Happy 43rd Birthday Dallas

[DallasFanForever]

I guess I can see why they left Ray off the credits being just the ranch foreman and not part of the immediate family but Sue Ellen is quite puzzling to me.

 

[Rove]

I guess I can see why they left Ray off the credits being just the ranch foreman and not part of the immediate family but Sue Ellen is quite puzzling to me.

Sue Ellen was never meant to be a major character. She was to stand in the background, stroke JR's earlobe and ask, "Would you like me to freshen your drink dear." But I've never accepted this line over the years. Go back to the original mini series run and both JR and Sue Ellen have prominent screen time.

Still doesn't explain her absence from the opening credits.

 

[darkshadows38]

i think you answered your own statement she was never intended as a big character and wasn't really written as such, sure she had some scenes don't get me wrong but she wasn't a major a character like say Ray for example who had a bigger Role. that's my take on it anyways i dunno if i'm right or not and damn i can't believe the show is 43 years old this year, it started in the Spring and in the late summer early fall September 16th is when i was born

 

[Toni]

 

[retrosonic]

I agree, I dont think that the writers original intent for Ray and Sue Ellen was ever more than perfunctory characters, but when both actors showed their acting chops early on, the writers made good use out of them, especially with Sue Ellen's alcohol problem. With Ray, I think the writers still underused him. He was a swing actor, meaning he could align with anyone politically based on the situation.

 

[darkshadows38]

i agree with Ray you never could figure him out early on but he had a lot more of a character than Sue Ellen did at first and it wasn't really so much the writers but it was Larry Hagman and Linda Gray working it together it was through them working on it that the writers and everyone saw the high potential in their relationship not just the writers

 

[retrosonic]

This is true, and thats a good assessment by darkshadows. With Ray, though, so many different avenues could have been explored but werent. I'm just grateful we got some time with Ray.

 

[darkshadows38]

True and thanks for the nice Compliment i was trying to think from a writers perspective on what works and what doesn't. for me the worst episode from Season 1 is Lucy getting Kidnapped because that one is just so poorly acted that it's painful to watch or was that season 2? i forget i'm going by dvd releases by the way it's just easier for me to do it that way that's all

 

[Billy Wall]

What more could they have done with Ray? I thought they gave him some pretty good storylines.

 

[darkshadows38]

i dunno off the top of my head but i'm sure someone will think of something

 

[Rove]

What more could they have done with Ray? I thought they gave him some pretty good storylines.

I personally would have kept Mickey alive but is confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of his life. I also would have kept Lucy and Mickey together...forever. Firstly I think it would have offered the viewers a different view of Ray and how he helps Mickey to lead a fulfilled life despite his handicap.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I also would’ve liked them to keep Mickey alive and to continue his relationship with Lucy. I think the Mickey Trotter character was a nice addition to the show. His death however was also a very important storyline and affected so many lives. As much as I hated that character being killed off, it was extremely well written.

As for Ray, I think by the time he left the show the character had pretty much run it’s course. I’m not sure what else they could’ve done with him. He had lost Donna for good, married Jenna, sold his ranch, moved to Europe, and got a pretty nice send off scene with the rest of family saying good bye to him after the range war.

 

[retrosonic]

Agreed about Mickey staying on the show...but not in a wheelchair. I think they should have married off Lucy and Mickey and had them be adjunct characters with their own family, and somehow worked Gary and Val into that storyline.

As For Ray, my gosh, there were hundreds of ways they could have gone. Here's one: Ray strikes oil on his property and agonizes over whether to pump the oil and become a millionaire and shove it in JRs face, OR heed to Miss Ellies wishes to never drill on South Fork, even tho Ray, as the owner of his section , is well within his rights to do so.

 

[Karin Schill]

Apparently back in 1980 this is how they promoted Dallas:

Thanks to @Toni for posting this clip on facebook.

 

[darkshadows38]

i wonder what kind of reaction the show would have gotten had they in the show actually acknowledged that Lucy Slept with Ray since they on purpose stopped mentioning it at some point. yeah it would have been nice had they kept Mickey Alive & with Lucy, what changes made with Ray? how about stop whining so much and keep him with Donna it was pretty much if my memory is right his own fault they didn't last. there's a lot of things they could have done better for certain characters it would have really been nice had they had they had one of the brothers have a relationship that had a lasting relationship maybe? and kept them together maybe? some of the characters they killed off too soon as well or not soon enough

 

[Barbara Fan]

Mickey left Dallas as he had a part in a new show called Glitter with Morgan Brittany and David Birney

It lasted 1 season if i recall and was set in an Office about an entertainment magazine

 

[Angela Channing]

If I had to choose my top 5 Dallas scenes they would be:

• Bobby dies surrounded by his family
• Bobby brings baby Christopher to Southfork to confront JR but Pam intercepts him thinking the baby is for her
• Gerald Kane tell Pam and JR paid him to give her false hope that Mark Graison was alive
• Bobby meets Pam in Thanksgiving Square to tell her he thinks they should divorce
• JR picks up John Ross for the first time

 

[darkshadows38]

i dunno what my favorite would as i've never seen the entire show all the way through you know the show a hell of a lot better than i do my friend

 

[Karin Schill]

Found this video on YouTube today that's from 2018. I hadn't seen it before so I thought I'd share it: