The All-New DALLAS!

[billcosby]

Ar-Pharazon wrote:

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I have a practical question. Is this season 15 (ala Doctor Who), since it's a continuation? 15 assuming the ignoring of the TV movies.

I read a quote from Patrick Duffy (Bobby) somewhere earlier today, something to the effect of "we want the viewer to think that the show's been on the air all these years and the viewer forgot which channel it was on" - or something to that effect. Elsewhere I believe it was referred to unofficially as season 15. That's up to the viewer, maybe.

As long as Duffy and Hangman are in, I'll be watching. It's not really challenging television but a guilty pleasure. That's what resonates with me in comparison to the series of the 80s. I can't recall the two made for TV movies however, something about Sue Ellen ending up with all the riches and ownership to Ewing Oil? It certainly doesn't seem like that in the premiere.

Hopefully Victoria Principal will be roped back into reprising her role. She certainly was a standout in the early episodes. I know her character nearly burned to death but that's hardly a hurdle to creative writers (although I'm sure it would have taken Orci and Kurtzman: the Dream Team several years to sort that one out).

I used to love to hear the cruel (but often creative) things JR would say to his wife. My favorite: "Go to bed Sue Ellen. There's nothing uglier than a woman who can't handle her liquor!"

[Guy Gardener]

One had Tracy Scroggins lounging about in her sexy sexy underwear, while JR explained all his evil plans to her for exposition... The amazing thing was that JR's scheming was more intriguing than Tracy's 98 percent revealed to the open air bottom.

[Agent Richard07]

billcosby wrote:

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I read a quote from Patrick Duffy (Bobby) somewhere earlier today, something to the effect of "we want the viewer to think that the show's been on the air all these years and the viewer forgot which channel it was on" - or something to that effect. Elsewhere I believe it was referred to unofficially as season 15. That's up to the viewer, maybe.

I saw an interview where Duffy said that this is the same Dallas, but it's 2012. He also referred to this season as "season 14". Any "season 15" reference comes from the 5-episode mini series that started it all being retroactively counted as season 1.

billcosby wrote:

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I can't recall the two made for TV movies however, something about Sue Ellen ending up with all the riches and ownership to Ewing Oil? It certainly doesn't seem like that in the premiere.

She and Bobby bought Ewing Oil at the end of the first movie. As it turned out, J.R. was manipulating events to get Bobby back into the business (or so he says) and Ewing Oil back into the family, but didn't count on Sue Ellen getting in on the game too.

[Ar-Pharazon]

wissaboo wrote:

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how do we know Jock was the first John?

When John Ross was born he said "John Ross Ewing the Third".

He just went with "Jock" and #2 went with J.R.

Guy Gardener wrote:

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One had Tracy Scroggins lounging about in her sexy sexy underwear, while JR explained all his evil plans to her for exposition... The amazing thing was that JR's scheming was more intriguing than Tracy's 98 percent revealed to the open air bottom.

Speak for yourself

[RJDiogenes]

Crusher Disciple wrote:

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That's just mean.

This is Dallas, sweetheart. There's no room for sentiment here.

[Crusher Disciple]

RJDiogenes wrote:

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This is Dallas, sweetheart. There's no room for sentiment here.

*cough*Yankee!*cough*

[doubleohfive]

OmahaStar wrote:

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doubleohfive, thank you so much for all your posts here. Reading your comments is reminding me of so many things I had forgotten about the series, and making me enjoy it that much more.

Thanks. I just finished rewatching most of the series prior to the premiere so a lot of it is fresh in my head.

billcosby wrote:

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I read a quote from Patrick Duffy (Bobby) somewhere earlier today, something to the effect of "we want the viewer to think that the show's been on the air all these years and the viewer forgot which channel it was on" - or something to that effect. Elsewhere I believe it was referred to unofficially as season 15. That's up to the viewer, maybe.

As I said earlier in the thread, the new series is a continuation much the same way the 2005 Doctor Who revival is to its original predecessor - they acknowledge everything more or less happened in the old show, but will only pinpoint what they really want to reference. (Except, of course, the reunion movies.)

Hopefully Victoria Principal will be roped back into reprising her role. She certainly was a standout in the early episodes. I know her character nearly burned to death but that's hardly a hurdle to creative writers (although I'm sure it would have taken Orci and Kurtzman: the Dream Team several years to sort that one out).

The last time we saw Pam, she made it clear: She was dying. Whether this was the writers way of getting rid of Pam without actually getting rid of her, or just keeping the door open in case Principal wanted to return, it's going to be very interesting to see how the writers bring her back if the current show manages to lock her in.

I used to love to hear the cruel (but often creative) things JR would say to his wife. My favorite: "Go to bed Sue Ellen. There's nothing uglier than a woman who can't handle her liquor!"

True. But some of them could be downright cruel though, like irredeemably so. He was NOT a nice guy to her sometimes! I remember one that still shocks me to this day:

SUE ELLEN: Which slut are you going to be with tonight?
J.R. It doesn't matter, because whoever she is, she's got to be better than the slut I'm lookin' at right now! (i.e. Sue Ellen)

I mean, !

wissaboo wrote:

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how do we know Jock was the first John?

Jock was John Ross I.

J.R. is John Ross II.

John Ross is John Ross Ewing III.

Mr. Laser Beam wrote:

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I wonder how many Trek actors have appeared in this series over the years...probably dozens, but I can only think of one at the moment (Mary Crosby, i.e. Kristin Shepard, played a Cardassian on DS9).

You would be amazed.

And that list is nowhere near complete. All kinds of people who had bit parts on Dallas went on to have roles on all four of the spinoff Trek series. Some had already been on TOS.

Not Trek-related, but one of my favorites is a 1984 appearance of Dennis Haysbert as Bobby's doctor.

[RJDiogenes]

Crusher Disciple wrote:

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*cough*Yankee!*cough*

I said Dallas, not Dallas.

But I am a Yankee Doodle Dandy.

[doubleohfive]

billcosby wrote:

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As long as Duffy and Hangman are in, I'll be watching. It's not really challenging television but a guilty pleasure. That's what resonates with me in comparison to the series of the 80s. I can't recall the two made for TV movies however, something about Sue Ellen ending up with all the riches and ownership to Ewing Oil? It certainly doesn't seem like that in the premiere.

That's because the new series is ignoring both J.R. Returns and The War of the Ewings, as if they never happened. Kind of like what Star Trek did for a long time regarding the Animated Series.

But, as to the events of the reunion movies, essentially:

-We learn that at the end of the series, J.R. shot the mirror (from which we were led to believe "Adam" (Joel Grey) was taunting J.R. The next morning, J.R. left Southfork for Europe and didn't return until five years later at the beginning of J.R. Returns.

-Bobby continued to run Southfork, living there with Christopher, and by the time of J.R. Returns, he was considering selling the ranch. (Sound familiar?)

-Cliff Barnes was still running Ewing Oil, but preparing to sell it to Carter McKay at WestStar so that he (Cliff) could focus on finding his ex-girlfriend Afton and their daughter (who he'd never met.)

Sue Ellen and John Ross were living in England, but Sue Ellen had divorced (or was about to divorce) Don Lockwood.

J.R. Returns basically in one fell swoop undid the "downfall" throughline of the final season of the series. Via manipulation by J.R., Bobby winds up buying back Ewing Oil from Cliff and partnering with Sue Ellen. Cliff leaves Dallas to find Afton, and J.R. becomes the largest minority stockholder of WestStar, engineering McKay's ousting from the company.

The beauty of it all is in the reveal of Sue Ellen's having bought half of Ewing Oil at the end:

BOBBY
I did some thinking and so I decided I didn't want all my money tied up in Ewing Oil, so I sold half of it to my new partner.

J.R.
Your new partner? What, you mean her? (Bobby's new girlfriend)

BOBBY
No. Guess again.

Sue Ellen appears.

J.R.: Oh my god.

BOBBY
You have a real nice evening now. Come on, Chris.

Bobby, Julia and Christopher exit.

SUE ELLEN
Isn't this wonderful? Now, we're all in the oil business... only Bobby and I own Ewing and you don't. He loved the idea when I suggested it to him.

J.R.
Why?

SUE ELLEN
Maybe just to upset your applecart. Or maybe... I was thinking about all the fun pillow talks we'll have about ....gushers and dry holes. Or it could be I decided to show you I could be just as smart and as tough as you are. Who knows? It could be the best thing that ever happened to our relationship. Hmm... we'll find out, won't we?

Sue Ellen walks back to the house, leaving J.R. and John Ross watching her go.

J.R.
Your momma's a hell of woman.

JOHN ROSS
That didn't upset you?

J.R.
Well, look at it this way: your Uncle Bobby's back in the oil business, your momma's gonna stick around to protect her interests, and you my son are gonna live here and learn the business from the greatest oil man in Texas.

JOHN ROSS
Wait a minute, Dad. You make it sound like you planned it to happen this way.

J.R.
(smiling)
You see, John Ross? You're learning already!

Dallas: The War of the Ewings follows up only with Bobby, J.R., Sue Ellen, Carter McKay, and Anita Smithfield and brings back Ray Krebbs. Apart from some follow up on what Ray has been up to since leaving the series, it is mostly forgettable and actually rather awful.

[ClayinCA]

Ar-Pharazon wrote:

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Speak for yourself

Entirely agreed. She was smoking hot back then.

[Crusher Disciple]

That reminds me- has Ken Kerchaval been through some recent health issues? He looks pretty frail on the screen. How long has it been since he had lung cancer?

[doubleohfive]

I don't know. I just checked his Wikipedia page and saw this though. It doesn't answer your question, but damn!

In 1985, he [Kercheval] became a partner in the Old Capital Popcorn Company.[1] The business thrived at first but the partnership soured in 1988. The financial issues and other conflicts led to a 1989 armed rampage and suicide by one of the partners on the Dallas set.

Link

[Crusher Disciple]

doubleohfive wrote:

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I don't know. I just checked his Wikipedia page and saw this though. It doesn't answer your question, but damn!

Tell me about it. I did a WTF when I read that, too.

Poor guy, he just looks so pale and wizened. My mother and I were shocked when we first saw him.

[Mr. Laser Beam]

doubleohfive wrote:

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You would be amazed.

And that list is nowhere near complete.

D'oh! Can't believe I forgot Joel Grey...

[doubleohfive]

Off the top of my head:

Joel Grey
Brenda Strong
Jerry Hardin
James Cromwell
Kate Mulgrew
Barry Jenner
Glenn Corbett
Morgan Woodward
Barbara Babcock
Susan Howard
Chris Demetral
Lance Le Gault
Leigh McCloskey
John Anderson
John Beck
Ron Canada
Jerry Hardin
Taran Fahir
Rosalind Ingledew/Allen
Sam Anderson
Jerry Hardin
Phillip Anglim
William Windom
Nicholas Coster
Jonathan Harris
Robert O'Reilly
Susan Howard
Mary Crosby
Leigh Taylor Young
Beth Toussaint
Monte Markham
Ray Wise
Gerrit Graham
Michele Scarabelli
Michael Bell
Joey Aresco
Bruce French
Charles Napier
Joanna Miles
Paul Carr
Cliff Potts
K Callan
Kathryn Leigh Scott
Henry Darrow
Joanna Cassidy
Mitchell Ryan
George Coe
John Larroquette
Warren Munson
Charles Cooper
Tricia O'Neill
Biff Yeager
Erich Anderson

...all appeared on a Dallas series or film as well as a Star Trek series or film.