J.R. Ewing, a Texas oil baron, uses manipulation and blackmail to achieve his ambitions, both business and personal. He often comes into conflict with his brother Bobby, his arch-enemy Cliff Barnes and his long-suffering wife Sue Ellen.
J.R. becomes the focus of accumulated hatreds in Southfork. A desperate search ensues for both Miss Ellie and Jessica while the fate of Peter is left in Sue Ellen's hands.
Sue Ellen leaves J.R. but he prevents her taking John Ross with her. Sue Ellen asks Pam for help. J.R. manages to squirm out of the Senate investigation. Cliff accuses Bobby of helping him. Bobby ...
Popular evening soap opera-style television drama. The show was set in Dallas, Texas and chronicled the exploits of wealthy Texas oil millionaires. Many of the plots revolved around shady business dealings and dysfunctional family dynamics.Written by
Tad Dibbern <DIBBERN_D@a1.mscf.upenn.edu>
Everybody except Larry Hagman came back, at the beginning of the show's fourth season, when the "Who Shot J.R.?" media was building around, because Hagman was involved in contract negotiations, holding back his return. Holding out for a higher salary, Hagman did not appear in the first episode of the season until the final few minutes. Producers were faced with a dilemma whether to pay the greatly increased salary, or to write J.R. out of the show. Lorimar Productions, the makers of the series, began shooting different scenes of this show which did not include Hagman. In the midst of negotiations, Hagman also took his real-life family to London, England for their July vacation. He continued to fight for his demands, and network executives conceded that they wanted his character to stay on the show. See more »
Goofs
The size and layout of Southfork Ranch cannot possibly hold the number of bedrooms the series suggests it has. When the show first starts, four bedrooms would be needed (one for Miss Ellie and Jock, one for JR and Sue Ellen, one for Bobby and Pam, and one for Lucy). The following year, a nursery is added along with a guest room for John Ross's live-in nurse, totalling six. In later years, Sue Ellen has her own room for a while, and during episodes of the 1984-85 season, there would need to be at least eight bedrooms to accommodate the family and various guests. Additionally, many of the bedrooms have their own bathrooms and walk-in dressing rooms, which cannot possibly match up with the exterior of the house. See more »
Quotes
[repeated line]
JR Ewing:
Oh Barnes, you just get dumber and dumber every day.
See more »
Alternate Versions
SoapNet airings omit the opening teasers from each episode except for the teaser from the series finale. See more »
Dallas was and still is a TV phenomenon. It took the model of the tired old American soap and turned it into something fresh, fascinating and compelling watched by millions of people around the world. It used for the first time the device of the cliffhanger at the end of the season to keep people coming back for more. Personally I believe the 1981-1984 central seasons were its high point with the titanic struggle between JR and Bobby for control of Ewing Oil plus other strong story lines.
What was the secret of its success and longevity? I believe this is down to 3 factors.
1. The story lines cleverly combined subjects that would appeal to a mass audience - love and sex, glamour, money and power, family problems, and controversial subjects for the time e.g. Sue Ellen's alcoholism that attracted interest and raised awareness.
2. Excellent writing with top notch scripts.
3. Superb acting from the key cast team. I have to single out Larry Hagman's performance as JR, I have never seen any performance to match it in any TV drama. He completely got under JR's skin and while he showed us what a monster the man was, he also made us aware of his redeeming features (particularly his strong sense of family) so that we never quite lost empathy for him. Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray and Ken Kercheval also gave remarkable performances as Bobby the 'good' brother who was never boring, Sue Ellen the wronged wife who eventually found a life of her own and Cliff, JR's neurotic, bungling rival who rarely managed to best him.
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Dallas was and still is a TV phenomenon. It took the model of the tired old American soap and turned it into something fresh, fascinating and compelling watched by millions of people around the world. It used for the first time the device of the cliffhanger at the end of the season to keep people coming back for more. Personally I believe the 1981-1984 central seasons were its high point with the titanic struggle between JR and Bobby for control of Ewing Oil plus other strong story lines.
What was the secret of its success and longevity? I believe this is down to 3 factors.
1. The story lines cleverly combined subjects that would appeal to a mass audience - love and sex, glamour, money and power, family problems, and controversial subjects for the time e.g. Sue Ellen's alcoholism that attracted interest and raised awareness.
2. Excellent writing with top notch scripts.
3. Superb acting from the key cast team. I have to single out Larry Hagman's performance as JR, I have never seen any performance to match it in any TV drama. He completely got under JR's skin and while he showed us what a monster the man was, he also made us aware of his redeeming features (particularly his strong sense of family) so that we never quite lost empathy for him. Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray and Ken Kercheval also gave remarkable performances as Bobby the 'good' brother who was never boring, Sue Ellen the wronged wife who eventually found a life of her own and Cliff, JR's neurotic, bungling rival who rarely managed to best him.