In the 1980s, there was no television show as big as the original prime-time soap opera "Dallas"! When their most famous cliffhanger "A House Divided" hit the airwaves, not a single person on the planet wasn't asking the question, "Who shot J.R.?" In case you've forgotten how popular the show was, I've put together this awesome trivia list featuring some fun facts about those scandalous, filthy-rich Ewings from the Lone Star state for you to test your knowledge about this legendary series. Enjoy!
Series creator David Jacobs's partner Michael Filerman suggested “Dallas” as the name for the show. Jacobs knew nothing about the city other than the Kennedy assassination and the Dallas Cowboys; only after visiting the state to prepare for filming did he realize that the show should be called “Houston” as the petroleum industry is much more important there, while Dallas has banking and insurance.
The pilot season was shot entirely on location in Dallas, Texas, and at the Cloyce Box Ranch in Frisco, Texas.
“Dallas” aired on CBS from April 2, 1978, to May 3, 1991.
Originally, the show was intended as a starring vehicle for Victoria Principal, due to the fact that Pam would act as a buffer between the Ewings and the Barneses. J.R. was intended to be more of a supporting character. However, the producers were so impressed by Larry Hagman's portrayal of the immoral J.R., that he soon became the show's main character. Victoria stayed the hero though, and pretty soon it become angel Pam vs. Devil JR.
The theme song to this show was voted the number one best television theme song of all time in a recent Entertainment Weekly poll.
The house used as the "Southfork Ranch" house was a real Texas residence originally called "Duncan Acres", owned by Joe R. Duncan (or J.R. Duncan). When the show became popular, tourists from all over the world visited the house day and night. The Duncan family was forced to sell the house, and it is now a museum devoted to the show.
Linda Gray (Sue Ellen) and Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes) were not in the opening credits during the first season.
Typically the cast and crew would spend six to eight weeks filming on-location sequences in the Dallas area during the summer prior to the season, then film the remainder of the season in the Los Angeles area; fewer than half of the episodes in a given season had on-location sequences filmed in Dallas.
Most interiors for the show were shot at the MGM Studios in Culver City, California (which was purchased outright by Lorimar in 1986), with some exteriors being shot at the Southfork Ranch in Parker, Texas, and other sections of Dallas.
Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing) was the only actor to appear in all 357 episodes of the series.
In several of the early episodes of the series, Lucy (Charlene Tilton) and Ray (Steve Kanaly) were often portrayed as lovers. However, when it was revealed that Ray was Jock's illegitimate son, and therefore Lucy's uncle, his affair with Lucy was never mentioned again.
“Dallas” was notable for its cliffhangers. Throughout the series' run, every season ended with some sort of cliffhanging ending designed to drive ratings up for the season premiere later in the year.
On November 21, 1980, “Who Done It?” episode of “Dallas” that revealed who shot J.R.?, the famous 1980 cliffhanger, was watched by 83 million people in the US and over 300 million worldwide. It was the highest rating for a single episode of a television series in American history until “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” episode of “M*A*S*H” on February 28, 1983.
Several actors including Charlene Tilton and Jim Davis were filmed firing the gun that shot J.R before it was decided who would be the shooter. The gun is on display at the real Southfork Ranch site in Parker, Texas.
The spin-off “Knots Landing” (1979) was created first, but the producers were unable to sell it. They developed this show instead, and when that became a success, and the network asked for a spin-off, they were able to dust off the “Knots Landing” idea.
Jim Davis filmed all his scenes in season four while undergoing chemotherapy until his health declined to the point that it could not be concealed by hairpieces and make-up.
After Jim Davis (Jock Ewing) died, a portrait of him hung above the fireplace at Southfork as a memorial to the actor. When Miss Ellie remarried in 1984, the picture was moved to the Ewing Oil set.
The only cast member to win a Best Acting Emmy was Barbara Bel Geddes, who won Best Female Performance in a Drama Series in 1980. However, Larry Hagman, Jim Davis, and Linda Gray all received Emmy nominations for their performances on the show, and the show itself was nominated three times for Best Drama Series each year from 1979-81.
Miss Ellie had an older brother named Garrison Southworth. Her second son Gary is named after him.
David Ackroyd originally played the role of Gary Ewing for two episodes in 1978, but the role was recast the following year with Ted Shackelford who then moved to the new spin-off series "Knots Landing." Ironically, Ackroyd would have a guest role on "Knots Landing" in 1982.
When Lucy (Charlene Tilton) wed medical student Mitch Cooper (Leigh McCloskey) in a lavish 1981 ceremony it became one of “Dallas’s” most-watched episodes. Twenty-eight million viewers! The couple divorced the following year, but tried again in 1985 with a scaled-down ceremony in the Southfork living room, only to divorce again in 1989.
A prequel story, “Dallas: The Early Years”, was a made-for-TV movie that first aired on March 23, 1986, on CBS during season 9 of the TV series. The movie detailed the origins of the Barnes-Ewing feud and the creation of Ewing Oil, and covered a timespan from 1933 to 1951, the movie was written by series creator David Jacobs.
After guest starring since season 2, Susan Howard joined the main cast during season 5, as Donna Culver Krebbs, politician and widow of a former Texas governor, who becomes Ray's first wife and mother to his daughter Margaret.
The producers of “Knots Landing” were so mad that this show's producers didn't consult with them before their big "Dream Season" reveal that they did not honor it. While Dallas retconned Bobby's death from the finale of the 1984-85 season and the entirety of the following season, “Knots Landing” did not. Bobby's resurrection was simply never addressed or even mentioned on Knots Landing and no further crossover stories between the shows were made.
Priscilla Beaulieu Presley played Bobby's teenage sweetheart Jenna Wade, who gives birth to Bobby's only biological child, Lucas, and eventually becomes Ray's second wife. Jenna had previously been played by Morgan Fairchild for a season 2 episode, and Francine Tacker for two episodes in season 3 before the role was permanently taken over by Presley in season 7.
Donna Reed joined the main cast during season 8, temporarily portraying Miss Ellie until Barbara Bel Geddes returned in the following year.
Although the soap's audience had consistently declined since the "Who Done It" episode of 1980, the series finale of “Dallas”, "Conundrum", garnered 33 million viewers and a 22 household rating from 9 to 11 pm on May 3, 1991, becoming the country's 14th most watched television series finale.
When the show ended in 1991, J. R. was the only character to have appeared in every episode.
Patrick Duffy played Sasha Mitchell's uncle in both this series and “Step by Step” (1991).
There were two made-for-TV reunion movies that aired on CBS several years after the series ended: “Dallas: J.R. Returns” (1996), which resolved the series finale cliffhanger; and the 20th anniversary movie “Dallas: War of the Ewings” (1998).
On 2004, CBS aired a primetime TV special titled “Dallas Reunion: The Return to Southfork”, in which the stars reminisced about their work on the series (by coincidence, actor Howard Keel, who played Clayton Farlow, had died earlier that same day).
In 2010, TNT announced it had ordered a new, updated continuation of “Dallas”, ignoring the events of the two reunion films. The revival series, continuing the story of the Ewing family, premiered on TNT on June 13, 2012, and ran for three seasons, ending its run on September 22, 2014.
During the revival’s second season, J.R. Ewing was killed off (following the death of actor Larry Hagman in November 2012), sparking another "who-done-it" storyline throughout the remainder of the season. Various cast members from the original series attended his onscreen funeral.
J.R. Ewing's hat, a foremost symbol of the show's inherent "Americanness" that contributed to its hold over audiences on a global scale, is currently held in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History's collections.
Some facts are taken from IMDB & Wikipedia.
Don't forget to listen to my fabulous podcast interview with my friend and TV star Charlene Tilton. During our conversation, she shared some fun behind-the-scenes stories of playing Lucy Ewing on the mega-hit 1980s prime-time soap "Dallas" with me, as well as the rest of her incredible career! Click the links below to enjoy!
Episode 85 - HERE
Episode 86 - HERE
