It just wasn’t meant to be, and I knew it early on.

It seems to me as if you and Sue Ellen had similar experiences, but you came out of them as very different people.

Oh, brilliant. Yeah, absolutely.

Dallas, Linda Gray, Sue Ellen Ewing

Playing Sue Ellen, 1978

And in a way, Sue Ellen helped you deal with your mother’s alcoholism.

Sue Ellen on many levels was a huge gift to me. “Dallas” allowed me to confront my mother in a lovely way.

When you were cast on the show, you showed her your scripts so she could see how drinking affects families.

That’s what I mean. That’s my gift. I was able to physically hand them to her and say to her, “Please read these. This is TV, everything is over the top, but I want you to see that the issue is still here.”

And that wasn’t easy for you.

It was the put-everything-under-the-rug, never-talk-about-anything generation that I grew up in. Alcoholism was never mentioned because “everybody drank.” So that’s something Sue Ellen really gave me — the healing I got with my mom.

In a way, Sue Ellen also paved the way for you to meet your idol, Bette Davis.

She was like my acting coach in my head because I thought she was the most authentic. I thought, “Wow! This is who I would like to emulate.” And when I was doing “Dallas,” they approached me about playing her role in a remake of “Now, Voyager.” I thought, “Oh, come on. No. I’m not doing that.”

And then she called you.

I will never forget it. I was feeding the cats in the kitchen, and they were crying, and I had the can opener in my hand, and then this voice says, “Miss Gray? Miss Davis here.”

You do a good impression of her!

She said, “My assistant will call you, and we’ll have a meeting,” and I said, “Fine.”

So what was it like when you finally met her?

Oh, my God. This was my idol. I’m sure I was incoherent. But she was wonderful, and she took me over to the window to look out at the water, and that’s when she said, “I’ve been watching [‘Dallas’].” And I thought, “Oh, no. Bette Davis is watching me act?” But she was a huge fan of the show.

In the book, you write that she proceeded to give you her opinion of the entire cast — but I noticed you left out what she said.

It wasn’t anything shocking. She was just so astute — so aware — that she could tell who people were just by watching them act.

That’s one of the fun stories in the book. You also write about hard things, like missing your son’s high school graduation because you had to work.

That was just so awful. My son is this angel. He’s very forgiving. And I had to call him to tell him that I wouldn’t be able to be there. And I kept telling him how sorry I was, and he’d pause and say, “That’s okay.” It made it worse. I mean, it was just one of those horrendous, horrendous moments.

“Dallas” fans are going to want to know what episode this was. You write that it was a scene that involved the whole cast.

I remember we were shooting it in the Southfork driveway, but I don’t know exactly what show it was or which scene it was.

Dallas, Just Desserts, Linda Gray

Directing “Dallas,” 1986

I also love the chapter where you write about directing your first “Dallas” episode. You really had to fight [executive producer] Leonard Katzman for that.

It had nothing to do with him as a person. That’s just how it was at the time. It’s like, “Well, a woman directing? How can this even be?”

How do you feel about Mr. Katzman today?

I feel I know him much better now in retrospect.

That’s interesting.

I think he was genius at the time. He was totally responsible for every single character on “Dallas” and how they were interwoven in the whole scheme of things. He could write an episode over a weekend and turn it in Monday, and it was brilliant. You have to marvel at that.

Oh, definitely.

Did I get along with him? No. Did I respect him? Yes, because of what he did. But it was a very chauvinistic show. The women were the bookends, as far as I was concerned. But still, underlying that, I think he was a genius.

You also have a fun story about one of the other geniuses in your life — Mr. Hagman.

The Bora Bora story.

Yes. You and Mr. Hagman and his wife get stranded on the side of the road, and when you go to a house to get help, the family is watching “Dallas.”

That’s one of my favorite Larry Hagman adventures. Funniest thing ever.

And then you received a marriage proposal from a handsome young man on that trip.

He was just such a cute little flirt. But Larry and Maj [Hagman, Larry’s wife] were watching me like I was their teenage daughter. Larry was very protective. It’s like, “Who is this guy? What’s he doing?”

Your appreciation for young men is something else you have in common with Sue Ellen. As soon as I read that, I thought, “This is going to fuel the fantasies of many ‘Dallas’ fans.”

Oh good. [Laughs]

And I love the chapter on the Larry Flynt letter.

Isn’t that hysterical?

He wrote to you in 1983, offering you $1 million to pose for Hustler, and you respond in your book, saying you’ll do it if he donates $25 million to charity.

I said the only way I’ll do it is if he gives $25 million to end senior hunger, which is an issue I’ve worked on for years.

So what are you going to do if he says yes?

That’s what I said that to [my publicist]. He said, “Oh, yes, darling. We will have photo approval.” I said, “Photo approval?” No. I’ll have to be wrapped in gauze or something!

Author, 2015

On “The Road,” 2015

Speaking of photos: We should point out that no animals were harmed in the making of the book’s cover. That’s faux fur you’re wearing.

That’s a shot from People magazine. My grandson [Ryder Sloane] took another photo of me with L.A. in the background, holding a yellow hardhat. I was in a really short, cute black dress. It was fun, flirty, fabulous, and it went with the title.

I love that shot. It appears inside the book.

At one point, that was supposed to be the cover. My husband shot the back cover at the beach when I was 23, and so I thought, how fabulous: My grandson gets the front cover; my ex-husband gets the back.

That would have been cool.

The people in New York really like the shot with the fur, but I love the shot my grandson took.

I know you’ve got to get to your next interview. We never did get to the Elizabeth Taylor story. I guess everyone is just going to have to buy the book.

You’re so sweet. Yes, buy the book!

Share your comments below and read more Dallas Decoder interviews.

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Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘I Never Stopped Loving You’

August 31, 2015 by 12 Comments
Bobby Ewing, Dallas, Deliverance, Pam Ewing, Patrick Duffy, Victoria Principal

Close encounter

In “Deliverance,” an eighth-season “Dallas” episode, Bobby and Pam (Patrick Duffy, Victoria Principal) sit on her sofa after dinner.

BOBBY: The evening was perfect.

PAM: Yes, it was. I’m just sorry it had to be this way.

BOBBY: What do you mean, this way?

PAM: Well, under these circumstances. Our being together because Jenna’s in prison.

BOBBY: Pam, that’s not why I’m here. I’m here because you and Christopher are my family.

PAM: Oh, Bobby. When Jenna comes back home, we won’t be spending any more nights together like this.

BOBBY: No. No, not exactly.

PAM: Well, that makes me sad.

BOBBY: I know.

PAM: And I’m sorry for us. Maybe I shouldn’t say that, but it’s how I feel.

BOBBY: Pam, if things could have just been different for us.

PAM: [Sighs] Oh, Bobby. If anything were any different. If Jenna weren’t in prison, I wouldn’t let you out of my house tonight. I wouldn’t let you out of my sight. I’d never let you out of my life again. I love you. I love you more than I ever did before, and I didn’t think that was possible.

BOBBY: Pam.

PAM: Oh, I’m not ashamed of loving you. And I’m not sorry for it. Maybe it’s not fair to say it to you, but I couldn’t go on without telling you. I love you, Bobby. [He hugs her. She sobs.] I love you so much, my heart hurts.

BOBBY: I know, I know.

PAM: Do you? Do you know?

BOBBY: I never stopped loving you. And I never will.

PAM: Oh. [They kiss.]

Watch this scene in “Deliverance,” available on DVD and at Amazon and iTunes, and share your comments below.

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Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 190 — ‘Deliverance’

August 31, 2015 by 17 Comments
Bobby Ewing, Charlie Wade, Dallas, Deliverance, Jenna Wade, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, Priscilla Beaulieu Presley, Shalane McCall

To the victors

“Deliverance” is the next-to-last episode from “Dallas’s” eighth season, but if you didn’t know better, you might think it was the finale. By the end of the hour, the year’s two major storylines are resolved: Cliff and Jamie’s lawsuit to claim two-thirds of Ewing Oil ends in humiliating defeat, while Jenna gets out of prison when Naldo’s killer confesses. I can’t remember how I felt when this episode debuted 30 years ago, but I would imagine it befuddled more than a few viewers. They must have thought, “If the show is going to tie up all its loose ends here, what’s left for the season finale?”

The answer, of course, is that “Dallas” would end the year with Bobby’s death in “Swan Song,” which would become one of the show’s finest installments. “Deliverance” can’t match the power of that episode, but at least it rewards the viewers who stuck with the series throughout its eighth season. The scenes that resolve Naldo’s murder mystery are particularly satisfying, thanks almost entirely to Patrick Duffy. When Bobby finally comes face to face with Schumann, the hit man who framed Jenna for the killing, he offers to set up the man’s wife with a fat bank account if Schumann confesses. “You help my lady and I’ll help yours,” Bobby says. This is one of those lines that Duffy delivers in his signature, Eastwoodian whisper, which never fails to give me chills.

Since Schumann already is facing life in prison for another murder, he agrees to help Bobby and explains how he killed Naldo and framed Jenna. As he confesses, we see flashbacks that fill in the gaps surrounding the shooting. Not everything holds up, though. According to this episode, when Naldo enters the hotel room where he’s eventually murdered, Schumann knocks him out, places his body on a table and then grabs Jenna from behind while she’s waiting in the hall. When the killing occurs in “Odd Man Out,” however, Jenna is yanked into the room mere seconds after Naldo enters. It’s also a little silly how quickly the police accept Schumann’s confession, but no matter. At least this storyline is finally over.

I’m also not going to complain about the trial to determine Ewing Oil’s ownership, which is completed in record time. Wally Windham, the mysterious character introduced in the previous episode, testifies that he purchased Digger and Jason’s shares of Ewing Oil in 1931 — only to sell them to Jock the following year. Windham is the only witness at the trial, and despite his earlier assertion that his story was long and complicated, he manages to tell it pretty succinctly here. Likewise, am I the only who finds it absurd that Jock left the bill of sale giving him ownership of a multi-billion-dollar corporation with his ex-wife Amanda, who lives in a mental hospital? Once again, I suppose I shouldn’t quibble. The lawsuit over Ewing Oil wasn’t as dreary as the Naldo murder mystery, but it wasn’t a shining moment in “Dallas” history, either. What’s important now is that it’s over.

Given the sense of finality in “Deliverance,” it’s no wonder the producers decided to end this episode with a Ewing victory bash at the Oil Baron’s Club. This is a fun sequence because it brings together so many different characters — including Jordan and Marilee, who were rooting for Cliff and Jamie in the fight over the company. (During the trial, Jordan even shows his solidarity with Cliff by offering him a fist pump.) I also get a kick out of Marilee making a beeline for handsome Jack the moment he arrives at the party, although I’m equally intrigued by another shot that shows her chatting with Ray. In fact, the only character who seems to be missing from the celebration is Jenna’s lawyer Scotty Demarest. This is an especially egregious oversight when you consider all of Scotty’s theories about the case were proven correct, right down to the fact the murder weapon was equipped with a sy-lun-suh.

“Deliverance” also brings us more evidence of Sue Ellen’s sad spiral: J.R. finds her passed out drunk in her bed at the beginning of the episode, and later, she discreetly nips from her flask in the courthouse corridor. (Shades of Sue Ellen sneaking a drink during “Jock’s Trial, Part Two.”) Shockingly, Linda Gray has only one line of dialogue in “Deliverance” — at the party, Sue Ellen says hello to Phyllis and Sly — although Gray’s limited screen time underscores how her character is receding into the shadows. Besides, Sue Ellen’s drinking will be dealt with more in “Swan Song,” along with the identity of the mystery woman who rips up the newspaper article about Jenna’s release (is there any doubt who’s under the blond wig?) and Bobby and Pam’s reunion, which the producers set up in “Deliverance” by having the characters finally admit that they still love each other.

Along these lines, this episode also finds J.R. telling Sly he’s glad Jenna will soon get out of jail because it means she can marry Bobby. “J.R., I thought you wanted Bobby and Pam to get back together,” Sly says. His response: “Well, that was last week.” Yes, it’s an amusing line, especially when Larry Hagman punctuates it with his chuckle, but it’s also a little too self-aware for my taste. Perhaps the producers need to indulge their campy impulses one last time before returning to serious dramatic territory in “Swan Song.” If that’s the case, all is forgiven.

Grade: B

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Charlene Tilton, Clayton Farlow, Dack Rambo, Dallas, Deborah Tranelli, Deliverance, Don Starr, Donna Culver Krebbs, Donna Reed, Dr. Mitch Cooper, Fern Fitzgerald, George O. Petrie, Harv Smithfield, Howard Keel, Leigh McCloskey, Dr. Mitch Cooper, Jack Ewing, Jordan Lee, Marilee Stone, Phyllis Wapner, Ray Krebbs, Steve Kanaly, Susan Howard

Toast of the town

‘DELIVERANCE’

Season 8, Episode 29

Airdate: May 10, 1985

Audience: 19.2 million homes, ranking 2nd in the weekly ratings

Writer: Peter Dunne

Director: Nick Havinga

Synopsis: At the trial, Windham testifies that he bought Digger and Jason’s Ewing Oil shares and later sold them to Jock. Jenna is freed after Bobby persuades Schumann to confess to Naldo’s murder, but the assassin is unable to say who hired him. Dusty spots Sue Ellen drinking at the Oil Baron’s Club. Mitch asks Lucy to move to Atlanta.

Cast: Sam Anderson (Inspector Frank Howard), Mary Armstrong (Louise), Rod Arrants (Andre Schumann), Roseanne Christiansen (Teresa), Robert Clarke (Mason), Pat Colbert (Dora Mae), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Eric Farlow (Christopher Ewing), Fern Fitzgerald (Marilee Stone), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Jenilee Harrison (Jamie Barnes), Susan Howard (Donna Krebbs), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), John Larch (Wally Windham), Jared Martin (Dusty Farlow), Shalane McCall (Charlie Wade), Leigh McCloskey (Dr. Mitch Cooper), George O. Petrie (Harv Smithfield), Daniel Pilon (Renaldo Marchetta), Priscilla Beaulieu Presley (Jenna Wade), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Dack Rambo (Jack Ewing), Donna Reed (Miss Ellie Farlow), Debbie Rennard (Sly), Sherril Lynn Rettino (Jackie Dugan), Dean Santoro (Raymond Furguson), Deborah Shelton (Mandy Winger), Don Starr (Jordan Lee), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Deborah Tranelli (Phyllis), Harvey Vernon (Judge Harding)

“Deliverance” is available on DVD and at Amazon and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

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Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘I’m So Sorry’

August 26, 2015 by 6 Comments
Dallas, Deeds and Misdeeds, John Ross Ewing, Linda Gray, Omri Katz, Sue Ellen Ewing

Significant mother

In “Deeds and Misdeeds,” an eighth-season “Dallas” episode, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) enters a hospital room, where John Ross (Omri Katz) lies in bed.

SUE ELLEN: Hello, sweetheart.

JOHN ROSS: [Turns to face her] Mama.

SUE ELLEN: [Strokes his hair] My poor baby.

JOHN ROSS: Where were you?

SUE ELLEN: Well, I’m here.

JOHN ROSS: Were you here when they operated on me?

SUE ELLEN: No. Mommy was out. I didn’t even know about the operation until it was all over.

JOHN ROSS: Oh.

SUE ELLEN: I’m so sorry. It was a mistake. Mommy should have been here.

JOHN ROSS: That’s okay. You didn’t know.

SUE ELLEN: How’s your tummy? Does it hurt?

JOHN ROSS: A little bit. But not like it did when Grandma brought me to the hospital.

SUE ELLEN: Well, it hurts right now because of the operation, but it’ll go away soon.

JOHN ROSS: I know. [Reaches up and hugs her]

SUE ELLEN: Sweetheart, easy. Don’t strain yourself. [Kisses him] I’m so sorry. Mommy should have been here so you didn’t have to go through that operation alone.

JOHN ROSS: It wasn’t your fault.

SUE ELLEN: [Crying] Yes, it was. [Kisses him] Yes, it was. I’m so sorry. [Kisses him]

Watch this scene in “Deeds and Misdeeds,” available on DVD and at Amazon and iTunes, and share your comments below.

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Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 189 — ‘Deeds and Misdeeds’

August 26, 2015 by 12 Comments
Dallas, Deeds and Misdeeds, Linda Gray, Sue Ellen Ewing

Bottle shock

Sue Ellen’s scenes in “Deeds and Misdeeds” aren’t easy to watch. The previous episode ended with her taking her first drink in almost two years, and in this hour, she continues slipping back into her old habits. Sue Ellen leads everyone to believe her relapse was only temporary, yet she swipes a bottle of vodka from the living room and stuffs it in her purse when no one is looking. Alcohol is once again overpowering her, which director Michael Preece brilliantly symbolizes in one scene by filming Linda Gray through the bottles on the Southfork liquor cart. It’s as if the booze is bigger than she is.

As much as I love this shot, no moment in “Deeds and Misdeeds” is more powerful than Sue Ellen’s visit to John Ross in the hospital. She’s wracked with guilt — the reason she fell off the wagon in the first place is because J.R. accused her of being a neglectful mother when their son fell ill with appendicitis — and Gray’s tentative body language does as much to convey her character’s remorse as her tears. Sue Ellen approaches the child slowly, then tenderly strokes his hair and says, “I’m so sorry. Mommy should have been here so you didn’t have to go through that operation alone.” John Ross tells her that “it wasn’t your fault” and wraps his arms around her neck, which might be the saddest thing I’ve ever witnessed on this show. This sweet little boy isn’t hesitating to forgive his mother, yet we know it’ll be a long time before she can forgive herself.

Although it’s hard to see Sue Ellen fall behind after making so much progress during the past two seasons, I’m glad “Dallas” is finally showcasing Gray, who’s been relegated to the background for too long. “Deeds and Misdeeds” continues the show’s late-season course correction in other areas too, including the storyline over the lawsuit to control Ewing Oil. The mysterious Jack brings his cousins J.R., Bobby and Ray to California to meet wealthy Wallace Windham, a figure from Jock’s past who has information that could tilt the suit in the Ewings’ favor. The audience won’t discover what Windham knows until the next episode, but no matter. At least we get to see the Ewing men looking cooler than ever as they stroll across Windham’s driveway. It’s not as neat as the slow-motion walk from “Reservoir Dogs,” but it’ll do.

“Deeds and Misdeeds” also features a cute scene in which J.R. shows up in John Ross’s hospital room with a toy robot — Daddy looks awfully pleased with himself, doesn’t he? — as well as the impromptu wedding of Cliff and Jamie, which demonstrates how isolated Ken Kercheval’s character is from the rest of the show. Cliff asks Jordan Lee to be his best man, a somewhat surprising choice since I rarely think of these two characters as being particularly close. Other oddities include Clayton expressing surprise to learn Jock was married before Ellie — how has she not mentioned this before? — as well as Mandy’s near-orgasmic reaction when J.R. embraces her during a visit to her dressing room. If this is all it takes for J.R. to send a woman into a fit of ecstasy, no wonder he’s such a popular fellow.

Speaking of unsubtle moments: Let’s discuss the dramatic encounter between Mitch, his ex-wife Lucy and his current squeeze Joanna. It begins with Mitch and Lucy chatting in the hospital corridor about how much they’ve matured since their divorce. When she says she’s proud of him and offers a friendly hug, he notices Joanna is watching and calls her over. “Hi, Joanna,” Mitch says. “I’d like to introduce you to Lucy Ewing. Lucy, this is Joanna Pearce.” Actress Cynthia Leake says, “Hello,” … and then she delivers a Shatner-esque pause while cutting Charlene Tilton the most withering glare in the history of 1980s prime-time soap operas. This is what the kids now refer to as “throwing shade,” except that doesn’t do it justice. Tilton does a nice job looking appropriately rattled, which Joanna ignores as she turns to Mitch and says, “Well, I’ll talk to you later.” Leake then exits the scene, but not before Joanna looks Lucy up and down one last time.

This is Leake’s second “Dallas” appearance — she also played one of Peter’s fellow camp counselors in the seventh-season episode “My Brother’s Keeper” — and it demonstrates how actors in small roles can leave lasting impressions on “Dallas.” In a way, it also speaks to the resiliency of Tilton’s character. If Lucy can survive a look this dirty, she might be the hardiest Ewing of all.

Grade: B

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dallas, Deeds and Misdeeds, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman

Tin men

‘DEEDS AND MISDEEDS’

Season 8, Episode 28

Airdate: May 3, 1985

Audience: 18.2 million homes, ranking 3rd in the weekly ratings

Writer: David Paulsen

Director: Michael Preece

Synopsis: Jack introduces the Ewing brothers to Wallace Windham, who supplies them with evidence Jock owned Ewing Oil. After falling off the wagon, Sue Ellen hides her drinking from the Ewings. Cliff marries Jamie.

Cast: Roseanne Christiansen (Teresa), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Eric Farlow (Christopher Ewing), Susan French (Amanda Ewing), Paul Gleason (Lieutenant Lee Spaulding), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Jenilee Harrison (Jamie Ewing), Susan Howard (Donna Krebbs), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Omri Katz (John Ross Ewing), Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), John Larch (Wally Windham), Shalane McCall (Charlie Wade), Leigh McCloskey (Dr. Mitch Cooper), Priscilla Beaulieu Presley (Jenna Wade), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Dack Rambo (Jack Ewing), Donna Reed (Miss Ellie Farlow), Debbie Rennard (Sly), Sherril Lynn Rettino (Jackie Dugan), Deborah Shelton (Mandy Winger), Don Starr (Jordan Lee), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing)

“Deeds and Misdeeds” is available on DVD and at Amazon and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

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Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘Pam, I’m Sorry’

August 24, 2015 by 10 Comments
Bobby Ewing, Dallas, Ewing Connection, Pam Ewing, Patrick Duffy

Sorry, not sorry

In “The Ewing Connection,” an eighth-season “Dallas” episode, Bobby and Pam (Patrick Duffy, Victoria Principal) sit and drink on her living room sofa.

PAM: You know, right now, I can’t help but think about all those times we talked about moving away from Southfork.

BOBBY: [Sighs] It is peaceful here.

PAM: I think things would have worked out differently for us if we’d gotten away from the Ewing family.

BOBBY: And if I hadn’t gotten so involved in the company.

PAM: Well, after J.R. was shot, nothing was ever the same, was it?

BOBBY: You and I were on our way to California. And the family found us and asked us to come back. And I took over control of the company until J.R. got better.

PAM: And after that, you never got the company out of your blood.

BOBBY: I guess not.

PAM: We could have gotten a house of our own. I think it would have been better for us.

BOBBY: Well, we shouldn’t sit around here and play what might have been, huh? [Sets down his drink, rises]

PAM: No.

BOBBY: It’s late. I’d better be going.

PAM: I guess so.

They kiss.

BOBBY: Pam, I’m sorry.

PAM: [Puts her hand to his lips, smiles] No, no, no.

BOBBY: Good night.

PAM: Good night.

Watch this scene in “The Ewing Connection,” available on DVD and at Amazon and iTunes, and share your comments below.

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Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 188 — ‘The Ewing Connection’

August 24, 2015 by 17 Comments
Clayton Farlow, Dallas, Donna Reed, Ewing Connection, Howard Keel, John Ross Ewing, Miss Ellie Ewing Farlow, Omri Katz, Ray Krebbs, Steve Kanaly

Emergency, plus four

No matter how many times I see the “Dallas” characters come together during a medical crisis, it never seems to lose its dramatic punch. In “The Ewing Connection,” John Ross’s appendicitis produces one chills-inducing scene after another: Miss Ellie rushing upstairs after hearing the little boy screaming in pain, Ray bursting through the emergency room doors carrying the child’s limp body, J.R. dropping everything at the office when he receives the call informing him his son is sick. These moments underscore the ties that bind this family, reminding us that despite all their bickering, the Ewings genuinely care about each other.

John Ross’s illness also provides “Dallas” with an opportunity send Sue Ellen on what will become one of her final benders. Linda Gray’s character demonstrates surprising strength throughout the eighth season, continually resisting the urge to drink as her marriage unravels for the umpteenth time. “The Ewing Connection” even takes a few moments to celebrate Sue Ellen’s success in the scene where she attends group therapy and tearfully describes how she stayed on the wagon despite another nasty spat with J.R. Gray’s performance during the therapy scene is beautiful and moving, allowing us to feel proud of Sue Ellen not only for staying sober, but also for having the courage to share the experience with a roomful of strangers. This is what makes the episode’s ending so heartbreaking. After J.R. lashes out at her because she wasn’t with John Ross when he got sick, Sue Ellen picks up a glass of bourbon, tentatively brings it to her lips and finally gulps it down.

Sue Ellen’s downfall raises a few questions that aren’t easily answered. First, is J.R. right when he says she should have stayed home with John Ross? The script has the child’s illness play out gradually. He begins complaining about having a stomachache at breakfast, so Sue Ellen says he should stay home from school. Later, John Ross tells her he’s feeling better, so she decides to not take him to the doctor, saying he can spend the rest of the day in bed. She also points out that Miss Ellie will be around if he needs anything. Sue Ellen then goes to her group and returns home that evening toting a couple of shopping bags, explaining that she decided to buy herself a few things after her therapy session. This is when J.R. tells her John Ross’s appendix almost ruptured, calls her an unfit mother and storms off, leaving her alone to drink. Is J.R. unnecessarily cruel? Yes, but does he have a point about her parental judgment? Or is it unfair to blame Sue Ellen for something she couldn’t control?

This brings us to another point that’s open to interpretation. When Sue Ellen arrives home, J.R. is fixing a drink in the living room. He breaks the news about John Ross as only he can (“While you were out seeking help for your psyche and boosting the economy of the more fashionable boutiques of Dallas, your son was being rushed into surgery”) and she tries to defend herself, saying John Ross seemed fine when she left. The spouses move from the living room to the foyer, and as he calls her “a totally unfit mother,” he sets down the drink and marches upstairs. The question is: Why doesn’t J.R. take his drink with him? Does he leave it behind because he’s too angry to think straight? Or does he set down the glass, hoping Sue Ellen will drink it? Did he pour it for her in the first place? Is J.R. hoping she’ll relapse so he can divorce her, gain custody of John Ross and be free to pursue Mandy Winger?

Besides Sue Ellen’s relapse, “The Ewing Connection” includes two other moments of consequence: Donna learns she’s pregnant (Susan Howard does a nice job conveying her character’s mixed emotions in this scene), and J.R. and Bobby sign over 10 percent of Ewing Oil to their newly discovered cousin Jack in exchange for his promise to prove Cliff and Jamie have no ownership claim on the company. This is another example of one of my least favorite “Dallas” tropes from the later years, when the characters exchange stakes in this multi-billion-dollar company the way kids once traded baseball cards in schoolyards. Mercifully, Bobby persuades J.R. that the two of them should each give up 5 percent instead of asking the other shareholders (Miss Ellie, Gary and Ray) to sacrifice a portion of their shares. It doesn’t make much sense, but at least the math is easy to follow.

Finally, “The Ewing Connection” gives us two reunions, beginning with Lucy and Mitch’s appropriately awkward dinner in Atlanta. The characters make meaningless small talk, although one line of dialogue feels weightier now than it did when this episode debuted three decades ago. Lucy asks Mitch about his mother and sister; Mitch responds both are doing fine, which doesn’t tell the whole story, at least where Afton is concerned. Given what we now know about Audrey Landers’ character’s timeline, she was probably getting ready to give birth to her secret daughter Pamela Rebecca Cooper around this time. Maybe Mitch decides not to tell Lucy because he’s afraid she’ll go home and blab the news to everyone, which actually seems pretty likely when you stop and think about it.

The more meaningful reunion comes when Bobby and Pam spend an evening reminiscing about their marriage, sealing the conversation with a brief kiss. The producers wisely keep Priscilla Beaulieu Presley out of this episode, giving Bobby and Pam the room they need to begin finding their way back to each other. The kiss also foreshadows the characters’ reconciliation in the eighth-season finale, “Swan Song.” In fact, there’s a lot about “The Ewing Connection” that reminds me of that episode. The scene where J.R. rushes out of the room after receiving the call about John Ross is similar to the “Swan Song” moment in which J.R. gets the call that Bobby’s been hurt, and Howard Keel seems to sport the same shirt and jacket in both episodes. Likewise, when Sue Ellen comes home with her shopping bags, it’s not unlike the ninth-season scene in which she strolls into the living room, blissfully unaware that Bobby has died.

I know, I know. I’m getting ahead of myself again. What can I say? If “The Ewing Connection” is a trial run for “Swan Song,” then I’m more ready than ever to see the real thing.

Grade: B

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Dallas, Ewing Connection, Linda Gray, Sue Ellen Ewing

Last hurrah

‘THE EWING CONNECTION’

Season 8, Episode 27

Airdate: April 19, 1985

Audience: 17.9 million homes, ranking 5th in the weekly ratings

Writer: Arthur Bernard Lewis

Director: Nick Havinga

Synopsis: J.R. and Bobby reluctantly agree to give Jack 10 percent of Ewing Oil in exchange for information to squash Cliff’s lawsuit. Sue Ellen falls off the wagon after John Ross is rushed to the hospital with appendicitis. Bobby and Pam kiss. Donna learns she’s pregnant. Lucy meets Mitch in Atlanta. The police track down Andre Schumann, the assassin who likely murdered Naldo.

Cast: Roseanna Christensen (Teresa), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Eric Farlow (Christopher Ewing), Paul Gleason (Lieutenant Lee Spaulding), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Jenilee Harrison (Jamie Ewing), Susan Howard (Donna Krebbs), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Omri Katz (John Ross Ewing), Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Shalane McCall (Charlie Wade), Leigh McCloskey (Dr. Mitch Cooper), George O. Petrie (Harv Smithfield), Nicholas Pryor (Nathan Billings), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Dack Rambo (Jack Ewing), Donna Reed (Miss Ellie Farlow), Sherril Lynn Rettino (Jackie Dugan), Barry Sattels (Greg Rupp), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), John Zaremba (Dr. Harlan Danvers)

“The Ewing Connection” is available on DVD and at Amazon and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

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Heard the News? The Next #DallasChat is Friday, Aug. 21

August 19, 2015 by 3 Comments
Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman

Read all about it

Dallas Decoder’s next #DallasChat on Twitter will be Friday, Aug. 21, from 8 to 9 p.m. Eastern time.

Since summer is the season of sequels, this chat will be a follow-up to our recent “Super Summer Spectacular.” Expect more questions about Southfork sunshine, swimsuits and sweaty Ewings.

Are you new to #DallasChat? Here’s how it works: During each hour-long discussion, I tweet 10 questions from my Twitter handle, @DallasDecoder. Fans respond to the questions and comment on each other’s answers, making each chat a fun, freewheeling group conversation.

Here’s a sample exchange:

Q1. How come J.R. never spent much time in the Southfork swimming pool? #DallasChat

A1. Miss Ellie wouldn’t let J.R. use the pool. She was afraid he’d leave an oily ring around it. #DallasChat

New to #DallasChat or need a refresher? Here are three tips:

• Each #DallasChat question is numbered (Q1, Q2, etc.), so your responses should include the corresponding number (A1, A2, etc.).

• Include the hashtag #DallasChat in your tweets.

• During the discussion, enter #DallasChat in Twitter’s search field. This will help you watch the search results so you can follow the conversation. Click “All” to see all the related tweets.

Let’s send summer out in style. See you Friday!

Got suggestions for #DallasChat questions? Leave them in the comments below.

Filed Under: #DallasChat, #DallasChat announcements, Opinion Tagged With:

Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘You Can’t Lose’

August 19, 2015 by 2 Comments
Dack Rambo, Dallas, Jack Ewing, Terms of Estrangement

True Ewing

In “Terms of Estrangement,” an eighth-season “Dallas” episode, J.R. (Larry Hagman) meets a stranger (Dack Rambo) at the Oil Baron’s Club, unaware that it’s his cousin, Jack.

JACK: Well, Mr. Ewing, I’m glad you could find time to make this meeting. I think you’ll find it time well spent.

J.R.: Well, I certainly hope so. I haven’t got a hell of a lot left.

JACK: First, I’d like to discuss the terms of our agreement.

J.R.: All right, shoot.

Cassie (Anne C. Lucas) approaches with J.R.’s drink.

CASSIE: Here you are, Mr. Ewing.

J.R.: Thank you, thank you, Cassie.

JACK: If I could stop Jason Ewing’s daughter and Digger Barnes’s son from stealing two-thirds of Ewing Oil, I think maybe a fair compensation would be 10 percent of Ewing Oil for myself.

J.R.: Oh, really? Well, I can give you a lot of money, but nobody but a Ewing is ever going to own Ewing Oil.

JACK: Cliff Barnes is not a Ewing. Unless you make a deal with me, Cliff Barnes is going to be sitting in your office.

J.R.: No way, and I’m not going to give you a piece of my company.

JACK: [Chuckles] Mr. Ewing, I’m saving you 66 percent and asking for 10 in return. Now I could ask for 20, 30, it’d still be a good deal for you. I’m just trying to be reasonable. [Sips his drink]

J.R.: And if I say no?

JACK: You lose control of Ewing Oil to Barnes.

J.R.: And you lose too.

JACK: [Chuckles] Not quite. No, I’ll sell my silence to Barnes. Let him destroy the information that proves he has no legal claim on Ewing Oil.

J.R.: Well, I could go to trial and win.

JACK: No, you could go to trial and gamble away your inheritance.

J.R.: Are you telling me that the papers Barnes has are not real?

JACK: Oh, no, they’re very real. But I think I’ve got something better. Look at it this way. If what I’m selling doesn’t hold up in court, you don’t owe me a dime. You can’t lose.

J.R.: Who are you?

JACK: Well, who I am doesn’t really matter. What does matter is whether or not we have a deal. [Reaches inside his jacket pocket, takes out a pin, scribbles on a napkin] Now, here is my number. If I don’t hear from you real soon, Cliff Barnes will hear from me. [Hands J.R. the napkin] See you.

Watch this scene in “Terms of Estrangement,” available on DVD and at Amazon and iTunes, and share your comments below.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: , , ,

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 187 — ‘Terms of Estrangement’

August 19, 2015 by 13 Comments
Dack Rambo, Dallas, Jack Ewing, Jenilee Harrison, Terms of Estrangement

Hello, stranger

Jack Ewing is a bad boy who makes a good impression. “Terms of Estrangement” introduces the character, a long-lost cousin who comes to town offering to sell J.R. information that could undermine Cliff’s efforts to snag a piece of Ewing Oil. Is Jack telling the truth? Who knows, and who cares? The newcomer, played with roguish charm by Dack Rambo, injects an element of unpredictability into “Dallas’s” ho-hum eighth season. By the time this episode debuted in 1985, the show had added several new faces to its cast, each with mixed results. Finally, here’s one that works from the get-go.

Make no mistake: Rambo’s debut deserves to rank alongside Susan Howard’s and Howard Keel’s as one of “Dallas’s” best. Many fans never warmed to Rambo three decades ago, mostly because he was hired to replace the soon-to-depart Patrick Duffy as the show’s romantic male lead. It’s easier to judge Rambo on his own merits today. The actor has a natural charisma that makes Jack instantly appealing, even when we don’t know much about him. In “Terms of Estrangement,” he arrives as a stranger who summons J.R. to the Oil Baron’s Club and offers to help him squash Cliff’s lawsuit — in exchange for 10 percent of the company. Rambo holds his own against Larry Hagman throughout the scene, making it a fun exchange between two scoundrels. It reminds me of the first time J.R. tussled with Clayton Farlow during the fifth season. I didn’t mind seeing Clayton one-up J.R. then, and I don’t mind seeing Jack do it now. That’s as good measure of a new character’s potential as I can think of.

Rambo also is effective in this episode’s final scene, when his character unexpectedly shows up on Jamie’s doorstep. She’s packing her belongings to move and seems less than pleased to see him, and for the first few moments, it seems as if Rambo’s character is an ex-lover who’s come to upset Jamie’s relationship with Cliff. We soon discover the mystery man is Jack, Jamie’s estranged brother, a good twist that shifts the dynamics of the scene. Once we know the characters are siblings, his attempts to needle her come off as playful, not threatening. The scene ends with Jack letting her know he plans to stick around (“I kind of like it here in Dallas”), raising hopes his presence will help the series continue to recover from the Jenna Wade murder trial that dragged down the preceding episodes.

Indeed, “Terms of Estrangement” offers other signs “Dallas” is getting its act together. J.R. is crueler than ever: He ridicules Sue Ellen’s decision to join group therapy — which are held at the delightfully dippy “Institute for Advanced Awareness” — and shoves a glass of bourbon in her face, saying, “The only institute that works for you is this.” The show is always better when these characters are at war, although it’s also good to see Sue Ellen pour out the drink without taking a sip. (Her decision to dump it in a potted plant in the Southfork living room is another matter altogether.) Later, Sue Ellen and Donna — two characters who don’t interact much — commiserate about their troubled marriages over a post-midnight plate of cookies. Sue Ellen refers to their fates as “the curse of the Ewings,” prompting Donna’s poignant response (“It wasn’t supposed to happen to me”), which Susan Howard delivers with breathy perfection.

Meanwhile, Jenilee Harrison’s character continues to come into her own. In addition to her reunion with Jack, Jamie receives a surprisingly charming marriage proposal from Cliff and has a good scene with Sue Ellen. The latter begins when Jamie arrives at Southfork to mend fences with her friend, only to be told by Teresa that Sue Ellen doesn’t want to see her. Jamie refuses to take no for an answer and barges into Sue Ellen’s room, where she gives her a much-needed talking to. In a similar spirit, I love the small scene in which Sue Ellen calls John Ross out of the kitchen and tells him it’s time to go to school. With a lunchbox in one hand, Omri Katz marches around the breakfast table and receives a hug from Donna Reed, a high-five from Patrick Duffy and a pat on the bottom from Howard Keel. It’s an early glimpse of the swagger John Ross would one day exhibit on TNT’s sequel series.

“Terms of Estrangement” has its share of novelties too. Priscilla Beaulieu Presley appears only in one scene, but she now sports a stylish bob. Perhaps the hairdresser who famously gave Sue Ellen a makeover in the hospital has now worked his magic on Jenna in jail? This episode also features two actors from John Hughes movies: Lyman Ward, the dad from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” plays the airline executive who gives Bobby the tape that shows Veronica Robinson being murdered on the plane, while Paul Gleason, the principal from “The Breakfast Club,” plays the police detective who investigates the crime. (Andre Schumann, the hit man seen on the tape, is played by Rod Arrants of “Search for Tomorrow.”)

Speaking of that tape: Ward’s character tells Bobby that the airlines are beginning to install hidden cameras on planes to deter hijackings. It’s prescient — in real life, TWA Flight 847 was hijacked in Athens two months after this episode aired — and also a little silly. The tape offers a fixed, wide angle view of the plane’s interior cabin, making it look like the kind of surveillance video that one would have expected to see in the mid-1980s. However, once Schumann takes his seat next to Veronica and poisons her drink, the camera suddenly zooms in for a close-up of Schumann’s hands. It’s one of those only-on-television moments, although I wouldn’t be surprised if the cameras trained on the public today are zooming in and zooming out on us all the time.

Grade: B

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dallas, Terms of Estrangement

Close at hand

‘TERMS OF ESTRANGEMENT’

Season 8, Episode 26

Airdate: April 12, 1985

Audience: 18.7 million homes, ranking 6th in the weekly ratings

Writer: Peter Dunne

Director: Alexander Singer

Synopsis: Jamie accepts Cliff’s marriage proposal and receives a visit from her brother Jack, who approaches J.R. and offers to sell him information that could prove Cliff and Jamie have no legal claim on Ewing Oil. Bobby uncovers videotape that shows assassin Andre Schumann murdering Veronica on the plane, but Jenna refuses to believe she’ll get out of prison. Sue Ellen begins group therapy. Lucy receives a letter from Mitch.

Cast: Rod Arrants (Andre Schumann), Roseanna Christiansen (Teresa), Pat Colbert (Dora Mae), Ben Cooper (Parris), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Paul Gleason (Lieutenant Lee Spaulding), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Jenilee Harrison (Jamie Ewing), Susan Howard (Donna Krebbs), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Omri Katz (John Ross Ewing), Stacy Keach Sr. (Waldron), Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Anne C. Lucas (Cassie), Laura Malone (Janice Hopper), Priscilla Beaulieu Presley (Jenna Wade), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Dack Rambo (Jack Ewing), Donna Reed (Miss Ellie Farlow), Debbie Rennard (Sly), Sherril Lynn Rettino (Jackie Dugan), Barry Sattels (Greg Rupp), Deborah Shelton (Mandy Winger), Gail Strickland (Veronica Robinson), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Lyman Ward (Norman)

“Terms of Estrangement” is available on DVD and at Amazon and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

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