Dallas: Discussion Thread

[I Am A Swede]

It's always nice to see them use the front door on Southfork. We rarely saw them do that, and when they did it added a bit of grandeur to the place instead of the back entrance they usually used.

[kalbir]

Larry Hagman was 47 in 1978 and 60 in 1991. It's well known that he was a heavy drinker and his later health issues are documented.

 

Ken Kercheval was 43 in 1978 and 56 in 1991. It's also documented that he was a heavy smoker and had lung cancer in the 1990s.

[te.]

I'll never stop laughing at Lucy talking about how hot Cliff was.

 

He always looked like a rat (which was perfectly in character).

[SoapDope]

I never stop laughing at Lucy wearing 6 or 7 inch heels trying to appear taller. 

[Paul Raven]

Well she did have sex with Ray, so her taste in men is questionable...

[SoapDope]

Steve Kanaly looked like he could be a brother to Tony Dow. Surprisingly I found photos of them together in Google images at events and hanging out in the 80's.

[SoapDope]

Found this new 2 part interview with Steve Kanaly. He is honest about is time on Dallas and the crappy way he was let go from the show. I noticed anytime a cast member is asked about Victoria they kind of dance around the subject with an evasive answer and they quickly move on......was she difficult or just aloof in her own bubble ?

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[kalbir]

Steve Kanaly was the only long-time (as in part of the original cast or introduced during the first two seasons) male cast member across all three CBS primetime soaps that got salary dumped. I've pointed this out before but when the CBS primetime soaps were in budget mode, it was mostly the long-time female cast members that got salary dumped.

He mentions Linda Gray was let go the same time he was, but I always thought Linda left Spring 1989 by her own choice. Linda wrote in her book that when her contract was up she chose not to renew and just walked away.

Edited May 9, 2024 by kalbir

[Khan]

She might've written that in order to save face.  "I walked away" sounds better in that context than "I was pushed out."

[kalbir]

True. Then again every Linda Gray article/interview I've come across over the years has always said that she left by her own choice. 

I don't know if it was the 1985 or 1990 departure, but Charlene Tilton once said that Lorimar wanted her to say that she left by her own choice but she wasn't down for that and said she was fired. I believe the 1990 departure was reported as lack of storyline but I say salary dump.

[Khan]

I agree - and I would add "going after younger demographics," because it seems like, in just about every case, a veteran actress was getting replaced by another actress who was younger, less experienced and cheaper.

Edited May 9, 2024 by Khan

[kalbir]

I never thought of the demographics angle, considering CBS has always skewed older.

[Melroser]

I could see CBS being the one to push Linda Gray out. Considering how prominent she was in the follow-up movies, as well as the reboot, she must have still enjoyed portraying the character. It's hard to say, though. Maybe she just wanted a break after a long-run.

[Khan]

That is totally possible.  But I have to think that the longer a show runs, the more expensive it becomes to produce that show; and the more expensive a show becomes to produce, the more vulnerable the older/veteran cast members whose paychecks get heftier with each season become as well.  So that, in cases like Linda Gray's, even if she just needed or wanted a break from playing Sue Ellen and the opportunity to take on new roles, she also probably knew or at least sensed that the suits at CBS and Lorimar weren't going to fight as hard to hold onto her than they might've in the past.

[j swift]

I blame the costuming, I just watched this scene on Dallas's TikTok channel, and the dress with matching earrings would be enough for me to quit, if only to maintain my self-esteem

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Is this Sue Ellen's final season? Because they're discussing Pam in hospital, not letting anyone see her.

I also re-watched her final scene.  It has some fun banter with JR.  But, the whole movie conspiracy seems hollow.  Because if she held it in a vault for years, how could she be assured anyone would distribute it, let alone see it.

Edited May 10, 2024 by j swift