Jim Davis – Dallas Decoder

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 9 – ‘Bypass’

April 12, 2012 by Chris Baker 17 Comments

Barbara Bel Geddes, Bypass, Dallas, Dan Ammerman, Dr. Harlan Danvers, Jim Davis, Jock Ewing

Ticker shock

“Bypass” has a little bit of everything – a health crisis, family squabbling, corporate intrigue. There’s not much romance, but there is a cattle drive.

The small moments in this episode are among its best, beginning with Jock and Miss Ellie’s heart-to-heart in his hospital room. As he lies in bed, with medical tubes taped to his chest, he urges Ellie to “keep the family together” if “anything happens” to him.

Like Jock’s plea with Bobby and Pam to stay at Southfork at the end of “Barbecue,” this scene reminds us how much family means to the Ewing patriarch. Jock is usually so gruff; it’s always nice to see his sentimental side.

“Bypass” also casts J.R. in a softer light. Yes, he does a dastardly thing when he forges Jock’s will so he can drill for oil on Southfork once his father dies, but remember: J.R. sets this plot in motion before Jock gets sick. After the heart attack, J.R. doesn’t have much enthusiasm for the scheme and seemingly goes through with it only after Jeb and Willie Joe pressure him.

Another small-but-revealing moment comes when Sue Ellen arrives at the Braddock emergency room, not knowing which Ewing is being treated there, and is relieved to discover J.R. isn’t the patient. “I thought it was you,” she tells him.

Later, when J.R. expresses regret about bringing Jock to a small-town hospital not equipped to effectively treat him, Sue Ellen reassures him, “J.R., you did the right thing.” Aside from being sweet, this exchange helps blunt the ugliness of Sue Ellen’s behavior later in the episode, when she drunkenly sashays around Southfork and threatens to evict Pam if Jock dies.

But as much as I appreciate the human drama in “Bypass,” my favorite part of this episode is the lightning-fast cattle drive at the top of the hour.

The sequence begins with a grounds-eye view of the herd as it surges forward, trampling the earth and covering director Corey Allen’s camera lens with clods of Texas dirt. Then, when Jock dashes off to round up some strays, Allen keeps the camera fixed on Jim Davis as he rides high in his saddle. It’s almost as if we’re bouncing alongside Jock.

Throw in John Parker’s triumphant score and Robert Jessup’s sumptuous cinematography and you have an exhilarating action sequence. It’s a fine way to open one of “Dallas’s” finest early episodes.

Grade: A

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Power steering

‘BYPASS’

Season 2, Episode 4

Airdate: October 14, 1978

Audience: 10.7 million homes, ranking 52nd in the weekly ratings

Writer: Arthur Bernard Lewis

Director: Corey Allen

Synopsis: Jock suffers a heart attack and is rushed to the hospital. J.R. shows cronies Jeb Ames and Willie Joe Garr a codicil to Jock’s will that gives J.R. permission to drill on Southfork when Jock dies, but Jeb and Willie Joe don’t know J.R. forged it. Bobby takes leave from Ewing Oil to help run the ranch. Jock’s bypass surgery saves his life.

Cast: Dan Ammerman (Dr. Harlan Danvers), John Ashton (Willie Joe Garr), Barbara Babcock (Liz Craig), Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Jim Davis (Jock Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Lisa Lemole (Susan), Ed Nelson (Jeb Ames), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing)

“Bypass” 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: Barbecue, Bypass, Corey Allen, Jim Davis, John Parker, Robert Jessup

Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘Sold’

April 10, 2012 by Chris Baker 6 Comments

Bobby Ewing, Dallas, Jim Davis, Jock Ewing, Pam Ewing, Patrick Duffy, Reunion Part 2, Victoria Principal

Cold cash

In “Reunion, Part 2,” a second-season “Dallas” episode, Jock (Jim Davis) is reading the newspaper on the patio when a drunken Digger (David Wayne) drives onto Southfork in a beat-up sports car and gets out carrying get-well gifts Pam (Victoria Principal) brought him earlier.

JOCK: [Approaches Digger, followed by Bobby, Pam, Gary and Val] Barnes, what in the hell do you think you’re doing?

DIGGER: Returning gifts to the ladies auxiliary. [Tosses them onto the driveway] There they are – magazines, quarter books, jigsaw puzzles, whatever. Gifts for the poor and infirm.

PAM: Daddy –

DIGGER: Cease! I have business to discuss. Now, sir, I refuse charity.

JOCK: So you refuse. Now get off of this ranch.

DIGGER: I refuse charity, but those but those things which are rightfully mine I accept.

JOCK: Well now, what’s rightfully yours this time?

DIGGER: Something there’s no doubt about.

JOCK: What do you want?

DIGGER: Now you took my oil wells and give me nothing in return.

JOCK: I’m sick and tired of hearing that.

DIGGER: You took my oil wells and my money and my sweetheart and I never got a cent for ’em. Well, that’s ancient history.

JOCK: Well, what do you want?

DIGGER: Money!

JOCK: For what?

DIGGER: The only thing I had that you can get.

JOCK: [Turns and sees Pam standing over his shoulder; Bobby, Gary and Val look away] Do you mean to tell me that you want money for Pamela?

DIGGER: Well, she was a Barnes and now she’s a Ewing – just like the oil wells….

JOCK: You’re unbearable, Barnes! How much do you want?

DIGGER: Ten thousand.

JOCK: [Harrumphs] Ten thousand! [He reaches into his jeans pocket, pulls out a wad of cash, peels off a $100 bill and throws it at Digger. It lands on the ground.] There’s a hundred.

DIGGER: [Bends down, scoops up the bill and studies it briefly] Sold.

Digger gets back in the car and drives away. Jock snickers and walks past Bobby and stony-faced Pam.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: David Wayne, Jim Davis, Reunion Part 2, Victoria Principal

Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘You Ought to Know That, Miss Ellie’

April 9, 2012 by Chris Baker Leave a Comment

Dallas, Jim Davis, Jock Ewing, Reunion Part 1

Mr. Ewing, tear down those walls

In “Reunion, Part 1,” “Dallas’s” second-season opener, Jock (Jim Davis) is on the Southfork driveway with J.R. and Sue Ellen (Larry Hagman, Linda Gray) when Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes) comes rushing out of the house.

ELLIE: He’s coming home!

JOCK: Who’s coming home?

ELLIE: Gary.

JOCK: Gary?

ELLIE: He met Bobby and Pam in Las Vegas, and they talked – and Jock, he’s just fine – and they’re all flying home this morning. Did you hear, J.R.?

J.R.: [Smiling] Yes, Mama, I heard.

ELLIE: So you just forget about the office this morning. And Sue Ellen, you won’t wanna be going into town, either.

SUE ELLEN: Of course not, Miss Ellie.

ELLIE: Because I think we should all be here when he arrives. [Serious] I don’t want anything to go wrong. Nothing. Do you hear, Jock? Whatever is done is done. Leave it that way. He’s still our son. [To J.R.] And your brother. You give him what he needs to fit back in. [To Jock] Don’t go putting up walls – either of you.

Jock begins walking away.

ELLIE: Jock? Jock, did you hear me?

JOCK: [Stops and faces her] What kind of a man do you think I am? My son’s coming home. I hardly know him. I’m not thinking about putting up walls – I’m thinking about tearing them down. You ought to know that, Miss Ellie.

He continues walking. She follows him.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: Barbara Bel Geddes, Jim Davis, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Reunion Part 1

The Art of Dallas: ‘Barbecue’

April 6, 2012 by Chris Baker Leave a Comment

Jock and Miss Ellie (Jim Davis, Barbara Bel Geddes) are seen in this 1978 publicity shot from “Barbecue,” “Dallas’s” first-season finale.

Filed Under: Art of Dallas, Art of Dallas (Classic), Features Tagged With: Barbara Bel Geddes, Barbecue, Jim Davis

Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘She’s On the Nest — Digger’s Girl’

April 6, 2012 by Chris Baker 9 Comments

Barbecue, Dallas, Haskel Craver, Irma P. Hall, Jim Davis, Jock Ewing, Sam, Tilly

Tell her some news

In “Barbecue,” “Dallas’s” first-season finale, Tilly (Irma P. Hall) is filling drinks at the bar when Sam (Haskel Craver) approaches with a tray and motions toward Jock (Jim Davis), who is smoking and drinking out of the view of his guests.

SAM: He’s sneaking his cigarettes early today.

TILLY: He ’s snuck three of ’em sitting there. Ain’t like him to stay away from his guests so long. [Places champagne glasses on Sam’s tray]

SAM: Digger Barnes is here!

TILLY: Say what?

SAM: You heard me. The girl Bobby married is Digger’s daughter. So it figures Jock and Digger are bound to meet again.

TILLY: Yeah, but from the looks of him, it happened a long time before he was ready. [Motions toward the crowd] How are things out there?

SAM: Crazy.

TILLY: Oh, that ain’t no news. Tell me some news.

SAM: She’s on the nest – Digger’s girl.

TILLY: Now that’s news. How’s the missus and Big Brother taking it?

SAM: I don’t think they know about it yet.

TILLY: They ain’t going to like that. Who’s going to be the first to have a fight?

SAM: Too soon to tell.

TILLY: First to get drunk?

SAM: [Motions toward Jock] He’s got the head start.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: Barbecue, Haskel Craver, Irma P. Hall, Jim Davis

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 5 – ‘Barbecue’

April 6, 2012 by Chris Baker 25 Comments

Barbecue, Dallas, David Wayne, Digger Barnes, Jim Davis, Jock Ewing

Best of enemies

“Barbecue,” the final entry in “Dallas’s” too-brief first season, is probably best remembered as the episode where J.R. accidentally causes a pregnant Pam to fall from the hayloft and lose her baby, but I think it’s notable for other reasons.

This is one of the few “Dallas” installments set during a single day. (“Winds of Vengeance,” the previous episode, is another.) “Barbecue” is also the first time Jock and Digger come face-to-face on the show, and seeing the characters together reminds us how smartly the producers cast the roles.

More than anyone else in the “Dallas” ensemble, Jim Davis and David Wayne look like their characters. Davis is as big as Texas. Wayne is small and pitiful. They are Jock and Digger.

I also love the actors’ use of body language in “Barbecue.” Watch closely when Jock and Digger walk to the bar to toast Pam’s pregnancy. Davis strides with effortless confidence; Wayne’s gait is slowly deliberate – exactly how we expect a broken man like Digger to make his way through the world.

But as much as I enjoy Jock and Digger’s scenes together, my favorite “Barbecue” moment is the gossipy exchange between the Ewings’ caterers, Tilly and Sam.

“How are things out there?” Tilly asks.

“Crazy,” Sam responds.

“Oh that ain’t no news. Tell me some news.”

“She’s on the nest – Digger’s girl.”

“Now that’s news.”

I’ve always believed Southfork’s servants represented untapped storytelling potential. Throughout “Dallas,” we see Teresa the maid and Raoul the butler hovering in background, but they’re more like props than people.

Turning the servants into real characters could have grounded “Dallas” a bit more, allowing them to become the audience’s eyes and ears in the world of the Ewings.

Tilly and Sam fill this role in “Barbecue,” but the characters are never seen again after this episode. Too bad. Aside from being a hoot, Tilly and Sam are also among the few African American faces to appear on “Dallas.”

The good news: TNT’s forthcoming “Dallas” revival is expected to offer more of a “Downton Abbey”-ish view of life at Southfork. One of the new characters will be Carmen Ramos, the Ewings’ cook, played by Marlene Forte.

Who knows? Maybe Teresa and Raoul or even Tilly and Sam will show up to give Carmen pointers on working for those darned Ewings.

Grade: B

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Please don’t go, girl

‘BARBECUE’

Season 1, Episode 5

Airdate: April 30, 1978

Audience: 15.9 million homes, ranking 11th in the weekly ratings

Writer: David Jacobs

Director: Robert Day

Synopsis: At the Ewing barbecue, Bobby and Pam announce her pregnancy, while Jock and Digger reignite their feud. J.R. insults Pam and when he tries to apologize, she falls and suffers a miscarriage. Bobby wants to leave Southfork, but Jock persuades him and Pam to stay.

Cast: Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), James Canning (Jimmy Monahan), Haskel Craver (Sam), Jim Davis (Jock Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Irma P. Hall (Tilly), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Jo McDonnell (Maureen), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), David Wayne (Digger Barnes)

“Barbecue” is available on DVD and at Amazon.com, iTunes and TNT.tv. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

Filed Under: Critiques, Critiques (Classic), Opinion Tagged With: Barbecue, David Wayne, Jim Davis, Marlene Forte, TNT

TV Critics Had Little Love for the Ewings at First

April 3, 2012 by Chris Baker 4 Comments

Barbara Bel Geddes, Bobby Ewing, Charlene Tilton, Dallas, Jim Davis, Jock Ewing, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Lucy Ewing, Miss Ellie Ewing, Pam Ewing, Patrick Duffy, Victoria Principal

What’s not to love?

Television critics never loved “Dallas” – especially in April 1978, when CBS introduced the series as a late-season replacement for “The Carol Burnett Show.”

The New York Times’ John J. O’Connor dismissed “Dallas” as a “daytime soap opera gussied up with on-location Texas settings.” He called the show “enervating” and made the curious observation it offered “innumerable scenes of people getting into, driving or getting out of cars.”

O’Connor also lamented how “the fine stage actress” Barbara Bel Geddes was relegated to “wandering around among the players with about three lines of dialogue,” and he described Charlene Tilton as “sulking sexily through was appears to be an audition for a remake of ‘Baby Doll.’”

According to Barbara A. Curran’s 2005 book “Dallas: The Complete Story of the World’s Favorite Prime-Time Soap,” the Hollywood trade publication Variety assailed “Dallas” as “dull and contrived,” “the TV equivalent of women’s-magazine fiction” and “a limited series with a limited future.”

The Associated Press was a bit kinder, praising CBS for filming “Dallas” in Texas. “[T]he look it gives the show was worth the effort,” wrote the wire service’s critic, who wasn’t given a byline.

This critic also pointed out how “Dallas” was conceived as a star vehicle for “a certain glamorous actress” – Linda Evans, although the review doesn’t name her – and suggested Larry Hagman stole the spotlight from Victoria Principal, who was cast as Pam after Evans was dropped from consideration.

“By far, the meatiest role, at least in the opener, goes to Hagman,” the AP’s critic wrote. “He is deliciously wicked as he attempts to reject Miss Principal from the family bosom by any foul means.”

In the Globe and Mail, a Canadian newspaper, Blaik Kirby declared Hagman “curls a lip better than anyone,” while the Los Angeles Times’ Cecil Smith asserted the actor’s “smiling villainy is the role you remember.”

Smith also praised Jim Davis’s “flinty ferocity,” but the critic bemoaned how “Dallas’s” first episode spent so much time introducing the characters and their backstories “that there isn’t much room for plot.”

Still, Smith saw some promise in the new series.

“[T]he scene is set,” he wrote, “for some very steamy drama to come on the arid Texas plains.”

What did you think of “Dallas” the first time you watched it? Share your comments below and read more features from Dallas Decoder.