Farewell
Larry Hagman has died. Share your memories of him in the comments section below. I’ll share mine soon.
Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘I’m Sorry, Mama’
November 21, 2012 by 5 Comments
Mama’s messenger
In “Dallas’s” fifth-season episode “The Search,” Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes) is seated alone at the the Southfork dining room table when Bobby (Patrick Duffy), Ray (Steve Kanaly) and J.R. (Larry Hagman) enter. Each man holds his hat.
BOBBY: I’m sorry, Mama.
ELLIE: Did you find him?
BOBBY: No, ma’am.
RAY: Miss Ellie, we found the place where his helicopter crashed.
ELLIE: But you didn’t find him?
BOBBY: No, we didn’t find him. But, uh – [He looks at J.R., who walks away.]
ELLIE: [She looks down, then up. Her eyes are wet.] Tell me what happened.
Bobby and Ray put down their hats and sit at the table. Bobby takes Ellie’s hand.
BOBBY: Mama, every place that was possible for him to be, we looked.
Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 90 – ‘The Search’
November 21, 2012 by 31 Comments
Gone, but not forgotten
With “The Search,” “Dallas” says goodbye to Jim Davis but not to Jock Ewing. This memorable episode sends J.R., Bobby and Ray into the jungle to find their missing father, but the only thing they recover is his medallion, which Bobby retrieves from the lake where the old man’s helicopter crashed. By the end of the hour, there’s no doubt Jock is dead, even if there’s no body to prove it.
I used to be bothered by the lack of closure for the Ewing patriarch, but I’ve come to appreciate how it heightens the drama in the episodes after “The Search,” when Miss Ellie struggles to accept the truth that her husband is never coming home. I also wonder: Would Jock be the mythic figure he is today if he had died in a hospital bed or been killed in a car crash? Having him disappear after his helicopter falls from the sky feels oddly appropriate for a character who was always a little larger than life.
One thing is certain: The producers waited too long to deal with Davis’s death. The actor succumbed to cancer eight months before “The Search” aired, but “Dallas” kept Jock alive in the interim by sending the character to “South America” (foreign locales on this show are almost always vague) and having the Ewings regularly receive calls and letters from him. It reminds me of those “Three’s Company” episodes where an out-of-town Chrissie wouldn’t appear until the final scene, when she’d phone her roommates to get an update on their latest hijinks.
This criticism aside, I like how “The Search” summons “Dallas’s” western spirit by having the Ewing brothers embark on a dangerous mission to rescue their daddy. The men carry rifles and wear their Stetsons; the only thing missing is seeing them on horseback. While the brothers are away, the Ewing women keep vigil at Southfork, and all the characters experience flashbacks to some of Jock’s most memorable moments.
These old clips are nice because they demonstrate how valuable Davis was to “Dallas.” With the exception of Barbara Bel Geddes and Larry Hagman, no other actor on the show could match Davis in terms of sheer presence. It didn’t matter if Jock was being tough or tender; Davis commanded every scene he appeared in. In an audio commentary on one of the second-season “Dallas” DVDs, Hagman recalls how Davis lacked confidence in his performances. What a shame. Jim Davis was a great actor. He deserved to know it.
One final observation about “The Search’s” flashbacks: Yes, they are a little hokey by today’s standards – each one is accompanied by those wavy special effects – but remember: This episode was produced years before “Dallas” went into syndicated reruns. This was the first time in years a lot of fans had seen those classic scenes.
No matter how you feel about the rest of “The Search,” it’s impossible to watch the ending and not be moved. The sequence begins when Ellie, who has been waiting patiently for word from her sons, awakens in the night and walks downstairs, where she quietly takes her seat at the dining room table. This scene has no musical score – you can even hear Ellie’s footsteps – which is what makes it so effective. In this big house full of people, Mama has never seemed more alone.
While the Ewing matriarch sits in the dark, her sons arrive home and walk into the dining room. Each man is stubble-faced, and each one holds his hat. “I’m sorry Mama,” Bobby says. Her eyes well up, but she holds it together. “Tell me what happened,” she says. Bobby and Ray sit with her at the table and Bobby holds his mother’s hand, but the moment proves too much for J.R., who walks away.
J.R. steps onto the patio, looking a little dazed. He leans against one of the big white columns, reaches into his pocket, pulls out Jock’s medallion and studies it. By now, Bruce Broughton’s score has resumed and started to swell. J.R. smiles and briefly casts his eyes skyward, and when he looks down, we notice how red and wet they are.
The frame freezes and the screen briefly fades to black, and then we get our first glimpse of the Jock Ewing portrait, which will go on to become “Dallas’s” most famous prop. The words “Jim Davis 1909 – 1981” appear. That’s when we know: Davis may be gone, but Jock Ewing is going to live forever.
Grade: A
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Those eyes
‘THE SEARCH’
Season 5, Episode 13
Airdate: January 8, 1982
Audience: 26 million homes, ranking 4th in the weekly ratings
Writer: Arthur Bernard Lewis
Director: Irving J. Moore
Synopsis: J.R., Bobby and Ray go to South America, where they determine Jock likely died in the helicopter crash. The brothers return to Southfork and break the news to Miss Ellie.
Cast: Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), George Cooper (Lee Evans), Mary Crosby (Kristin Shepard), Jim Davis (Jock Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Susan Howard (Donna Krebbs), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Cooper), Morgan Woodward (Punk Anderson)
“The Search” is available on DVD and at Amazon.com and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.
The Dallas Decoder Guide to Entertaining, Ewing Style
November 20, 2012 by 16 Comments
Party on
The holidays are here and that means one thing: It’s party time! Martha Stewart will tell you the secret to successful entertaining is to always make your guests feel comfortable – but to hell with that. If you want to host a really memorable affair, let the Ewings be your guide.
Always on his back
The guest list: Put some thought into it. Do you have a mortal enemy who is obsessed with revenge against your family? By all means, move that person to the top of your invite list. No matter what Cliff (Ken Kercheval) did to the Ewings – he once prosecuted Jock for murder!– Miss Ellie never stopped inviting him to family functions. Why? Because she knew she could count on Cliff to enliven every soiree. Remember the time he incited a mob at a Southfork barbecue? Or the brawl he started at J.R. and Sue Ellen’s wedding reception? Of course you do. Face it: A day or two after your event, no one will remember how pretty your table centerpiece looked. But offer your guests some Cliff-style theatrics and you’ll create memories that’ll last a lifetime.
Off the wagon, in the doghouse
It’s all about tradition. Folks love to get together during the holidays to reminisce – and no one appreciated a stroll down memory lane more than Jock (Jim Davis). When Digger (David Wayne) showed up at one of the Southfork barbecues, Jock waxed nostalgic, recalling the collapse of their partnership decades earlier. He concluded his history lesson by declaring Digger had “been a loser every day of his life,” which sent the recovering alcoholic straight off the wagon. Jock’s tongue-lashing angered Miss Ellie and Pam (Barbara Bel Geddes, Victoria Principal), but Jock suspected the only reason Digger came to the party in the first place was to find an excuse to resume boozing. And as Jock told his family, “I generally try to accommodate my guests.”
Time to go, darlin’
Drink up! Memories shouldn’t be the only thing that flows at your gathering. The Ewings knew a little alcohol could really help guests loosen up and get in a celebratory spirit. For this, we have Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) to thank. Remember when she got tipsy at a Southfork barbecue and blabbed to everyone the intimate details of her marriage? How about the time the Ewings held a bash at the Oil Barons Club and Sue Ellen passed out after taking a nip or two (or three or six) of vodka? Then there was the time our heroine got smashed at Lucy and Mickey’s cookout, swiped J.R.’s keys and wrecked his car. OK, that last one ended up killing the joyful atmosphere at Southfork that evening – but at least it didn’t kill Sue Ellen’s future political viability.
Taste of success
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. No one should try to organize a big celebration on their own. Just ask Miss Ellie, who always counted on family and friends to help out – especially in the kitchen. Sister-in-law Jessica Montfort was a whiz at chopping veggies and Donna was an ace sous chef, while J.R. (Larry Hagman) and the rest of the Ewings were happy to serve as Mama’s taste-testers. For the real heavy lifting, though, Ellie relied on the hired help. The Ewings went through dozens of butlers and housekeepers over the years. Some were old, some were young, but remarkably, all of them were named “Raoul” and “Teresa.” Carmen the cook has been at Southfork for a long time too, although we didn’t see her until the Ewings moved to cable.
Guess what?
Parties are for surprises! Do you know someone who’s been dying to share a big secret with the world? Perhaps your event offers the stage they seek. Lucy blurted out her suspicions about Sue Ellen and Peter Richards’ affair at a get-together on the Southfork patio. Cousin Jamie chose a Ewing barbecue to reveal her stake in the family empire. James Beaumont announced he was J.R.’s illegitimate son at a Ewing dinner at the Oil Baron’s Club. The tradition continues: John Ross used Bobby’s birthday party to unveil his plot to drill for oil on Southfork, while Rebecca (Julie Gonzalo) decided the family’s final barbecue at the ranch was the ideal setting to tell Christopher (Jesse Metcalfe) about her role in the scheme to break up him and Elena.
Oh, sit
Seating matters. Will your affair include a sit-down meal? Follow the example set by J.R., who always knows the perfect place for newcomers to the Southfork dinner table. He once told Ray, “You sit where Gary used to. You two have so much in common.” Later, on her first night at the ranch, J.R.’s daughter-in-law Michelle Beaumont asked him where she should sit. “Right there,” J.R. responded, pointing to an empty seat on the other side of the table. “Used to be Pam’s chair. I couldn’t stand her either.” J.R. also knew where guests shouldn’t sit. Just ask Clayton (Howard Keel), who got the stink-eye every time he sat in Jock’s old seat. No, seriously. J.R. cut Clayton a dirty look each time he came to the table. Every. Single. Time. For eight seasons.
The price of a clever wit
Keep the conversation lively. Miss Manners will tell you some topics shouldn’t be discussed in polite company – but Miss Manners never attended a Ewing fete. When this brood gets together, every subject is fair game. Once, when Miss Ellie worried that Sue Ellen didn’t eat enough at dinner, J.R. waved around a liquor bottle and said, “She gets all the nourishment she needs from this.” Moments later, he described Pam thusly: “Everybody can see that she’s cracking up, slowly and surely. And who can blame her? I mean, she finds out that her daddy, Digger Barnes, is no relation at all. And her real father is a saddle tramp and a thief. And her mother’s a whore! Who could find it in their heart to hate that poor little girl, huh?” Bobby responded by punching J.R. in the gut. He never could take a joke.
Everybody in!
Two words: “Swimming pool.” If you have one, use it. After all, if you’re going to party like the Ewings, your guests are going to need a place to cool off.
What have the Ewings taught you about entertaining? Share your comments below and read more “Dallas Decoder Guides.”
Dallas Parallels: Saving Southfork
November 19, 2012 by 7 Comments
At the end of “Ellie Saves the Day,” one of my favorite “Dallas” episodes, Miss Ellie sits at J.R.’s desk and signs paperwork authorizing Ewing Oil to drill on Southfork. For Ellie, a principled conservationist, this is painful but necessary. J.R. has mortgaged the ranch and sunk the money in a foundering deal – and now the loan is due. Tapping Southfork’s vast oil reserves is the only way to raise the cash needed to stave off foreclosure.
As luck would have it, J.R. strikes oil elsewhere at the 11th hour, allowing the Ewings to preserve Southfork for ranching. But the story isn’t over. When TNT’s “Dallas” begins, Ellie is gone and Bobby has succeeded her as Southfork’s owner and guardian – until J.R. “steals” the ranch and sets out to pump its oil, triggering a bitter feud that divides the Ewings like never before.
The battle culminates in “Family Business,” an instant-classic episode from the new show. In a poignant scene, J.R. sits at a table in his bedroom, staring at the Southfork deed. With trembling hands, he takes a shot of bourbon, glances at a framed photograph of Ellie and signs the paper, returning ownership of the ranch to Bobby.
The parallels to “Ellie Saves the Day” are unmistakable. So are the ironies. Conservationist Ellie is forced to plunder the land, while oilman J.R. chooses to preserve it. Yet both characters end up saving Southfork.
The way mother and son reach their fateful decisions is revealing. In “Ellie Saves the Day,” the Ewing matriarch gathers her family in the living room and announces her plan to lift the drilling ban. Ellie mentions how much Southfork means to her, but she also displays her practical side. When Bobby reminds her Graddaddy Southworth’s dying wish was to preserve the land, Ellie responds: “Do you think the banks will preserve the land? They will not.”
Surprisingly, J.R. proves more sentimental. In “Family Business,” John Ross comes to his father’s bedroom and tries to persuade him to return the ranch to Bobby, but J.R. doesn’t want to hear it. Slumping onto his bed, he tells his son, “Southfork isn’t just a piece of dirt. It’s as much a part of me as my blood, in my bones.” Suddenly, we’re forced to consider the possibility that maybe the battle for Southfork isn’t just about the ocean of oil flowing beneath it.
Later, after confrontations with Sue Ellen and Bobby, J.R. finally comes around and signs over the deed. He brings the document to his brother, who is in his sickbed. “You’re still not off the hook for how you got this in the first place,” Bobby says. It brings to mind the final line in “Ellie Saves the Day,” when Ellie, after giving up the mineral rights, turns to her oldest son and says, “I may never forgive you for this, J.R.”
Perhaps that’s true, but something tells me Mama was smiling the moment J.R. put pen to paper and did his part to save Southfork.
‘Do You Know How Much Southfork Means to Me?’
Ms. Practicality
In “Ellie Saves the Day,” a third-season “Dallas” episode, Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes) enters the Southfork living room, where Jock (Jim Davis), J.R. (Larry Hagman), Bobby (Patrick Duffy) and the other Ewings await her.
JOCK: Miss Ellie.
ELLIE: Jock.
BOBBY: Mama, Ray said you took a tour of the ranch this morning.
ELLIE: [Smiling] Yes, I did. [She sits.]
JOCK: Well, we’ve tried everything, Miss Ellie.
ELLIE: I’m sure you have. J.R., do you know how much Southfork means to me? To all of us? I’ll never understand your motives as long as I live.
J.R.: Mama –
ELLIE: Now as I see it, the problem is this: Next week, the bankers who own the mortgages expect to be paid, and we don’t have the money. Is that right?
JOCK: Yes. And everything worthwhile is mortgaged.
ELLIE: Except one.
J.R.: What?
ELLIE: They can take this land, but they don’t have the right to drill for all that oil under Section 40. My daddy’s will gave the mineral rights to me.
BOBBY: [Leans forward] Mama, you can’t do that. You can’t break Granddad’s will. He wanted that land preserved for ranching.
ELLIE: You think the banks will preserve the land? They will not. However, I can release all of that oil for drilling. Millions and millions of dollars worth. And for that, I’m sure the bank will extend the due date on the mortgage indefinitely.
JOCK: I could never ask you to do that, Ellie.
ELLIE: It will save this ranch, Jock. And for that, I’ll go against my daddy’s wishes. [Rises, walks toward Jock] Jock, 40 years ago, Ewing Oil paid off the mortgage on Southfork and saved it. Now I think it’s time that Southfork repaid those debts.
‘Southfork Isn’t Just a Piece of Dirt’
Mr. Sentimental
In “Family Business,” TNT’s ninth “Dallas” episode, John Ross (Josh Henderson) speaks to J.R. (Larry Hagman) in his Southfork bedroom.
J.R.: I’m not signing Southfork over to anybody. The thing we should be concentrating on is a little payback to the boys who did that to you. [Points to the bruises on John Ross’s face]
JOHN ROSS: It’s a little late for that. Lucky for me, I had Uncle Bobby to get me out of that situation.
J.R.: Well, I got here as soon as I heard.
JOHN ROSS: Southfork is useless to you without the mineral rights. Now Uncle Bobby has agreed to drill. Once the Venezuelans are paid off, your piece of that oil, it’ll get you back on top.
J.R.: Christopher’s already agreed to pay off the Venezuelans with his gas rights. What’s gotten into you, anyhow?
JOHN ROSS: A little decency. They should not have to clean up after our mess. Haven’t we put Uncle Bobby through enough?
J.R.: You’re confusing emotion with business. This land is finally mine like it should have been all along.
JOHN ROSS: I’m so damn tired of hearing about your birthright.
J.R.: What did you say?
JOHN ROSS: Can’t you just let it go?
J.R.: [Sits on the bed] Southfork isn’t just a piece of dirt. It’s as much a part of me as my blood, in my bones. I paid a hell of a price for it. I thought you of all the people in the world would understand that.
What do you think of Miss Ellie and J.R.’s efforts to save Southfork? Share your comments below and read more “Dallas Parallels.”
The Art of Dallas: ‘Barbecue Two’
November 16, 2012 by 2 Comments
J.R. (Larry Hagman) is seen in this 1982 publicity shot from “Barbecue Two,” a fifth-season “Dallas” episode.
Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘They Say That Jock is Dead’
November 16, 2012 by 10 Comments
Say it ain’t so
In “Dallas’s” fifth-season episode “Barbecue Two,” J.R. (Larry Hagman) comes down the stairs at Southfork, where a dazed Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes) holds the telephone receiver.
J.R.: Mama?
ELLIE: [Hangs up the phone] That, that was Punk. Jock was … flying in from the interior by helicopter. It crashed. They’ve been … they’ve been searching all day. Nothing. The locals have given up. They say that … [sobbing] they say that … [moans] they say that Jock is dead.
Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 89 – ‘Barbecue Two’
November 16, 2012 by 19 Comments
Blue skies, for now
My favorite scene in “Barbecue Two” is small but meaningful. Sue Ellen is in the living room of her new townhouse, arranging a plant on a windowsill. She’s wearing an unbuttoned yellow shirt over a green tank top, jeans with rolled-up cuffs and white sneakers. The house is in disarray. Cardboard boxes and newspapers are strewn everywhere.
The doorbell rings. “Oh my Lord,” Sue Ellen says with a nervous laugh as she greets her unexpected visitors, Miss Ellie and Pam. She invites them in, apologizes for the mess and yanks a sheet of newspaper out of a chair so Ellie has a place to sit.
The dialogue here is unremarkable – Ellie and Pam have come to invite Sue Ellen and John Ross to the annual Southfork barbecue – but the words aren’t the point. The setting is what matters. After all these years of depending on others – first the Ewings, then the Farlows – Sue Ellen has finally found a place of her own, in every sense. Watching her unpack moving boxes and decorate her living room demonstrates how she has become a more fully realized, relatable character. It’s heartening.
The rest of “Barbecue Two” is dominated by the scenes set at the Ewing hoedown, including several that seem to pay homage to the first “Barbecue,” which capped “Dallas’s” inaugural season. Pam, who suffered a miscarriage during the 1978 festivities, skips this party to tend to her newly adopted son Christopher. Lucy, who spent the original “Barbecue” chasing Jimmy Monahan, uses this one to try to win back estranged husband Mitch. Elsewhere, J.R. and Cliff have a run-in at the bar set up on the Southfork grounds, just like Jock and Digger did four years earlier.
Of course, “Dallas” saves the most dramatic moment of all until the end. In “Barbecue Two’s” final scene, J.R. comes down the stairs in the Southfork foyer and finds a shaken Ellie holding the telephone receiver. She announces she just received a call from Punk Anderson, who informed her Jock’s helicopter crashed in South America. Through sobs, Ellie tells her son: “They say that … they say that … they say that Jock is dead.”
These are the hardest words ever uttered on “Dallas.” They signal a turning point for the Ewings, and for the show itself. After this scene, things will never be the same.
Grade: A
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On her own
‘BARBECUE TWO’
Season 5, Episode 12
Airdate: January 1, 1982
Audience: 24 million homes, ranking 5th in the weekly ratings
Writer: Arthur Bernard Lewis
Director: Leonard Katzman
Synopsis: Donna’s success as an author irritates Ray. Photographer Roger Larson encourages Lucy to resume modeling. Sue Ellen and John Ross move into a Dallas townhouse. At the Ewing barbecue, Sue Ellen and Cliff get reacquainted and Miss Ellie learns Jock is presumed dead after a helicopter crash in South America.
Cast: Tyler Banks (John Ross Ewing), Bernard Behrens (Harold Haskell), Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Morgan Brittany (Katherine Wentworth), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Dan Hamilton (Eric), Susan Howard (Donna Krebbs), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Audrey Landers (Afton Cooper), Leigh McCloskey (Mitch Cooper), Peyton Park (Larry), Priscilla Pointer (Rebecca Wentworth), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Dennis Redfield (Roger Larson), Debra Lynn Rogers (Toni), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Cooper), Edward Winter (Dr. Frank Waring)
“Barbecue Two” is available on DVD and at Amazon.com and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.
The Art of Dallas: ‘Waterloo at Southfork’
November 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Mitch (Leigh McCloskey) speaks to a patient in this 1981 publicity shot from “Waterloo at Southfork,” a fifth-season “Dallas” episode.
Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘We’re Ewings. We Stick Together.’
November 14, 2012 by 6 Comments
She’s got this
In “Dallas’s” fifth-season episode “Waterloo at Southfork,” J.R. (Larry Hagman) stands behind Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes), who has summoned Vaughn (Dennis Patrick), Jordan (Don Starr), Wade (Robert Ackerman), Andy (Paul Sorensen) and Cliff (Ken Kercheval) to J.R.’s office.
ELLIE: I’d like to thank you all for coming.
JORDAN: Well, it’s good to see you again Miss Ellie, but –
ELLIE: But you wonder why you were called here – at this time of night and by me. Is that right?
WADE: You do have us guessing, ma’am.
ELLIE: Well, you can stop guessing. I called you here to tell you that Ewing Oil is now prepared to pay back your loan … with interest.
VAUGHN: [Forced smile] Well … how nice.
ANDY: I knew Ewing Oil would be coming through.
ELLIE: Did you, Mr. Bradley? I suppose I should thank all of you gentlemen for the aid you gave my son.
JORDAN: Now Miss Ellie, you know it’s just business.
ELLIE: What I do know is that you are supposed to be Jock’s friend, Jordan. And yet the minute his back was turned, you took advantage of J.R.’s situation to charge an outrageous 25 percent interest to extend your loan.
VAUGHN: Now Miss Ellie, you don’t understand.
ELLIE: I understand perfectly. And what about you, Cliff? How long are you going to perpetuate this stupid Barnes-Ewing feud? Until we’re all dead and gone? Is it worth it to you?
CLIFF: Don’t expect me to apologize because J.R. got in over his head.
ELLIE: I don’t expect anything from you, Cliff. And I don’t apologize for what my son did. It’s a family matter. We may be wrong and we may be right, but we’re Ewings. We stick together – and that’s what makes us unbeatable.
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