Howard Keel – Dallas Decoder

The Dal-List: 36 Experiences Shared by Longtime ‘Dallas’ Fans

December 1, 2014 by Chris Baker 17 Comments

Master of the universe

Remember when “Dallas” ruled the world? Here are 36 experiences shared by fans who’ve loved the show since its heyday.

1. Getting together with the fam on Friday nights to watch the show.

2. Feeling excited when you saw this because it meant “Dallas” was up next.

3. Getting chills when the “Dallas” theme music began. It didn’t matter how many times we’d heard it before, we always got chills.

4. Loving when these two fought.

5. Loving when these two made up.

6. Loving these two. Period.

7. The highlight of each season premiere? Seeing how everyone’s split-screen would be updated.

8. Wondering whose face would get covered by Leonard Katzman’s name at the end of each episode.

9. Wondering who would get shot, blown up or soaked at the end of each season.

10. Obsessing over this.

11. Hating summer.

12. Covering your school folders with these.

13. Trying to trade your Cliff for a J.R. or Bobby. How come no one ever took us up on the offer?

14. Dressing “Dallas.”

15. Drinking “Dallas.”

16. Playing “Dallas.”

17. Flipping out.

18. Dreaming of visiting Southfork.

19. Wanting to smell like Southfork.

20. Reading the National Enquirer to learn the latest spoilers.

21. Rolling your eyes whenever someone said “Dynasty” was better than “Dallas.”

22. Devouring this book.

23. Skipping NBC’s Thanksgiving Day parade coverage because CBS’s coverage was always hosted by the “Dallas” stars.

24. Wondering why “Dallas” never did holiday episodes. At least we got to see the Ewings celebrate on magazine covers.

25. Wondering why Barbara Bel Geddes won only one Emmy for playing Miss Ellie.

26. Wondering why Larry Hagman never won any Emmys for playing J.R.

27. Worshipping Linda Gray.

28. Crushing on Patrick Duffy.

29. Crushing on Victoria Principal.

30. Wanting to have Victoria’s body, beauty and diet.

31. Washing your hair with Jhirmack because Victoria did.

32. Wearing Justin boots because Jim Davis did.

33. Wearing BVDs because Larry did.

34. Hating J.R.? Nope. Never.

35. Just loving him.

36. Always.

What are your favorite “Dallas” memories? Share them below and read more “Dal-Lists.”

Filed Under: Dal-Lists, Opinion Tagged With: Barbara Bel Geddes, Charlene Tilton, Christopher Atkins, Howard Keel, Jim Davis, Ken Kercheval, Larry Hagman, Leonard Katzman, Linda Gray, Mary Crosby, Patrick Duffy, Steve Kanaly, Victoria Principal

#DallasChat Daily: Who Were the Best/Worst Cast Additions?

July 30, 2014 by Chris Baker 33 Comments

The original “Dallas” debuted with nine principal characters (Jock, Miss Ellie, J.R., Sue Ellen, Bobby, Pam, Lucy, Ray and Cliff), but the cast grew steadily as the show progressed. How did the additions measure up to the originals?

The notable newcomers over the years included Donna (Susan Howard), Clayton (Howard Keel), Jenna (Priscilla Beaulieu Presley), Jack (Dack Rambo), April (Sheree J. Wilson), Michelle (Kimberly Foster) and James (Sasha Mitchell).

Your #DallasChat Daily question: Who were “Dallas’s” best and worst cast additions?

Share your comments below and join other #DallasChat Daily discussions.

Filed Under: #DallasChat, #DallasChat Daily, Opinion Tagged With: Dack Rambo, Howard Keel, Kimberly Foster, Priscilla Beaulieu Presley, Sasha Mitchell, Sheree J. Wilson, Susan Howard

#DallasChat Daily: Who Was Miss Ellie’s Best Husband?

May 29, 2014 by Chris Baker 11 Comments

On “Dallas,” Miss Ellie was a strong woman who married two strong men: Jock Ewing, her first husband, and Clayton Farlow, her second. Each man brought unique qualities to his relationship with Ellie, but which one suited her best?

Your #DallasChat Daily question: Who was a better husband to Miss Ellie — Jock or Clayton?

Share your thoughts in the comments section below. Have a great discussion!

Filed Under: #DallasChat, #DallasChat Daily, Opinion Tagged With: Barbara Bel Geddes, Howard Keel, Jim Davis

Here’s Everything That’s Happened on ‘Dallas,’ Ever*

February 5, 2014 by Chris Baker 10 Comments

Ain’t over yet

It’s never too late to start watching “Dallas.” If you missed the original show and the first two seasons of TNT’s sequel series, fear not: This post will tell you everything you need to know before Season 3 begins on Monday, February 24. (*OK, this isn’t really everything that’s happened on “Dallas.” For that, you’ll have to keep reading Dallas Decoder every day.)

The Original Series (1978 to 1991)

Bobby Ewing, Dallas, Pam Ewing, Patrick Duffy, Victoria Principal

In the beginning

Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy), the youngest son of a rich oil and cattle clan, marries Pam Barnes (Victoria Principal) and brings her home to Southfork, the Ewing ranch. This upsets everyone, especially Pam’s daddy Digger (David Wayne), who blames Bobby’s daddy Jock (Jim Davis) for stealing his sweetheart, Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes), and cheating him out of half of Ewing Oil. While Bobby’s devious brother J.R. (Larry Hagman) is building the family empire and catting around, J.R.’s neglected wife Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) becomes an alcoholic and has an affair with Cliff (Ken Kercheval), Pam’s vengeful brother. Later, J.R. and Sue Ellen have a son, John Ross, while Bobby and Pam adopt Christopher, the orphaned child of Sue Ellen’s sister Kristin Shepard (Mary Crosby) and sleazy Jeff Faraday (Art Hindle). Elsewhere, Ray Krebbs, Southfork’s foreman, discovers Jock is his daddy and marries savvy politico Donna Culver (Susan Howard), while Lucy (Charlene Tilton), the daughter of J.R. and Bobby’s middle brother Gary (Ted Shackelford) and his wife Valene (Joan Van Ark), gets engaged to everyone.

End of an era

More drama: Digger dies and so does Jock, leaving Ellie to hold the family together with help from second hubby Clayton Farlow (Howard Keel). Southfork burns down, but the Ewings rebuild it. Cliff hooks up with Afton Cooper (Audrey Landers), who gives birth to their daughter Pamela Rebecca, but Afton refuses to let Cliff near the child because of his fixation with destroying the Ewings. Cliff and Pam’s half-sister Katherine Wentworth (Morgan Brittany) arrives, becomes obsessed with Bobby and tries to kill him, then vanishes under a big hat. Sue Ellen beats the bottle and divorces J.R., while Pam has a bad dream, gets burned in a car crash and runs away. Bobby has an on-again, off-again romance with first love Jenna Wade (Priscilla Beaulieu Presley), who gives birth to their son Lucas and then marries newly divorced Ray. James (Sasha Mitchell), J.R.’s illegitimate son, shows up for a while and emulates the old man. Bobby marries April (Sheree J. Wilson), but she dies. J.R. marries Cally (Cathy Podewell), but she leaves. In the end, Cliff finally takes over Ewing Oil, leaving J.R. alone and suicidal.

Bobby Ewing, Dallas, Patrick Duffy, Swan Song

Hurts so good

Best Episode: “Swan Song.” The eighth-season finale finds J.R. and Sue Ellen’s marriage on the rocks, unlike the vodka she’s secretly swilling in her bedroom. Meanwhile, Bobby chooses Pam over Jenna, but crazy Katherine runs him over with her car. The episode ends with the Ewings bidding farewell to Bobby in a deathbed scene that’s so beautifully written and acted, you almost wish it wasn’t part of Pam’s dream. Almost.

Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Who Shot J.R.?

Shot in the dark

J.R.’s Greatest Moment: Who shot J.R.? Sure, taking a couple of slugs to the gut is no fun for our hero, but at least he makes billions of dollars in a risky offshore oil deal before he’s gunned down. Oh, and in case you didn’t hear, J.R.’s assailant turns out to be Kristin, his sister-in-law/ex-secretary/ex-mistress, who’s revealed as the shooter in one of the most-watched broadcasts in television history. (Props to Sue Ellen, who figures it all out.)

TNT Season 1 (2012)

Christopher Ewing, Dallas, Jesse Metcalfe, John Ross Ewing, Josh Henderson, TNT

When cousins clash

J.R. emerges from a nursing home and tricks Bobby into selling him Southfork so he can tap the ocean of oil flowing beneath it. Like their fathers, John Ross and Christopher (Josh Henderson, Jesse Metcalfe) butt heads, except their rivalry has an added twist: John Ross has fallen for Elena Ramos (Jordana Brewster), who was Christopher’s childhood sweetheart. Christopher marries Rebecca Sutter (Julie Gonzalo), unaware that she’s the daughter of Cliff, who is now the gazillionaire owner of Barnes Global and still hell-bent on destroying the Ewings. Rebecca kills her lover Tommy Sutter (Callard Harris) in self-defense and has Cliff’s henchman Frank Ashkani (Faran Tahir) dispose of the body. Meanwhile, Sue Ellen runs for governor; Bobby’s new wife Ann (Brenda Strong) feels threatened by ex-husband Harris Ryland (Mitch Pileggi), who knows she’s harboring a dark secret; and John Ross, Christopher and Elena form a company, Ewing Energies, but the partnership is threatened when Elena breaks her engagement to John Ross and reunites with Christopher, who dumps the pregnant Rebecca.

Dallas, Family Business, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, TNT

Bad does good

Best Episode: “Family Business.” In one of Hagman’s most poignant performances, J.R. learns Bobby is secretly battling cancer and returns Southfork to him, ending the season-long war for the ranch. Later, in a chill-inducing musical montage (set to Johnny Cash’s “The Man Comes Around”), poor Bobby suffers a seizure and Rebecca shoots Tommy, splattering blood over her unborn twins’ stuffed animals. Hmmm. Foreshadow, much?

Dallas, John Ross Ewing, Josh Henderson, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, TNT

Pass the torch

J.R.’s Greatest Moment: Who loves J.R.? His son John Ross, who ends the season by gazing at the Dallas skyline with dear old dad and asking him to teach him “every dirty trick” he knows so he can push Christopher and Elena out of Ewing Energies. J.R. beams with pride and tells John Ross that he’s his son “from tip to tail.” Hey, J.R. may have given up the fight for Southfork, but he wasn’t giving up his devious ways — thank goodness.

TNT Season 2 (2013)

Cliff Barnes, Dallas, Ken Kercheval, TNT

All about evil

Rebecca reveals she’s Pamela Rebecca Barnes and hooks up with John Ross. Ann shoots Harris after learning he kidnapped their daughter Emma when she was a baby and sent her to be raised by his control-freak mother, Judith (Judith Light). Ann gets probation, Harris recovers and Judith falls down the stairs. Frank takes the blame for Tommy’s death and kills himself at the request of Cliff, who causes Pamela’s miscarriage. When J.R. is murdered in Mexico, it appears Cliff is the killer, so Bobby, Christopher and newlyweds John Ross and Pamela plant evidence on Cliff to make sure he’s arrested. Oh, and Christopher also discovers Cliff covered up his mom’s death. Elsewhere, John Ross somehow inherits half of Southfork; Sue Ellen loses the election but continues to tangle with Governor McConaughey (Steven Weber); Emma (Emma Bell) sleeps with Elena’s ne’er-do-well brother Drew (Kuno Becker), becomes John Ross’s mistress and turns Harris in to the cops for drug trafficking; and when Christopher dumps Elena, jailbird Cliff asks her to become his proxy at Barnes Global, which the Ewings now control.

Dallas, J.R.'s Masterpiece, Linda Gray, Sue Ellen Ewing, TNT

Mourning glory

Best Episode: “J.R.’s Masterpiece.” Our hero is laid to rest in an instant-classic hour that brings back several stars from the original series. The highlight: On the night before J.R.’s burial, Sue Ellen takes a heartbreaking tumble off the wagon, then delivers a mesmerizing eulogy for the man she calls “the love of my life.” Can someone please explain how Linda Gray didn’t win an Emmy for this performance?

Only you

J.R.’s Greatest Moment: Who killed J.R.? J.R. did, of course. It turns out he was dying of cancer and arranged his own death so Cliff could be framed for the crime, thus ending the Barnes-Ewing feud … for about 2 minutes, at least. Only a handful of people know the truth, including Bobby, J.R.’s loyal private eye Bum (Kevin Page), Christopher and John Ross, who gets it right when he says, “The only person who could take down J.R. … was J.R.”

What are your favorite “Dallas” memories? Share them below and read more features from Dallas Decoder.

Filed Under: Features, Features Tagged With: Art Hindle, Audrey Landers, Barbara Bel Geddes, Brenda Strong, Callard Harris, Cathy Podewell, Charlene Tilton, David Wayne, Emma Bell, Family Business, Faran Tahir, Howard Keel, J.R.’s Masterpiece, Jesse Metcalfe, Jim Davis, Joan Van Ark, Jordana Brewster, Josh Henderson, Judith Light, Ken Kercheval, Kevin Page, Kuno Becker, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Mary Crosby, Mitch Pileggi, Morgan Brittany, Patrick Duffy, Priscilla Beaulieu Presley, Sasha Mitchell, Sheree J. Wilson, Steve Kanaly, Steven Weber, Susan Howard, Swan Song, Ted Shackelford, TNT, Victoria Principal, Who Killed J.R.?, Who Shot J.R.?

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 149 — ‘Twelve Mile Limit’

February 3, 2014 by Chris Baker 13 Comments

Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Twelve Mile Limit

What a nice man!

The final scene in “Twelve Mile Limit” begins with a shot of a man in a brown suit carrying a big bouquet of flowers into Edgar Randolph’s hospital room. We don’t see the mystery man’s face until he places the basket on a tray table and the camera pans up, revealing that it’s J.R. “Hello, Edgar. Thought I’d bring a little something to brighten your room,” he says. The words are perfectly innocent, but when Larry Hagman delivers them, they sound positively chilling. This isn’t going to your typical “Dallas” social call, not that such a thing really exists.

Indeed, Edgar is in the hospital because he overdosed on pills and booze to avoid being blackmailed by J.R. What’s J.R. up to? The show hasn’t made that clear. We know J.R. wants Edgar, a high-ranking federal official, to leak him top-secret information about a forthcoming public auction of offshore oil leases. We also know J.R. plans to use this information to get revenge against Cliff, although we’re not entirely sure how. Additionally, J.R. has told Edgar that if he doesn’t cooperate, J.R. will expose a dark secret from his past, although we don’t know what the secret is.

That’s a lot of missing information, and yet the absence of these details does nothing to detract from the power of the hospital scene. Like so many great moments on “Dallas,” this one allows the audience to experience a lot of contradictory emotions at once: We feel sorry for Edgar, but heaven help us, we also get a kick out of watching J.R. exert his power over him. At one point, J.R. tells Edgar that if he tries to kill himself again and succeeds, J.R. will expose his secret to his wife and children anyway. Edgar is horrified. “But why? What purpose would it serve?” he asks. J.R.’s response: “It would testify to the fact that J.R. Ewing always keeps his promises.” My goodness, how mean — and how delicious — is that?

I discussed this scene the other day with Hill Place Blog, who suggested J.R. is so vicious here because Edgar’s sins are so dark; for once, J.R. gets to feel morally superior to somebody. This is an interesting idea, although I’m not sure J.R. cares that much about morality one way or the other. Whatever his character’s motivation may be, I love how Hagman plays off Martin E. Brooks, who is entirely believable as poor, flustered Edgar. After J.R. threatens to expose his secret if he dies, Edgar shouts, “You’re not a human being, you’re scum!” J.R. calmly responds, “Edgar, I know how you feel. But it’s not going to change the way things are. Now don’t make it hard on yourself.” Hagman then takes a beat, smiles and says, “I’m really a nice fellow when I get what I want.” Perfect.

The “scum”/“nice fellow” exchange was one of the first clips shown during last year’s PBS retrospective of the 1980s prime-time soap operas. At the time, I was surprised by the scene’s inclusion — I figured the producers would’ve chosen one of J.R.’s more memorable acts of cruelty, like one of the scenes where he smacks down Cliff Barnes — but now that I’ve seen J.R. and Edgar’s clash with fresh eyes, I appreciate it more. If you’re looking for a singular scene that showcases both J.R.’s villainy and Hagman’s genius, this one is as good as any.

A few more moments in “Twelve Mile Limit” deserve mentioning. In one, Ray and Donna storm into J.R.’s office to accuse him of blackmailing Edgar to win the auction, only to have J.R. tell them he has no intention of bidding. Before you know it, Ray and Donna are essentially apologizing to J.R., who gleefully plays up his indignation. “I sure am glad the wheels of justice are not controlled by people like you,” he says. In another fun scene, Cliff meets Sly in a darkened restaurant so he can reluctantly pay her the money she requested for inside information about J.R.’s dealings. As Cliff reaches inside his jacket to retrieve his checkbook, he says, “Ten thousand dollars, right?” Sly furrows her brow. “Yes, but cash, please.” Debbie Rennard’s oh-so-innocent delivery is downright Hagman-esque.

The other standout moment in “Twelve Mile Limit” is a little more sober-minded. At the end of the show’s previous episode, when Miss Ellie tells Clayton about her mastectomy, he embraces her warmly and tells her it doesn’t matter. In “Twelve Mile Limit,” Clayton confesses to Ray that he’s not as comfortable as he let on. “It bothered me, and I’m not proud about that. Why does a man have to feel that way about something like that?” Clayton says. His confession is a bit surprising, but it also feels very honest. I would imagine a lot of men who find themselves in these situations in real life struggle with the same kinds of feelings.

I also like how Howard Keel never makes Clayton feel like anything less than a gentleman. If another actor was playing this character, we might think Clayton was a lout for saying he was afraid to see Miss Ellie without her clothes on; the character could also come off as weak or namby-pamby. Not with Keel, who strikes the perfect balance between strength and sensitivity in this scene and so many others. If anything, Clayton’s willingness to give voice to feelings he isn’t “proud” of makes him feel even stronger.

In fact, the only thing that gives me pause about this scene comes at the end, when Ray tells Clayton, “Well, I just got this feeling that when the time comes, it’s all going to turn out fine.” I certainly hope not! What fun would that be?

Grade: A

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Real men

‘TWELVE MILE LIMIT’

Season 7, Episode 18

Airdate: February 3, 1984

Audience: 22.4 million homes, ranking 1st in the weekly ratings

Writer: David Paulsen

Director: Patrick Duffy

Synopsis: Clayton harbors private reservations about having sex with Miss Ellie. J.R. learns Clayton may have killed his first wife to collect the insurance money. When Edgar tries to commit suicide, Ray and Donna suspect he was being blackmailed by J.R. Sly tells Cliff that J.R. plans to bid on three offshore leases. Mark proposes to Pam, but she tells him she needs time to think about it. While Afton is out of town, Cliff sleeps with Marilee. Katherine comes closer to finding Naldo.

Cast: John Beck (Mark Graison), Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Morgan Brittany (Katherine Wentworth), Martin E. Brooks (Edgar Randolph), James L. Brown (Detective Harry McSween), Danone Camden (Kendall), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Fern Fitzgerald (Marilee Stone), Ray Girardin (Richard Stevens), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Susan Howard (Donna Krebbs), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Sherril Lynn Katzman (Jackie Dugan), Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Audrey Landers (Afton Cooper), Joanna Miles (Martha Randolph), Priscilla Beaulieu Presley (Jenna Wade), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Deborah Rennard (Sly), Donegan Smith (Earl Johnson)

“Twelve Mile Limit” is available on DVD and at Amazon.com and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

Filed Under: Critiques, Critiques (Classic), Opinion Tagged With: Debbie Rennard, Howard Keel, Larry Hagman, Martin E. Brooks, Twelve Mile Limit

Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘Don’t Give Up on Her’

January 27, 2014 by Chris Baker 3 Comments

Dallas, Eye of the Beholder, Linda Gray, Sue Ellen Ewing

To the rescue

In “Eye of the Beholder,” a seventh-season “Dallas” episode, Sue Ellen and Clayton (Linda Gray, Howard Keel) walk through an outdoor plaza.

SUE ELLEN: Clayton, am I going to have to wait until we get to lunch to find out what’s troubling you?

CLAYTON: No, it’s just hard to talk about it, that’s all. I guess your dreams of my being your father-in-law are over.

SUE ELLEN: Oh? Why?

CLAYTON: Ellie called off the marriage.

SUE ELLEN: No, she didn’t.

CLAYTON: Yes, she did. I’m thinking about moving back down to San Angelo. There’s a spread there I’d like to buy.

SUE ELLEN: Why did she do that?

CLAYTON: Oh, she gave a lot of reasons. I don’t really believe in any, though.

SUE ELLEN: But what did she say?

CLAYTON: Marriage would cause problems — problems with the boys, problems with Southfork.

SUE ELLEN: But you’ve been over that ground before. I thought you’d reached some kind of an understanding. [They reach a table at a sidewalk café and sit.] Besides, Bobby and Ray are no problem.

CLAYTON: I don’t believe any of the boys are a problem.

SUE ELLEN: You don’t think that J.R. has anything to do with it?

CLAYTON: No. Ellie sounded scared, and that’s not like her. Very little scares her, and certainly not J.R.

SUE ELLEN: Well, he could have made her feel guilty in some way.

CLAYTON: No, it has to do with me. I don’t know what it is.

SUE ELLEN: [Long pause] Clayton, how much has Miss Ellie told you about herself? About her life with Jock?

CLAYTON: I think I know most of it. We spent a lot of time together.

SUE ELLEN: But not as together as you would be if you were married.

CLAYTON: No.

SUE ELLEN: Then … don’t give up on her. I don’t think she’s told you everything.

CLAYTON: Sue Ellen, I do have my pride. The woman says she doesn’t want me, and I have to believe her.

SUE ELLEN: Talk to her again.

A waitress approaches and asks to take their order.

CLAYTON: No, no, no. Thank you. [The waitress leaves.] Would you mind if we skipped lunch? I’d like to spend some time with myself.

SUE ELLEN: Of course. I understand.

Clayton gets up and holds out the chair for Sue Ellen. They walk away.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: Eye of the Beholder, Howard Keel, Linda Gray

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 147 — ‘Some Do … Some Don’t’

January 20, 2014 by Chris Baker 8 Comments

Barbara Bel Geddes, Clayton Farlow, Dallas, Howard Keel, Miss Ellie Ewing, Some Do ... Some Don't

Limited engagement

The first scene in “Some Do … Some Don’t:” Donna and Lucy are making muffins in the Southfork kitchen and listening to Miss Ellie and Clayton tease each other about their recent misadventures in Jamaica. Clayton recalls taking Ellie to a French restaurant, where she mistakenly ordered a head of veal instead of a veal chop but ate the whole thing because she was too stubborn to admit her error. Ellie, in the meantime, describes how Clayton accidentally lost his swim trunks on the beach in front of a group of New Jersey schoolteachers. “I would imagine I’m quite famous in Paramus,” he says.

The last scene in “Some Do … Some Don’t:” Clayton brings Ellie home after escorting her to the opening of Jenna Wade’s boutique. The mood is as light and as jovial as the earlier kitchen scene — until Clayton suggests he’d like to stay over so he and Ellie can spend their “first night together.” Suddenly, Ellie becomes rattled, begins to cry and calls off their wedding. “I can’t marry you. I can’t marry anyone,” she says as she runs upstairs. In the freeze frame, Clayton stands at the bottom of the steps, looking more than a little bewildered.

The two sequences serve as the emotional bookends in “Some Do … Some Don’t,” the strongest episode yet from “Dallas’s” seventh season. The opening scene does nothing to advance the show’s storylines, but it’s essential to the episode because it showcases the warm, effortless chemistry between Barbara Bel Geddes and Howard Keel. Together, these actors have charm to spare, and watching their characters gently chide each other allows the audience to feel emotionally invested in their relationship. By the time the hour is over and Ellie has called off the wedding, we can’t help but feel concerned for them.

I also love how “Dallas” doesn’t shy away from the idea that Ellie and Clayton, who are probably supposed to be in their late 60s or early 70s, are capable of having an intimate relationship. I find this subplot even more provocative than Sue Ellen’s May/December romance with Peter Richards. (Frankly, I’m also a little surprised Clayton wanted to sleep with Ellie before their wedding. Who knew the old chap was so modern?) When I watched these episodes when I was younger, I’m sure it never occurred to me to think of Ellie and Clayton as sexual beings, but now it’s not such a hard thing to wrap my head around. Bel Geddes was still a beautiful, vibrant woman when this episode was filmed in 1983, retaining more than a hint of the sauciness she exhibited in her early film roles. Meanwhile, Keel was dashing as ever. In this episode’s final shot, when Clayton stands at the bottom of the Southfork staircase with his hand on his hip, I’m reminded of Clark Gable striking a similar pose in “Gone With the Wind.” I’m sure this was intentional.

Indeed, “Some Do … Some Don’t” is full of flourishes like this. This comes as no surprise: This episode is helmed by Larry Hagman, who always brings an eye for detail to the director’s chair. For example, in one of the Ewing Oil scenes, Bobby tells J.R. about a company he wants to buy. Hagman could easily have started the exchange with J.R. seated in his office, but instead, he opens the sequence with a shot of Kendall at the reception desk, answering a phone call. In the background, J.R. steps off the elevator and walks through the room, stopping by Sly’s desk to pick up his phone messages. As he heads into his office, Phyllis buzzes Bobby on the intercom to let him know that J.R. has arrived, and then Bobby pops into J.R.’s office to tell him about the potential purchase. Maybe this was Hagman’s way of making sure the actresses who played the Ewing Oil secretaries each got a few lines in this episode — too often these performers toil silently in the background — but it nonetheless makes Ewing Oil feel like a real, functional workplace.

More details: The scene where Pam and Mark visit Cliff and Afton at their townhouse begins with Cliff sitting on the sofa, playing a videogame. It’s another small point, but isn’t it just like Cliff to get so wrapped up in a game that he would ignore his guests? (Also: Notice how John Beck seems to be limping as Mark crosses the living room, a subtle throwback to the previous episode, when the character pulled a muscle while playing tennis with Pam.) Additionally, I love when Cliff arrives at the dive bar for another clandestine meeting with Sly and steals the fries off her plate. In another great restaurant scene, J.R. brings Edgar Randolph to lunch at his favorite French eatery, where J.R. threatens to ruin Edgar’s life in one breath and enthusiastically orders him the bouillabaisse in the next. “Oh, you’re just going to love it. It’s really good,” J.R. says with a smile. I dare you to watch this scene without doing the same thing.

The scene where J.R. and Katherine sleep together for the first time is more wicked fun, and so is Pam’s confrontation with Marilee Stone. Pam is clearly out of line when she orders Marilee to stay away from Cliff, but who cares? Isn’t it nice to see Pam exhibit a little backbone and do something besides whine about being torn between Bobby and Mark? It also turns out that Pam and Marilee make good sparring partners. What a shame Victoria Principal and Fern Fitzgerald don’t have more scenes together on this show.

Surprisingly, I also like Sue Ellen and Peter’s scenes in “Some Do … Some Don’t.” Their once promising storyline took a turn for the ridiculous in the two episodes that preceded this one, but heaven help me, I find the couple’s outing to the ice rink kind of charming. I also like when Sue Ellen and Peter run into his classmates from the university and they mistake Sue Ellen for his mother. This feels like the kind of thing that might happen to a woman who dates a younger man, and Sue Ellen and Peter’s reactions to the situation ring true. Sue Ellen, ever the lady, is aghast at the thought that Peter’s friends are gossiping about them, while Peter couldn’t care less. I still have trouble believing Sue Ellen’s attraction to Peter, but at least it’s nice to see the show bring the couple back to a place that resembles reality.

Some more thoughts about Sue Ellen and Peter’s encounter with his friends: Besides Linda Gray, the actor who impresses me most during the scene is Lee Montgomery, who plays Peter’s pal Jerry Hunter. Watch Montgomery’s sly smile when Jerry spots Sue Ellen and Peter; it’s very subtle, but it lets us know he realizes there’s more to their relationship than meets the eye. It’s also worth noting this scene’s two young actresses, who both became science-fiction stars: Kate Vernon played Ellen Tigh on “Battlestar Galactica,” while Claudia Christian was Ivanova on “Babylon 5.” According to IMDb.com, Vernon and Christian are slated to appear together in a forthcoming film called “Chicanery” along with three other “Dallas” actresses: Colleen Camp, who originated the role of Kristin Shepard in 1979; Patty McCormack, who played Mitch Cooper’s friend Evelyn Michaelson during Season 5; and Michelle Scarabelli, who appeared during the 11th season as Connie, Ray’s stalker.

I have a lot of fun finding these connections. I’ve always appreciated how “Dallas” offered steady work to older performers like Barbara Bel Geddes and Howard Keel, but until I started this website, I didn’t realize how many young actors appeared on the show at the beginning of their careers. None of these up-and-comers have become as famous as Brad Pitt, who appeared on “Dallas” a few times in 1987 and will probably always be its most famous alumnus, but it’s impressive to see how so many actors who got their start on the show continue to find work.

This realization has made me watch TNT’s sequel series in a whole other light. Pay attention to all the actors who appear in small roles on the new show. Chances are some of them will still be entertaining us years from now.

Grade: A

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Not the mama

‘SOME DO … SOME DON’T’

Season 7, Episode 16

Airdate: January 20, 1984

Audience: 22 million homes, ranking 5th in the weekly ratings

Writer: Leonard Katzman

Director: Larry Hagman

Synopsis: J.R. sleeps with Katherine, allows Cliff to steal another deal from Ewing Oil and continues to pressure Edgar to unseal the offshore oil lease bids. Jenna celebrates the opening of her boutique by sleeping with Bobby. Clayton suggests he wants to be intimate with Miss Ellie, who is rattled and calls off their wedding. Mark checks into the hospital for tests without telling Pam.

Cast: Denny Albee (Travis Boyd), Christopher Atkins (Peter Richards), John Beck (Mark Graison), Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Morgan Brittany (Katherine Wentworth), Martin E. Brooks (Edgar Randolph), Claudia Christian (Peter’s friend), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Eric Farlow (Christopher Ewing), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Susan Howard (Donna Krebbs), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Omri Katz (John Ross Ewing), Sherril Lynn Katzman (Jackie Dugan), Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Audrey Landers (Afton Cooper), Anne Lucas (Cassie), Shalane McCall (Charlie Wade), Lee Montgomery (Jerry Hunter), Priscilla Beaulieu Presley (Jenna Wade), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Debbie Rennard (Sly), Danone Simpson (Kendall), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Deborah Tranelli (Phyllis), Kate Vernon (Peter’s friend)

“Some Do … Some Don’t” is available on DVD and at Amazon.com and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

Filed Under: Critiques, Critiques (Classic), Opinion Tagged With: Barbara Bel Geddes, Brad Pitt, Claudia Christian, Colleen Camp, Fern Fitzgerald, Howard Keel, John Beck, Kate Vernon, Larry Hagman, Lee Montgomery, Linda Gray, Michelle Scarabelli, Patty McCormack, Some Do … Some Don’t, TNT, Victoria Principal

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 146 — ‘Offshore Crude’

January 13, 2014 by Chris Baker 11 Comments

Christopher Atkins, Dallas, Linda Gray, Offshore Crude, Peter Richards, Sue Ellen Ewing

Wrong turn, darlin’

The “Offshore Crude” scene where Sue Ellen goes to Peter’s apartment to break up with him is one of “Dallas’s” sillier moments. When she arrives, Peter is wearing nothing but a towel and a face full of shaving cream, so he excuses himself and returns to the bathroom to finish freshening up. While he’s at the sink, Sue Ellen stands with her back to him and pours out her heart, explaining why the two of them can no longer see each other. She finishes her speech and is surprised to see Peter is unfazed, until she realizes he didn’t hear a word she said because the water was running. Sue Ellen, who apparently is too drained to repeat herself, allows the none-the-wiser Peter to hug her tightly and gush about how important she is to him. “I love you. I really do love you,” he says.

Oh, good grief. Linda Gray and Christopher Atkins do their best to sell this scene, but there’s only so much they can do. Sue Ellen’s confession that she only slept with Peter to persuade him to go back to college isn’t credible, and I don’t believe she’d deliver such important news while he’s shaving and she’s facing the other direction. Frankly, I’m even a little surprised to discover the baby-faced Peter shaves. Like Bobby and Pam’s breakup at the beginning of “Dallas’s” seventh season, this is another example of how the writers rely on misunderstanding and miscommunication to drive their storytelling. Sometimes this show has more in common with “Three’s Company” than I care to admit.

Nothing else about “Offshore Crude” is quite this fatuous, except for the shots that depict the Ewings spending a leisurely Saturday afternoon by the Southfork swimming pool. These scenes were filmed on “Dallas’s” Hollywood soundstage, where the pool is noticeably smaller than its real-life Texas counterpart. So why does the show concoct a race between Bobby, Ray and Peter? It only takes Patrick Duffy, Steve Kanaly and Atkins a few strokes each to go from one end of the pool to the other. Bradford May, the show’s seventh-season cinematographer, makes the outdoor sets look a little more convincing than they did in previous seasons, although there’s still no mistaking them for the real thing. Scenes like this make me so happy the new “Dallas” films its exterior scenes outdoors.

The rest of “Offshore Crude” is standard-issue, mid-1980s “Dallas.” J.R. and Sue Ellen have a couple of good fight scenes, including one where he enters her bedroom and wonders if she’s avoiding Peter because she’s afraid his acne is contagious. I love how Gray hisses Sue Ellen’s response: “Your jokes aren’t funny. They are disgusting and boring.” (I predict I’ll spend the next week quoting that line to anyone who will listen.) Larry Hagman is also wonderfully diabolical in “Offshore Crude’s” final scene, when J.R. summons Edgar Randolph to his office and tells him he’s glad Edgar rejected his recent attempt to bribe him: “If my money can’t buy you, nobody else’s can either.” No matter how much time I spend with J.R., he always manages to surprise me.

I also like the scene where Cliff and Marilee sneak off to a bar on a Saturday night to plot their latest business deal. Fern Fitzgerald delivers another one of her delicious performances as the wine-sipping Marilee, who is clearly savoring this opportunity to mix business with pleasure. I also love seeing Cliff trade in his flashy suit for that nifty electric blue shirt. “Offshore Crude” also includes a fun scene between Miss Ellie and Clayton, who skip the usual family dinner at Southfork to take in a meal at the Oil Baron’s Club. The conversation is mostly designed to lay the groundwork for the arrival of his sister Jessica at the end of the season, but it also plays on the charming rapport between Barbara Bel Geddes and Howard Keel and ends with Clayton asking for the check so he can whisk Ellie away to the city’s last big-band dance club.

This turns out to be the only time Bel Geddes and Keel appear in “Offshore Crude.” What a shame. I’d much rather see Ellie and Clayton on the dance floor than watch the rest of the Ewings frolicking around that tiny pool.

Grade: B

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Unbought

‘OFFSHORE CRUDE’

Season 7, Episode 15

Airdate: January 13, 1984

Audience: 20.3 million homes, ranking 6th in the weekly ratings

Writer: David Paulsen

Director: Ray Danton

Synopsis: Cliff decides to bid on the offshore oil leases after Sly lies and tells him that J.R. is planning to bid too. J.R. lets Edgar know he has damaging information about him. Peter tells Sue Ellen he loves her. After failing to find Naldo in Rome, Katherine returns to Dallas.

Cast: Mary Armstrong (Louise), Christopher Atkins (Peter Richards), John Beck (Mark Graison), Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Morgan Brittany (Katherine Wentworth), Martin E. Brooks (Edgar Randolph), Roseanna Christiansen (Teresa), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Eric Farlow (Christopher Ewing), Fern Fitzgerald (Marilee Stone), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Susan Howard (Donna Krebbs), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Omri Katz (John Ross Ewing), Sherril Lynn Katzman (Jackie), Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Audrey Landers (Afton Cooper), Anne Lucas (Cassie), Shalane McCall (Charlie Wade), Alberto Morin (Armando Sidoni), Priscilla Beaulieu Presley (Jenna Wade), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Debbie Rennard (Sly), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing)

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

Filed Under: Critiques, Critiques (Classic), Opinion Tagged With: Barbara Bel Geddes, Bradford May, Christopher Atkins, Fern Fitzgerald, Howard Keel, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Offshore Crude, Patrick Duffy, Steve Kanaly

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 145 — ‘Peter’s Principles’

January 6, 2014 by Chris Baker 21 Comments

Christopher Atkins, Dallas, Peter Richards, Peter's Principles

What principles?

Since I began re-watching “Dallas’s” seventh season for the first time in years, I’ve been surprised by how interesting I find Sue Ellen’s affair with college student Peter Richards. I used to dismiss their romance as hopelessly gimmicky — J.R.’s wife chases a younger man! — but now that I’m older and hopefully a little wiser, the relationship makes perfect sense. I can see how Sue Ellen might turn to a man like Peter to regain her confidence after all those years of being mistreated by J.R. Or at least that’s how I felt before “Peter’s Principles.” This is the episode where Sue Ellen and Peter sleep together for the first time, but instead of illuminating the reasons these characters are attracted to each other, the love scene reveals the storyline’s flaws. It turns out there are quite a few.

When “Peter’s Principles” begins, Sue Ellen is worried because the Ewings haven’t heard from Peter in several days. She suspects he is upset because she recently told him their flirtation can’t continue, so she contacts one of his classmates and learns Peter has dropped out of school. When Sue Ellen finally tracks down Peter, he doesn’t want to speak to her, but she doesn’t give up on him. She goes to his apartment the next day and urges him not to abandon his studies. Peter tells Sue Ellen that if he can’t have her, college no longer matters to him. She hesitates for a moment, then says, “If I were with you, if we saw each other, would you go back to the university?” Peter’s response: “Yes, it would all be completely different then.” Before you know it, Sue Ellen is kissing Peter as he lays her down on the bed.

Groan. Until this scene, which is the last one in “Peter’s Principles,” I liked how Arthur Bernard Lewis’s script depicted Sue Ellen as a woman with determination and purpose. She works hard to find Peter and persuade him to go back to school, displaying the kind of gumption we haven’t seen from her since “The Oil Baron’s Ball,” the episode where she treats J.R. like a sexual plaything. By the end of “Peter’s Principles,” though, Sue Ellen has reverted back to her old habit of allowing men to dominate her. When she asks Peter if he’ll go back to school if she starts a relationship with him, what does she expect him to say? Sue Ellen doesn’t just allow Peter to pull her strings; she puts the controls in his hand.

Besides undermining Linda Gray’s character, the scene suggests “Dallas” is chickening out on the entire storyline. For a show dominated by alpha males, Sue Ellen and Peter’s relationship has been refreshingly different. The last time “Dallas” depicted a May/December romance, an aging man (Jock Ewing) became involved with a younger woman (Julie Grey). This time around, the gender roles are reversed: Sue Ellen, who is in her 40s, flirts with Peter, who is in his 20s. But instead of showing her going to bed with him merely to fulfill her own sexual desires, Lewis’s script tries to cast Sue Ellen’s choice as some kind of noble sacrifice. She essentially tells Peter, “OK, I’ll have sex with you if you promise to go back to school and study hard.” Why can’t Sue Ellen have a carefree fling like the men on this show?

I suppose all of this can be viewed as another example of Sue Ellen’s self-delusion. Maybe she can’t bring herself to admit her attraction to Peter, so she fools herself into believing she’s merely providing him with the incentive he needs to get an education. But then what are we to make of the fact that we never see these characters in bed together? In the final shot, as Peter moves Sue Ellen onto the bed, the screen goes black and the closing credits flash, making this one of the few times “Dallas” skips its traditional freeze frame. It’s as if the producers can’t quite bring themselves to showing this relationship being consummated.

Then again: Maybe we’ve seen enough. Leonard Katzman, “Dallas’s” executive producer, once called this storyline the show’s “biggest mistake” because Christopher Atkins looked too young to play Peter. It’s not fair to lay the blame at Atkins’ feet, although the actor was too boyish to be believable as Sue Ellen’s lover. Don’t get me wrong: Atkins is a good actor who does a nice job conveying his character’s awkward transition into adulthood. Peter can be charming one minute and petulant the next, just like a lot of real-life college students. Atkins’ youthfulness also works well in his scenes with Larry Hagman, where Peter is the fair-haired Luke Skywalker to J.R.’s black-hearted Darth Vader. But whenever the script calls for Peter and Sue Ellen to share a romantic moment, I can’t help but wish he looked a little older.

But even if Sue Ellen and Peter’s love scene in “Peter’s Principles” worked better, it still wouldn’t be the most provocative moment in this episode. No, that distinction belongs to the wonderful exchange where Miss Ellie admits to Donna that she’s nervous about marrying Clayton because she hasn’t “been” with a man since Jock died. This conversation, which takes place while Ellie and Donna are exercising in the Southfork fitness room, lets us know Ellie remains a sexual creature. This would be a progressive idea for television to address today, so I can only imagine how extraordinary it must have seemed 30 years ago. Both actors are quite good here: Barbara Bel Geddes conveys Ellie’s quiet anxiety without sacrificing the character’s dignity, while Susan Howard’s gentle responses signal Donna’s respect for the Ewing matriarch. I especially like when Ellie says that she and Clayton “never had any real physical contact … beyond a kiss and a hug,” and Donna responds, “Yes, ma’am. I understand.” This is exactly how I would expect Donna to treat a woman like Ellie.

“Peter’s Principles” also shows Clayton confiding in Ray his own unease about marrying Ellie and moving onto “another man’s ranch and into another man’s house.” This marks the beginning of Clayton and Ray’s friendship, a relationship that makes a lot of sense given the outsider status both men occupy in the family Ewing. I also like the “Peter’s Principles” scene where Bobby and Pam have dinner because it makes them seem like two mature people who have remained friends despite the fact they are ex-spouses. This exchange is also useful because it helps the audience understand how much risk is involved in Cliff’s offshore oil venture, which is one of the major subplots in the coming episodes. As Bobby explains to Pam, it can cost as much as $300,000 to tow a rig to a drilling site, $40,000 a day to rent the rig and $20,000 a day to operate it. These numbers boggle my mind today; imagine how big they must have seemed three decades ago.

There’s also a lot of humor in “Peter’s Principles,” beginning with J.R.’s quips about Clayon’s son (“Dusty or Steve or what the hell ever that rodeo rider calls himself nowadays”) and Ray’s wife (“You sure married a winner”). I also like when Clayton announces he’s taking Ellie to see a revival of “Camelot” — a sly reference to one of Howard Keel’s famous stage roles. Other funny moments are unintentional: The exterior shot of Peter’s apartment is the same one used for Mitch Cooper’s residence during the fourth season; look closely and you’ll even see Mitch’s Mustang parked near the curb. Also, as much as I love Ellie and Donna’s scene in the fitness room, I can’t help but notice that despite all of Howard’s huffing and puffing while doing her character’s leg lifts, there’s no weight on the bar.

Poor Donna. Perhaps she would benefit from some professional training at Pam’s aerobics studio. Come to think of it, whatever became of that place?

Grade: B

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Fade to black

‘PETER’S PRINCIPLES’

Season 7, Episode 14

Airdate: January 6, 1984

Audience: 21.3 million homes, ranking 1st in the weekly ratings

Writer: Arthur Bernard Lewis

Director: Patrick Duffy

Synopsis: Sue Ellen learns Peter has dropped out of school but persuades him to return by sleeping with him. J.R. continues digging for dirt on Clayton and confirms a dark secret about Edgar. Clayton and Ellie harbor private reservations about marrying each other. Marilee expresses interest in joining Cliff’s offshore oil venture and comes between him and Afton. Bobby and Pam have dinner, upsetting Jenna and Mark.

Cast: Christopher Atkins (Peter Richards), John Beck (Mark Graison), Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Martin E. Brooks (Edgar Randolph), James L. Brown (Detective Harry McSween), Pat Colbért (Dora Mae), Roseanna Christiansen (Teresa), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Al Dunlap (decorator), Fern Fitzgerald (Marilee Stone), David Gale (Melvin), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Susan Howard (Donna Krebbs), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Omri Katz (John Ross Ewing), Sherril Lynn Katzman (Jackie), Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Audrey Landers (Afton Cooper), Anne Lucas (Cassie), Lee Montgomery (Jerry Hunter), Louis R. Plante (Robert)Priscilla Beaulieu Presley (Jenna Wade), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Julie Ronnie (student), Don Starr (Jordan Lee), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing)

“Peter’s Principles” is available on DVD and at Amazon.com and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

Filed Under: Critiques, Critiques (Classic), Opinion Tagged With: Arthur Bernard Lewis, Barbara Bel Geddes, Christopher Atkins, Howard Keel, Larry Hagman, Leonard Katzman, Linda Gray, Oil Baron’s Ball, Susan Howard

Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘I Wonder What It Is?’

December 23, 2013 by Chris Baker 5 Comments

Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Past Imperfect

Who shoved J.R.?

In “Past Imperfect,” a seventh-season “Dallas” episode, J.R. and Sly (Larry Hagman, Debbie Rennard) stand in the Ewing Oil reception area, reviewing papers.

J.R.: All right, Sly. I’ll check these out. You can work on them tomorrow. Good night.

SLY: Thank you, J.R.

She grabs her purses and approaches the elevator as the doors open. Clayton (Howard Keel) steps out and brushes past her.

CLAYTON: Where’s J.R.? Is he still here? [Heads toward J.R.’s office]

SLY: Uh, I don’t know. Mr. Farlow, you can’t go in there.

CLAYTON: The hell I can’t.

J.R.: [Begins to exit his office] What’s going on our here anyhow?

CLAYTON: I’m going to see you. [He smacks the papers in J.R.’s hand, sending them flying and marches into the office, forcing J.R. to walk backwards.] Now what the hell do you mean, poking around in my life?

J.R.: What are you talking about?

CLAYTON: Sending people to San Angelo to investigate me.

J.R.: I didn’t send anybody anywhere.

CLAYTON: You are a liar. [Grabs J.R.’s jacket lapels] Now I got a call from the sheriff that somebody’s been snooping around in my affairs. And the only person that could be is you.

J.R.: Now, Clayton, please. Let me explain.

CLAYTON: I was a fool to fall for that line of yours at lunch yesterday. You’re just as devious as you ever were. [Pushes J.R. onto his couch]

J.R.: Just give me a chance to explain, would you please? You would’ve done the same thing under the circumstances. I told you at lunch I love my mama and I’d do anything in the world to see that she’s safe.

CLAYTON: And you don’t think that she’d be safe with me, huh?

J.R.: Look, Clayton, you’ve been around the family a long time. But we really don’t know that much about you. The only reason I was having you checked out was to make sure that Mama didn’t have any surprises after she married you. That’s all.

CLAYTON: [Leans forward] When are you going to get it through that thick skull of yours that I love your mother and all I want is a chance to make her happy? And I’m going to have that chance, whether you like it or not.

He turns and leaves, walking past Sly, who stands in the doorway.

SLY: J.R., are you all right?

J.R.: I’m fine.

SLY: That is a very angry man.

J.R.: He sure is. And a man who gets that angry over a little snooping around must have something interesting to hide. [Chuckles] I wonder what that is?

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: Debbie Rennard, Howard Keel, Larry Hagman, Past Imperfect