Features – Dallas Decoder

Who Hung J.R.? We Did!

November 21, 2020 by Chris Baker 15 Comments

Square one

Today marks the 40th anniversary of “Dallas’s” famous “Who Shot J.R.?” revelation, and I’m marking the occasion with a special tribute to Larry Hagman.

This Lego portrait of the late, great “Dallas” star was created by my husband Andrew, who employed the same method he used to create a portrait of Linda Gray’s Sue Ellen Ewing a few years ago.

First, Andrew found a shot of J.R. that he liked — it comes from a BVD underwear ad that Hagman did in the 1980s — and used a software program to digitize it. Andrew then recreated the image with Lego, affixing the little plastic bricks to six plates that form a complete picture when joined together.

By the way: The software automatically turned J.R.’s face a devilish shade of red, and after we had the portrait framed, we discovered there’s a counterfeit Lego brick among all the real ones. (How fitting!) And while most of the bricks are red, white and yellow, there is a single blue brick in ol’ J.R.’s right eye and another in his hat.

This is Andrew’s fourth “Dallas” Lego project: In addition to the Sue Ellen portrait, he created a Southfork playset and a diorama of the “Who Shot J.R.?” scene.

The 45-inch-by-30-inch J.R. portrait now hangs next to Sue Ellen’s at Dallas Decoder World Headquarters in Washington, D.C. It’s nice to see them together again, don’t you think?

Dallas, JR Ewing, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Sue Ellen Ewing

Hanging out

Filed Under: Feature, Features, Features Tagged With: Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Who Done It?, Who Shot J.R.?

Brick by Brick: Dallas Decoder’s Lego Tribute to Southfork

April 2, 2020 by Chris Baker 13 Comments

Welcome home

“Dallas” debuted on this day 42 years ago, and I can think of no better way to mark the occasion than with another Lego tribute from my husband, Andrew.

After creating a Sue Ellen portrait made of his childhood Legos and a “Who Shot J.R.?” playset, Andrew has built his own Southfork, complete with minifigs to represent the Ewings and all their friends — and a few of their enemies, of course.

Andrew spent a long time designing the house, carefully considering details like the angle to pitch the roof. It took him even longer to build the thing, especially since he had to track down some of the more obscure pieces online. (Who knew there was an underground market for Legos?)

In addition to recreating the outside of Southfork — including the arch over the driveway, the swimming pool and the yellow-and-white patio furniture — Andrew recreated some of “Dallas’s” most famous settings, like the foyer, dining room and the bedrooms of J.R. and Sue Ellen and Bobby and Pam.

Fitting all those rooms into the house wasn’t easy. The Hollywood sets from the TV series don’t exactly align with the exteriors of the real-life Southfork in Texas, making this project like our own version of HGTV’s “A Very Brady Renovation.” Andrew made it work, though, and even came up with the clever idea to put one wing of the house on a hinge so you can “swing” it to the side to get a better look at the interiors.

(This also allowed us to come up with my favorite feature of all: The hinge splits J.R. and Sue Ellen’s bed down the middle, so whenever the couple has a fight, she can swing her half of the bed into a whole other room. It’s just like when she used to move across the hall from J.R. in the ’80s!)

Andrew also carefully chose minifigs that resemble the actors. The Lego J.R. has Larry Hagman’s mischievous twinkle, and I especially love how Andrew dressed Sue Ellen in black and white, just like the iconic dress Linda Gray wore in “Who Done It?,” the episode that resolved the “Who Shot J.R.?” cliffhanger. (The Lego Miss Ellie is a little more Donna Reed than Barbara Bel Geddes, but oh well.)

Together, Andrew and I have had a lot of fun staging some of “Dallas’s” most famous scenes. Check out the gallery below, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments.

The arch

Side

Open floor plan

Ewings 4, 3 and 1

Together

Apart

Never send Lucy to get the mail

Sold!

Lady of the manor

Then find a better job!

Oh, Pam

You bastard!

Smash!

Good morning

She WON’T be home in 10 minutes

Chillin’

Filed Under: Features, Features

Play It Again, Darlin’: A Lego Salute to ‘Who Shot J.R.?’

March 21, 2020 by Chris Baker 4 Comments

Big bang

Today marks the 40th anniversary of “Dallas’s” famous “Who Shot J.R.?” cliffhanger, and Dallas Decoder is honoring the occasion with an all-new Lego tribute.

My husband, Andrew, has created a playset that shows everyone’s favorite dastardly oil baron, J.R. Ewing, getting what’s coming to him.

The set combines the final moments of “A House Divided,” the episode that kicked off the “Who Shot J.R.?” mystery on March 21, 1980, with the opening of “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” the following season’s opener, and the flashback that reveals J.R.’s assailant at the end of “Who Done It?”, one of the most-watched broadcasts in TV history.

The scene, set in J.R.’s office, features three minifigs: the stunned J.R.; the gal about to pull the trigger, Kristin, his jilted mistress; and Ewing Oil’s rattled cleaning lady, who discovered our hero after Kristin’s dirty deed was done.

Andrew took great care to find minifigs that resembled the actors and their costumes: Larry Hagman’s J.R., complete with his vest; Mary Crosby’s devil-in-the-blue-dress Kristin; and even Virginia Peters, who played the bandana-wearing, duster-wielding cleaning lady whose scream upon discovering J.R. has been a source of amusement in our house for years.

Andrew designed the office with many of the props depicted in the room during the original “Dallas’s” 14-season run, including the oversized Texas wall map, the oil rig model and the bar. He also included a picture of Southfork (itself rendered in Lego) and a desk portrait of J.R.’s long-suffering wife, Sue Ellen — which you might recognize as a miniature version of his Lego tribute to Linda Gray from 2018.

I hope you enjoy Andrew’s creation, and in true “Dallas” style, I’m ending this post with a cliffhanger of my own: a promise to show you his Lego Southfork someday soon.

Stay tuned.

Filed Under: Features Tagged With: House Divided, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Mary Crosby, Virginia Peters, Who Done It?, Who Shot J.R.?

Who Framed Sue Ellen? A Lego Tribute to ‘Dallas’s’ Leading Lady

September 12, 2018 by Chris Baker 16 Comments

Lego of ‘Dallas’? Never!

To mark Linda Gray’s birthday today, I’m unveiling a project that’s near and dear to my heart: a portrait of Sue Ellen Ewing that my husband, Andrew, created using his childhood Legos.

No, really.

It began when Andrew and I spent several weeks this winter cleaning out the Oregon home where he grew up. It was a trying time in more ways than one, especially when Andrew had to crawl into a hot, dusty attic to rescue the Legos that his parents had stuffed into a corner and covered with insulation.

After we shipped the Legos to our home in Washington, D.C., Andrew — looking for a way to unwind after all that work we did out west — decided to use the tiny plastic bricks to honor our favorite “Dallas” leading lady.

Don’t ask me how he came up with this concept, but he used a software program to digitize a glamour shot of Gray during her “Dallas” years, then he recreated that image with Legos. He affixed the bricks to six plates that, when joined together, form a complete picture.

Andrew devoted many hours to this labor of love, and the end result is totally rad: a portrait of one of the biggest stars of the 1980s, rendered to look like a computer graphic from that era, and built using a toy that many of us who grew up watching “Dallas” played with at the time.

The portrait — which is 45 inches by 30 inches — is now framed and hanging in our guest bedroom, where Sue Ellen watches over everyone who comes to stay with us.

So happy birthday, darlin’, and thanks for inspiring my husband, me, and “Dallas” fans everywhere.

Always a work in progress

Filed Under: Features, Features Tagged With: Linda Gray

‘Wally’s Will’: The Story Behind Linda Gray’s Short Film Debut

April 5, 2017 by Chris Baker 9 Comments

Along came Wally

Linda Gray loved Wally from the beginning.

It was late 2014, not long after TNT canceled its “Dallas” sequel series. Gray, looking for new roles, met with Matteo J. Mosterts, a filmmaker who was interested in casting her as the title character in “Wally’s Will,” his first short. As Mosterts described the role to Gray, the wheels began turning inside the actress’s head. “I thought to myself, ‘Oh, wait a minute. I could really do something with this,” she recalls.

Did she ever.

Gray went on to star in Mosterts’ film, which became a hit last year on the festival circuit, winning multiple awards for both the director and his leading lady. Now “Wally’s Will” is available on Vimeo, where the quirky, dark comedy is charming a whole new audience — and sparking talk about a possible feature-length version.

When Matteo Met Linda

Mosterts, a Los Angeles-based commercial advertising producer, had spent years developing ideas for his first film. He finally settled on telling the story of fictional Mary Elizabeth Von Friederich —“Wally” for short — a wealthy, eccentric woman who has prickly relationships with everyone around her. Mosterts says the character was inspired by someone close to him, although he adds with a wink that “everything is obviously extremely exaggerated.”

Not long after Mosterts passed his script along to a friend who works as a casting director, he received news that stunned him: Linda Gray wanted to meet with him. Mosterts knew the actress from her starring role on “Dallas,” which had a huge following in his native Italy. “It was a little surreal,” he says. “I said to my [casting director] friend, ‘She does know that I’ve never directed anything, right?’”

Gray and Mosterts hit it off immediately. He was struck by her creativity, including her suggestions for fleshing out the Wally character. “She definitely brought new ideas,” he says. (Gray recalls Mosterts turning to her at one point and saying, “Where do you come up with this stuff?”) Once the script was finalized and she accepted the role, it was time to start filming.

Hello, Malibu

Production began near Malibu in early 2015. On the first day of filming, Mosterts shot the beach scene with Wally and her loyal butler Doofus, played by René Mena. Filming outdoors is always complicated, and Mosterts spent more time than he planned “blocking” the scene — mapping out the actors’ movements in front of the camera. “It was a lesson learned. Start with the easiest stuff,” he says.

But Mosterts and his 25-person crew soon hit their stride. He credits Gray with helping to create a relaxed, friendly mood on the set. She pitched in wherever she could, even supplying much of Wally’s wardrobe from her own closet. Gray also proved a trouper, especially when temperatures dipped on the night Mosterts filmed the scene where Doofus paints Wally’s toenails outside her home. “I was expecting a little bit more resistance, a sense of entitlement — rightful entitlement — but there was none of that. She was the hardest working of us all,” Mosterts says.

Mosterts was also wowed by the performance he was eliciting from his star. Like Sue Ellen Ewing, Wally can be hard to love, and yet as the shoot continued, it became clear Gray was unearthing the character’s well-hidden vulnerabilities. “Linda has so much range,” he says. “I think she’s so nice and warm in person, and maybe she gets a kick out of playing characters with an edge.”

For her part, Gray says the shoot was one of the most memorable experiences of her career. One highlight: spending each night at the rental home that served as Wally’s mansion. Gray remembers waking up in the master bedroom one beautiful morning — and then realizing she was surrounded by all of Mosterts’ camera equipment. “It was a typical Hollywood moment,” she says with a laugh.

Encore, encore!

Once filming was completed and Mosterts produced a final cut, it was time to take “Wally’s Will” on the road. The 11-minute film was shown at festivals across the nation, where Mosterts spent most of his time watching people watch his movie. “I was focused on what the audience was doing. It was really interesting — really inspiring — to see what they respond to, what makes them laugh,” he says. Gray says the thought of seeing her alter ego in a theater was a little scary — until the moment finally arrived. “She was so powerful on the big screen,” she says.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was the acclaim “Wally’s Will” received. Mosterts was named best director at the Atlanta Shortsfest, while Gray won best comedic actress at the North Hollywood Cinefest. The film also received recognition at the USA Film Festival and the Palm Springs International ShortFest, among others.

Now Mosterts is working on a script for a full-length version of “Wally’s Will.” Gray says she’d love to play the character again, and Mosterts says he’d relish the opportunity to continue their collaboration. “I’m so thankful I got to work with her, and I look forward to working with her again,” he says.

What do you think of “Wally’s Will”? Watch the film above, share your comments below and read more features from Dallas Decoder.

Filed Under: Features, Features Tagged With: Linda Gray, Matteo J. Mosterts, René Mena, Wally’s Will

In Memoriam: Our 2016 ‘Dallas’ Tributes

December 31, 2016 by Chris Baker 7 Comments

Dallas Decoder remembers the “Dallas” actors, crew members and other contributors who died in 2016. Click on each person’s name to learn more about his or her career at IMDb.com.

Anthony Addabbo

Anthony Addabbo

Died October 18 (age 56)

In the 14th-season episode “Smooth Operator,” Addabbo played John, a Hollywood wannabe who pitched Bobby on a TV series that sounded suspiciously like “Twin Peaks.” Eight episodes later, in the series finale “Conundrum,” Addabbo appeared as Sue Ellen’s slimy Hollywood agent, Jeff Peters.

Patricia Barry

Patricia Barry

Died October 11 (age 93)

Barry made guest appearances on many episodic series from the 1950s through the early 2000s. In the 14th-season “Dallas” episode “Lock, Stock and Jock,” she played Janine, a married woman who refused to provide Carter McKay with an alibi after his arrest for Johnny Dancer’s murder.

Peter Brown

Peter Brown

Died March 21 (age 80)

In the fifth-season episode “Denial,” Brown, a veteran of the 1960s western “Laredo,” played Tom Flintoff, the creep who tried to force himself on Sue Ellen shortly after her divorce from J.R. Brown’s nephew, Phillip Brown, played architect Brian Johnston on “Knots Landing.”

Paul Comi

Paul Comi

Died August 26 (age 84)

Comi played Dr. McWright, the pediatrician who examined baby Christopher in “Waterloo at Southfork.” Comi logged many other TV guest shots during his 50-year career, including three episodes of “Knots Landing” and a memorable turn in the “Star Trek” classic “Balance of Terror.”

Ronnie Claire Edwards

Ronnie Claire Edwards

Died June 14 (age 83)

Edwards, who is best known for her role as Corabeth on “The Waltons,” appeared in the eighth-season “Dallas” episode “Barbecue Five” as Lydia, the tarot card reader that Pam consults during her search for Mark. Edwards also did guest spots on “Falcon Crest” and “Dynasty,” among many other shows.

Zsa Zsa Gabor

Zsa Zsa Gabor

Died December 18 (age 99)

Gabor played herself in “Svengali,” a 1982 “Knots Landing” episode in which Valene appears on Mike Douglas’s TV talk show to promote “Capricorn Crude,” her fictionalized book about the Ewings. In real life, Gabor and Larry Hagman once appeared together on a 1979 episode of “The Mike Douglas Show.”

Jim Gough

Jim Gough

Died June 7 (age 85)

Gough appeared on “Dallas” as Senator Lee in “Barbecue” (Season 1), Congressman Oates in “Runaway” (Season 2) and the rodeo announcer in “Close Encounters” (Season 9). His other notable credits include a role in the film “JFK” and a guest spot on the Leonard Katzman-produced “Walker Texas Ranger.”

Rick F. Gunter

Rick F. Gunter

Died August 31 (age 65)

Gunter served as “Dallas’s” cinematographer during most of the original show’s final three seasons. He later served as director of photography for several other series, including “Beverly Hills 90210,” “Charmed” and “The Wizards of Waverly Place,” for which he received an Emmy nomination in 2011.

Maj Hagman

Maj Hagman

Died May 31 (age 88)

Hagman was married to Larry Hagman from 1954 until his death in 2012. Their daughter Kristina appeared in several episodes on the original “Dallas” and this year wrote a book, “The Eternal Party,” about her family, including her mother’s talent as a fashion designer, hostess extraordinaire and devoted spouse.

John Hostetter

John Hostetter

Died September 2 (age 69)

Hostetter appeared in the 11th-season episode “Lovers and Other Liars” as Paul Derber, a poker buddy of Nicholas Pearce. He also did two guest spots as police offers on “Knots Landing,” was a semi-regular on “Murphy Brown” and voiced Bazooka on the 1980s “G.I. Joe” animated series.

Barry Jenner

Barry Jenner

Died August 9 (age 75)

From 1984 through 1986, Jenner appeared on “Dallas” as Dr. Jerry Kenderson, Mark Graison’s physician and a Sue Ellen’s suitor. He also appeared in four “Knots Landing” entries as Jeff Cunningham, Abby’s ex-husband, and he was a semi-regular on “Family Matters” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” among many other roles.

George Kennedy

George Kennedy

Died February 28 (age 91)

Kennedy, who won a best supporting actor Oscar for his role in 1967’s “Cool Hand Luke,” played villainous oil baron and Southfork neighbor Carter McKay during “Dallas’s” 12th, 13th and 14th seasons and two reunion movies, “J.R. Returns” and “War of the Ewings.” Dallas Decoder published a tribute to him in March.

Archie Lang

Archie Lang

Died February 17 (age 95)

Lang played a banking associate of Franklin Horner in the fifth-season episode “The Big Shut Down,” then returned for a five-episode stint in the 13th season as Senator Lee, a member of the panel that investigated the Ewing Oil tanker accident. Lang’s other credits include guest spots on “Knots Landing” and “The Waltons.”

Leslie H. Martinson

Leslie H. Martinson

Died September 3 (age 101)

Martinson directed four episodes during “Dallas’s” early years: the classic “Julie’s Return” and the campier “Call Girl,” “The Heiress” and “Power Play.” He also helmed episodes of many other series, including “Maverick,” “Batman,” “The Brady Bunch,” “Eight is Enough,” “Wonder Woman” and “Small Wonder.”

James Sheldon

James Sheldon

Died March 12 (age 95)

Sheldon directed two episodes of “Knots Landing,” including the second installment, “Community Spirit,” which featured Larry Hagman. His many other directing credits include “Echoes of Love,” a “Family” episode written by David Jacobs, and episodes of “M*A*S*H” and the Katzman-produced “Petrocelli.”

Barbara Tarbuck

Barbara Tarbuck

Died December 27 (age 74)

Tarbuck played Agnes, Cliff’s secretary at the Office of Land Management, in three episodes during the 1978-79 season. Her many other credits include guest spots on “Knots Landing” and “Dynasty” and recurring roles on “Falcon Crest,” “General Hospital” and “American Horror Story: Asylum.”

What do you remember about these individuals? Share your memories below and read our tributes from 2015, 2014 and 2013.

Filed Under: Features, Features Tagged With: Anthony Addabbo, Archie Lang, Barbara Tarbuck, Barbecue, Barbecue Five, Barry Jenner, Big Shut Down, Call Girl, Close Encounters, Community Spirit, Conundrum, David Jacobs, Denial, Eternal Party, George Kennedy, Heiress, J.R. Returns, James Sheldon, Jim Gough, John Chilton, John Hostetter, Julie’s Return, Knots Landing, Leonard Katzman, Leslie H. Martinson, Lock Stock and Jock, Lovers and Other Liars, Maj Hagman, Patricia Barry, Paul Comi, Peter Brown, Power Play, Rick F. Gunter, Ronnie Claire Edwards, Runaway, Smooth Operator, Svengali, War of the Ewings, Waterloo at Southfork

J.R. and Sue Ellen: How Tweet It Is!

April 10, 2016 by Chris Baker 3 Comments

Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, New Beginnings, Sue Ellen Ewing

Tweet talk

Thirty-five years ago tonight, “Dallas” delivered one of its greatest moments: the conversation where J.R. and Sue Ellen reminisce about their courtship.

The scene, which occurred at the end of the fourth-season episode “New Beginnings,” represented a rare cease-fire between two characters who are usually at war with each other. The exchange also showcased the magical chemistry between Larry Hagman and Linda Gray.

To mark the anniversary, I’ve recreated J.R. and Sue Ellen’s conversation on Twitter — complete with the surprise ending.

Click on Sue Ellen’s tweet below to read the exchange, and be sure to check out my other Twitter tributes to the “Who Shot J.R.” revelation and Jock’s lesson on “real power.”

.@JREwingDD I’ve always wanted to ask you something. With all those ladies in the state of Texas after you, why me?

— Sue Ellen Ewing (@SueEllenEwingDD) April 10, 2016

What are your perspectives on J.R. and Sue Ellen’s conversation? Share your comments below and read more features from Dallas Decoder.

Filed Under: Features, Features Tagged With: Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, New Beginnings, Who Shot J.R.?

Charlene Tilton Remembers Lucy Ewing’s Many Loves

February 14, 2016 by Chris Baker 14 Comments

Southfork sweetheart

Poor Lucy Ewing never found Mr. Right — but not for lack of trying. To mark Valentine’s Day, Dallas Decoder spoke to Charlene Tilton about her character’s many romances. Read her memories below, along with an update on her latest projects.

Drive him crazy

Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly)

Back in the day, that relationship was very controversial. I was so much younger and looked so much younger than Steve. In our first scene in the hayloft, Lucy tells Ray, “Call me her name. Call me Pam.” That was some kinky stuff! [Laughs] I honestly didn’t get it until I watched it years later. I also remember Steve’s response when I walked in the room and we met for the first time. He said, “Oh shoot, she’s just a baby!” But Steve was so sweet. He made me feel very comfortable during filming. And Steve and his wife became great friends of mine — and that has continued until this day.

Charlene Tilton, Dallas, Greg Evigan, Lucy Ewing, Willie Gust

Cool van, bro

Willie Gust (Greg Evigan)

Oh, I loved him! He kidnapped Lucy and made her sing “Silver Threads and Golden Needles”! [Laughs] That was hysterical. Not one of Lucy’s brightest moments, but I loved doing that episode. Greg was great. Here we were, filming in these offbeat places around Texas, and he and I would hang out and have lunch or dinner together. He was an unbelievably talented actor and so handsome. I don’t know if you’ve seen him recently, but — hello! — that man looks great. He and his wife are the nicest people. He’s always been such a family man. He’s a gem.

Charlene Tilton, Dallas, Kit Mainwaring, Lucy Ewing, Mark Wheeler

Secret love

Kit Mainwaring (Mark Wheeler)

My favorite. Mark was an extremely, extremely talented actor, and I loved the storyline. Lord have mercy, there was nothing like this on television at the time. Kit was the son of a wealthy oil family, and J.R. wanted my character to marry his, even though he was secretly gay. The show wasn’t even allowed to use that word at the time. We had to say “homosexual.” But the writers did such a great job handling it. And I loved the storyline on so many levels. When J.R. threatens to expose Kit, Lucy says, “I’ll take care of it” and she shuts J.R. up. I look back at that episode and I have to tell you: I am so proud of my performance and Mark’s performance too.

Alan Beam, Charlene Tilton, Dallas, Randolph Powell

Fur sure

Alan Beam (Randolph Powell)

Boy, wasn’t Alan a schemer! He really hurt Lucy when he teamed up with J.R., and then of course J.R. brought him down. But I loved Randolph. He was a gentleman: very nice, very talented — and with a very hairy chest. [Laughs] We had several bedroom scenes. He was cuddly!

Charlene Tilton, Dallas, Leigh McCloskey, Lucy Ewing, Mitch Cooper

Married: The first year

Dr. Mitch Cooper (Leigh McCloskey)

Leigh is awesome. Like Mitch, he’s very intellectual, very cerebral. I loved all of our scenes together. I’ll never forget the first time Mitch comes on the screen. He’s working as a valet parking attendant, and Lucy comes out of the nightclub drunk. As soon as he smiles, you think, “I bet every woman on the planet wishes she were in Lucy’s drunken stilettos right now!” [Laughs] Mitch was Lucy’s knight in shining armor. He didn’t care about her family’s wealth. But after they got married, the producers didn’t really know what to do with us. I think that’s when they began to write Lucy into a corner. I did love when Lucy hired the maid to do all her cleaning behind Mitch’s back. I thought, “That’s a good idea!” [Laughs]

Charlene Tilton, Dallas, Dennis Redfield, Lucy Ewing, Roger Larson

Just shoot her

Roger Larson (Dennis Redfield)

When Roger kidnapped Lucy and raped her, she became pregnant. I was pregnant in real life, and I had to do all of these episodes where I sit around saying, “I don’t want this baby.” As an actress, I felt I couldn’t give it my all because I didn’t want to affect my pregnancy with my beautiful daughter. So I would go home every night and say, “Mommy loves you.” I didn’t go as deep with that storyline as I normally would have. But Dennis is a wonderful, wonderful actor. And how funny is this? Years later, my daughter was going to a performing arts high school in Los Angeles where Dennis was teaching. I ran into him and it was so lovely. I was kind of sorry when I heard he quit acting because he was so good.

Bill Johnson, Charlene Tilton, Dallas, Lucy Ewing, Nicholas Hammond

Her favorite things

Bill Johnson (Nicholas Hammond)

Oh. My. Goodness. It’s so funny. I don’t remember my storyline with him. All I remember is that I was with Friedrich von Trapp! [Laughs] I am a “Sound of Music” fanatic. I’ve literally seen the movie over 150 times — and I am not kidding you. So when I saw his name on the call sheet in the makeup room, I started screaming, “Nicholas Hammond!” I was so enamored of him. All I wanted to do was ask him questions about Julie Andrews and filming in the Alps and Salzburg. Every time the director would yell, “Cut,” I’d ask Nicholas a ton of questions. “So when you were doing the ‘Do-Re-Me’ scene, what was that like?” I’m sure I was really annoying. [Laughs] But he was very polite and nice.

Mick or treat

Mickey Trotter (Timothy Patrick Murphy)

My Timmy Pat. He and I became really great friends. We’d hang out off the set when we weren’t filming, even after “Dallas.” I genuinely adored him. I did not know that he was living a gay lifestyle. I had no idea. It makes me really sad because back in those days, a lot of actors felt like it would hurt their career to be out. When I learned he was dying of AIDS, I called him and we talked but he wouldn’t see me. He wouldn’t let anyone see him that sick. So I think of him with a lot of sadness because to hide a lifestyle, and to hide being sick, that seems like a lot of torture to me. But I loved our storyline, and I loved how the show pushed the envelope with Mickey’s death. The scene where I break down and lash out at Ray is one of my favorites. We did it in one take.

Charlene Tilton, Christopher Atkins, Dallas, Lucy Ewing, Peter Richards

Night owls

Peter Richards (Christopher Atkins)

I love Christopher. He was great, but what a storyline! Here’s Lucy chasing this young man and he’s sneaking around with her aunt Sue Ellen. It was so provocative. And one of my very favorite scenes that I ever got to do on the show was the party where Lucy discovers that Peter is not interested in her and she gets drunk and tells him off. I have to say, as an actress, I’m really proud of that performance. And of course J.R. was behind the whole thing. He played Lucy like a puppet. He pulled all the strings! [Laughs]

Wait, wait. Don’t tell him.

Eddie Cronin (Frederic Lehne)

This was a fun storyline because it gave me something different to do, but I wasn’t quite sure how believable it was. Lucy parks her beautiful Mercedes so she can take the bus to the diner to work as a waitress? [Laughs] And then of course Eddie loved Betty, who also worked at the diner. I remember the fight scene between Lucy and Betty. Kathleen York is really a tall woman. She’s, like, 5’11 and I’m 5’2. So that was pretty funny.

Andrew Stevens, Casey Denault, Charlene Tilton, Dallas, Lucy Ewing

Cold Casey

Casey Denault (Andrew Stevens)

Andrew Stevens is another fabulous actor. He was very handsome and we would hang together off the set as well. He was there by himself and I was too. I really liked working with him.

Alex Barton, Charlene Tilton, Dallas, Lucy Ewing, Michael Wilding

Eye to eye

Alex Barton (Michael Wilding)

Let me tell you: Michael Wilding was so handsome and nice. His character was interested in J.R.’s wife Cally, and I kept thinking, “Let Lucy come in and break this up!” [Laughs] I thought he was such a gentleman. He’s Elizabeth Taylor’s son in real life, and boy, did he have his mother’s eyes. Just gorgeous. Mesmerizing. He’s the one that got away!

Charlene Tilton’s Next Role: Tammy Faye Bakker

Charlene Tilton Tammy Faye Bakker RAW copy

Double Tammy

So what is Charlene Tilton up to these days?

The beloved “Dallas” star is continuing work on a one-woman stage production on the life of Tammy Faye Bakker. Tilton hopes to take the show on tour before hitting New York City.

Tilton’s other role: proud mom. Her daughter is country music star Cherish Lee, whose self-titled album is available from iTunes. One of the songs, “Nowhere,” has even inspired a fan-made video that features clips of Lucy and her many boyfriends.

To keep up with Tilton, be sure to like her Facebook page.

Which of Lucy Ewing’s love interests did you like best? Share your comments below and read more features from Dallas Decoder.

Filed Under: Features, Features Tagged With: Andrew Stevens, Charlene Tilton, Cherish Lee, Christopher Atkins, Dennis Redfield, Frederic Lehne, Greg Evigan, Kathleen York, Leigh McCloskey, Mark Wheeler, Michael Wilding, Nicholas Hammond, Randolph Powell, Steve Kanaly, Timothy Patrick Murphy

Feel the Force, Darlins! How ‘Star Wars’ Mirrors ‘Dallas’

January 18, 2016 by Chris Baker 19 Comments

You love “Star Wars.” You love “Dallas.” Have you ever noticed how much they have in common?

The first “Star Wars” trilogy and the original “Dallas” series are both sweeping sagas that feature dreamy heroes, scary villains, epic romances and lots of family drama.

The similarities continue in “The Force Awakens” and the canceled-too-soon “Dallas” sequel series.

Both stories combine new characters and old favorites.

Both also feature ambitious young men with daddy (or granddaddy) complexes …

Kickass heroines …

Handsome heroes who like to go fast …

And tender reunions between beloved characters.

Also, the “Star Wars” and “Dallas” guys get hotter with age …

And so do the gals.

Other similarities include evil masterminds who toil in the shadows …

Complicated bromances …

Tall gals with guns …

And iconic villains who cast long shadows.

Only one question remains: Now that “Star Wars” has been reawakened …

Why can’t “Dallas” rise again?

What similarities do you see between “Star Wars” and “Dallas”? Share your comments below and read more features from Dallas Decoder.

Filed Under: Features, Features Tagged With: Brenda Strong, Charlene Tilton, Jesse Metcalfe, Jordana Brewster, Josh Henderson, Julie Gonzalo, Ken Kercheval, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy, TNT

How Would You Spin Off Bobby Ewing?

January 11, 2016 by Chris Baker 17 Comments

Spin, Bob, spin!

Would you watch a “Dallas” spinoff about Bobby Ewing?

It’s a question we’ve been pondering since last week, when fellow fan Jennifer Irons — a.k.a. Team Bobby Ewing — took to Twitter to suggest Patrick Duffy’s iconic character should get his own TV series.

Duffy’s response:

@TeamBobbyEwing I'm totally there. Sign me up

— Patrick Duffy (@therealpduffy) January 9, 2016

Who are we to leave our hero hanging? With tongue firmly planted in cheek, we offer three proposed spinoffs for our beloved Bobby:

MR. EWING GOES TO WASHINGTON

Logline: Bobby trades his big white house in Texas for the one at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. With help from Vice President Sue Ellen Ewing and Agriculture Secretary Ray Krebbs, he works each week to outsmart the nefarious Senate majority leader, Cliff Barnes.

EWING, TEXAS RANGER

Logline: After single-handedly defeating a Mexican drug cartel, Bobby ditches Southfork and begins a new career in law enforcement. His adventures take him across the Lone Star State and eventually lead him to a new love with a familiar face: District Attorney Alex Cahill (Sheree J. Wilson).

BOBBY’S LANDING

Logline: Bobby retires to Knots Landing, which he renames for himself. (He did build the place, after all.) His new Seaview Circle neighbors — including boozy brother Gary and nutty sister-in-law Val — make him feel right at home. But what happens when Abby, after realizing Bobby is the only Ewing brother she hasn’t slept with, decides to make him her latest conquest?

Now it’s your turn: What kind of spinoff would you create for Bobby Ewing? Share your ideas below and read more features from Dallas Decoder.

Filed Under: Features, Features Tagged With: Knots Landing, Patrick Duffy, Sheree J. Wilson