Desert Sun, Number 278, 25 June 1985New Ewing is heir apparent to ‘Dallas’ good guy role
By JERRY BUCK AP Television Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Dack Rambo. the latest Ewing to turn up on CBS’ “Dallas,” is the heir apparent to the good guy role vacated by Patrick Duffy. Duffy quit the show after seven seasons and his character. Bobby Ewing, was killed in the last show of the season. Rambo was in the last five shows, playing Jack Ewing, a cousin to Bobby and J.R. Ewing, the slippery oilman played to perfection by Larry Ragman “Hopefully, Jack was brought in to fill the good guy role, although in the beginning we re not sure where he stands,” Rambo says. “I think that’s essentially what it’ll be because there’s only one villain, and that’s Larry Hagman. “It’ll be a nice change for me. On 'All My Children’ I was a ruthless character. On Paper Dolls' I was evil Wesley Harper. Lloyd Bridges played my father, the head of the empire. He had everything and 1 wanted it all. I’d stop at nothing to get Papa out of the way. Unfortunately, the show wasn't given enough of a chance to find an audience.”
At first it was suggested that Rambo take over the Bobby Ewing role, but that was considered a risky thing “It would have been difficult for people to accept someone else in that role,” he says. “Patrick has a large following.” The woods seem to be full of Ewings Jenny Lee Harrison has also joined the show as his sister, Jamie She is married to Cliff Barnes, the Ewings' archenemy. “They just got married, but I don’t know how happy they’ll be,” Rambo says Jack and Jamie are the children of Jason, a brother to Jock Ewing. Jason never appeared on “Dallas' but was occasionally mentioned His death was announced early last season He was the partner of Digger Barnes, the father of Cliff.
Although Jack is essentially a hero, he has a mysterious past and five years of his life are unaccounted for “Dallas” will begin its eighth season in September. Actress Barbara Bel Geddes will resume her role as Miss Ellie, which was played by Donna Reed during her illness. The ninth episode in the fall will mark the 200th episode and there is talk of doing a “Dallas” special at that time. Rambo was a sort of a modern day Zorro in “Sword of Justice” in 1978-79. That was the year “Dallas” made its debut. "Larry Hagman came over and did a guest shot on the pilot,” he says. “He told me he’d recently done four or five shows for 'Dallas.' He said he didn’t expect anything to come of it. He was already back doing other things.” Earlier, Rambo was a cowboy searching for his father in “The Guns of Will Sonnett.” Walter Brennan played his grandfather on the show, which was on two years from 1967-69. Rambo's first series came in 1962 when he was a teen-ager He and his twin brother, Dirk, played Loretta Youngs twin sons on “The New Loretta Young Show" in 1962. His brother was later killed in an automobile accident that left Dack emotionally scarred for many years. The twins, who lived on a farm in central California, were staying with an aunt in Los Angeles when Miss Young saw them in church. “Little did we know that entering that church was going to change our lives,” he says. “She came up to us after Mass and said she was doing a series and needed twins.” His real name of Rambeau was shortened to Rambo and his first name Norman gave way to his nickname, Dack
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