Dallas Styles: Sue Ellen’s ‘Who Done It?’ Dresses

July 10, 2012 by 4 Comments

Subject to contrast

When “Who Done It?” begins, Sue Ellen is at the Dallas police station, where she is being arrested for J.R.’s shooting. We see her have her mug shot taken and get fingerprinted, and then Detective Frost reads her her rights.

We also watch as Sue Ellen removes her jewelry – rings, earrings, bracelets, pearls – and passes each item to an officer seated behind a cage window.

True colors

The poignancy of this scene can’t be overstated. For Sue Ellen, these aren’t just ornaments; they’re part of her identity. Not since the first-season episode “Winds of Vengeance,” when Luther Frick forced her to wear a swimsuit, has she been this exposed.

To underscore the drama of Sue Ellen’s jailhouse scenes, the “Dallas” wardrobe designers put Linda Gray in a black-and-white “dress” (it’s actually a matching blouse and skirt that give the appearance of being a single garment). The right side of the top is black and the left is white; below the black belt, the colors are reversed.

Aside from evoking prison stripes, the dress symbolizes the dichotomy of seeing this wealthy Dallas society wife being hauled off to jail. The dress also represents the mystery surrounding Sue Ellen’s role in J.R.’s shooting. She was drunk the night he was gunned down and can’t remember if she pulled the trigger, but the truth is black or white: Sue Ellen is either guilty or she isn’t. She just doesn’t know which.

By the end of the “Who Done It?” Sue Ellen figures out J.R.’s assailant was Kristin, who has been trying to frame her for the crime. In the episode’s climactic scene, a triumphant Sue Ellen goes to Southfork to confront her sister, and once again, “Dallas” uses Sue Ellen’s clothing to open a window into her mindset.

With the burden of doubt lifted, Sue Ellen’s somber black-and-white dress has been replaced with one that’s lighter and brighter, dotted with small splashes of red, blue and yellow. Unlike the earlier outfit, this dress offers a plunging neckline – perfect for a woman who is eager to expose her sister’s misdeeds.

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The Art of Dallas: ‘Who Done It?’

July 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Sue Ellen (Linda Gray), after being arrested for J.R.’s shooting, has her mug shot taken in this 1980 publicity shot from “Who Done It?” a fourth-season “Dallas” episode.

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Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘It Was You, Kristin, Who Shot J.R.’

July 10, 2012 by 6 Comments
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Who done it

In “Who Done It?,” a fourth-season “Dallas” episode, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) arrives at Southfork to find J.R. (Larry Hagman) reading in his wheelchair on the patio.

SUE ELLEN: J.R.?

J.R.: [Looks up from his book, startled] What are you doing here?

SUE ELLEN: Where’s Kristin?

J.R.: Don’t come any closer. [Moves his wheelchair toward the table] I’m going to call the police. Don’t you come any closer. [Struggles to get out of the wheelchair]

SUE ELLEN: [Looks at him with pity] J.R., I didn’t come here to hurt you. I just want to know where Kristin is.

Kristin (Mary Crosby) exits the house, steps onto the patio.

KRISTIN: [Cheery] Sue Ellen, I brought your things.

SUE ELLEN: [Sarcastic] Regular angel of mercy, aren’t you? So supportive. Keeping my secrets. Taking me in.

KRISTIN: What happened? What are you talking about?

SUE ELLEN: I have finally figured everything out, that’s all. You have been trying to frame me.

KRISTIN: [Laughs] You’re crazy.

SUE ELLEN: [Smiles] Well, you were right. I was at that condo that night, looking for J.R. And yes, I did have his gun. But you saw how drunk I was, and you still gave me a drink, knowing I’d put the gun down to take it. You went to the office that night with J.R.’s gun. It was you, Kristin, who shot J.R. Then the next morning, while I was showering, you hid the gun in the closet. [Flashbacks appear as Sue Ellen speaks.]

KRISTIN: You think you’ve got it all figured out.

J.R.: [Speaking into the phone] Get me the police.

KRISTIN: I wouldn’t do that if I were you, J.R. [She and Sue Ellen walk toward him.] Not unless you want your child born in prison. Now wouldn’t that be a scandal? Jock Ewing’s grandson: jail baby. [Snickers] I think I’ll write my memoirs there.

J.R.: You’re bluffing.

KRISTIN: Call Dr. Gibson. I saw him yesterday. He’ll tell you. [A voice on the phone says, “Dallas Police Department.”]

SUE ELLEN: [Reaches for the phone] Give me that phone. I’m not going to jail for her.

J.R.: Nobody’s going to jail. I’ll handle Kristin my own way.

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

Dallas Drinks: The Bobby

July 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment

This summer, the “Dallas” fans at Dallas Decoder and Cook In/Dine Out are offering “Dallas Drinks,” a series of cocktails inspired by the characters from TNT’s new series. This week: The Bobby, a drink that’s as all-American as Patrick Duffy’s classic character.

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The Art of Dallas: ‘Nightmare’

July 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment

J.R. (Larry Hagman) is seen in this 1980 publicity shot from “Nightmare,” a fourth-season “Dallas” episode.

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Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘If You Need Me, I’m Here’

July 9, 2012 by 1 Comment
Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Ray Krebbs, Steve Kanaly, Who Shot J.R.?

Cold shoulder

In “Dallas’s” fourth-season episode “Nightmare,” Ray (Steve Kanaly) visits J.R. (Larry Hagman), who is seated in his wheelchair in the hospital’s rehabilitation center.

RAY: Look, something I gotta say, J.R. Been quite a few differences between you and I over the past couple years. Before that, we were friends for a long time. I just wanted to tell you, that if you need me, I’m here.

J.R.: Thank you, Ray. Thanks. [Begins wheeling away]

RAY: Hey. [Touches J.R.’s shoulder] I just keep thinking of all those good times we had.

J.R.: Like in Waco?

RAY: Yeah, like in Waco. Or how about that time down in Houston when you had them all convinced that you were the talent scout for the Miss Texas contest and I was the front man. [Laughs]

J.R.: [Chuckling] Yeah, they almost killed us with kindness, didn’t they? Yeah, we’ve had some pretty good times, haven’t we, Ray?

RAY: Yeah, you helped me out of some pretty tough scrapes, J.R. More than once. I just wanted you to know, you can count on me if you need to.

J.R.: Well, Ray, I don’t want to ever have to count on anybody but myself. Thank you.

J.R. wheels away.

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

TNT’s Dallas Styles: Ann’s Pearls

July 5, 2012 by 12 Comments

She wears them well

On the original “Dallas,” Miss Ellie’s pearl necklace symbolized her role as wife, mother and fount of wisdom. Along with the beloved matriarch’s sack dresses, those little white beads became Ellie’s most enduring signature.

On TNT’s “Dallas,” Ann’s beads serve as visual shorthand for her role as Bobby’s wife and the new woman of Southfork. The first time we see her wearing them, during that terrific dinner scene in “Changing of the Guard,” TNT’s first “Dallas” episode, we know instantly what kind of character Ann is supposed to be.

Of course, putting Ann in pearls automatically invites comparisons to Miss Ellie, which is a bit risky since Barbara Bel Geddes is so revered among “Dallas” diehards. Indeed, while I tend to see Ann’s pearls – along with her Ellie-esque penchant for guns – as affectionate tributes to Bel Geddes’ character, some of my fellow “Dallas” fans seem to view them as cheap mimicry.

Perhaps this explains “The Last Hurrah” scene where J.R. gives Ellie’s pearl necklace to Sue Ellen. It’s as if the “Dallas” producers, anticipating there might be some Ann skeptics in the audience, wanted to make sure everyone understood the character doesn’t have a monopoly on white beads. In other words: Brenda Strong might be playing the new lady of the manor, but Linda Gray has inherited Bel Geddes’ mantle as “Dallas’s” elder stateswoman, so Sue Ellen gets the honor of possessing the pearls Ellie actually wore.

But give Ann her due. In “Truth and Consequences,” the character begins coming into her own, especially in the scene where she meets Rebecca for coffee and offers the confused young woman comfort (“You’re young, Rebecca. You make mistakes when you’re young. It doesn’t mean you can’t change.”), as well as a little tough love (“Your choices are yours.”).

Strong is terrific in this scene, which demonstrates how, even though Ann doesn’t have children of her own (that we know of, that is), she has the potential to become a significant maternal figure to “Dallas’s” younger characters.

I also think it’s notable that Ann is sans necklace when she visits ex-husband Harris Ryland in “Truth and Consequences” and asks him to help slow down the drilling on Southfork.  Since Ann’s pearls symbolize her role as Bobby’s wife – and since her meeting with Ryland takes place behind Bobby’s back – it’s probably best she leaves the beads at home.

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The Art of TNT’s Dallas: ‘Truth and Consequences’

July 5, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Elena and John Ross (Jordana Brewster, Josh Henderson) talk during the Ewing Barbecue in this publicity shot from “Truth and Consequences,”the fifth episode of TNT’s “Dallas.” Photo credit: Zade Rosenthal/TNT.

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TNT’s Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘Ewing Oil is Back in Business’

July 5, 2012 by 2 Comments
Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, TNT, Truth and Consequences

The road back

In “Truth and Consequences,” a first-season “Dallas” episode, Bobby and Ann (Patrick Duffy, Brenda Strong) confront J.R. (Larry Hagman) over the deed that lists him as Southfork’s owner.

J.R.: You know, I always felt a little funny about that Marta del Sol girl, ever since I saw her at the Cattle Baron’s Ball. Daddy always said beautiful women were the most dangerous.

BOBBY: I know all the things Daddy used to say.

J.R.: Well, a couple weeks ago, I heard she was planning on selling Southfork to Cliff Barnes. I was surprised she could put it right back on the market after buying it from you, but hell, I figured that was just the deal you and Lobell made with her.

ANN: That wasn’t the deal, J.R., and you know it.

J.R.: Bobby kept me out of the deal, so no, I don’t know it, darlin’. When I heard that vulture Barnes was trying to steal Southfork and get his hands on the ranch and all the oil my boy found under it, I got a group of investors together and swooped in and bought it from del Sol. Well, I don’t think Cliff Barnes knew what hit him. And I guess, maybe neither did you. [Grabs his hat off a table, holds it] Now that she’s mine, I’m going to start sinking more wells as soon as I can. Ewing Oil is back in business, Bobby.

BOBBY: [Steps closer] That’s not going to happen, J.R. [Holds up the deed] This is not going to happen. That’s why I wanted to sell Southfork in the first place, to stop all this feuding, and leave a legacy to Mama.

J.R.: You wanna carry on Mama’s legacy? Well, I wanna carry on Daddy’s. I’m taking back what should have been mine in the first place.

BOBBY: That’s how you justify this? How twisted can you get?

J.R.: Now, why don’t you settle down and accept what’s what? The deed is real, and this place is mine, but you can stay here as long as you like, Bobby. We’re family.

BOBBY: I’m going to make this right. And then I’m going to take you down, brother.

Ann begins to follow Bobby out of the room.

J.R.: [To Ann] Always did get a little hot under the collar when he didn’t get his way. But he’ll come around, you’ll see.

ANN: [Turning to face him] They warned me. My whole marriage, they told me about you. But in my wildest imagination, I never thought you could stoop to this.

J.R.: Well, Annie, you’re just going to have to work on your imagination.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (TNT), Features

The Art of Dallas: ‘No More Mr. Nice Guy, Part 2’

July 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Jock (Jim Davis) welcomes Gary (Ted Shackelford) home to Southfork in this 1980 publicity shot from “No More Mr. Nice Guy, Part 2,” a fourth-season “Dallas” episode.

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