If Jock Had Outlived Miss Ellie

Kenny Coyote

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Think about how it would have changed Dallas if Jock had outlived Miss Ellie. Suppose Jim Davis had been healthy and had lived a lot longer, while Barbara Bel Geddes, for whatever reason had been suddenly unable to continue working as an actress. Just like with Jock, they would have been unable to film any type of farewell scene with Miss Ellie.

If Jock had been left as the only parent of JR, Gary, Ray and Bobby, it would have been very interesting to see just how much that would have changed the overall course of the show. I think it might have even made Dallas better.

Jock was integral to Ewing Oil. He owned it, he built it, and he had been preparing his sons to be able to run it. He never had enough time to teach his sons all the things that they needed to learn. If Jock lived, would Jock have been able to teach JR “to leave a man some dignity”? Would he have been able to teach JR “when to stop”? Would he have found a way to get JR to understand that it was important to learn the art of subtlety “because the lack of it turns competitors into enemies and enemies into fanatics”?

What would have been the consequences to JR if he’d proved to be unteachable? Would Jock have decided he had no choice but to leave the majority share of Ewing Oil to Bobby? How would Jock have justified leaving Ewing Oil to JR if JR had been unable to learn these vital concepts?

Maybe JR does learn these things and then understands why it was so important to learn them. One reason is that if he doesn’t learn those things, the rest of the oil community will eventually decide that they won’t do business with him. The cartel would stop including JR in their deals. Does JR react by trying to appease the cartel or by attacking the cartel?

If Jock leaves all of Ewing Oil to Bobby, then what would JR do? If he couldn’t convince Bobby to let him work with him, would JR then start a new company and attack Ewing Oil?

Just as Ewing Oil was Jock’s main thing, Southfork was Miss Ellie’s big thing. The thing is, Southfork doesn’t figure into nearly as many storylines as Ewing Oil. It’s just not as integral to the storylines. Had Jock been around for longer, seeing Jock confront Jeremy Wendell about his threat to Ewing Oil would have been priceless.

The other thing that would have been very different is the Ewings were such a stronger family with Jock. There would have been no such thing as Rebecca walking into Southfork to threaten them. Jock would have laughed at the idea of her threatening him. What’s even funnier is the idea of Rebecca telling Jock that because Cliff tried to kill himself, he should remove JR as president of Ewing Oil. That wouldn’t have gone well for Rebecca.
 

Swami

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Jock would have taken care of Wendell in a matter of minutes.

In addition, can you imagine Cliff & the cartel boys arriving at Southfork as they did complaining about JR's cut-price service stations if Jock had been there? Again it would have sorted immediately.

Swami
 

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Jock would have taken care of Wendell in a matter of minutes.
Not true at all. Even the Ewing brothers eliminating Wendell was totally unconvincing and forced.
 

Michelle Stevens

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The whole dynamic of Dallas would have been different if Jock outlived Miss Ellie. I think a part of the allure of Jock is that we only had him for about four full seasons and only two of those when Jim Davis was healthy. No doubt the writers would try to find a new spouse for him as they did for Miss Ellie. I do think he would have gotten bad stories along the way which would have diminished his legacy. It would have been interesting how Gary would fit in with his mother gone ... even living in California. I do think it may have, in a way, lessened JR's role as we knew it from '82-'91, having to please his "Daddy".
 

Herofan

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I do think he would have gotten bad stories along the way which would have diminished his legacy. .

That’s a very good point. We got to see him during some of the best years of Dallas, and that’s how we remember him. If he had stayed around the entire run, I’m sure he would have been involved in some weak storylines that might have changed his persona; J.R. wasn’t the same Jr in the last seasons as he was in the earlier seasons.
 

Kenny Coyote

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I think that storyline was slightly rushed in that it came about as a result of William Smithers' contract not being renewed.

Swami

Typical of that time period isn't is? Hurry up and terminate William Smithers' contract so we can free up the cash to bring aboard future stars like J. Eddie Peck, Sasha Mitchell, Beth Toussaint, Jeri Galle, Sasha Mitchell and Kimberly Foster.

Thank God they at least had the sense (or maybe just the luck) to hire Sheree J. Wilson who saved the seasons she was in with her youthful exuberance, charm, beauty and an unparalleled enthusiasm for life.
 

Toni

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Typical of that time period isn't is? Hurry up and terminate William Smithers' contract so we can free up the cash to bring aboard future stars like J. Eddie Peck, Sasha Mitchell, Beth Toussaint, Jeri Galle, Sasha Mitchell and Kimberly Foster.

Thank God they at least had the sense (or maybe just the luck) to hire Sheree J. Wilson who saved the seasons she was in with her youthful exuberance, charm, beauty and an unparalleled enthusiasm for life.

 

Luke_Krebbs_Ewing

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It was a shame we lost Jock so soon into the show's run & I can understand the backlash in 1986 when it was leaked that Steve Forrest would be playing Jock Ewing in the new series.

Jim Davis left an indelible presence in those early seasons.

I'm currently re-watching Dallas right from the start and am on season two.

I cried at Home Again last night when Miss Ellie get's reunited with her supposedly dead brother Garrison.

The man came home to die, to be with his family but both Jock & JR naturally assumed that he came back to claim Southfork.

Who knows how Dallas would've turned out if Jim hadn't been diagnosed with multiple myeloma. His death bereft the show of the founder of Ewing Oil & sadly halted any more confrontations between Jock & Digger. May he Rest In Peace. :(

jim davis.jpg
 

Swami

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Typical of that time period isn't is? Hurry up and terminate William Smithers' contract so we can free up the cash to bring aboard future stars like J. Eddie Peck, Sasha Mitchell, Beth Toussaint, Jeri Galle, Sasha Mitchell and Kimberly Foster.

Thank God they at least had the sense (or maybe just the luck) to hire Sheree J. Wilson who saved the seasons she was in with her youthful exuberance, charm, beauty and an unparalleled enthusiasm for life.

It boggles the mind spending money on some of those snollygosters you mentioned.

Swami
 

Gold Canyon 340

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Something very interesting to ponder, Kenny! Hmm, I wonder if Jock would have married again, like Miss Ellie did. Of course, he'd probably go for a much younger woman. Which barracuda might want to sink her teeth in the Ewing riches by putting a ring on Jock's finger?? Leslie Stewart? Marilee Stone?? Jenna?! :loon: Of course, I jest.... but then again, she was dating that much older politician when we met her in her Morgan Fairchild incarnation... Hmm
 

Kenny Coyote

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It boggles the mind spending money on some of those snollygosters you mentioned.

Swami

They had all the money that they were going to save from not having to pay Victoria Prinicpal's salary but they couldn't afford to at last keep William Smithers? To me, Wendell was the most legitimate threat to the Ewings and was needed badly after Cliff gave up the fight.
 

Kenny Coyote

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Something very interesting to ponder, Kenny! Hmm, I wonder if Jock would have married again, like Miss Ellie did. Of course, he'd probably go for a much younger woman. Which barracuda might want to sink her teeth in the Ewing riches by putting a ring on Jock's finger?? Leslie Stewart? Marilee Stone?? Jenna?! :loon: Of course, I jest.... but then again, she was dating that much older politician when we met her in her Morgan Fairchild incarnation... Hmm

Thanks @Gold Canyon 340! I would prefer it if Jock stayed single unless they found a really exceptional actress to be his next wife.
 

Toni

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I vote for him finding out that Amanda was completely recovered and wanting to go back home. She takes him for the old vulture he actually is now, and plays the Stepford wife at Southfork. JR and Bobby´s faces would be priceless...They would get married at the garden as usual, and Jessica would be invited...ooops, she wouldn´t exist, silly moi!!
 
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Chris2

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Something very interesting to ponder, Kenny! Hmm, I wonder if Jock would have married again, like Miss Ellie did. Of course, he'd probably go for a much younger woman. Which barracuda might want to sink her teeth in the Ewing riches by putting a ring on Jock's finger?

Oh, absolutely - I was thinking the same thing! That would have generated a lot of storyline later on.
 
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