I was a big Dallas watcher when I was a kid, though I didn't know what was going on as a 7 year old when the show debuted in 1978.
I must admit, I was not a rabid fan of the show as such a young age, When the shows began airing on Soapnet in the early 2000's I became hooked when everything of course made sense as an adult now.
It was like discovering the show for the first time. I am still amazed how good the show really is, particularly seasons 1-12.
After years of watching Dallas and becoming hooked on it, I wanted to see everything. The movies I will talk about below, I was not even aware of existing until this DVDset came out in 2011.
J.R. Returns from 1996, The War of the Ewings from 1998, and The Early Years from back in 1986 are all worthy of watching at least one time.
The Early Years turned out to be a real surprise, considering none of the original cast appear. More on that below.
Should you purchase the complete Dallas DVD set or buy the sets individually?
Personally I purchased every one of these sets individually, had this complete set been available I could have saved a lot of Money.
When I started buying these sets, I purchased the first 5 seasons all at once, then eventually every 6 month or so the next season would be released on DVD
These sets when released new, were nearly 30 dollars a piece, so 1-14 and the Movie Collection probably cost me $450.00 total.
This set can be had with free shipping for less than half of that, but who knows how long it will be available like this?
If you own a few of the season already, you could get this mega set and sell the ones you have, I bet if the condition is above average on your discs, you could get 10-15 dollars a piece for yours.
I also have a hunch that the the later seasons will be tougher to find individually as the years go by, I don't believe these years, especially the final 2 season are viewed as important as other seasons.
I would not be surprised if those, and the movie collection are removed from production, and you can bet that if they become scarce, the secondary market will have a large increase in price. Get them now while you can.
On the lighter side of the Who Shot J.R. Phenomenon was something from the Summer of 1980 that was everywhere, and perhaps over-saturated in the news.
Could you imagine the hype of Who Shot J.R. in the Twitter age?
I was only 8 years old that summer, but my mother, who was a huge fan of the show was captivated by it. I remember her and grandma constantly talking about the show and the phenomena.
Bumper stickers, and t-shirts, and even a hit song were made out of Who Shot J.R. by a later famous comedic radio personality Gary Burbank, who was best known for a 25 year run on the 50,000 watt radio station 700 WLW out of Cincinnati Ohio.
Dallas is a TV show that aired on CBS from 1978-1991:
This 30 year reunion with the cast at Southfork is wonderful in how it reflects the genuine love and affection the cast had and still have for each other.
For me the filmed dinner sequence is the most revealing thing on the DVD. The cast are casual acting, and refreshingly off guard, letting their hair down as it were.
The fact that Susan Howard, who played Donna Krebs, and Sheree J. Wilson, who played April Stevens-Ewing are along for this reunion is a very special treat. Susan Howard especially, as she is not seen on screen hardly at all anymore.
You also get to meet many of the casts family members, like the Late Larry Hagman’s Wife Maj, you’ll see family from Audrey Landers, Patrick Duffy, and many more.
It’s ultra cool that they allow you into that private part of their lives. Again: that dinner table sequence is really really good. There have been a few complaints about the production being a little cheap, especially the sound quality.
I had no issues in that regard, I heard the actors loud and clear. If you love Dallas, and want to eavesdrop on these people who have a strong kinship with one another, you’ll need this double DVD.
Excitement ruled when a new Dallas series was announced:
Rumors flew for years that there would be a motion picture based on the Dallas the TV series that ran on CBS from 1978-1991.
Then as quickly as a new ideas for the project came, all the chatter stopped. People had wondered was it to be a drama or a comedy, would John Travolta be J.R.? Most fans were relieved when the show was not ultimately lampooned in movie form.
Then, finally word came down about a pilot pitch for a continuation of the original Dallas series, this was like a dream come true for fans.
A series that continued the legacy of Dallas based on the off-spring of the Ewing brothers Bobby, JR, and their arch nemeses Cliff Barnes was simply all we could ask for. Then finding out that a good portion of the surviving cast would be a part of it was thrilling to say the least.
The fans, including myself were ecstatic and energized to talk the show up. Though that optimism was taken with an attitude of, "it's better than nothing, hopefully it works out". The prevailing attitude was positive, this Dallas just might work out. Well what happened then, why was the show cancelled after season 3?
What went wrong with the TNT Dallas?
As it turned out, my worst fears were realized, they didn't focus on the original cast enough. They did do more of that than I initially thought they would when I heard about the project, but after JR (Larry Hagman) passed away during season 2, I felt as if the classic show and cast were all but forgotten.
This version of Dallas had something most new shows don't have, a built-in, almost promised viewership. The challenge is building a new fan base, and building an audience that grows, while keeping those original series fans on board. I don't believe they really did either one, they obviously did not build enough of a new audience, and as stated, the loyal cult following of the show were starting to get irritated.
I thought the winning formula for this show was to focus on the original cast more when it was obvious that new viewers were not jumping on board.
Season 3 had Patrick Duffy's Bobby Ewing all but pushed aside, and even his son Christopher (Jesse Metcalf), "who they may have killed off at the end of the last season" was barely used at all. More Cliff Barnes would have been nice as well, Cliff was an afterthought in season 3.
The irony is this: As ratings plummeted, and people complained about that preposterous drug cartel angle the show found its self wading through during season 3; John Ross (Josh Henderson) really grew into the JR's son roll. The more he acted like his daddy JR the better. I was seeing a real chance for a great show for season 4.
Season 3's ratings were horrific though, and quite frankly gave TNT no choice but to cancel. I am selfish about Dallas, I like the entire lexicon, I wish the TNT show was better than it was.
I wish they could have at least allowed for a cliffhanger payoff in a TV movie or something? TNT lost me as a viewer, pretty disrespectful. I won't watch the station any longer, not that I would much as it is. I don't think I have ever watched anything else regularly on that station anyway, but I know I am focused now on not watching TNT.
I would have have watched the new Dallas no matter what, and millions of others were like me... but when you lose audience, including many old fans that tuned in for the old cast as the main reason, that does not leave much hope going forward. In the end, I just think the show should have went with the original cast more and seen what happened.
I bet Dallas will pop up again down the road, all it takes is a new generation of fans to get hooked the way I did with a cable network, or an online streaming service running a week-long Dallas marathon. Before you know it, Dallas will have a whole new crop of hungry fans wanting to see what crooked deals and bed hopping is going on.
The Final ending scenes from the Dallas TNT series, and perhaps last scene ever of Dallas?
With the passing of Larry Hagman (1931-2012) and the modest success of the new Dallas TNT series.
I was struck how J.R. once again stole the show. I can't understand why he never won an Emmy award for his portrayal of JR Ewing?
I don't think any character outside of Carrol O'Conner's Archie Bunker, or James Gandolfini's Tony Soprano can match the complete immersion into the character that Larry Hagman achieved.
Larry didn't run from it, he embraced the JR character, wearing outfits looking the part in public the rest of his life.
I always respected the fact that Larry was married to the same woman Maj for nearly 60 years, a real rarity in Hollywood. Reportedly Larry was the complete opposite of J.R. as a man.
I have a hard time believing that Larry wouldn't have been worthy of at least one Emmy Award.
I will concede, that some of the later seasons, especially after Victoria Principal left the show were a little over the top even by Dallas standards. From season 3 through 8, Larry Hagman was the straw that stirred the drink on Dallas, his acting was as good as anyone's on TV at the time.
Larry's acting during season 5, when JR's father Jock Ewing (Jim Davis) died is stupendous. Larry shows a depth and vulnerability that gave insight into the human side of the crooked Dallas oil man.
From season 5 on, the JR character almost becomes a sympathetic character, sort of the way Tony Soprano or Vic Mackey of The Shield are likable.
The secret being that despite the horrendous things they do, they still have a moral code of sorts, a code that they invent to suit their needs, but still a code. You know these guys are bad, but they do love their families and they do have some sort of moral code, even if that moral code is warped and full of hypocrisy.
J.R. bases everything in his life on pleasing his Daddy. Long after Jock's death, everything, including his relationship with his son John Ross is based on making his father proud that John Ross is living on the ranch etc...
Everything that J.R. does with Ewing Oil is only to make his daddy proud, his relationship with his brothers is defined on whether or not Jock would be proud of them too.
Hagman brings out this complexity in the character, especially when J.R. gets himself into another jackpot of some kind. Larry should have won an Emmy award just for that devilish grin, it soon became J.R.'s trademark.
Barbara Bel Geddes, for her portrayal of Miss Ellie Ewing was the only actor to win an Emmy award for the show, deserving without a doubt, but Larry Hagman was the fabric of the show and his performance was timeless.
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On the lighter side of the Who Shot J.R. Phenomenon was something from the Summer of 1980 that was everywhere, and perhaps over-saturated in the news.
