Larry Hagman – Dallas Decoder

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 117 — ‘The Ewing Blues’

July 10, 2013 by Chris Baker 11 Comments

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

Don’t box him in

“The Ewing Blues” includes one of “Dallas’s” cleverest scenes. J.R. appears on a local TV talk show to tout his new chain of cut-rate gas stations, which is turning him into a hero in the eyes of the public. Cliff is watching the interview from the living room of his new townhouse, where a deliveryman arrives with the Chinese takeout he ordered. As Cliff reaches for his wallet, the man notices what’s playing on Cliff’s TV. “That’s J.R. Ewing, ain’t it?” he asks. “I tell ya, if he ran for president tomorrow, I’d vote for him! I would!” Cliff is left shaking his head and muttering, “So much for the intelligence of the average voter.”

With this scene, “Dallas” has a little fun with its audience. For years, viewers — present company included — had been treating J.R. like a hero. Now fictional fans like Cliff’s deliveryman were doing the same thing. The line about voting for J.R. even brings to mind the “J.R. for President” buttons and bumper stickers that cropped up during the summer of 1980, when “Who Shot J.R.?” hysteria was in full swing. (I also wonder if the dialogue reflects the era’s political realities. When “The Ewing Blues” debuted in January 1983, Ronald Reagan’s approval rating had sunk to an astonishing 35 percent, the lowest level of his presidency. In those months before Reagan’s popularity rebounded, perhaps Americans really would have voted to replace him with J.R.)

J.R.’s talk show appearance also offers another reminder of Larry Hagman’s genius. J.R. tells the host, Roy Ralston, that he’s cutting gas prices because he believes the oil industry has gouged consumers for too long. We know J.R. is lying because earlier in “The Ewing Blues,” he tells little John Ross that he has become the oil industry’s version of Robin Hood (“take from the poor and give to the rich”). Yet as J.R. talks to Ralston about how “the American public deserves a better hand than they’ve been dealt,” the sincerity in Hagman’s voice kind of makes us want to believe his character. How did Hagman do that?

More than anything, I love Hagman’s scenes with Linda Gray in “The Ewing Blues,” especially J.R. and Sue Ellen’s exchange in their bedroom. After Ray punches him during a Southfork cocktail hour, J.R. sits on the bed, holding an icepack to his swollen lip as Sue Ellen caresses his face. He tells her that he’s nervous about his talk show appearance in a few days and hints he’d like her to join him — and of course the onetime Miss Texas leaps at the opportunity to take another turn in the spotlight. This might be one of the sweetest gestures J.R. ever makes toward his wife. Think about it: J.R. never loses his confidence. He’s only pretending to be anxious so he’ll have an excuse to invite Sue Ellen on the show and involve her in his life. As he puts it, “We’re partners, aren’t we?”

David Paulsen, who wrote and directed “The Ewing Blues,” doesn’t just show us a softer side of J.R.; he also lets us see Bobby’s edge. To compete with J.R.’s cut-rate gas plan, Bobby wants to uncap the Wellington field, one of the Ewing Oil properties Bobby controls during the contest for the company. The problem: The cartel members are partners in the field, and they want it to remain capped. With help from lawyer Craig Gurney, Bobby tells Jordan and Marilee that he’s prepared to exercise a clause in their contract that requires them to either uncap the field or buy out Bobby at five times market value. “That’s armed robbery!” Jordan huffs. Gurney’s response: “No, that’s Paragraph 17A, Section F.” It’s one of my favorite exchanges during the episode.

The other great scene in “The Ewing Blues” comes at the end, when Ellie and Pam visit Brooks Oliver, the lawyer who agrees to help Ellie try to overturn Jock’s will. Ellie is quite timid at the beginning of the scene, clutching the letters that Jock wrote to her from South America. Oliver predicts their lawsuit will turn ugly and wind up in “the newspapers,” which prompts Pam to rebuke him for upsetting her. “She has to know exactly what she is getting into if she wants to go to court,” Oliver explains. This is when Ellie’s fighting spirit bursts forth. “Mr. Oliver, I don’t want to go to court. I don’t want to do any of this,” she says, slapping her hand on the desk. Besides Barbara Bel Geddes’ dramatic delivery, pay attention to the gentle strings that play in the background of this scene. The score, which helped composer Bruce Broughton win an Emmy in 1983, reminds me a little of the music Rob Cairns delivers on TNT’s “Dallas.”

Finally, some casting notes: Oliver is played by the wonderful character actor Donald Moffat, possessor of the fiercest eyebrows this side of Larry Hagman. Moffat is one of several familiar faces who pop up in “The Ewing Blues.” Gurney is played by Lane Davies, who would later star on the soap opera “Santa Barbara,” while another daytime television veteran, John Reilly (“As the World Turns,” “General Hospital”), plays Ralston, the talk show host. The most significant addition to the cast, though, is John Beck, who joins “Dallas” in this episode and begins a three-season run as Mark Graison. I had forgotten that Mark was introduced as an old Ewing family friend. In one scene, when he calls Southfork and Bobby answers the phone, the two characters chat like old chums. It’s surprising to witness, but I know the glad tidings won’t last long.

Grade: A

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Barbara Bel Geddes, Dallas, Ewing Blues, Miss Ellie Ewing

Mama means business

‘THE EWING BLUES’

Season 6, Episode 14

Airdate: January 7, 1983

Audience: 21.4 million homes, ranking 4th in the weekly ratings

Writer and Director: David Paulsen

Synopsis: J.R. appears on a TV talk show and is lauded for his efforts to cut gas prices. After J.R. threatens to ruin Harwood Oil if Holly doesn’t cancel her refinery contracts, she turns to Bobby for help. To get the cartel to uncap the Wellington property, Bobby threatens to exercise a legal loophole in Ewing Oil’s contract with the cartel members. Mark Graison gives Brooks, his family’s attorney, permission to take Miss Ellie’s case, and Mark grows smitten with Pam when he meets her. Cliff moves into his new townhouse, while Afton grows frustrated with the way he treats her.

Cast: Tyler Banks (John Ross Ewing), John Beck (Mark Graison), Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Al Checco (deliveryman), Lois Chiles (Holly Harwood), Roseanna Christiansen (Teresa), Lane Davies (Craig Gurney), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Bobbie Ferguson (Terri), Fern Fitzgerald (Marilee Stone), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Susan Howard (Donna Krebbs), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Audrey Landers (Afton Cooper), Donald Moffat (Brooks Oliver), Timothy Patrick Murphy (Mickey Trotter), Scott Palmer (Farley Criswell), Robert Pinkerton (Elliot), Priscilla Pointer (Rebecca Wentworth), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), John Reilly (Roy Ralston), Debbie Rennard (Sly), Danone Simpson (Kendall), Paul Sorensen (Andy Bradley), Don Starr (Jordan Lee), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Deborah Tranelli (Phyllis)

“The Ewing Blues” 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, Bruce Broughton, David Paulsen, Donald Moffat, Ewing Blues, John Beck, John Reilly, Lane Davies, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy, Who Shot J.R.?

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 116 — ‘Mama Dearest’

July 8, 2013 by Chris Baker 16 Comments

Barbara Bel Geddes, Dallas, Mama Dearest, Miss Ellie Ewing

Mother knows best?

In “Mama Dearest,” Miss Ellie embarks on a quest to break Jock’s will and stop J.R. and Bobby’s contest for Ewing Oil. This causes the alliances within the family to shift, sometimes dramatically. J.R. and Bobby both oppose Ellie’s efforts, but when J.R. suggests the brothers join forces to defeat their mother, Bobby refuses. J.R. isn’t on his own, though: He gets support from Sue Ellen and Lucy, who believes the competition for the company should play out the way Jock intended. In the meantime, Pam rushes to support Ellie, which strains her marriage to Bobby.

Some of these reactions are surprising, but all of them make sense. I believe J.R. would be the first to recognize that it would be in his best interest to call a temporary truce with Bobby, just as I believe Bobby would be reluctant to join J.R. because he doesn’t trust him. Likewise, Pam’s allegiance to Ellie feels reasonable, although I suspect Pam’s response has more to do with her own opposition to the contest than it does with her concern for mother-in-law’s emotional wellbeing. More often than not, Pam is a pragmatist.

Lucy’s support for J.R. is unexpected, of course, but notice how she never lets him know she’s in his corner. Even if Lucy agrees with J.R., she isn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing it. Instead, Lucy confides her feelings in Ellie. This conversation occurs late at night, when Lucy sits with her grandmother at the Southfork kitchen table and gently questions her decision to break the will. Charlene Tilton, in a lovely performance, manages to convey Lucy’s almost-childlike belief in her grandfather’s infallibility, as well as her confidence that he knew what he was doing when he decided to pit J.R. and Bobby against each other. “I’m sure it’s all turning out just the way Granddaddy expected,” Lucy says. It’s nice to see this character growing up and becoming wiser.

Barbara Bel Geddes, the actress at the heart of “Mama Dearest,” is terrific in this exchange too. She avoids eye contact with Tilton, which helps convey Ellie’s uncertainty about whether her legal challenge is appropriate. Even at the end of the conversation, when Lucy reaches across the table and touches Ellie’s arm, Bel Geddes looks away. Contrast this with her performance in the scene where J.R. joins Ellie for breakfast on the Southfork patio. He tries to turn on the charm, but Mama doesn’t fall for it. “You get a good night’s sleep?” J.R. asks. Ellie looks at him and coolly says, “J.R., I don’t think you really care how I slept last night.” It’s a telling moment: Even if Ellie isn’t sure she’s doing the right thing, she’s smart enough to know she shouldn’t let J.R. know she has doubts. Mama probably would have made a good poker player.

Another great scene in “Mama Dearest” belongs to Patrick Duffy, who also directed this episode. After a frustrated Bobby takes off for a nighttime drive to collect his thoughts, he returns home and finds Pam waiting up for him. Bobby tells her that he’s upset over her decision to support Ellie, and then he explains why he wants the contest to continue. Duffy’s delivery is impassioned; he makes a fist and practically shakes it at the camera as he speaks. The words are as important as the delivery. Here’s his speech:

“Pam, you don’t understand what drove Jock Ewing. And I don’t think you really understand what drives me, either. When I was at the university, making the football team just wasn’t enough. I had to be varsity. I had to be captain. I had to make All-Southwest Conference — and I did! I did all of that. When you and I met, I wasn’t just a roadman for Ewing Oil. I was the best roadman for any oil company. Because that’s what Daddy expected. And that’s what I expect from myself. And J.R. and I are a lot alike because he’s not going to take second best either. You see, that’s why Daddy turned away from Gary. The Ewings must succeed, and Gary didn’t care about that, but Pam, J.R. and I do! Now, Daddy chose that the future of Ewing Oil is going to be in the hands of the son strong enough to run it. And that’s the way it’s gonna be.”

This monologue, besides being one of the highlights of Arthur Bernard Lewis’s script, helps demonstrate why the contest for Ewing Oil is such a satisfying storyline. Bobby is usually the yin to J.R.’s yang, but notice how he doesn’t mention J.R. until almost the end of the speech. This time, Bobby isn’t simply reacting to J.R.’s schemes. For the youngest Ewing son, the contest is as much about proving himself worthy of his father’s expectations as it is stopping J.R. from committing some heinous act. The scene reminds us that Bobby is a pretty interesting character in his own right.

Of course, J.R. remains the most fascinating figure of all in “Mama Dearest.” Throughout this episode, Larry Hagman gives us the feeling his character is genuinely frightened by the prospect that Ellie might stop the contest and sell Ewing Oil out from under him. Notice how J.R. loses his cool with Ellie at the beginning of the episode, after she’s announced her decision to challenge the will, and later when he realizes she’s getting advice from Clayton. (Is it a coincidence that the last time we saw J.R. this rattled occurred after he ran into Clayton and Rebecca at the French restaurant?) I also think it’s telling the lengths he’ll go to shore up support from the other Ewings. When J.R. is trying to persuade Bobby to join him in fighting their mother, he tells him, “We may battle a lot, but I just want you to remember: You’re my brother, and I love you.” The “l word” isn’t one J.R. uses a lot. Later, J.R. stands behind Sue Ellen as she gazes into a mirror and promises she’ll one day be mistress of Southfork and share his power. He really knows how to tell other people what they want to hear, doesn’t he?

J.R. also figures into “Mama Dearest’s” funniest scene, when he arrives at Holly’s home and discovers she runs Harwood Oil from her bedroom. (“You know as many oil deals are made in bedrooms as in boardrooms,” she purrs. The line would be a groaner if Lois Chiles didn’t look like she was having so much fun delivering it.) This is one of those “Dallas” moments that I recall watching as a kid, although my memory turned things around: I mistakenly remembered Holly keeping a bed in her office, not a desk in her bedroom. Either way, I can’t help but wonder why J.R. never followed suit. Imagine how much easier life would have been for ol’ J.R. if the Ewing Oil executive suite had come equipped with a mattress.

Grade: A

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rising son?

‘MAMA DEAREST’

Season 6, Episode 13

Airdate: December 31, 1982

Audience: 15.2 million homes, ranking 24th in the weekly ratings

Writer: Arthur Bernard Lewis

Director: Patrick Duffy

Synopsis: Miss Ellie asks lawyer Brooks Oliver to help her break Jock’s will. Pam sides with Ellie, straining her marriage to Bobby. J.R. orders Holly to cancel her military contracts so she can refine his crude. Donna urges her fellow energy commissioners to not restore J.R.’s variance to pump excess oil. Bobby pressures the cartel to uncap the Wellington property so he can compete with J.R. Cliff buys a townhouse.

Cast: Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Paul Carr (Ted Prince), Lois Chiles (Holly Harwood), Karlene Crockett (Muriel Gillis), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Bobbie Ferguson (Terri), 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), James Karen (Elton Lawrence), Julio Medina (Henry Figueroa), Donald Moffat (Brooks Oliver), Timothy Patrick Murphy (Mickey Trotter), George O. Petrie (Harv Smithfield), Robert Pinkerton (Elliot), Priscilla Pointer (Rebecca Wentworth), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Debbie Rennard (Sly), Danone Simpson (Kendall), Arlen Dean Snyder (George Hicks), Paul Sorensen (Andy Bradley), Joan Staley (Ms. Stockwood), Don Starr (Jordan Lee), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Deborah Tranelli (Phyllis), Morgan Woodward (Punk Anderson)

“Mama Dearest” 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, Charlene Tilton, Larry Hagman, Lois Chiles, Mama Dearest, Patrick Duffy

Dallas Cliffhanger Classics: Season 6

July 5, 2013 by Chris Baker 10 Comments

Dallas Decoder celebrates “Dallas’s” classic cliffhangers with weekly summertime flashbacks. Collect all 14 images and share them with your friends.

Filed Under: Dallas Cliffhanger Classics, Features Tagged With: Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Omri Katz, Steve Kanaly

If You Like Dallas Decoder, Please ‘Like’ Us on Facebook

July 4, 2013 by Chris Baker 2 Comments

Mr. All-American

Have you “liked” Dallas Decoder on Facebook? If not, I hope you’ll consider doing so. You’ll find lots of special content there, including holiday “cards” like the one shown here and J.R. and Sue Ellen’s wedding album.

Dallas Decoder is also on Twitter, where I conduct one-hour #DallasChat discussions most Monday nights at 9, as well as Pinterest.com.

If you have ideas for Dallas Decoder, please share them in the comments section below or e-mail me at dallasdecoder-at-gmail.com. I always love to hear from you.

Thank you for reading, and Happy Independence Day!

Filed Under: Announcements, News Tagged With: Dallas Decoder, Larry Hagman

The Art of Dallas: ‘Barbecue Three’

July 3, 2013 by Chris Baker Leave a Comment

J.R. (Larry Hagman) observes the inaugural meeting of the Texas Energy Commission in this 1982 publicity shot from “Barbecue Three,” a sixth-season “Dallas” episode.

Filed Under: Art of Dallas, Art of Dallas (Classic), Features Tagged With: Barbecue Three, Larry Hagman

Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘Back Off, Barnes!’

July 3, 2013 by Chris Baker 4 Comments

Barbecue Three, Bobby Ewing, Dallas, Patrick Duffy

The barrier

In “Barbecue Three,” a sixth-season “Dallas” episode, Cliff and Jordan (Ken Kercheval, Don Starr) lead a mob of angry oilmen in confronting J.R. (Larry Hagman) at the Ewing Barbecue, where he stands on the patio with Sue Ellen (Linda Gray).

CLIFF: J.R., we want to talk to you.

J.R.: Well, Barnes, I’ve got a business. You know where my office is.

JORDAN: You don’t even answer your phone calls, J.R.

J.R.: Been real busy.

JORDAN: Too busy to talk to your friends?

J.R.: If y’all got something to say, say it.

Ray and Miss Ellie (Steve Kanaly, Barbara Bel Geddes) watch from the crowd.

RAY: Maybe you ought to go inside, Miss Ellie.

ELLIE: No.

Cliff and J.R. continue their faceoff.

CLIFF: We want to talk to you about the gas war.

J.R.: I don’t think there’s anything to talk about. If I want to cut prices, that’s my business, isn’t it?

JORDAN: No, J.R. It’s the business of every oilman in Texas.

CLIFF: J.R., the politicians are afraid of you. We aren’t. We want you to stop over-pumping those fields and put prices back where they belong.

Bobby (Patrick Duffy) steps in front of J.R.

BOBBY: Cliff, that sounds like a threat. You boys are starting to look like a lynch mob.

JORDAN: Bobby, what are you doing sticking up for J.R.? He’s ruining you too!

BOBBY: Jordan, I don’t like it any more than you do. But right now you’re talking not business, but family. That’s no way to solve problems.

Ray joins Bobby in shielding J.R. as one of the oilmen (Ken Farmer) in the crowd begins to speak.

OILMAN: My stations are losing a fortune, Bobby. One more week and I’m out of business. You best step aside.

BOBBY: If you want to get to J.R., you’re going to have to come through us.

CLIFF: Then that’s what it’ll be, because you’re not stopping us.

BOBBY: Back off, Barnes! All of you!

OILMAN: Not before we settle with J.R.

RAY: Just hold it right there! If there’s going to be any blood spilled here today, I guarantee you it won’t just be Ewing blood.

ELLIE: [Stepping forward] Good Lord, are you all crazy? Most of you are Jock’s friends!

JORDAN: Now, Miss Ellie, we don’t have any quarrel with you.

ELLIE: You’re a guest in my home. Until you come to your senses, I don’t want to see any of you. Now go home. Go home, all of you!

JORDAN: [Turning toward the cartel members] Come on, let’s go.

Pam and Donna (Victoria Principal, Susan Howard) step forward.

ELLIE: I’m calling Harv Smithfield. I’ve had enough of this insane competition between you two. I’m going to court to break Jock’s will. And then I intend to sell Ewing Oil.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: Barbara Bel Geddes, Barbecue Three, Don Starr, Ken Farmer, Ken Kercheval, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy, Steve Kanaly, Susan Howard, Victoria Principal

Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘No Other Women, No Games’

July 1, 2013 by Chris Baker 5 Comments

Linda Gray, Post Nuptial, Sue Ellen Ewing

Better late than never

In “Post Nuptial,” a sixth-season “Dallas” episode, J.R. and Sue Ellen (Larry Hagman, Linda Gray) are on the patio of their honeymoon suite, where she leans on a table as he pours himself a cup of coffee.

SUE ELLEN: I rode over to the boat dock yesterday and I thought maybe we could take a boat out for a sail this afternoon.

J.R.: Oh, you know me and water. Unless it’s cooped up in a swimming pool, I have a definite aversion to it.

SUE ELLEN: [Giggles, touches his face] I’ll protect you.

J.R.: More than enough to wet my bourbon, it scares the devil out of me, honey.

SUE ELLEN: That’s not true.

J.R.: No, the truth is, I have a meeting in town today.

SUE ELLEN: [Exasperated] J.R.!

J.R.: I couldn’t get out of it.

SUE ELLEN: Well, this is my honeymoon!

J.R.: Well, it’s mine too. [Reclines in his seat] This is an important meeting. It really is. Vital to our future, as a matter of fact. [Sips his coffee]

SUE ELLEN: Then I’m going with you.

J.R.: It’s business!

SUE ELLEN: When we started our new life together, I wanted to make sure that that included both family — and business.

J.R.: You sound like a different woman.

SUE ELLEN: [Smiles] I am. And I want you to be different too. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure it works this time.

J.R.: So am I.

SUE ELLEN: If you really do mean that, then I want a commitment from you. No other women, no games. A total commitment, all the way.

J.R.: That’s what I did when I married you this time, Sue Ellen.

SUE ELLEN: I certainly hope so. Because I couldn’t handle it any other way.

J.R.: [Leans forward, sets down his cup] You won’t have to. [Kisses her] I promise you.

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

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 114 — ‘Post Nuptial’

July 1, 2013 by Chris Baker 20 Comments

Dallas, Linda Gray, Post Nuptial, Sue Ellen Ewing

December bride

“Post Nuptial” picks up where the previous “Dallas” episode left off, as the Ewings and their guests wait to see what will happen after Cliff stands up during the middle of J.R. and Sue Ellen’s wedding ceremony. The answer: Not much. After a few moments of cringe-worthy silence, Cliff walks to the bar and pours himself a drink while the minister completes the vows and announces that J.R. and Sue Ellen are once again husband and wife. If there’s a lesson here for “Dallas” fans, it might be this: Lackluster cliffhangers are bound to produce underwhelming resolutions.

Of course, Cliff hasn’t caused his last scene. At the reception, he refuses Pam and Afton’s pleas to leave, then asks Sue Ellen to dance. Sue Ellen looks rattled and reluctantly accepts Cliff’s offer, which stretches credibility a little too thinly for my taste. It was one thing for Sue Ellen to quietly renew her relationship with Cliff while she was a divorcee, but to dance with him on the day she remarries J.R.? That seems like a lot for the audience to swallow. Don’t forget: This is the man who once sued J.R. and Sue Ellen for custody of John Ross, claiming he was the child’s biological father.

More than anything, Cliff and Sue Ellen’s scene at the reception is a plot device to squeeze a fight scene into this episode. When J.R. spots his wife and his enemy on the dance floor, he approaches Cliff and punches him, which leads to a brawl that ends with almost every lead actor on the show falling or being pushed into the Southfork swimming pool. A confession: I’ve never loved these “dunkings” as much as other fans seem to. It’s always seemed a little silly to me, and by the end of the series, the pool fights had become pretty predictable. Since this is one of the first, though, I can appreciate how much fun it must have been in 1982 to see the tuxedo-clad Ewings and Cliff splashing around the pool. The best part is when Mickey Trotter joins the fracas, seemingly for the hell of it.

(You also have to enjoy J.R. and Mickey’s encounter earlier at the reception, when the young ranch hand makes the mistake of asking J.R. about Lucy’s whereabouts. Larry Hagman and Timothy Patrick Murphy both have charm to spare and good chemistry together; what a shame this is one of the few scenes their characters share during Murphy’s too-brief tenure on the show.)

The wedding scenes in “Post Nuptial” are limited to the first act, allowing scriptwriter David Paulsen to devote the remainder of the hour to advancing the season’s storylines. Naturally, J.R. remains the center of the action and keeps the audience guessing. He whisks Sue Ellen away on a quick honeymoon to a waterfront resort, where she tells him she wants “a total commitment” from him. “No other women, no games,” she says. This seems like the kind of conversation the couple should have had before they walked down the aisle, but no matter. J.R. assures Sue Ellen he’s not going to repeat the mistakes he made during their first go-round as husband and wife. “I promise you,” he says.

Does he mean it? I believe he does. After all, J.R. resisted the temptation to cheat with Holly in “The Ewing Touch,” one of the previous episodes. The audience is less sure of J.R.’s sincerity at the end of “Post Nuptial,” when Bobby — having snooped around into J.R.’s business dealings — confronts him with evidence that suggests J.R. is selling oil to countries on the government’s embargo list. “You’re talking about an illegal act, Bob. … I assure you, a thought like that never crossed my mind,” J.R. says. He sounds sincere, but since “Dallas” hasn’t revealed the reason he’s pumping so much extra oil, we can’t quite be sure if he’s telling the truth this time.

I also like the “Post Nuptial” scene where Afton vows to leave Cliff after the brouhaha he caused at the wedding. In a tense moment, she also comes close to confessing her recent indiscretion with Gil Thurman, only to chicken out at the last minute and collapse into Cliff’s arms. I’m a fan the Ken Kercheval/Audrey Landers pairing over the long haul, but this is one point in their relationship where I don’t understand why she sticks with him.

Thank goodness we have Sue Ellen around to cheer on. In addition to the scene where she demands that “total commitment” from J.R., we get to see her accompany him to the refinery he wants to buy. When the refinery owner informs the couple his business isn’t for sale, Sue Ellen pipes up with, “You haven’t even heard our offer yet.” It’s an early glimpse of the shrewd energy executive she’ll one day become. Too bad it takes a few decades for it to happen.

Grade: B

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Who do you trust?

‘POST NUPTIAL’

Season 6, Episode 11

Airdate: December 10, 1982

Audience: 21.8 million homes, ranking 2nd in the weekly ratings

Writer: David Paulsen

Director: Michael Preece

Synopsis: After J.R. and Sue Ellen are married, Afton decides to leave Cliff but doesn’t follow through. Holly tells Bobby about her connection to J.R. Bobby fears J.R. may be illegally selling oil to countries on the State Department’s embargo list. Donna, now a member of the Texas Energy Commission, vows to rescind J.R.’s variance to pump excess oil. Lucy rejects the advances of her client, Bill Johnson.

Cast: E.J. André (Eugene Bullock), Parley Baer (minister), Tyler Banks (John Ross Ewing), Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Ivan Bonar (Perkins), Lois Chiles (Holly Harwood), Jon Cypher (Jones), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Fern Fitzgerald (Marilee Stone), Tom Fuccello (Senator Dave Culver), Gerry Gibson (Jimmy Otis), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Nicholas Hammond (Bill Johnson), Alice Hirson (Mavis Anderson), Susan Howard (Donna Krebbs), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Audrey Landers (Afton Cooper), Timothy Patrick Murphy (Mickey Trotter), Priscilla Pointer (Rebecca Wentworth), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Paul Sorensen (Andy Bradley), Don Starr (Jordan Lee), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Deborah Tranelli (Phyllis), Morgan Woodward (Punk Anderson)

“Post Nuptial” 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: Audrey Landers, David Paulsen, Ewing Touch, Ken Kercheval, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Post Nuptial, Timothy Patrick Murphy

The Art of Dallas: ‘The Wedding’

June 26, 2013 by Chris Baker Leave a Comment

J.R. and Sue Ellen (Larry Hagman, Linda Gray) prepare to exchange marital vows — again — in this 1982 publicity shot from “The Wedding,” a sixth-season “Dallas” episode.

Filed Under: Art of Dallas, Art of Dallas (Classic), Features Tagged With: Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Wedding

Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘Butt Out, Bob!’

June 26, 2013 by Chris Baker 10 Comments

Barbara Bel Geddes, Bobby Ewing, Clayton Farlow, Dallas, Howard Keel, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Miss Ellie Ewing, Pam Ewing, Patrick Duffy, Sue Ellen Ewing, Victoria Principal, Wedding

All in the family

In “The Wedding,” a sixth-season “Dallas” episode, J.R. and Clayton (Larry Hagman, Howard Keel) pour drinks in the Southfork living room.

CLAYTON: What do you think of the season, so far?

J.R.: Which one, football or hunting?

CLAYTON: Football!

J.R.: Oh, well, I’m not too thrilled with their draft choices this year, that’s for sure. You know they could have picked up that backfield. [Chooses an appetizer from a servant’s plate] They should’ve done it years ago.

On the other side of the room, Pam (Victoria Principal) chats with Miss Ellie and Sue Ellen (Barbara Bel Geddes, Linda Gray).

PAM: You know, I don’t care what anyone wears to exercise class, but this girl showed up today wearing a string bikini, the size of a stamp.

ELLIE: Did you say anything?

PAM: Well, no.

Bobby (Patrick Duffy) storms into the room, tosses his briefcase onto the sofa and exclaims, “J.R.!”

J.R.: [To Clayton] I tell you, I don’t think they have a chance. They’re out in the cold.

BOBBY: Here. [Hands a folder to J.R.]

J.R.: What’s that?

BOBBY: Reports from our geologists and our accountants. Read them if you have the nerve.

J.R.: [Sets down his drink, looks through the folder] I don’t have to read this stuff.

BOBBY: Well, I think you’d better. You can’t pretend that everything is normal anymore. Every one of those men think that what you’re trying to do is going to ruin the future of Ewing Oil.

ELLIE: Bobby, I’d like it better if you discussed this with J.R. in private.

BOBBY: I have tried, Mother. And I know how you feel about all this too: “Let’s not argue about business in front of the family.” But don’t you understand that when we’re quiet about things like this, it plays right into his hands? It becomes a cover-up for J.R. I’m not going to do it anymore. I want everything out in the open!

J.R.: I don’t care what the geologists say. Or the accountants. And I certainly don’t need any advice from you on how to run an oil company.

PAM: Well, maybe this is one time that you do need some.

SUE ELLEN: Pam, why don’t we let our men settle the business problems?

PAM: Sue Ellen, can’t you see what J.R.’s trying to do?

SUE ELLEN: Yes. He’s protecting what’s rightfully his.

PAM: [Angrily] Well, what about what’s rightfully Bobby’s?

J.R.: I’m simply trying to carry out the terms of Daddy’s will.

BOBBY: Daddy never thought that you’d try and use that will to destroy Ewing Oil.

J.R.: Butt out, Bob!

BOBBY: Butt out of a business — ?

Clayton steps between the brothers, followed by Ellie.

ELLIE: All right, now that’s enough. Stop it! Tomorrow, there’s going to be a wedding in this house. Tonight we were supposed to have a quiet family dinner together.

J.R.: Mama, that’s exactly what I wanted.

ELLIE: J.R., I’m very pleased that you and Sue Ellen and John Ross will be reunited under this roof. But I am not pleased to stand by and see this family torn apart because of the terms of Jock’s will.

J.R.: Daddy’s will is crystal clear. And because of that will, the chips will have to fall where they may.