It is well known that “Dallas” broke the stereotypes that are common in American television series. To begin, it featured a reoccurring motif in which viewers could observe the development of each character despite the fact that they were all imperfect. The show first aired in 1978 with the intention of being a short-run miniseries; but, due to the show’s unexpectedly high ratings, it was decided to continue airing beyond the first five episodes. The television show aired for a total of 357 episodes over the course of 14 seasons until it was cancelled in May of 1991.
“Dallas” centered on the life of the rich but generally unfriendly Ewing family, who owned a cattle ranch and an oil firm named Ewing Oil. The Ewings were the primary antagonists on the show. The conflict between the Ewing family and their lifelong adversaries, the Barnes family, was the primary subject of the first season of the series.
Later on, the series shifted its attention to JR Ewing, the dishonest and deceitful older son of the Ewing family, whose ruthlessness finally became the show’s defining characteristic. “Dallas” was awarded four Emmys and helped launch the careers of its cast members.
Jim Davis, Barbara Bel Geddes, Larry Hagman, Victoria Principal, Patrick Duffy, Charlene Tilton, Linda Gray, Steve Kanaly, Audrey Landers, Joan Van Ark, Sheree Wilson, and Cathy Powell are some of the notable actors that appeared in the groundbreaking production. In addition, the show spawned a spin-off called “Knots Landing,” which aired for a total of 16 seasons between 1979 and 1993, and a revival series that aired for three seasons beginning in 2012.
At Oscar’s in Palm Springs, California, on July 4, 2023, some members of the cast of “Dallas” got together in preparation for the show’s 45th anniversary the following year. There they talked about some of their best mementos from the show and their memories of Hagman. Keep reading to find out what else they had to say about it.
The majority of the original cast members from the television program “Dallas” went on to pursue acting careers following their time on the show. After the conclusion of the program, Bel Geddes, who had previously portrayed the matriarch of the Ewing family and had been awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Actress, decided to retire from the acting profession.
Before his death, Hagman worked on other small and big screen projects, but his role in “Dallas” remained at the forefront of his acting career before he died in 2012 due to complications from cancer. The films “Orleans,” “Fail-Safe,” “The Eagle Has Landed,” “Getting Away from It All,” and “Intimate Strangers” all featured Hagman in a starring or supporting role. In addition, he played the same character in the new version of “Dallas” that debuted in 2012.
Gray’s performance in “Dallas” earned her three nominations for various awards, including an Emmy and two Golden Globes, both of which she won. In 1991, the actress collaborated with Sylvester Stallone on the film “Oscar.” In addition to this, she appeared in the films “Models Inc.,” “Moment of Truth: Why My Daughter?,” and “Accidental Meeting,” and she also performed on Broadway. Gray also appeared in the remade version of “Dallas” that was released in 2012.
Since the original “Dallas” ended, Duffy has starred in many roles, including “Step by Step,” which ran from 1991 to 1998. In addition to that, you may have seen him in episodes of “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “You Again,” “Dallas” (2012), or “Lady of the Manor.”
The role of J.R.’s niece, Lucy Ewing, was given to Tilton to play on “Dallas.” Lucy harbored resentment at J.R. as a result of his role in forcing her parents to move out of the family home. After being cast in “Dallas,” Tilton had a guest appearance in an episode of the spin-off series “Knots Landing.” Since then, she has starred or made guest appearances in a number of other on-screen ventures, including “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “Fantasy Island,” “The Love Boat,” “Border Shootout,” and “Problem Child 2.”
At Oscar’s in Palm Springs, California, on July 4, 2023, six of the “Dallas” cast members got together in anticipation of the show’s 45th anniversary. These cast members were Landers, Tilton, Van Ark, Gray, and Kanaly. There, they reminisced about a variety of touching and famous scenes that occurred during the filming of the long-running series. One of these occasions was the tossing of an unknown 25-year-old Brad Pitt into the water.
Additionally, the group reflected on the life of the late Hagman, whom they described as the glue that kept the group together. Duffy said of the late actor: “Well, we’re here because of Hagman. That was the contribution that he made to the presentation.
Gray shared his observation that “He kept everyone together, everyone happy, and everyone engaged.” Duffy continued by saying, “And because of his popularity, all of our boats rose with the tide, and you know, and we got to ride with him.” Therefore, we are in great need of him.
The members of the cast continued their reminiscences by discussing the iconic “Who Shot J.R.?” scene as well as the subsequent uproar in Europe over the identity of the shooter. The fans had to wait for a total of eight months to find out. They said that each of them was responsible for the shooting of J.R. since the writers of the show had not yet chosen who should pull the trigger at the conclusion of the third season.
Everyone has something critical to say about J.R. I mean, I ended up shooting J.R. J.R. may have been shot by Linda. “Jim Davis was the one who shot him,” Duffy said.
A further comment was made by Audrey Landers, who said, “And when it came out in the United States, I was recording in Europe, and they were a year behind in the episodes, and they kept asking me because there was no social media.” Kanaly divulged the following information: “Yeah, and people in Vegas and Europe were placing bets on it.” People would phone me up and say things like, “You’ve got to tell me because I’ve got to put a lot of money on this.” I was unaware of it.”