SoapDope

Another thing that helped build and and later decline Dallas was the "Who Shot J.R." storyline. Dallas quickly became the most watched show in the world and after all the hoopla was over, they painted themselves into a corner of how to top that cliff hanger. They even repeated it by having Bobby get shot in his office. The series finale was a let down. Charlene Tilton wasn't the best actress, but I would liked to have seen Lucy get even with J.R. in the end with a corporate take over of Ewing Oil. She could have crawled into bed so to speak in her plot with Jeremy Wendell. In another scenario Pamela (who everyone thought dead) was behind a corporate take over. She and Bobby reunite and remarry. When it is revealed she has one upped J.R.....in the final scene J.R. repeats the line from episode 1 in 1978......" Looks like I under estimated the power of new Mrs. Ewing, Well I won't do that again" Freeze Frame ....THE END

Katherine just disappeared. Morgan Brittany said she figured she would be called back to the show, but that was it for her. In the late 80's they should have had a dummy corporation crop up and start purchasing shares of Ewing oil in a plot of a corporate take over. When it is finally revealed, little Lucy (who J.R. thought was a dumb and weak like her father) marches in with her entourage declaring her presidency of Ewing oil. Lucy then would tell J.R. "All those years you thought I was just your silly little niece who was only interested in boys and clothes" I spent years plotting how I would make you pay for things you did" " You took me away from my parents and hurt them time and time again" " Now it's you who is going to hurt" "I'm taking away the only thing you ever loved, Ewing Oil" " Now get the hell out of my office"

After Victoria was left then one by one Susan Howard, Steve Kanaly, Linda Gray, Charlene Tilton, and finally Barbara Bel Geddes were gone. Those final years sucked in my opinion. They had people in the opening credits that viewers could care less about. In the final season they could have had Bobby find Pamela stashed away somewhere abroad by Katherine and rescue her. In the final episode during a Ewing Barbecue with the entire family coming home to attend, Bobby arrives at Southfork with " That Barnes Girl" as in episode 1 circa 1978.

Victoria Principal said after the first 5 years she felt the writing declined and she made plans to leave the series. She gave them advanced notice. David Jacobs said that Bobby became bland and boring when he became the moral compass of the show. Jacobs said Pamela Barnes Ewing should have been the best character he ever created, but with the eventual way she was written she didn't turn out that way. He was also brutally honest that Linda, Victoria, and Charlene weren't terrific actresses, but they played their parts well as written. He said he often had to remind Katzman and others involved with the show.....it all comes back to these 7 characters. Later on the show lost them all but 2 and it slid into the toilet. Kind of like Victor on Y&R......LOL

I liked Victoria as Pam. I stopped caring about the show when she left. Those last seasons of Dallas were dreadful. I only bought the DVD's through Victoria's run. Dallas should have wrapped things up before they started losing the vast majority of original cast members.

I agree with the show wanting to keep Larry & Patrick happy at all times. Leonard Katzman made sure of that at the expense of the women on the show. Katzman battled with Phil Capice during his time on the show and David Jacobs had very little involvement beyond the first couple of seasons. He would sit in on meeting once a season to get the run down of was being done. It became Katzman's baby quickly after the mini series and he ran with it. Jacobs did tell Katzman that the dream idea was stupid when he told him how they were bringing Patrick back. Jacob said he originally planned for Bobby to be sort of a playboy and have no interest in the oil business. Bobby would rather take off with Pam to Hawaii or Vegas etc... and Pam would have to set him straight and settle him down to go to work. Bobby was written to be the moral compass of the show and quickly became boring. Jacobs said Linda Gray was so funny in real life and wish some of that would be incorporated into Sue Ellen, but she was written to have little humor if at all and to be made a perpetual victim. Jacobs also said Pamela Barnes Ewing should have been the best character he ever created for TV, but she was not written that way and became a damaged victim.

The Dallas finale stank. The show was way passed it's expiration date by the late 80's. The loss of Victoria Principal as Pamela was the final nail in the coffee. The writers made several mistakes over the years that really drove the show into the ground. A few of my pet peeves were: * Dragging out Jock Ewing's death and having him die in helicopter crash. I think they should of had him die at Southfork with Miss Ellie at his side or finding him. The writers toyed with viewers that Jock was not dead and did that Wes Parmalee storyline. Jim Davis could not be replaced and viewers balked. *Bringing Bobby back from the dead. Patrick screwed up when he insisted they kill him off the show. Then they brought him back when he couldn't find work in a stunt and erased a whole entire season as a dream. The show became a joke and several other shows like Newhart spoofed it. Victoria Principal caught flack for it as well. * The way they wrote Pamela Barnes Ewing out in a explosive car crash. Then had her run away and recast with a look a like just to kill her off. Katherine also showed up and then disappeared never to be seen again. * Killing off Kristen early in the shows run. Kristen could have driven storyline for years. * What was the point of Jenna ? Seriously ? When she returned in 1983 they started that crap again about Bobby possibly being the father of Charlie. Didn't she already admit he was not in 1978 ? Oh, I guess that didn't count since it was Morgan Fairchild's version. * Everything they did with Lucy was a bust. Lucy & Mitch what was the point of that marriage ?

1978

Look forward to seeing those 1982-1983 SFT episodes. Thanks for finding those.

Patient Wanda is played actress Marie Denn.........she appeared on the Brady Bunch in the episode 'Where's There's Smoke as the Mother of Greg's friend Tommy who wants to have a No Smoking Campaign. She asks Carol to join. Greg get's Tommy's jacket by mistake and it has cigarettes in it. She tells Carol she needs to deal with Greg when in fact it's her own son who's lighting up.

I wonder if Bell meant for viewers to think it was the same 3 women after all those years, but the actresses were recast ? I remember my Mom saying she thought those were the same ones in there with Leslie during Ashley's time in there. That one woman telling Leslie she was pretty and kissing her was surprising for 1974 daytime TV. I would love to see this entire storyline play out. How long was Leslie in there ? Did the creepy orderly get caught with his pants down so to speak ? How long did Leslie go without food before they figured out she was starving ? I know someone posted the Lorie paid Leslie a visit and rubbed it in her face about being mentally sick and no one would believe her about Lorie's role in the mental breakdown. Leslie screamed Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch !!!!!! before the commercial break so the censors wouldn't catch it. I remember when Ashley was there she had to get the nurse to stay in there at one point as she wolfed her food down.

All the patients with Ashley were direct copies of the same ones with Leslie. Even the names of Ruth and her stealing food. When Ashley was first shown with them, My Mom said out loud " Those look like the same ones that were in there with Leslie"

I think the actor playing the orderly is Richard Gates. He had as role on Santa Barbara and appeared in classic shows like Partridge Family, My Three Sons Chips etc...He was also in the classic comedy film The Kentucky Fried Movie in the last segment where the news crew watches him and his girlfriend make love through the TV. Picture from Santa Barbara as Sean Morrisey

Who's playing the orderly in the 1974 scenes ? He looks familiar.

Rarely did Family reference prior stories. They did mention Willie's short lived wife played by Brooke Adams after her death. David Jacobs (Dallas & Knots) wrote those episodes. Doug's affair from decades earlier was brought up on occasion. The woman he cheated with played by Pat Crowley shows up and Kate fears he may cheat again. Linda Lavin guest stars in another episode as woman who set her sights on Doug and Doug flirts with her a bit. The Lawrence marriage was often tested through out the series. Another plot device is the death of the 4th Lawrence child Timmy who drowned 3 or 4 years prior. I really liked Priscilla Morrill as Kate's friend and neighbor Elaine Hogan. Later Morrill was under contract to other series and the role was recast with Louise Latham. It wasn't really the same without Morrill in the role. The Lawrence children could be self centered at times, especially Nancy. Kate had her number and would call her out. Willie was a slacker and loafer with little ambition. Buddy would brood and act out if she felt her world was being turned upside down in any way no matter how minor.

I noticed most of the Family episodes are being uploaded by several people on youtube. All you have to do is search and type in Family Kristy McNichol. This show was pretty ground breaking in the 70's by doing taboo subjects as homosexuality, abortion, child abuse etc...

Thanks .

Thanks for the info. I wonder if his SFT role lasted into early 1982 ?

When did Shawn Stevens role end on Search end ? When did he start on Days ? I read somewhere he was going to be cast in a recurring role on Facts Of Life around this 1981/82 time period, but he just did one guest shot. Stevens walked away from show business in the mid 80's. According to IMDB he resumed his on camera career in 2015 and has about 30 credits listed 2015-present.

That slam about the child actress playing Nola's daughter is sad and hilarious at the same time. It reminds me of how people to this day still make fun of child actor Eric Farlow who played Christopher Ewing on Dallas. They still get on youtube to shred him and refer to him as "Ugly Baby Christopher".

Growing up I watched CBS soaps. I thought ABC soaps were silly and contrived. I remember a friend making fun of Susan Lucci and saying they refused to watch her. Days also looked stupid to me in the 90's, especially when they were getting all this love and fanfare with Marlena's devil possession etc...The soap media thought Days could do no wrong then. Looking at episodes of the 60's and 70's, I can understand what a great show it was, especially under Bill Bell.

1980: The Mike Douglas Show. Linda Gray co-hosts and invites her special guest: Niece Lindsay Wagner.

Yes, she is constantly looking off set to read cue cards. In that Carol Roux interview, she said Audra Lindley was using the teleprompter during scenes. A lot of actors in later years seemed to start phoning it in. David Hasselhoff admitted to using cue cards during his Y&R stint.