Between the Lines and Behind the Scenes of "Dallas"
“Dallas’s” fourth season was the show’s most-watched. Is it also the best? Performances In Season 4, J.R. recovers from an assassination attempt, learns to walk again and suffers a humiliating exile from Ewing Oil. Through it all, Larry Hagman never misses a beat. The actor takes us deeper into J.R.’s psyche, revealing vulnerabilities we never dreamed […]
In “Ewing-Gate,” J.R. finally beds hard-to-get Leslie Stewart, but the experience turns out to be less than he expected. “It wasn’t worth the wait,” J.R. tells her in a flash of post coitus candor. After watching this episode, I know how he feels. Although “Dallas’s” fourth season is much better than I remembered overall, the […]
J.R. and Leslie (Larry Hagman, Susan Flannery) watch Bobby’s televised victory speech in this 1981 publicity shot from “The New Mrs. Ewing,” a fourth-season “Dallas” episode.
Things are never quite what they seem in “The Quest.” Several characters go through this episode under false impressions, usually because they’re being duped by the people closest to them. Consider J.R., who continues to pursue Leslie, not just because he finds her sexually desirable, but also because he believes she has his best interests at heart. […]
“Start the Revolution with Me” feels a bit like a 1980s version of “Mad Men.” Not only does this fourth-season “Dallas” episode feature lots of talk about advertising, it also shows the Ewings wrestling with changing gender roles, just like the “Mad Men” characters do. In the episode’s first act, Leslie Stewart, J.R.’s new public […]
In “Dallas’s” fourth-season episode “Making of a President,” J.R. and Leslie (Larry Hagman, Susan Flannery) dine in a Japanese restaurant. LESLIE: I was certainly surprised to hear from you so soon, J.R. J.R.: Well, things have happened, and I thought maybe we ought to talk a little business. LESLIE: [Noticing his use of chopsticks] You […]
“Making of a President” introduces one of my favorite “Dallas” characters: public relations whiz Leslie Stewart, played to perfection by Susan Flannery. Leslie only sticks around for a half-season so she might not be remembered by some fans, which is a shame because she’s one of the most intriguing women ever seen on this show. […]
