Another actor for Wes Parmalee

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when she fully realized Clayton was really intent on killing him, don't you think at that point she'd decide she better tell the truth?
That may well have been the case - off screen - but to the best of my recollection it was never touched on again.
 

Herofan

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Weren’t the producers originally toying with the idea that Wes would be Jock, at which point, I assume he would have stayed around? At that point, what was the plan? Would he and Ellie have gotten back together? What did they plan to do with Clayton at that point?
 

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Weren’t the producers originally toying with the idea that Wes would be Jock, at which point, I assume he would have stayed around? At that point, what was the plan? Would he and Ellie have gotten back together? What did they plan to do with Clayton at that point?

Yes they were. If you look at the Dream Season, Miss Ellie mentions she felt she had met Ben before.

Ben also says that he has been around Texas a long time but is evasive when Clayton asks him about the Ewings.
 

Luke_Krebbs_Ewing

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If he'd been Jock and Miss Ellie lied about him not being Jock, don't you think as Clayton was leaving to go look for him, she'd have then told the truth so as to avoid Clayton possibly killing Jock and ending up in prison? I'm not sure what the motivation to her would have been to lie about something that serious at all, but when she fully realized Clayton was really intent on killing him, don't you think at that point she'd decide she better tell the truth?

So you still think he wasn't Jock!?!

He didn't take any money from JR, looked at Jeremy Wendell with disgust when he wanted to acquire Ewing Oil from him!

He even tried to win back his wife, Miss Ellie.

Sorry Kenny but Wes Parmalee was Jock Ewing, whether you like it or not.

And anyway as Lucas Krebbs Ewing, I should know who my GrandFather is, so your opinion is invalid! Wes was my GrandPa. I love him so much, Rest In Peace Jock. :(
 
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Luke_Krebbs_Ewing

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I’ve read many different things, including that Ben Stivers would have been Jock. But the powers that be felt that once Patrick Duffy returned as Bobby, two resurrections would be one too many.

Yes that's true. If Patrick Duffy hadn't come back the Ben Stivers character really would've been Jock.

However as I'm Bobby's real son, I can finally reveal conclusively that Wes Parmalee wasn't a conman.

He was my GrandPa. He was Jock Ewing. I love him so much, Rest In Peace.

Jock Ewing2d.jpg
 

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Herofan

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I’ve read many different things, including that Ben Stivers would have been Jock. But the powers that be felt that once Patrick Duffy returned as Bobby, two resurrections would be one too many.

Have you ever read how they planned the storyline to go if he had been Jock? What did they plan to do with Clayton?
 

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I haven’t. But I imagine they would have had Ellie go back and forth for a while, eventually choosing Jock. Maybe Clayton gallantly would have stepped aside. But I remember reading a 10th anniversary article about the show, and Leonard Katzman was lamenting that they could never recapture what they had when Jock was there. I think they liked Howard Keel but were never quite satisfied with the family dynamic with Clayton as the senior male in residence.
 

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I’ve read many different things, including that Ben Stivers would have been Jock. But the powers that be felt that once Patrick Duffy returned as Bobby, two resurrections would be one too many.
That was always my presumption - based on nothing I'll admit.
I think they liked Howard Keel but were never quite satisfied with the family dynamic with Clayton as the senior male in residence.
However tough Clayton tried to be, he was never anyone that the sons were going to fear, in the sense of respect, like their own father.
 

Kenny Coyote

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the powers that be felt that once Patrick Duffy returned as Bobby, two resurrections would be one too many.

One resurrection was too many if you go by the general reaction of the public at the time. It had become a joke. That was still the same actor playing the character. Think how much worse the reaction would have been if not only had they brought a character back after saying he was dead, but also having a different actor in the role. It just compounds the problem.

I remember reading a 10th anniversary article about the show, and Leonard Katzman was lamenting that they could never recapture what they had when Jock was there. I think they liked Howard Keel but were never quite satisfied with the family dynamic with Clayton as the senior male in residence.

I can understand why Katzman would feel that way. Once in a while the right actor comes along for a certain part and it's something that works just right. Jim Davis in the role of Jock was an example of that. Dallas with Jim Davis had a different vibe to it that felt more authentic than what came afterwards. It reminds me of the difference it made to film the show in Texas compared to filming in California. Most American TV shows are filmed in California. Do that and you're just one of the bunch. Being "one of the bunch" isn't exactly flattering. Take a show and film it somewhere else, in or near where the story takes place and it helps make it look distinct and authentic. There are certain roles only one man can portray the right way. I consider Jock Ewing to be one of those roles. I'm sure there are a number of actors who could have portrayed Jock Ewing to varying degrees of success. There was one man who could make that role what it became. That man was Jim Davis.
 

Luke_Krebbs_Ewing

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Apparently there was a backlash from the fan's when it leaked that Steve Forrest would be playing Jock Ewing.

CBS & Lorimar were apparently bombarded with complaints about it. :(
 

Herofan

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However tough Clayton tried to be, he was never anyone that the sons were going to fear, in the sense of respect, like their own father.

True. That is something they were never going to get back with Clayton. I guess Clayton was ok, but it made for a different dynamic. I wonder how it would have been if they had let Ellie stay single like Victoria Barkley?
 

Luke_Krebbs_Ewing

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True. That is something they were never going to get back with Clayton. I guess Clayton was ok, but it made for a different dynamic. I wonder how it would have been if they had let Ellie stay single like Victoria Barkley?

They should've followed through on the storyline & have Steve Forrest properly revealed as Jock.

That was the intention until the backlash made them get cold feet & they tried to reverse the storyline & write the character out. The only problem was that all the evidence supported him being Jock & what they used to write Wes off was only hearsay. There was no proper concrete evidence & the way the character abruptly left was also left ambiguous. Miss Ellie's behaviour at protecting Wes also cast doubt on who exactly Wes was despite her saying that he told he wasn't Jock.

Wes was Jock until the writers reneged on the characters return. As I've said before Steve Forrest had the gravitas & the acting experience to be a very powerful Jock Ewing. Just look at the scene of him berating both JR & Bobby in the offices at Ewing Oil, when they were standing in front of Jim Davis's picture. If he had been revealed as Jock the show would've taken quite a lift with the family dynamic.

It's no exaggeration to say that Dallas lost a great actor & character after Jim Davis passed away. The backlash was a result of fan's belief it was insulting to Jim to bring his character back with another actor. I on the other hand believe it was more of a tribute to him to have Jock come back. The show lost something special when Jim died. Steve could've brought something special to the show too if he had stayed on as Jock. Both actors had a wealth of experience. Whilst I commend the fans for feeling hurt about another actor taking over Jim's role, I still think an opportunity was missed as a result of the backlash. The return of Jock Ewing to Dallas could only have been a good thing for the show & the Ewing dynamic. Such a shame we will never know what could've happened with Jock Ewing back on the show but I do suspect that the writing would've been a lot better in those final four seasons. :(
 

Lastkidpicked

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hmm, has anyone mentioned Jack Palance? He was several years younger than Jim Davis (but older than Steve Forrest) and had the physical presence that Jim had established for the role.
upload_2020-7-1_11-32-30.jpeg


Do any of you remember when Jack Palance won an Oscar at age 73?

He didn't know what to say, so he took two steps away from the podium and at age 73, and in a full suit and tie, did one handed pushups!
 

Jock's Ghost

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Soaps did recasts all the time in those days. Dallas did at least three, Gary, Jenna and Pam. All were solid choices. I liked the Jock returns storyline, although it would have made more impact had Bobby been dead, stayed dead. Jock gets his memories back, returns not as a ranch foreman or some shit as his body would not have healed that fast by then, just as mysterious stranger walks with a limp and talks with a raspy voice. He learned that his son bobby had been killed by an unknown assailant, (we find out later he was murdered by Jeremy Wendell). He passes all the tests and Ray, JR, Gary, Lucy and Miss Ellie believe and accept him as Jock. For the rest of the series, Jock and JR search for ways to prove Wendell killed Bobby....
 

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Do any of you remember when Jack Palance won an Oscar at age 73?

He didn't know what to say, so he took two steps away from the podium and at age 73, and in a full suit and tie, did one handed pushups!
Yeah, I remember. :)
 
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