Dallas: Discussion Thread

[kalbir]

Victoria Principal left Spring 1987. Linda Gray left Spring 1989.

[j swift]

I think they mean post-surgery Pam, after VP had already left

[Khan]

Well, like I always say, if you didn't make more than a few questionable fashion statements in the '80's, then you really weren't there.

[j swift]

I still enjoy the fantasy that is what she wears for breakfast by the pool at home.

“let's see, Ellie and Clayton are drinking coffee, so I'll throw on this leather fringed dress with matching shoes and earrings, just keepin' it casual”

And kudos to Linda Grey for pulling off some terrible expository dialogue in that scene.  They're talking about Pam abandoning the family.  And Miss Ellie says it will be rough on Christopher.  Then, Clayton tells Sue Ellen that she has a special role to play in Christopher's life.  And Sue Ellen says, “yes, because I am his real aunt, as Kristin's sister, Christopher's real mother.” As if it is perfectly natural to state the obvious to your mother-in-law and her husband.

Edited May 11 by j swift

[Soapsuds]

 I enjoyed watching it!

 

This is from the 1987-1988 season. 

[Soapsuds]

The two Miss Ellie's

 

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[GLATWT88]

Ha! I love this

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[kalbir]

Do you think recasting Miss Ellie played a part in Dallas losing #1 in 1984/85?

Barbara Bel Geddes health issues are documented (heart condition and death from lung cancer) but I wonder if her 1984 departure might have been a contract negotiation that went wrong. Her 1990 departure was reported as retirement due to health, but I say salary dump. Yes, Barbara didn't act again after 1990 but if we go by the timeline of her final Dallas episode she lived another 15 years.

[Khan]

Definitely!  Donna Reed's Miss Ellie might have dressed better, but....

[kalbir]

Dallas got more glamorous in 1984/85 in an attempt to compete w/ Dynasty.

Miss Ellie was not meant to be a glamorous character even though she was a wealthy matriarch. Her roots were that of a rancher's daughter and that was reflected in her original styling.

Edited Monday at 11:17 PM by kalbir

[Chris 2]

Barbara Bel Geddes’ departures from the show were both due to financial issues. Her first departure came nearly a year after her heart attack and bypass surgery. She wanted a shorter work week and more money. Her representative kept pushing and the producers finally walked away from the negotiation table and hired Donna Reed.

For the last season, she was only offered a deal for four episodes. She declined it and retired. Howard Keel accepted the deal and Clayton showed up in those four episodes while Ellie stayed in Europe.

[Vee]

Didn't Larry Hagman intercede on BBG's behalf in the end, or was that his own mythology?

[Soapsuds]

No

I just think Dynasty hit its peak that year. Dynasty never hit the monstrous numbers Dallas did in its prime.

Even the cliffhanger for 84/85 peaked at 31.1 rating when Katherine ran over Bobby in her car. The death scene at the end had a 30.5 rating.

Dynasty only peaked in the 28s to the resolution of the wedding.

Even Bobby's return for the 86/87 premiere episode peaked at 27.1 rating.

[Broderick]

Vee, my recollection is that Larry said (after the fact) that he believed he could've secured Barbara Bel Geddes the deal she was seeking during her first exit, if she'd asked for his influence.  He basically said, "She let her agent negotiate for her, and he ended up costing her a job."  She evidently wanted more time off, the same salary, and a reprieve from taping in Dallas during the hottest months of the summer (July and August).  Her agent laid-out her demands, and Lorimar said, "We're not interested."  Larry Hagman thought if he'd talked to Lorimar on BBG's behalf, she would've gotten what she asked for.  

Jim Davis and Barbara Bel Geddes might not have been the "stars of the show" -- more likely supporting players -- but they were both, without a doubt, the backbone of the show.  They gave the show an air of authenticity.  They LOOKED like a weather-beaten wildcatter who'd married the daughter of a Depression-era rancher.  With both of them gone, the show looked "fake" to me.     

[Vee]

I remember that now, yes. Thanks for the clarification, I had a feeling it was not quite the case.