Between the Lines and Behind the Scenes of "Dallas"
In “Close Encounters,” a ninth-season “Dallas” episode, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) is at the Ewing Rodeo when she approaches Mandy (Deborah Shelton), who turns away. SUE ELLEN: Mandy. [Mandy turns back to face Sue Ellen.] I’m Sue Ellen Ewing. MANDY: I know. SUE ELLEN: May we talk? MANDY: Why? SUE ELLEN: [Steps closer] I have […]
Dallas Decoder will soon begin critiquing the original show’s ninth season, which aired from 1985 to 1986. Here are 19 reasons to love it. 19. Mama returns. We never needed her more. 18. J.R. says goodbye. Does anyone do the single tear thing better than Larry Hagman? 17. Sue Ellen relapses. Linda Gray’s tour de force. […]
Ask “Dallas” fans to name their favorite episode and many will say “Swan Song,” the 1985 segment in which Bobby dies heroically after saving Pam’s life. Although the death was later written off as a dream, the episode remains moving and memorable. To mark its 30th anniversary, I spoke to eight “Dallas” insiders who had […]
It’s probably safe to say no “Dallas” episode would perform well on the Bechdel test, which some critics use to gauge sexism in movies. (To pass, a film must have at least one scene where two women talk to each other about something other than a man.) Nevertheless, there are times the series manages to resist […]
In “Barbecue Five,” an eighth-season “Dallas” episode, J.R. and Mandy (Larry Hagman, Deborah Shelton) are seated in a private box at Texas Stadium, where a waiter fills their champagne glasses. MANDY: Oh, J.R., it’s beautiful. J.R.: Better than some little old park, isn’t it? WAITER: There you are, sir. Will there be anything else, Mr. […]
In “Charlie,” an eighth-season “Dallas” episode, J.R. (Larry Hagman) is seated in a restaurant, where Mandy (Deborah Shelton) walks from table to table, modeling her dress. J.R.: Uh, Miss? MANDY: Yes, sir? J.R.: That’s an awful nice-looking outfit. What’s the material in that? MANDY: This is lavender matt jersey with a silk rosette, available in […]
The final scene in “If at First You Don’t Succeed” is another example of how music helps tell the stories on “Dallas.” As Bobby sleeps in his hospital bed, Katherine enters the room, fills a syringe with poison and prepares to inject him. This is supposed to be the moment the audience realizes Katherine fired […]
Dallas Decoder will soon begin critiquing the original show’s eighth season, which aired from 1984 to 1985. Here are 18 reasons to love it. 18. Whenever Pam throws shade. She does it a lot this season. 17. When Bobby stops wearing shades. Those things are as big as Southfork! 16. Dr. President David Palmer. Babe’s […]
Cliff Barnes may be “Dallas’s” biggest loser, but give the devil his due: He has a knack for pulling the strings of women who’ve been wronged by J.R. Ewing. On TNT’s “Dallas,” after the Ewings framed Cliff (Ken Kercheval) for J.R.’s “murder,” he summoned Elena Ramos (Jordana Brewster) to his Mexican jail cell and made […]
As much as we all love “Dallas’s” opening credits, they aren’t without their quirks. Linda Gray and Steve Kanaly weren’t added to the title sequence until the second season, while poor Ken Kercheval had to wait until Season 3 to get star billing. By the time the show was winding down, the credits had become a […]
