"Dallas" (1978) TV series 1978-1991

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Creator:

David Jacobs

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14

Release Date:

2 April 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The soapy, backstabbing machinations of Dallas oil magnate J.R. Ewing and his family.

Plot Keywords:

Oil | Texas | Soap Opera | Ranch | Mistress

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 40 wins & 80 nominations

Cast

Larry Hagman	...	John Ross 'J.R.' Ewing, Jr. (357 episodes, 1978-1991)
Patrick Duffy	...	Bobby Ewing (327 episodes, 1978-1991)
Linda Gray	...	Sue Ellen Ewing (308 episodes, 1978-1991)
Ken Kercheval	...	Cliff Barnes (288 episodes, 1978-1991)
Steve Kanaly	...	Ray Krebbs (259 episodes, 1978-1991)
Barbara Bel Geddes	...	Eleanor Southworth 'Miss Ellie' Ewing / ... (255 episodes, 1978-1990)
Victoria Principal	...	Pamela Barnes Ewing (251 episodes, 1978-1987)
Charlene Tilton	...	Lucy Ewing Cooper / ... (215 episodes, 1978-1990)
Howard Keel	...	Clayton Farlow (208 episodes, 1981-1991)
Susan Howard	...	Donna Culver Krebbs / ... (198 episodes, 1979-1987)
Deborah Rennard	...	Sly Lovegren (158 episodes, 1981-1991)

Also Known As:

"Oil" (USA) (working title)
"The Linda Evans-Project" (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

60 min (356 episodes) | Argentina:60 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:12 (DVD rating) | Iceland:12 (some episodes) | Iceland:L | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Big Sky Ranch - 4927 Bennett Road, Simi Valley, California, USA

Company:

Lorimar Television

Trivia:

Several references were made during the show's run about Clayton Farlow having a past history of singing. Of course, Howard Keel, the actor who portrayed Clayton, was famous for his powerful bass-baritone singing voice.

Quotes:

JR Ewing: [to Marilee Stone] By the way honey, your a little too old to be running around without your clothes on.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kill the Poor (2003)

Good story

When Dallas was aired for the first times in the 80s I was a child and I couldn't appreciate it yet. Since last September, when a satellite channel proposed again this Soap Opera, I had a small crush of it. I became fond of J.R.'s intrigues, his rivalry with Bobby and Cliff Barnes, the beautiful Pamela and nice Miss Ellie.

Dallas' strength is the plot. Not completely concerned about love and betrayals (typical but annoying), the Ewing Oil battles can move even the male audience transforming the Soap in a TV-series. Jim Davis' death (the mythical Jock, R.I.P.) put a lot of fuel in the "engines" with the legacy questions and relations getting worse. J.R.'s Machiavellian plans filled the script of amusing and caustic irony, always enjoyable.

The recitative level wasn't so great; all the actors, actually, had their height in this series, but the general quality is decent. Except for Ken Kercheval and Steve Kanaly, which proved to be good actors giving a great shape to their characters, challenging J.R. at any cost. Special mention to Charlene Tilton, which is really beautiful and should have had greater relief in the story.

Ending too late, in 1991 (2-3 years too many), the story was slowly plagued by script tricks and poorly credible deaths or departures, compromising its heritage made of several Emmys and 1 Golden Globe won.

6,5 / 10