DALLAS
CRITIC
A Season
by Season look at Dallas
Sunday, April 2 1978;
I was 15-years-old and had just returned from an out of town
trip a few hours earlier when I decided to watch tv. It was
around 10 pm, after the usual sitcom fodder (ALL IN THE FAMILY,
ALICE, etc) had ended when there was a preview for the next
program, a brand new drama called DALLAS, that was about to
make it's debut. I had never heard, nor read anything about
this show; so it was with some curiousity that I watched.
The show started with a preview of the episode. Then the theme
music, composed by Jerrold Immel, began which I thought was
kinda catchy (Apparently, so did everyone else who tuned in
that evening) as the cast credits flashed across the screen.
The first name that came
up was Barbara BelGeddes(best known as James Stewart's ex-girlfriend
in Alfred Hitchcock's VERTIGO), a name I didn't recognize at
the time. Next up was another unrecognizable name, Jim Davis.
The third cast name was
Patrick Duffy; that one I did recognize since he was the star
of a recently cancelled science-fiction tv show called THE MAN
FROM ATLANTIS; followed by Larry Hagman, who I hadn't seen in
anything since I DREAM OF JENNIE.
The next name, Victoria
Principal, I recognized from the 1974 disaster film EARTHQUAKE;
and finally, the last cast name that flashed across the screen
was a young actress whom I've never seen or heard of before,
Charlene Tilton.
After that beginning,
I began to watch this new show which introduced two feuding
families; the rich, powerful Ewings; and the not-so-rich Barnes.
The show began with the youngest Ewing son, Bobby bringing his
new bride, whom he just married in a quickie ceremony in New
Orleans, to the family ranch called Southfork.
Needless to say, the rest
of the family were not too happy with this particular union
since the bride, Pamela, just happened to be a Barnes, whose
brother Cliff (Ken Kercheval), was part of special counsel investigating
the family business, Ewing Oil.
One family member, the
oldest Ewing son, John Ross II (J.R.), disliked the new bride
so much, he first tried to offer her money to annul the "farce."
When that failed, he then tried to set up "Pammy"
by getting the ranch foreman; Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly), her
ex-boyfriend, to fly her out to his place so that Bobby could
catch them both in an uncompromising position.
But, Pam, not to outdone
by this scheme, threatened Ray by telling him that she'll tell
the family about his affair with Lucy, J.R. and Bobby's teenage
niece (Tilton).
As Bobby and Pam drove
off, J.R. remarked: "I underestimated the new Mrs. Ewing.
I certainly won't do that again!" So began 13 seasons of
sex, sin and avarice courtesy of the Ewings and the Barnes.
DALLAS was created by
former head writer, David Jacobs, who created the drama when
another show he created, which eventually aired two-years later
as KNOTS LANDING, was rejected by CBS as being "too tame."
The network wanted something "bigger, easier to promote,
like a saga," according to Jacobs.
The network also wanted
him to create a vehicle for actress Linda Evans who was under
contract at the time, so DALLAS was created with the intention
of having Evans play Pam.
But, as the show was being
developed, it was clear to the creators that the part would
be too small for Evans. Evans later starred in a DALLAS rip-off
called DYNASTY (1981-89).
Jacobs, got the idea of
setting the show in Texas, from two sources; Tommy Thompson's
best-selling novel, BLOOD AND MONEY; and, from an old friend
from Waco, Texas named Pamela Hynds Daley.
On the day that he was
supposed to turn in the project to CBS, Jacob's pardner, Michael
Filerman (Who later co-produced KNOT LANDING with Jacobs), came
up with the title DALLAS, remarking that "they could always
change it later."
The show's cast and crew
were selected in the fall of 1977. Barbara BelGeddes and Jim
David were both hired first; then Duffy. Kanaly tried out for
the part of Cliff Barnes. Mary Frann (later of Newhart), tried
out for the part of J.R.'s long-suffering wife, Sue-Ellen; while
another actress, Judith Chapman, tried out for the part of Pam.
Popular actor Robert Foxworth
(Elizabeth Montgomery's second husband) was asked to play J.R.,
but he thought the character should be considerably softened,
and refused to do it unless it was. Foxworth, ironically, portrayed
Chase Giobertti on FALCON CREST (1981-90) which followed DALLAS.
Larry Hagman, who also
shot another pilot called THREE'S COMPANY (No, not that one),
thought that the character should be left just the way he was
written, and got the part.
Other actors hired were;
Kanaly, Kercheval; veteran actor David Wayne (HOW TO MARRY A
MILLIONARE) was the first actor selected to play Pamela's father
Willard "Digger" Barnes.
Linda Gray, who had also
finished a stint as a transexual Linda Murkland in a syndicated
Norman Lear created sitcom called ALL THAT GLITTERS, was selected
to play Sue-Ellen; and Tina Louise (Ginger Grant from GILLIGAN'S
ISLAND) was hired to play J.R.'s secretary, Julie Gray; while
Texas actress Donna Bullock, recently seen as the unlucky press
secretary in last summer's AIR FORCE ONE, played Bobby's secretary.
The show was filmed entirely
on location during the winter months of 1977/78. A house located
on Swiss Avenue in Dallas was used for the interior of the ficticious
Southfork; while a ranch owned by John and Cloyce Box was used
for the exrterior shots. It also differed somewhat from the
ranch used from the first full season.
DALLAS had it's premiere
on Sunday, April 2, 1978. The four other "pilot" shows
aired on subsequent Sunday's with the last one, "Barbecue"
(None of the show's titles were broadcast), placing in the weekly
top ten.
The shows did well enough
for CBS to order a full 22-episode season starting in the fall
of 1978.
NEXT TIME: Before and
after J.R.'s shooting...Stay tuned!
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