Between the Lines and Behind the Scenes of "Dallas"
Rebecca Wentworth swept into “Dallas” like a character from a Douglas Sirk movie, so it’s only fitting that she leaves in the same manner. Her death in “Requiem” is pure soap opera. In the scene, Rebecca lies in a hospital bed after being injured in a plane crash, but except for the white bandages that […]
In “The Ewing Touch,” a sixth-season “Dallas” episode, Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes) approaches Rebecca (Priscilla Pointer) outside a restaurant. ELLIE: Rebecca. We should talk. REBECCA: All right. They walk together. ELLIE: You and I share a grandson now. Let the two of us try to work together and put a stop to this family […]
Rebecca and Pam (Priscilla Pointer, Victoria Principal) embrace after learning Cliff survived his suicide attempt in this 1982 publicity shot from “Changing of the Guard,” “Dallas’s” sixth-season opener.
“Dallas” debuted 35 years ago today. To commemorate its anniversary, here’s my list of the franchise’s 35 greatest moments. 35. J.R. meets his match. “Dallas’s” first episode ends with Pam turning the tables on J.R. (Larry Hagman) after he tries to make it look like she was cheating on Bobby with Ray. “Looks like I underestimated […]
J.R. Ewing will be laid to rest in “J.R.’s Masterpiece,” a special “Dallas” episode that TNT will telecast on Monday, March 11. Raise a glass of bourbon (and don’t forget the branch!) as we recall the most moving funerals from the original series, as well as two Ewing funerals seen on its “Knots Landing” spinoff. 8. […]
Few will forget the courtroom testimony that Ann (Brenda Strong) delivered at the end of “Trial and Error,” last week’s “Dallas” episode. Here’s a look at the Barneses’ and Ewings’ 10 most memorable monologues from the original series and its “Knots Landing” spinoff. 10. Miss Ellie’s lament. With the Ewing empire on the brink of […]
Judith Light is making quite a mark on TNT’s “Dallas,” where her cunning character, Judith Brown Ryland, exerts enormous influence over equally sadistic son Harris. Of course, Mrs. Ryland isn’t this franchise’s first meddlesome mama. Here’s a look at five others from the original “Dallas” and its “Knots Landing” spinoff, ranked in order from least […]
In “Battle Lines,” the first episode of the new “Dallas’s” second season, Pamela (Julie Gonzalo) reveals she’s the daughter of Cliff and Afton, portrayed by Ken Kercheval and Audrey Landers in the original series. Everyone knows Cliff’s story, but how well do you remember Afton? Here’s a refresher. She started off as J.R.’s gal. Afton, a […]
In “Goodbye, Cliff Barnes,” “Dallas’s” fifth-season finale, Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes) is in the Southfork living room when Rebecca (Priscilla Pointer) arrives. ELLIE: Rebecca, what a surprise. REBECCA: This is not a social call, Ellie. ELLIE: Rebecca, what’s the matter? REBECCA: Maybe Digger was right. When I was married to him, I was too […]
“Goodbye, Cliff Barnes” leaves the title character’s fate up in the air after he tries to kill himself, making this the most literal of all “Dallas” cliffhangers. For a long time, I also considered it one of the show’s least satisfying season finales. Was there ever any doubt Cliff would survive? I now realize that’s […]
