Who Shot J.R.? – Dallas Decoder

Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘It Was You, Kristin, Who Shot J.R.’

July 10, 2012 by Chris Baker 6 Comments

Who done it

In “Who Done It?,” a fourth-season “Dallas” episode, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) arrives at Southfork to find J.R. (Larry Hagman) reading in his wheelchair on the patio.

SUE ELLEN: J.R.?

J.R.: [Looks up from his book, startled] What are you doing here?

SUE ELLEN: Where’s Kristin?

J.R.: Don’t come any closer. [Moves his wheelchair toward the table] I’m going to call the police. Don’t you come any closer. [Struggles to get out of the wheelchair]

SUE ELLEN: [Looks at him with pity] J.R., I didn’t come here to hurt you. I just want to know where Kristin is.

Kristin (Mary Crosby) exits the house, steps onto the patio.

KRISTIN: [Cheery] Sue Ellen, I brought your things.

SUE ELLEN: [Sarcastic] Regular angel of mercy, aren’t you? So supportive. Keeping my secrets. Taking me in.

KRISTIN: What happened? What are you talking about?

SUE ELLEN: I have finally figured everything out, that’s all. You have been trying to frame me.

KRISTIN: [Laughs] You’re crazy.

SUE ELLEN: [Smiles] Well, you were right. I was at that condo that night, looking for J.R. And yes, I did have his gun. But you saw how drunk I was, and you still gave me a drink, knowing I’d put the gun down to take it. You went to the office that night with J.R.’s gun. It was you, Kristin, who shot J.R. Then the next morning, while I was showering, you hid the gun in the closet. [Flashbacks appear as Sue Ellen speaks.]

KRISTIN: You think you’ve got it all figured out.

J.R.: [Speaking into the phone] Get me the police.

KRISTIN: I wouldn’t do that if I were you, J.R. [She and Sue Ellen walk toward him.] Not unless you want your child born in prison. Now wouldn’t that be a scandal? Jock Ewing’s grandson: jail baby. [Snickers] I think I’ll write my memoirs there.

J.R.: You’re bluffing.

KRISTIN: Call Dr. Gibson. I saw him yesterday. He’ll tell you. [A voice on the phone says, “Dallas Police Department.”]

SUE ELLEN: [Reaches for the phone] Give me that phone. I’m not going to jail for her.

J.R.: Nobody’s going to jail. I’ll handle Kristin my own way.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Mary Crosby, Who Done It?, Who Shot J.R.?

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 58 – ‘Who Done It?’

July 10, 2012 by Chris Baker 25 Comments

Dallas, Linda Gray, Sue Ellen Ewing, Who Done It, Who Shot J.R.?

Just shoot her

“Who Done It?” brought the world to a standstill. Eighty-three million Americans, or roughly one-third of the nation’s population, watched this episode on the night it aired in 1980, a record at the time. The global audience is estimated in the hundreds of millions.

I’m sure many viewers still remember where they were and who they were with when they saw “Who Done It?” It’s less likely anyone remembers much about the episode itself. Aside from the final scene, when Kristin is finally revealed as J.R.’s shooter, this is pretty much a run-of-the-mill hour of “Dallas.”

From today’s vantage point, I find this astonishing. When “Who Done It?” was filmed, the producers must have known the broadcast would attract a huge audience, including people who’d never seen “Dallas” but wanted to witness the climactic moment in the “Who Shot J.R.?” phenomenon that had been raging for months.

You might expect the producers to craft an episode to welcome these newcomers. Instead, “Dallas” plows forward with storylines already in motion. Bobby tries to buy a refinery. Cliff hitches a ride on the Culver political bandwagon. Lucy continues wooing Mitch.

Not that I’m complaining, mind you. It’s nice to see “Dallas” conclude the “Who Shot J.R.?” mystery with an episode that’s designed to reward loyal fans.

It’s also nice to see the producers showcase Linda Gray, who does some of her finest work on “Dallas” in this episode. The actress makes Sue Ellen believably desperate at the beginning of “Who Done It?” when the character, clad in that iconic black-and-white dress, is forced to spend the night behind bars because the Ewings refuse to bail her out.

It’s always worth paying attention to the details of Gray’s performances, and “Who Done It?” is no exception. Watch closely when Sue Ellen is sitting alone in the jailhouse visitation room and Cliff arrives unexpectedly. The moment she recognizes him, Gray’s posture stiffens and she begins fixing her mussed hair. It’s a small gesture, but it lets us know Sue Ellen is determined to preserve whatever dignity she has left.

I also appreciate how the “Dallas” writers allow Sue Ellen to find a little inner strength after the Ewings reject her in the aftermath of her arrest. When she’s released from jail, she doesn’t hit the bottle, as you might expect. Instead, she turns to Dr. Elby and tries to get to the bottom of what happened the night her husband was shot.

You can’t help but feel Sue Ellen’s triumph when she arrives at Southfork in the final scene, armed with the truth that Kristin is trying to frame her. In contrast, I also appreciate how we get to see a different side of J.R. at this moment. When he spots Sue Ellen, he looks genuinely frightened; director Leonard Katzman even allows the camera to linger on Larry Hagman as he fumbles to get out of his wheelchair. Brilliant.

Of course, as good as Hagman and Gray are in this scene, don’t overlook Mary Crosby. I don’t think I’ve ever found Kristin as distasteful as I do when she coos about giving birth to Jock Ewing’s “jail baby” grandchild. But watch how Crosby’s bravado melts the moment J.R. announces he’ll “handle” her his own way.

In that instant, you can almost hear the wheels turning inside J.R.’s head. Or maybe it’s just the sound the world makes as it starts spinning again.

Grade: A

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He’ll handle it

‘WHO DONE IT?’

Season 4, Episode 4

Airdate: November 21, 1980

Audience: 41.5 million homes, ranking 1st in the weekly ratings

Writer: Loraine Despres

Director: Leonard Katzman

Synopsis: Sue Ellen is arrested and jailed. Someone posts bail, but she doesn’t know who did it. Cliff offers to help Donna’s stepson Dave Culver run for governor. Bobby wants to buy a refinery but can’t arrange the financing. After Dr. Elby hypnotizes her, Sue Ellen realizes Kristin shot J.R. and confronts her sister, who reveals she’s pregnant with J.R.’s child.

Cast: Tyler Banks (John Ross Ewing), Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Jeff Cooper (Dr. Simon Elby), Mary Crosby (Kristin Shepard), Jim Davis (Jock Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Kenneth Farmer (Gil), Tom Fuccello (Dave Culver), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Laurence Haddon (Franklin Horner), Nik Hagler (Detective Frost), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Susan Howard (Donna Culver), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), John Lehne (Kyle Bennett), Leigh McCloskey (Mitch Cooper), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Gregory Walcott (Jim Redfield)

“Who Done It?” 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: Larry Hagman, Leonard Katzman, Linda Gray, Mary Crosby, Who Done It?, Who Shot J.R.?

The Art of Dallas: ‘Nightmare’

July 9, 2012 by Chris Baker Leave a Comment

J.R. (Larry Hagman) is seen in this 1980 publicity shot from “Nightmare,” a fourth-season “Dallas” episode.

Filed Under: Art of Dallas, Art of Dallas (Classic), Features Tagged With: Larry Hagman, Nightmare, Who Shot J.R.?

Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘If You Need Me, I’m Here’

July 9, 2012 by Chris Baker 1 Comment

Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Ray Krebbs, Steve Kanaly, Who Shot J.R.?

Cold shoulder

In “Dallas’s” fourth-season episode “Nightmare,” Ray (Steve Kanaly) visits J.R. (Larry Hagman), who is seated in his wheelchair in the hospital’s rehabilitation center.

RAY: Look, something I gotta say, J.R. Been quite a few differences between you and I over the past couple years. Before that, we were friends for a long time. I just wanted to tell you, that if you need me, I’m here.

J.R.: Thank you, Ray. Thanks. [Begins wheeling away]

RAY: Hey. [Touches J.R.’s shoulder] I just keep thinking of all those good times we had.

J.R.: Like in Waco?

RAY: Yeah, like in Waco. Or how about that time down in Houston when you had them all convinced that you were the talent scout for the Miss Texas contest and I was the front man. [Laughs]

J.R.: [Chuckling] Yeah, they almost killed us with kindness, didn’t they? Yeah, we’ve had some pretty good times, haven’t we, Ray?

RAY: Yeah, you helped me out of some pretty tough scrapes, J.R. More than once. I just wanted you to know, you can count on me if you need to.

J.R.: Well, Ray, I don’t want to ever have to count on anybody but myself. Thank you.

J.R. wheels away.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: Larry Hagman, Nightmare, Steve Kanaly, Who Shot J.R.?

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 57 – ‘Nightmare’

July 9, 2012 by Chris Baker 5 Comments

Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Nightmare, Who Shot J.R.?

Exposed

“Nightmare” refers to the bad dreams that plague Sue Ellen in this episode, but the title also describes J.R.’s change of fortunes. The shooting has weakened him, physically and otherwise. His friends pity him; his enemies taunt him.

As “Nightmare” gets underway, we learn J.R.’s surgery has restored feeling to his legs, but he’ll have to learn to walk again. In the episode’s most memorable scene, Jock and Miss Ellie stand in the back of the hospital’s physical rehabilitation room and watch J.R., clad in a bathrobe and black orthopedic shoes, struggle to put one foot in front of the other. It proves too heartbreaking for Ellie, who turns away.

If J.R. knew his parents were in the room, he undoubtedly would be embarrassed, which is how he feels when Ray visits. At first, the onetime friends wax nostalgic about their days carousing and chasing skirts. Then Ray turns serious, puts his hand on J.R.’s shoulder and tells him he can count on him if he needs a friend. “Well, Ray, I don’t want to ever have to count on anybody but myself,” J.R. says before wheeling away.

The hits keep coming. Jordan, who raged at J.R. before the shooting, now provokes him. Bobby, who quit Ewing Oil in disgust over J.R.’s tactics, now runs the company. Kristin, whom J.R. tried to run out of town, now looks him up and down as he lies in his hospital bed and declares, “You’re just not man enough anymore.” (J.R.’s muttered response – “Bitch” – must have been pretty provocative back in 1980.)

You have to hand it to the “Dallas” creative team. At this point during the show’s run, J.R. was something of a national folk hero. Americans by the tens of millions watched “Dallas” each week to see him do despicable things. Exposing the character’s vulnerabilities made for rich storytelling, but there’s no doubt the show risked alienating his fans.

And the worst is yet to come. For J.R., the single silver lining since his shooting has been his reconnection with Sue Ellen, who has barely left his side. But in “Nightmare’s” final moments, that crumbles, too. On the night J.R. returns to Southfork, Horton, the cop investigating his shooting, arrives and reveals J.R.’s own gun was used in the crime – and Sue Ellen’s fingerprints are all over the weapon.

For J.R. and Sue Ellen, the nightmare is just beginning.

Grade: B

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Uh-oh

‘NIGHTMARE’

Season 4, Episode 3

Airdate: November 14, 1980

Audience: 27.8 million homes, ranking 1st in the weekly ratings

Writer: Linda B. Elstad

Director: Irving J. Moore

Synopsis: J.R., while learning to walk again, interferes with Bobby’s efforts to run Ewing Oil. Cliff tells Pam he went to J.R.’s office to shoot him, only to find someone else beat him to it. The police find the gun used to shoot J.R. – and Sue Ellen’s fingerprints are on it.

Cast: Michael Alldredge (Detective Don Horton), Tyler Banks (John Ross Ewing), Barbara Babcock (Liz Craig), Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), David J. Bowman (Tom Selby), Christopher Coffey (Professor Greg Forrester), Jeff Cooper (Dr. Simon Elby), Mary Crosby (Kristin Shepard), Jim Davis (Jock Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Meg Gallagher (Louella), Hugh Gorrian (Gil), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Laurence Haddon (Franklin Horner), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Leigh McCloskey (Mitch Cooper), Jeanna Michaels (Connie), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Don Starr (Jordan Lee), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing)

“Nightmare” 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: Nightmare, Who Shot J.R.?

The Art of Dallas: ‘No More Mr. Nice Guy, Part 2’

July 3, 2012 by Chris Baker Leave a Comment

Jock (Jim Davis) welcomes Gary (Ted Shackelford) home to Southfork in this 1980 publicity shot from “No More Mr. Nice Guy, Part 2,” a fourth-season “Dallas” episode.

Filed Under: Art of Dallas, Art of Dallas (Classic), Features Tagged With: Jim Davis, No More Mr. Nice Guy Part 2, Ted Shackelford, Who Shot J.R.?

Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘Nobody Beats Old J.R.’

July 3, 2012 by Chris Baker 1 Comment

Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, No More Mr. Nice Guy Part 2, Who Shot J.R.?

True that

In “No More Mr. Nice Guy, Part 2,” a fourth-season “Dallas” episode, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) enters the hospital room where J.R. (Larry Hagman) is sleeping.

SUE ELLEN: [Whispering] J.R.?

J.R.: [Awakens] Hi, sugar.

SUE ELLEN: Hi. [Sits on the bed]

J.R.: [Groggy] You been crying?

SUE ELLEN: [Smiles] No.

J.R.: Roclaire’s supposed to be the best in the business.

SUE ELLEN: I know.

A nurse opens the door and indicates it’s time for Sue Ellen to leave. Sue Ellen kisses J.R. and gets up from the bed. He holds onto her hand.

J.R.: Sue Ellen, nobody beats old J.R. You know that.

She turns and leaves.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, No More Mr. Nice Guy Part 2, Who Shot J.R.?

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 56 – ‘No More Mr. Nice Guy, Part 2’

July 3, 2012 by Chris Baker 6 Comments

Life and breath

“No More Mr. Nice Guy, Part 2” devotes a lot of time to Gary’s homecoming, allowing the “Dallas” producers to put off resolving the “Who Shot J.R.?” mystery a little longer. But even if this is just a delay tactic, it doesn’t feel like one.

Gary has matured a lot since he left “Dallas” for his “Knots Landing” spinoff, and it’s nice to see him return to Southfork a changed man. I especially like the scene where he confronts Sue Ellen about her drinking problem. “No More Mr. Nice Guy, Part 2” aired not long after Gary admitted his own alcoholism on “Knots Landing,” and I’m glad “Dallas” doesn’t ignore this.

Another highlight: the scene where the Ewing brothers reunite at J.R.’s bedside and recall the football games they played growing up. Aside from the fun that comes from imagining these men as boys playing ball on the Southfork lawn, I like how the characters behave exactly the way we would expect them to in this situation: J.R. is nice but not too nice, Gary is polite but cautious and Bobby is cheery and good-natured. They feel like real people here.

Of course, as much as I welcome heartwarming scenes like this, this episode doesn’t ignore the “Who Shot J.R.?” mystery altogether. By the time the closing credits roll, Alan and Vaughn have been cleared as suspects and Cliff and Kristin have each offered unconfirmed alibis, leaving poor Sue Ellen to continue fretting she pulled the trigger in a drunken rage.

Linda Gray does a nice job keeping Sue Ellen’s motivation unclear. Is the character hovering at J.R.’s bedside because she feels sorry for him, or because she feels guilty? Does she object to J.R.’s surgery because she’s afraid he won’t survive, or because she believes he’ll be less threatening if he’s permanently paralyzed? I’m never really sure.

Still, while I appreciate the ambiguity, my favorite moment of all comes when J.R. tries to reassure Sue Ellen before his risky surgery (“Nobody ever beats old J.R. You know that.”). It’s another small-but-sweet moment in an episode that’s full of them.

Grade: A

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Home again

‘NO MORE MR. NICE GUY, PART 2’

Season 4, Episode 2

Airdate: November 9, 1980

Audience: 31.1 million homes, ranking 1st in the weekly ratings

Writer: Arthur Bernard Lewis

Director: Leonard Katzman

Synopsis: J.R. tells the police he doesn’t know who shot him and discovers the attack has left him paralyzed. The police question Cliff and clear Vaughn and Alan as suspects. Sue Ellen continues to believe she may be the shooter. Bobby agrees to run Ewing Oil in J.R.’s absence. J.R. has risky surgery to restore use of his legs.

Cast: Michael Alldredge (Detective Don Horton), Dan Ammerman (Dr. Kyle Roclaire), Tyler Banks (John Ross Ewing), Royce D. Applegate (Sergeant Crabbe), Tami Barber (Bev), Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Jeff Cooper (Dr. Simon Elby), Mary Crosby (Kristin Shepard), Jim Davis (Jock Ewing), Peter Donat (Dr. Miles Pearson), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Fern Fitzgerald (Marilee Stone), Meg Gallagher (Louella), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Leigh McCloskey (Mitch Cooper), Jeanna Michaels (Connie), Randolph Powell (Alan Beam), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Ted Shackelford (Gary Ewing), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Janine Turner (Susan)

“No More Mr. Nice Guy, Part 2” 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: Linda Gray, No More Mr. Nice Guy Part 2, Who Shot J.R.?

The Art of Dallas: ‘No More Mr. Nice Guy, Part 1’

July 2, 2012 by Chris Baker Leave a Comment

Miss Ellie and Jock (Barbara Bel Geddes, Jim Davis) confer with Dr. Pearson (Peter Donat) about J.R.’s condition in this 1980 publicity shot from “No More Mr. Nice Guy, Part 1,” “Dallas’s” fourth-season opener.

Filed Under: Art of Dallas, Art of Dallas (Classic), Features Tagged With: Barbara Bel Geddes, Jim Davis, No More Mr. Nice Guy Part 1, Who Shot J.R.?

Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘The Company Isn’t Worth My Family’

July 2, 2012 by Chris Baker Leave a Comment

Barbara Bel Geddes, Dallas, Jim Davis, Jock Ewing. Miss Ellie Ewing, No More Mr. Nice Guy Part 1, Who Shot J.R.?

That’s that, Jock

In “No More Mr. Nice Guy, Part 1,” “Dallas’s” fourth-season opener, Miss Ellie and Jock (Barbara Bel Geddes, Jim Davis) talk while leaving Dallas Memorial Hospital.

ELLIE: Jock, now that Bobby’s back, you’ve got to find a way to keep him here.

JOCK: I don’t know how. He was mad as hell at me when he left.

ELLIE: Well, that was because he felt you’d given him a job to do and then you didn’t stand behind him.

JOCK: Well, I couldn’t. When he opened Ewing 23, he made Cliff Barnes a partner in the profits. After what that man’s done to us, no way.

ELLIE: Does Ewing Oil have to cost us another son? Jock, I know how important the company is to you, but I’ve lost Gary and now, unless you stop him, Bobby will leave again.

JOCK: Ewing Oil has been my life, Ellie.

ELLIE: And J.R. may be dying because of it. [Jock puts his hand on her shoulder.] I don’t think the company is worth my family. I want Bobby home, no matter what it costs Ewing Oil.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: Barbara Bel Geddes, Jim Davis, No More Mr. Nice Guy Part 1, Who Shot J.R.?