Dallas: Discussion Thread

[All My Shadows]

I toured Southfork last month, and the tour guide very candidly said that Victoria was the only cast member that the long-serving staff there personally could not stand to deal with. Each room of the house is devoted to a main Ewing character, but Pam is the only one missing - tour guide said it was because Victoria would not approve of her image being used in the house. Not sure how true that is, given that there were full cast pictures throughout the estate/museum.

She spoke fondly about everyone else, but she did acknowledge Larry was an alcoholic, and you either surfed those waves with him or you didn't. Patrick and Charlene seem to have been the real favorites over the years. Charlene's daughter was married on the ranch a while back.

[FrenchBug82]

Yeah I believe all that has been said about the dynamic of VP being outspoken about certain things and not interested in socializing having to do with why she was an island by herself within the cast, but I am pretty sure there must have been more to it in her behavior to explain why she was intensely disliked the way she was.
It is hard to gauge without specific anecdotes though and it is interesting how few specifics have leaked over the years (vs for instance some of the stories we heard from Dynasty or Falcon Crest)

 

[te.]

Pretty much - there are a lot of stories about Patrick and Larry playing "pranks" on set and while it makes for cute stories, I could imagine it getting tired really quick especially after filming for ten hours.

[will81]

I get the feeling VP had no f*cks to give and didn't care if people liked her or not. She wasn't there to make friends. She had been an agent and knew the business well enough to know not to get swallowed up by it. She had her own trajectory in her mind and wasn't about to be sidetracked by anyone or anything. 

Also I don't think she was mean or nasty, maybe straight forward or abrasive. Which might be why there are no real stories.

Edited August 20, 2021 by will81

[SoapDope]

I agree. Some people do treat their jobs as an extension of their social life. I like joking around and cutting up, but when you watch those behind the scenes reels, I can see how it would get old quickly. Trying to do scenes take after take and move on and having them screwed up because your scene partner needs to make a funny.  I'm kind of surpised they got any work done with Larry and Patrick constant antics. 

As for Victoria, I can't make a judgment myself about what she was like behind the scenes, but the other actors tread on egg shells when she is brought up. 

Edited August 20, 2021 by SoapDope

[DRW50]

As someone here  (I think) mentioned a while back, Victoria used to tell people that the expensive artwork in her home was paid for by Joan Rivers. 

I remember when Behind the Music did a feature on Andy Gibb. Victoria was interviewed, talking about how she just couldn't stay with him anymore because of the drugs. She was in tears. It was upsetting to me at the time because it felt much more real than those canned pieces often do.

[j swift]

It is ironic that women like Suzanne Sommers and Farrah Fawcett got some retroactive justice when the public realized that they were just fighting for equal pay.  But, Victoria must have been a real pain the butt to never get that kind of redemption. 

Edited August 20, 2021 by j swift

[SoapDope]

After the Behind The Music aired, Victoria appeared on Donny & Marie's late 90's talk show. Marie who had dated Andy early on told Victoria she thought Victoria was the best thing that ever happened to Andy. Victoria said she just let the public crucify her for years, but when the documentary was done, she decided to speak her peace once and for all about what really happened. 

[Paul Raven]

Variety reported in Dec 77 that CBS had placed an order for Dallas starring Linda Evans.

Has anyone ever heard of Linda's involvement?

Linda had recently had a shortlived CBS series 'Hunter' so maybe they were interested in working with her again.

[Chris 2]

Yes, it was originally developed with Linda in mind - Barbara Curran reported on this in her book.

[DRW50]

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[Chris B]

I think it's because Victoria really left the industry so there wasn't much room for a redemption story. With her I always took it as she was someone who went to work, clocked out and lived her life. I've heard of many actors like that and they always get viewed negatively by the cast, but isn't that what so many of us do in our real lives? There's this expectation that every cast must be a big family and close friends, but sometimes it's just a job for you. We don't know the day to day and what everybody's personalities are really like. I never have believed she's a bad person in any way, or difficult. If Larry Hagman was allowed to do the things we know he did on that set, you can't convince me that Victoria, or any other woman had any power on this show. Look how they were all discarded.

[DRW50]

 

[Soapsuds]

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[Bill Bauer]

 

I did the tour as well. What struck me most was how tiny the area where they had the Ewing Barbecues was in real life. It seemed like a much bigger area on screen.