Larry Hagman – Dallas Decoder

Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘You Needed Slapping Down, Cliff’

February 4, 2015 by Chris Baker 2 Comments

Dallas, End Game, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman

Slap master

In “End Game,” “Dallas’s” seventh-season finale, Cliff (Ken Kercheval) pours a drink in his office for Vaughn (Dennis Patrick), who sits in front of the desk.

CLIFF: Vaughn, now look, we’re two civilized human beings. [Hands him the drink] We’ve made money before and we’ll make money again. I’m just asking you for a little bit more time. [Walks behind his desk]

VAUGHN: No. The interest payment must be collected on its due date. Now you read the papers. It was very specific.

CLIFF: I’m just asking you to bend the rules a little bit. There’s oil in that tract and we’re gonna hit, and we’ll all be rich. [Turns his back, looks out the window]

VAUGHN: If you don’t strike oil by midnight tomorrow night, the bank is foreclosing. And all of the assets of Barnes-Wentworth will belong to the bank.

J.R. (Larry Hagman) enters.

J.R.: Well, Vaughn, not all the assets. If I remember correctly, our deal calls for me to get control of Gold Canyon 340.

CLIFF: What are you doing here?

J.R.: Oh, I just thought you might want to see the face of your other friendly banker.

CLIFF: No, no, no. I got my money from Vaughn.

J.R.: You got your money from both of us. And tomorrow night, we’re going to turn off the faucet, and all your cash flow is just going to dry right up.

CLIFF: You set me up?

J.R.: From the very beginning. But I didn’t do it alone. In addition to Vaughn Leland here, I had a great assist from your massive ego and unbelievable stupidity.

CLIFF: I had those tracts checked. There’s oil in there.

J.R.: Well, sure there is. Millions of dollars’ worth. Oh, it was a fair setup. As a matter of fact, it was the fairest setup I’ve ever had the pleasure of engineering. I couldn’t lose — because I knew you were just too dumb to find that oil.

CLIFF: Why? Huh? Why did you do that?

J.R.: Because you needed slapping down, Cliff. You’d been stealing deals right out from underneath my nose. And after all these years, you know better than to butt heads with me. But I got all that property back. I got Kesey and Murphy, and tomorrow night, I’ll own Gold Canyon 340. You needed a lesson, you see. And the only way I could get the message through that thick skull of yours was to have you bankrupt your mama’s company while I just sat back and watched you. You’re out of my life for good.

CLIFF: [Softly] No, uh-uh. No, I’m not finished yet.

J.R.: Sure you are. Tomorrow morning, the janitor’s going to come in here and sweep you out with the rest of the trash. Unless, of course, you do the honorable thing, get in the elevator, go up to the roof and jump off, huh? [Chuckles] Oh, come on, Vaughn. I’ll buy you a drink. [Turns and leaves, followed by Vaughn]

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: Dennis Patrick, End Game, Ken Kercheval, Larry Hagman

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 161 — ‘End Game’

February 4, 2015 by Chris Baker 15 Comments

Bobby Ewing, Dallas, End Game, Patrick Duffy

Best shot

The “End Game” cliffhanger is still powerful, especially when you watch the entire episode. In scene after scene, we’re led to believe everyone is gunning for J.R., just like they were four years earlier. The momentum builds until the final moments, when an unseen figure steps off the Ewing Oil elevator, enters J.R.’s office and fires three shots into the back of his chair. The feeling of shock that once accompanied the sight of Bobby slumping to the floor has long since faded, but it’s been replaced with something more satisfying — an appreciation for how much care the producers put into crafting “Dallas’s” grandest fake-out.

It’s also worth revisiting “End Game” to be reminded of how many iconic moments it contains. Two showcase Larry Hagman at his gleeful best. In one, J.R. cracks wise when Katherine glares at him after storming out of Bobby’s office (“You know, she has a nasty temper”). Later, J.R. shows up at Barnes-Wentworth and reveals he engineered Cliff’s spectacular offshore drilling implosion. Hagman delivers a string of classic one-liners, including “You needed slapping down, Cliff” and “Tomorrow morning, the janitor’s going to come in here and sweep you out with the rest of the trash. Unless, of course, you do the honorable thing, get in the elevator, go up to the roof and jump off, huh?” (Bless Ken Kercheval, who manages to make the audience feel sorry for Cliff, even as we bask in J.R.’s triumph.)

Hagman’s other great scene displays J.R.’s darker side. He sits with Sue Ellen and Peter at the Oil Baron’s Club and calmly reveals he arranged Peter’s arrest on drug charges after finding out about Sue Ellen’s affair with the young man. When J.R. offers to keep Peter out of jail if Sue Ellen resumes her wifely duties, Peter drops his “Mr. and Mrs. Ewing” act and exclaims, “Don’t do it, Sue Ellen!” J.R.’s response — “So now it’s ‘Sue Ellen’? — reminds us that for once, he’s the spouse who’s been deceived. It’s also striking how Hagman and Linda Gray never take their eyes off each other in this scene. Make no mistake: This is a showdown between J.R. and Sue Ellen; Peter is nothing more than a pawn to them.

“End Game” also offers a mercifully speedy resolution to the Miss Ellie kidnapping subplot, although I’ll never understand why the producers didn’t leave Jessica on the lam through the end of the season. She would have made a fine suspect in the “who shot Bobby?” mystery, no? Also, after everything Jessica put Ellie and Clayton through, it would have been nice to finally see the couple’s long-delayed wedding, but maybe the shot of J.R. and Bobby preparing to walk Ellie down the aisle is all we need. Just think: This is Ellie’s last appearance until Donna Reed takes over the role, so if Barbara Bel Geddes hadn’t eventually returned to “Dallas,” this would have been our farewell to the beloved actress.

“End Game” does mark the final appearances of Christopher Atkins as Peter and Barry Corbin as Sheriff Washburn. The episode also boasts its share of oddities, including the reflection of a crewmember in a glass panel in the Ewing Oil reception area (you’ll spot him at 47-minute, 32-second mark), and a somewhat unusual scene in which Pam tells little Christopher about the mess she’s made of her life. “You don’t understand any of this, do you?” she asks. Gazing up at her, he whispers, “No.” My friend at Hill Place Blog is convinced Eric Farlow ad-libbed this line; the child is so caught up in Victoria Principal’s performance, he speaks from the heart. It’s a sweetly honest moment on a show that could have used more of them this season.

The episode’s other unexpected moment comes a little earlier, when Sue Ellen and Pam are having a heart-to-heart in the Southfork living room. Seeing how depressed her friend is, Sue Ellen offers to take Pam to a movie to cheer her up but says she wants to go upstairs and change first. In the next scene, Sue Ellen returns to the living room dressed to the nines — she’s ditched her perfectly acceptable sweater and slacks for a runway-ready flowing dress, complete with a turban. It’s one of the most epic costume changes in “Dallas” history, and it leaves me wondering: What’s a bigger tragedy in “End Game” — Bobby’s shooting or the notion that Sue Ellen would wear such a gorgeous outfit to a dark theater where no one could see it?

Grade: A

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Turban legend

‘END GAME’

Season 7, Episode 30

Airdate: May 18, 1984

Audience: 21.8 million homes, ranking 1st in the weekly ratings

Writer: Arthur Bernard Lewis

Director: Leonard Katzman

Synopsis: Miss Ellie is rescued and returns to Southfork, where she marries Clayton while Jessica is put in a sanitarium. Pam takes Christopher and leaves town after finding out about Bobby and Jenna’s engagement. Bobby once again rejects Katherine. J.R. reveals he set up Cliff, who goes on a bender and misses the news that his offshore oil wells finally came in. J.R. also reveals he set up Peter, forcing Sue Ellen to return to their bedroom in exchange for keeping her ex-lover from going to jail. An unseen assailant enters Ewing Oil and fires three shots into J.R.’s chair, where Bobby is seated.

Cast: Mary Armstrong (Louise), Christopher Atkins (Peter Richards), Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Morgan Brittany (Katherine Wentworth), Billy Green Bush (Deputy Rockwell), Roseanna Christiansen (Teresa), Pat Colbért (Dora Mae), Barry Corbin (Sheriff Fenton Washburn), 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), Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Audrey Landers (Afton Cooper), Shalane McCall (Charlie Wade), Bill Morey (Leo Wakefield), Dennis Patrick (Vaughn Leland), Priscilla Beaulieu Presley (Jenna Wade), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Debbie Rennard (Sly), Sherril Lynn Rettino (Jackie Dugan), Gene Ross (Bull Dawson), Danone Simpson (Kendall), Alexis Smith (Lady Jessica Montfort), Don Starr (Jordan Lee), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Deborah Tranelli (Phyllis), John Zarema (Dr. Harlan Danvers)

“End Game” 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, Barry Corbin, Christopher Atkins, Donna Reed, End Game, Eric Farlow, Ken Kercheval, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy

Pop Up for Tonight’s #DallasChat

February 2, 2015 by Chris Baker 2 Comments

Anyone see a shadow?

Dallas Decoder’s next #DallasChat on Twitter will be Monday, February 2, from 9 to 10 p.m. Eastern time.

Our theme: “Groundhog Day.” In the spirit of the Bill Murray movie, we’ll discuss “Dallas’s” repeating patterns, recurring themes and reappearing characters.

Here’s how #DallasChat works: During each hour-long discussion, I tweet 10 questions from my Twitter handle, @DallasDecoder. Fans respond to the questions and comment on each other’s answers, making each chat a fun group conversation.

Here’s a sample exchange:

Q1. Did J.R. learn any lessons? #DallasChat

A1. He often made the same mistakes over and over, but toward the end, he finally seemed to break his worst habits. #DallasChat

Here are three tips:

• Each #DallasChat question is numbered (Q1, Q2, etc.), so your responses should include the corresponding number (A1, A2, etc.).

• Include the hashtag #DallasChat in your tweets.

• During the discussion, enter #DallasChat in Twitter’s search field. This will help you watch the search results so you can follow the conversation. Click “All” to see all the related tweets.

I look forward to hearing from you tonight!

Got suggestions for #DallasChat questions? Leave them in the comments section below.

Filed Under: #DallasChat, #DallasChat announcements, Opinion Tagged With: Larry Hagman

The Dallas Decoder Quiz: Third-Season Trivialities

January 29, 2015 by Chris Baker 6 Comments

No cheating!

Now that you’ve watched “Dallas: The Complete Third Season” on DVD, this quiz should be a piece of cake. The correct answers appear at the end.

1. What was the first line of dialogue spoken during the first third-season scene?

a) “Well, we did it.”

b) “How do I look?”

c) “John Ross!”

2. What was John Ross’s title at Ewing Global?

a) Chief Executive Officer and President

b) Chief Executive Officer

c) President

3. How did John Ross try to bribe Nurse Harlan?

a) He offered to pay her three weeks’ salary

b) He offered to pay her four weeks’ salary

c) He offered to set her up with Bum

Pay pal

4. How did Ann know Sue Ellen wasn’t paying attention to the wedding preparations?

a) Because Sue Ellen agreed to sit next to Afton

b) Because Ann caught Sue Ellen nipping from her flask

c) Because Ann caught Sue Ellen checking out Bum’s bum

5. Match the government employee in Column A with the person who blackmailed them in Column B.

Column A

I) Governor McConaughey

II) Judge Blackwell

III) Agent Tatangelo

Column B

a) John Ross

b) Sue Ellen

c) Harris

6. Who reported on the Ewing Global IPO?

a) Jason Matheson

b) Wolf Blitzer

c) Roy Ralston

7. According to Heather, “D.T.R.” stands for what?

a) Define the relationship

b) Down the road

c) Dirt track racing

State of play

8. What did Bobby and Cal play in college?

a) Football

b) Rugby

c) Jacks

9. Match the doctors in Column A with the patients they treated in Column B.

Column A

I) Dr. Bosnar

II) Dr. Englert

III) Dr. Sussman

Column B

a) Pamela

b) Sue Ellen

c) Bo

10. What was Elena and Drew’s father’s name?

a) Agustin

b) Enrique

c) Raoul

11. What’s Bo’s brother’s name?

a) Coy

b) Vance

c) Reece

Speak no evil

12. Each of these memorable quotes is missing a word. Fill in the blank and state who delivered the line.

a) “The most despicable thing (blank) ever did was you.”

b) “How very (blank) of you.”

c) “This is why politicians should never accept gifts — especially gifts with (blank)’s name on them.”

13. Ann suggested the Ewings could pay their ranch hands with what?

a) Carmen’s empanadas

b) Emma’s cookies

c) Bitcoin

14. Which character from the second season returned for the third?

a) Alison Jones

b) Denny Boyd

c) Peter Bedford

15. What was the final line of dialogue spoken during the final third-season scene?

a) “I’m worse.”

b) “Christopher!”

c) “Thank you, Daddy.”

Answers: 1) a. 2) c. 3) a. 4) a. 5) I. b., II. a., III. c. 6) b. 7) a. 8) a. 9) I. c., II. b., III. a. 10) b. 11) c. 12) a. J.R., Sue Ellen; b. J.R., Cliff; c. J.R., Governor McConaughey 13) a. 14) b. 15) c.

How did you do? Share your score below and take last year’s quiz.

Filed Under: Features, Features Tagged With: Josh Henderson, Julie Gonzalo, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy, TNT

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 160 — ‘Hush, Hush, Sweet Jessie’

January 28, 2015 by Chris Baker 30 Comments

Alexis Smith, Dallas, Hush Hush Sweet Jessie, Lady Jessica Farlow Montford

How sweet she is

What do I love about the final scene in “Hush, Hush, Sweet Jessie”? Oh, pretty much everything. The Ewings stand in the Southfork driveway, panicked because no one knows the whereabouts of Miss Ellie and Jessica, whose murderous past has finally come to light. Suddenly, Donna arrives in Ray’s pickup truck. She gets out, bloodied and shaken, and explains that she’s just come from the Krebbs’ home, where Jessica knocked her out, swiped one of Ray’s handguns, took Ellie and drove who-knows-where in Donna’s car. J.R. looks stricken. “We’ve got to find them,” he says. “Jessica has killed once. Who knows what she’ll do with Mama?” Duh-duh-duh!

Is this a moment of pure camp? Yes, of course. How could any scene that requires the audience to imagine Alexis Smith abducting Barbara Bel Geddes at gunpoint not be campy? And what about the way Donna announces her news? Shouldn’t she hop out of Ray’s truck and offer the most important facts first: “Hey, everyone, Jessica has kidnapped Miss Ellie!” Instead, Donna tells the story chronologically; this allows the episode to end with the dramatic revelation that Mama has been abducted, but it isn’t very realistic. There’s also this: After Larry Hagman delivers his “We’ve got to find them” line, we get a reaction shot from Howard Keel and Patrick Duffy, who stand side by side and turn their eyes to the camera in near perfect unison. It’s priceless.

And yet despite all this, the scene is undeniably thrilling. The most valuable actors are Hagman, who makes J.R.’s concern easy to believe, and Susan Howard, whose halting, anguished delivery is pitch-perfect. She gets a big assist from the brilliant composer Richard Lewis Warren, whose underscore lends urgency to the entire sequence. I especially love how there’s no music during most of Donna’s monologue until she recalls awakening after Jessica knocked her out. Warren slowly brings in the orchestra when Donna says, “And then when I came to … they were both gone.” By the time she gets to this line — “Ray, she took one of your guns!” — the music has swelled. Can any “Dallas” fan watch this part without getting goose bumps?

The rest of “Hush, Hush, Sweet Jessie” is almost as good. Smith is as over-the-top as ever when Jessica finally unravels in Ray and Donna’s kitchen, but Bel Geddes, with her believably bewildered expression, manages to keep the scene grounded. Meanwhile, Katherine proves she can wheel and deal with the best of them when she agrees to buy Cliff’s share of Wentworth Tool & Die at a bargain-basement price, and it’s great fun to see Morgan Brittany deliver lines like “Oil, oil, everywhere, and not a drop for Cliff.” Also, how can you not love the long-awaited moment when Pam confronts Katherine after learning she forged the letter that broke up her marriage to Bobby? The slap Pam delivers must be one of the most cathartic moments in “Dallas” history, and isn’t it nice to see Victoria Principal demonstrate some of the spark that once made her character so compelling?

“Hush, Hush, Sweet Jessie” raises a few other questions that probably wouldn’t occur to anyone but “Dallas” devotees. Here’s one: At the beginning of the episode, Lucy speaks on the phone to Jackie, Cliff’s secretary. Is this the first, and perhaps only, time these two women interact? Here’s another: After J.R. confronts Clayton and Ray with Jessica’s diary in a Braddock parking lot, the three men hop into J.R.’s Mercedes and hightail it back to the ranch. Is this the first time we’ve seen J.R. and Ray share a ride since they palled around in the first-season episode “Winds of Vengeance”?

There’s also this: When the producers named this episode, they were surely offering a loving nod to the 1964 thriller “Hush … Hush, Sweet Charlotte,” which starred Bette Davis as a wealthy spinster driven mad by her scheming cousin, played by Olivia de Havilland. (Future “Dallas” star George Kennedy has a small role too.) The film, which received seven Oscar nominations, is now regarded by some as a camp classic. Did the “Dallas” producers know this episode would achieve a similar distinction?

Grade: A

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Through the looking glass

‘HUSH, HUSH, SWEET JESSIE’

Season 7, Episode 29

Airdate: May 11, 1984

Audience: 20.4 million homes, ranking 4th in the weekly ratings

Writer: David Paulsen

Director: Gwen Arner

Synopsis: Pam learns Mark knew he was dying and killed himself. Cliff reluctantly sells his share of Wentworth Tool & Die to Katherine, whom Pam slaps after she discovers Katherine’s role in ending her marriage to Bobby. Clayton tells Ray and Donna that Dusty is actually Jessica’s son. After J.R. uncovers evidence Jessica killed Clayton’s first wife, she kidnaps Miss Ellie.

Cast: Mary Armstrong (Louise), Christopher Atkins (Peter Richards), Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Morgan Brittany (Katherine Wentworth), James L. Brown (Detective Harry McSween), Roseanna Christiansen (Teresa), 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), Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Audrey Landers (Afton Cooper), Bill Morey (Leo Wakefield), Charles Parks (Fred Robbins), Edmund Penney (doctor), Priscilla Beaulieu Presley (Jenna Wade), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Debbie Rennard (Sly), Sherril Lynn Rettino (Jackie Dugan), Alexis Smith (Lady Jessica Montfort), Don Starr (Jordan Lee), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), D.J. Zacker (Louis)

“Hush, Hush, Sweet Jessie” 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: Alexis Smith, Barbara Bel Geddes, George Kennedy, Howard Keel, Hush Hush Sweet Jessie, Larry Hagman, Morgan Brittany, Patrick Duffy, Richard Lewis Warren, Susan Howard, Winds of Vengeance

Dallas Parallels: Caught!

January 22, 2015 by Chris Baker 7 Comments

History repeats itself during “Dallas’s” third season when Pamela finds John Ross cheating with Emma. It’s not unlike the classic scene from the original show’s sixth year, when Sue Ellen walks in on J.R. in bed with Holly. There’s one major difference, of course: Sue Ellen flees the scene of J.R.’s crime in tears — unlike the smiling Pamela, who joins John Ross and his mistress in a shocking threesome.

Why do J.R. and John Ross cheat? Both men justify their extramarital activities by claiming they sleep around for business, and in J.R.’s case, it might be that cut and dry. He treats Holly as nothing more than a pawn in his quest to beat Bobby in the contest for control of Ewing Oil. Similarly, John Ross begins his affair with Emma to gain access to Ryland Transport’s shipping fleet, although he comes to genuinely care for Emma, even risking his life to rescue her when she’s kidnapped by the Mexican drug cartel.

No matter the reason for their behavior, J.R. and John Ross are both humbled by their actions. After Sue Ellen catches J.R. with Holly, she falls off the wagon and is almost killed while driving drunk. Meanwhile, Pamela’s discovery that John Ross is cheating prompts her to overdose on pills — an ill-conceived attempt at revenge that almost costs Pamela her life.

Two scenes show J.R. and John Ross coming face to face with the consequences of their choices. In the 1983 episode “Penultimate,” J.R. sits on Sue Ellen’s bed, apologizes and begs for forgiveness. It’s similar to the scene in the 2014 episode “Dead Reckoning,” when John Ross sits near Pamela’s hospital bed and makes a similar declaration. Larry Hagman and Josh Henderson’s performances are also similar: J.R. tells Sue Ellen he’s sorry and stumbles over his words (“I can’t, I can’t tell you how sorry I am”), then concludes by saying, “I truly love you.” John Ross also trips over his words (“I will, I will be different”) after telling Pamela, “Look, I love you, okay?”

It’s somewhat startling to hear J.R. and John Ross pour out their hearts like this. Both scenes leave “Dallas” fans wondering what’s more shocking: seeing these master manipulators caught with their pants down, or seeing them caught being human?

‘I Truly Love You’

Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Penultimate

A game?

In “Penultimate,” a sixth-season “Dallas” episode, J.R. (Larry Hagman) enters his bedroom, where Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) sits in the bed.

SUE ELLEN: I waited up to talk to you.

J.R.: All right.

SUE ELLEN: I want you to explain to me why this nightmare happened.

J.R.: [Walks toward the bed] Sue Ellen, it was a terrible, terrible mistake.

SUE ELLEN: Mistake? If you wanted to be with other women, why didn’t you just go ahead and do it, instead of playing this silly charade?

J.R.: What charade?

SUE ELLEN: Our marriage, J.R. Why did you want me to marry you again? Why did you chase me like you did? Do you find some kind of perverse pleasure in hurting me?

J.R.: You know I don’t want to hurt you, Sue Ellen. [Sits on the bed]

SUE ELLEN: Then what is it? Is it the game? Is that what it’s all about, J.R.?

J.R.: What happened between Holly and —

SUE ELLEN: [Shouting] Stop it! Stop it! I don’t want to hear any more from you!

J.R.: Listen to me, please. I can’t, I can’t tell you how sorry I am about what happened. But I promise you it was a direct result of the battle for Ewing Oil. Winning the company means everything to me. When we got married, the second time, I vowed I would never hurt you again. But things got out of hand, Sue Ellen — and I don’t blame you for hating me. But I hope you can reach down in your heart and believe me when I say that I love you. [She closes her eyes and turns away.] I truly love you.

‘I Love You, Okay?’

Dallas, Dead Reckoning, John Ross Ewing, Josh Henderson, TNT

An excuse?

In “Dead Reckoning,” a third-season “Dallas” episode, John Ross (Josh Henderson) enters the hospital room, where Pamela (Julie Gonzalo) sits in bed, waiting for him.

JOHN ROSS: I don’t want to be like this anymore. I don’t want to be the guy that … I don’t want to be the guy that could have done this to you. I know it’s going to be hard for me to convince you of that right now. All I can do is try to prove it to you, every single day of my life. [Sits on the bed] Pamela, I’m so sorry. For everything.

PAMELA: I didn’t call you in here so you can try to fix us, John Ross. I called you in here to tell you to stop sitting out there, because it’s over.

JOHN ROSS: Pamela, don’t say that.

PAMELA: Look, I spent my entire childhood trying to get my father to love me. And all I’ve done in my adult life was continue that pattern by falling for a man who would put greed and ambition before me. And just like with my father, I was willing to do anything to get you to love me, John Ross. But I see now: Our marriage was just an excuse to get my shares of Ewing Global. You didn’t put your mother away to get her help, but to push the IPO through. I see now that there will never enough success, enough money, to fill that hole where your heart should be.

JOHN ROSS: Pamela, please. Look, I love you, okay? I swear, from now on it’s going to be different, okay? [Voice cracks] I will be different. I will, I will be different for you. I’ll be different. I promise.

PAMELA: You ask me what I want. I want you to leave because our marriage is over.

Did J.R. and John Ross deserve forgiveness? Share your comments below and read more “Dallas Parallels.”

Filed Under: Dallas Parallels, Features Tagged With: Dead Reckoning, Josh Henderson, Julie Gonzalo, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Penultimate, TNT

Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘That’s What Brothers Are For’

January 21, 2015 by Chris Baker 11 Comments

Bobby Ewing, Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Love Stories, Patrick Duffy

Bro code

In “Love Stories,” a seventh-season “Dallas” episode, Bobby (Patrick Duffy) enters the Southfork living room, where J.R. (Larry Hagman) is fixing himself a drink.

BOBBY: Is there some reason you didn’t come into work today? I wanted to talk to you.

J.R.: And a good evening to you too, Bob. Want a drink?

BOBBY: No.

J.R.: That sounds serious. Something happen?

BOBBY: Katherine Wentworth.

J.R.: Yeah, what about her?

BOBBY: What’d you do to her?

J.R.: A gentleman never kisses and tells.

BOBBY: Does the same gentleman make tape recordings in bed?

J.R.: Did she say I did that?

BOBBY: She said that you blackmailed her with them, that you played them for me.

J.R.: I swear I’m beginning to think that whole Barnes-Wentworth clan is paranoid. [Turns to face him] Did I play a tape for you?

BOBBY: No, but she thinks you did. Why do you mess with people’s minds like that?

J.R.: Bob, do you care if I spend a couple of pleasant moments with Katherine?

BOBBY: I don’t give a damn what you do, as long as it doesn’t hurt other people.

J.R.: You mean Katherine? [Takes a sip]

BOBBY: I mean Sue Ellen too. What happens when she finds out?

J.R.: Well, I’m sure not going to tell her. And I don’t think you will either. Bob, it’s time we had a little brother to brother talk.

BOBBY: I think we just had it. [Turns to leave]

J.R.: No, no. I don’t mean about me. I mean about you.

BOBBY: And what makes you think you’re qualified?

J.R.: [Slowly circles Bobby] Well, I’m no saint, but I know one when I see one. Bobby, you go around telling everybody how to live their lives and setting up rules and regulations that only you can live up to.

BOBBY: You know, this is wonderful coming from you.

J.R.: Well, I’ve made some mistakes in my life, but not the kind of mistake you’re about to make.

BOBBY: And what mistake is that?

J.R.: Jenna Wade. She loves you, Bob. And so does her little girl. She’d make you a wonderful wife—if you’d just let her.

BOBBY: It’s none of your business.

J.R.: The hell it’s not. When Jenna jilted you, you made the tragic mistake of your life when you married Pam. But you’re free of her now. At least you ought to be. She’s marrying Mark Graison, and I think that’s best thing in the world for you.

BOBBY: You know, your concern for me is truly touching — if concern is what it is.

J.R.: Well, whatever my reasons, what I’m saying makes sense. You should have married Jenna a long time ago, Bob. You’ve known each other since you were kids. And she was more like us than Pam ever was. And she’s willing to wait for you, but she’s not going to wait forever. Now if I’m wrong, just tell me. [Walks toward Jock’s painting, faces it]

BOBBY: I’d love to. But for once, you may be right. I just wonder why you bother.

J.R.: Because I care. [Turns to face him] That’s what brothers are for. [Raises his glass] To love and marriage.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: Larry Hagman, Love Stories, Patrick Duffy

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 159 — ‘Love Stories’

January 21, 2015 by Chris Baker 13 Comments

Dallas, John Beck, Love Stories, Mark Graison

Leaving his mark

I don’t remember how I felt about Mark Graison’s death when I saw “Love Stories” as a kid, but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t move me now. John Beck’s character was never one of my favorites; his shameless pursuit of Pam while she was still married to Bobby was a turnoff during Mark’s earliest appearances, and then he never grew much once he got together with Pam. Mark was more plot device than person — just another detour on Romeo and Juliet’s road to reunion. Nevertheless, he receives the kind of graceful, dignified exit that eludes so many of “Dallas’s” most iconic figures. (Yes, Pam, I’m looking at you.)

Much of the power in Mark’s farewell lies in how quiet it is. At the end of the second act, Mark confronts his best friend and physician, Jerry Kenderson, about the mystery surrounding Pam’s surprise decision to marry him. “I got some questions that need answering. I think you’ve got the answers,” Mark tells Jerry. Cut to a darkened restaurant, where we find the two men sitting together as Mark absorbs the news that he’s dying. The stillness of this scene is striking: The dialogue is spare, there’s virtually no underscore and Beck and Barry Jenner deliver nicely measured performances. This could easily have been a maudlin moment, but it plays instead like something from real life — a sad conversation between two longtime friends.

We next see Mark toward the end of the episode, when he’s lying in bed with Pam. Now the tables have turned: For the first time since this storyline began, Mark has more information than his fiancée — he knows he has a terminal illness and that she’s marrying him out of obligation, if not pity. He keeps her blissfully in the dark, telling her how much he loves her, how happy she’s made him, how much he regrets the years they didn’t know each other. I would expect a scene like this to be sappy, but Beck’s delivery is so touchingly sincere, I get caught up in the moment. I can’t decide what’s sadder: Mark’s realization that he’s dying, or that his illness is the thing that finally won him the woman he loves. This is why the scene’s punctuation mark — when Mark silently slips out of the sleeping Pam’s room after giving her one last look — is so poignant. He’s not walking away so much as he’s freeing her. Finally, at the end of the episode, Pam is stunned to learn Mark’s plane has exploded, killing him. (Until he returns during the dream season, that is.)

Maybe it’s because I find Mark so heroic in this episode, but Bobby has rarely annoyed me as much as he does in “Love Stories.” His rejection of Katherine after she confesses her affair with J.R. feels unnecessarily brutal. Bobby is correct, of course, when he tells Katherine that her love for him is “sick,” but does he have to be so mean about it? J.R. hits the nail on the head later in the episode when he prefaces his advice for Bobby’s love life by pointing out his brother’s self-righteousness. “You go around telling everybody how to live their lives and setting up rules and regulations that only you can live up to,” J.R. says. This is at least the third time a “Dallas” character has made this point recently; in “Fools Rush In,” Jenna criticizes Bobby’s sanctimoniousness, while Sue Ellen suggests he’s inflexible. Will Bob ever take the hint?

There are some nice touches sprinkled throughout “Love Stories,” including another cute scene where Miss Ellie and Clayton plan their wedding, as well as a nice nod to “Dallas” history when Pam visits Cliff’s offshore oil rig and mentions how proud Digger would be of him. Mostly, though, this episode feels bogged down by storylines that are taking too long to peak. I’m especially bored with the mystery surrounding the death of Clayton’s first wife, which is being doled out to the audience in dribs and drabs. I suppose the show’s writers were hoping to raise doubts about Clayton’s innocence, but did anyone watching these episodes in 1984 believe he was guilty for even a minute?

This storyline yields one inspired moment in “Love Stories,” however. It happens when Jessica confides in J.R. by the Southfork swimming pool, telling him that Clayton inherited his wife’s trust fund after she perished in the fire at the Southern Cross. Jessica then storms off, leaving J.R. alone. Standing on the patio set, Larry Hagman slips his hands in his pockets, looks askance and stage whispers his character’s next line: “So he did torch it. Now the hell am I going to prove it?” It reminds me a little of Kevin Spacey addressing the audience on “House of Cards” — except I’ll take J.R. Ewing’s quick asides over Frank Underwood’s gimmicky fourth-wall assault any day of the week.

Grade: B

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Aside effect

‘LOVE STORIES’

Season 7, Episode 28

Airdate: May 4, 1984

Audience: 19.9 million homes, ranking 2nd in the weekly ratings

Writer: Leonard Katzman

Director: Michael Preece

Synopsis: J.R. learns more details about Amy Farlow and pretends to help Peter, whom Sue Ellen bails out of jail. Jessica remains angry with Clayton for selling the Southern Cross. Jenna accepts a marriage proposal from Bobby, who rejects Katherine after she confesses her affair with J.R. When Katherine gets drunk and reveals Pam’s connection to Jerry, Mark confronts Jerry, learns he’s dying and slips out of his fiancée’s life. Pam is later shocked to learn Mark has died in a plane crash.

Cast: Christopher Atkins (Peter Richards), John Beck (Mark Graison), Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Morgan Brittany (Katherine Wentworth), James L. Brown (Detective Harry McSween), Roseanna Christiansen (Teresa), Pat Colbért (Dora Mae), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Brad Harris (Mason), Susan Howard (Donna Krebbs), Barry Jenner (Dr. Jerry Kenderson), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Omri Katz (John Ross Ewing), Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Bert Kramer (Peter’s lawyer), Shalane McCall (Charlie Wade), Denny Miller (Max Flowers), Bill Morey (Leo Wakefield), Dennis Patrick (Vaughn Leland), Priscilla Beaulieu Presley (Jenna Wade), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Sherril Lynn Rettino (Jackie Dugan), Alexis Smith (Lady Jessica Montfort), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Debisue Voorhees (waitress)

“Love Stories” 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: Barry Jenner, Fools Rush In, John Beck, Larry Hagman, Love Stories

Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘You Have Too Damn Much Money’

January 14, 2015 by Chris Baker 3 Comments

Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Turning Point

Mo’ money, mo’ problems

In “Turning Point,” a seventh-season “Dallas” episode, J.R. (Larry Hagman) sits on a bed, putting on his boots, while Katherine (Morgan Brittany) lies nearby, wrapped in a sheet.

J.R.: Well, that was definitely not terrific. A meeting with my tax accountant’s more exciting.

KATHERINE: Your disappointment has really shattered me.

J.R.: [Knotting his necktie] Well, you can relax, honey. I won’t be putting you through this sort of thing again. This is the last time I’ll be coming to your bed.

KATHERINE: [Snickers] I’d like to believe that.

J.R.: Oh, it’s true. It’s true. Too bad we couldn’t have gone out in a blaze of glory.

KATHERINE: Yeah. Too bad.

J.R.: [Rises, begins putting on his watch] You see, when I came to you and wanted to buy those fields that Wentworth Industries owns, and you turned around and made the deal with Bobby, that just clinched it, honey.

KATHERINE: What difference does it make to you? Ewing ended up with the fields.

J.R.: [Buttons his shirt sleeves] Well, it made me realize how much wealth you control. You know, I always felt deep down that Jenna Wade was a better mate for Bobby than you. And now I know why.

KATHERINE: And I don’t suppose I can stop you from telling me.

J.R.: [Chuckles, puts on his jacket] You just have too damn much money, Katherine. Putting you together with Bobby could double his assets, maybe even triple them. And I don’t want him to have that much power.

KATHERINE: You don’t? Well, there’s nothing you can do about it.

J.R.: [Opens the door, turns to face her] Oh, I’ve already done it, honey. I played the tape for Bobby of you and me in bed. It’s all over, Katherine. He’ll never marry you.

KATHERINE: [Sits up, leans forward, looks stunned] I’ll kill you, J.R.!

He smiles, exits.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: Larry Hagman, Morgan Brittany, Turning Point

Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘Oh, Good Lord, Woman’

January 7, 2015 by Chris Baker 2 Comments

Blow Up, Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman

Night visitor

In “Blow Up,” a seventh-season “Dallas” episode, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) is sitting in her bed when J.R. (Larry Hagman) enters the room.

J.R.: Sue Ellen, darlin’, I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am about what happened with Lucy tonight.

SUE ELLEN: I was very touched that you came to my defense the way you did.

J.R.: Well, what else could I do? [Sits on the bed] What kind of a woman does she think you are? Peter’s just a kid. He’s half your age. The things she said about you and him absolutely disgusted me. [Leans forward] Sue Ellen, can we talk a minute?

SUE ELLEN: [Smiles weakly] All right.

J.R.: What happened with Lucy tonight made me realize just how far out of control our lives have gotten. The fact that she could even imagine a relationship with a boy — especially a boy like Peter. Well, it shows me that we have got to start changing things.

SUE ELLEN: I don’t think we could change things between us, even if we wanted to.

J.R.: Well, it wouldn’t be easy, but it could happen. Now, I know you’ve been angry with me, and with good cause. But it’s time to put all of that aside. It’s time that we start living like, like man and wife. [She’s silent.] Oh, good Lord, woman. Don’t you want a man back in your life?

SUE ELLEN: [Looks away, then back at him] Of course I do, J.R. Do you think I like living like this?

J.R.: Well, then move back in our room, where you belong.

SUE ELLEN: No.

J.R.: [Annoyed] Why not?

SUE ELLEN: I just can’t.

J.R.: Things can’t stay the way they are between us. Either they’re going to improve, or things are going to get badly out of hand.

SUE ELLEN: J.R., please.

J.R.: What happened tonight could be the turning point, Sue Ellen. It could help us change everything that’s wrong in our lives.

SUE ELLEN: One night is not going to turn things around for us. Don’t you understand that?

J.R.: Yes. Finally, I do.

He rises and exits the room.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: Blow Up, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray