J. R. Ewing
~Dallas is a long-running American prime time television soap opera that aired from April 2, 1978, to May 3, 1991, on CBS. The series revolves around a wealthy and feuding Texan family, the Ewings, who own the independent oil company Ewing Oil and the cattle-ranching land of Southfork. The series originally focused on the marriage of Bobby Ewing and Pamela Barnes, whose families were sworn enemies with each other. As the series progressed, oil tycoon J.R. Ewing grew to be the show's main character, whose schemes and dirty business became the show's trademark.[1] When the show ended in May 1991, J.R. was the only character to have appeared in every episode.
The show was famous for its cliffhangers, including the Who shot J.R.? mystery. The 1980 episode Who Done It remains the second highest rated prime-time telecast ever.[2] The show also featured a "Dream Season", in which the entirety of the ninth season was revealed to have been a dream of Pam Ewing's. After 14 seasons, the series finale "Conundrum" aired in 1991.
The show had a relatively ensemble cast. Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil tycoon J.R. Ewing, stage/screen actress Barbara Bel Geddes as family matriarch Miss Ellie and movie Western actor Jim Davis as Ewing patriarch Jock, his last role before his death in 1981. The series won four Emmy Awards, including a 1980 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series win for Bel Geddes.
With its 357 episodes, Dallas remains one of the longest lasting full-hour primetime dramas in American TV history, behind Bonanza (430 episodes), Law & Order (456 episodes), and Gunsmoke (635 episodes). In 2007 Dallas was included in TIME magazine's list of "100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME".[3]
Dallas also spawned the spin-off series Knots Landing in 1979 which also lasted 14 seasons. In 2010, TNT announced it had ordered a new, updated continuation of Dallas.[4] The revival series, continuing the story of the Ewing family, premiered on TNT on June 13, 2012.
Contents [hide]
1 Original premise
2 Cast and characters 2.1 Main cast
2.2 Supporting cast
2.3 Main cast departures
3 Production 3.1 Seasons 1–8
3.2 Season 9
3.3 Season 10
3.4 Seasons 11–14
3.5 Filming locations
3.6 Directors
4 Episodes 4.1 Ratings 4.1.1 Films/Specials
4.2 Broadcast history 4.2.1 CBS
4.2.2 Syndication
4.3 Cliffhangers
5 Spinoffs, sequels and adaptions 5.1 Knots Landing
5.2 Films and reunions
5.3 Revival series
5.4 Books and other media
6 Legacy 6.1 Dallas and the Cold War
6.2 Other
7 References
8 External links
Original premise[edit]
In 1978, MGM released the film Comes a Horseman, starring James Caan, Jane Fonda, and Jason Robards, who played the character Jacob Ewing. One of Jacob Ewing's ranch hands is played by Jim Davis, who also is playing Jock Ewing in Dallas, a part he received after the film was finished. Part of the plot in Comes a Horseman is the attempted take over of cattle ranches by oil interest groups, and how they fail to do so.
Dallas debuted on April 2, 1978, as a five-part miniseries on the CBS network. Producers initially had no plans for expansion; however, due to the show's popularity, it was subsequently turned into a regular series and broadcast for 13 full seasons, from September 23, 1978, to May 3, 1991. The first five episodes, originally considered a miniseries, are now referred to as season one[5]—leaving fourteen seasons in total.
The show is known for its portrayal of wealth, sex, intrigue, and power struggles. Throughout the series, the main premise is the longtime rivalry between the Ewings and the Barneses which came to head when the Barnes daughter, Pamela (Victoria Principal) eloped with a Ewing son, Bobby (Patrick Duffy) in the first episode.
The Southfork Ranch, home of the Ewing family
The back story was that, back in the 1930s, wildcatter John Ross "Jock" Ewing, Sr. (Jim Davis) had allegedly cheated his one-time partner, Willard "Digger" Barnes (David Wayne and later Keenan Wynn), out of his share of their company Ewing Oil, and married Digger's only love, Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Southworth (Barbara Bel Geddes). Ellie's family were—in contrast to Jock—ranchers, with great love for the land and the cattle. Following the marriage of Ellie and Jock, the Southworth family ranch, Southfork, became the Ewings' home, where Jock and Miss Ellie raised three sons: J.R. (Larry Hagman), Gary (Ted Shackelford) and Bobby.
J.R., the eldest Ewing son, unscrupulous and unhappily married to a former Miss Texas, Sue Ellen Shepard (Linda Gray), was frequently at odds with his youngest brother, Bobby, who had the morals and integrity that J.R. lacked. Middle son Gary was Ellie's favorite as he displayed Southworth traits; however, Gary had been in conflict with both Jock and J.R. since childhood and was dismissed as a weak link. While still young, Gary had married waitress Valene Clements (guest star Joan Van Ark), who produced the first heir, the petite and saucy Lucy (Charlene Tilton). Years prior to the series beginning, J.R. had driven Gary and Valene off Southfork, leaving Lucy to be raised by her grandparents.
During the first episodes of the series, the teenaged Lucy is seen sleeping with ranch foreman Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly). Later, in season four, Ray would be revealed as a half-sibling, an illegitimate Ewing son through an extramarital affair Jock had during World War II. Unhappy with his small, one-dimensional role, Kanaly had considered leaving the show; to add depth to the Ray character, Hagman suggested that the writers create a plot wherein Ray becomes half-brother to J.R., Gary, and Bobby, noting his resemblance to Davis. The episodes where Ray and niece Lucy had a fling is, as Kanaly told Dinah Shore in an appearance on her show, "prayerfully forgotten, I hope".
Ray had previously engaged in a short fling with Pamela Barnes, the daughter (or rather, as it revealed in season three, stepdaughter) of Digger Barnes. However, Pam fell deeply in love with Bobby, and the pilot episode begins with the two of them arriving at Southfork Ranch as newlyweds, shocking the entire family. J.R., who loathed the Barnes family, was not happy with Pam's living at Southfork, and constantly tried to undermine her marriage to Bobby. Meanwhile, Pam's brother Cliff (Ken Kercheval), who had inherited Digger's hatred towards the Ewings, shared J.R.'s objections to the marriage, and continued his father's quest to get revenge.
Most of the seasons ended with ratings-grabbing cliffhangers,[6] the most notable being the season three finale "A House Divided", which launched the landmark "Who shot J.R.?" storyline and was ranked #69 on TV Guide's list of "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time".[7] Other season finale cliffhangers include the finding of an unidentified floating female corpse in the Southfork swimming pool (season four); a blazing house fire (season six); and Bobby's death (season eight) and subsequent return (season nine).
Cast and characters[edit]
Main articles: List of Dallas characters and List of Dallas (1978) cast members
See also: Ewing family and Barnes family
Main cast[edit]
The original Ewing family.
From left: Ray Krebbs, Bobby Ewing, Pamela Barnes Ewing, Miss Ellie Ewing, Jock Ewing, Lucy Ewing, J. R. Ewing and Sue Ellen Ewing.
For the original five-episodes miniseries – season one – six actors received the star billing: Barbara Bel Geddes as Ewing matriarch Miss Ellie Ewing, whose family was the original owners of Southfork; Jim Davis as her husband Jock Ewing, the founder of Ewing Oil and head of the Ewing family; Patrick Duffy as their youngest son, heartthrob Bobby Ewing; Victoria Principal as Pamela Barnes Ewing, the daughter of the rivaling Barnes family, whom Bobby brings home as his wife in the pilot episode; Larry Hagman as J. R. Ewing, the oldest son, who strongly objects to his new sister-in-law; and Charlene Tilton as Lucy Ewing, Bobby's and J.R.'s saucy teenage niece, whose parents had been driven off the ranch by J.R.
Not receiving top billing during the miniseries, although appearing in the majority of the episodes were Linda Gray as J.R.'s long-suffering, alcoholic wife Sue Ellen Ewing; Steve Kanaly as ranch hand Ray Krebbs, Pam's ex, who eventually turned out to be Jock's illegitimate son; and Ken Kercheval as Pam's brother Cliff Barnes, J.R.'s archrival. Gray and Kanaly were promoted to the regular cast as of the first episode of the fall of 1978, and Kercheval a year later.
Further on in the series, several new characters were added, as the original actors departed the series:
For season five, after guest starring since the second season, Susan Howard joined the main cast as Donna Culver Krebbs, politician and widow of a former Texas governor, who becomes Ray's first wife and mother to his daughter Margaret.
Season eight saw the addition of musical actor Howard Keel as wealthy, and sometimes hot-tempered rancher Clayton Farlow, Miss Ellie's husband following Jock's death, to the star cast after having appeared on the show since season 3, and Priscilla Presley as Bobby's teenage sweetheart Jenna Wade, who gives birth to Bobby's only biological child, Lucas, and eventually becomes Ray's second wife. Keel had recurred on the show since the fourth season, and Presley since season seven (the character of Jenna had however been played by Morgan Fairchild for a season two episode, and Francine Tacker for two episodes in season three). Temporarily replacing Barbara Bel Geddes in the role as Miss Ellie, Donna Reed also joined the main cast during the eighth season, until Bel Geddes returned in the following year.
Dack Rambo, portraying wandering cousin Jack Ewing, was promoted to regular status for season ten, after having appeared as a guest star since the end of the eighth season. He was, however, written out of the show midway through the tenth season. Jack's ex-wife April Stevens Ewing, played by Sheree J. Wilson, first appeared as a guest star during seasons ten and eleven, before being promoted to a main character for season twelve. Originally a scheming character, April eventually became Bobby's second wife, after his divorce from Pam.
The thirteenth season saw several additions to the main cast: Academy Award winner George Kennedy as Carter McKay, who buys Ray's ranch after Ray and Jenna move to Switzerland, and eventually becomes the head of Ewing Oil rival WestStar; Cathy Podewell as the young, naïve, Cally Harper, who becomes J.R.'s second wife; Sasha Mitchell as J.R.'s illegitimate, first born, son, James Beaumont; Kimberly Foster as April's devious sister Michelle Stevens, who marries both James and Cliff Barnes; and finally Lesley-Anne Down as PR woman Stephanie Rogers. While Kennedy and Podewell had appeared as guest stars throughout the twelfth season, Mitchell, Foster and Down's characters were all new to the series when they joined the regular cast.
Finally, for the fourteenth and final season, after guest starring in the last episodes of season 13, Barbara Stock joined the cast as Cliff's fiancée Liz Adams.
Supporting cast[edit]
The Barnes-Wentworth family.
Clockwise from top right: Cliff Barnes, Pamela Barnes Ewing, Rebecca Barnes Wentworth, and Katherine Wentworth.
During its fourteen-year run, Dallas saw several actors appearing in supporting roles. Among the most notable are Mary Crosby (seasons 3–4 and 14) as Sue Ellen's scheming sister Kristin Shepard (also portrayed by Colleen Camp for two season 2 episodes), who has an affair with J.R. and is revealed to be the one who shot J.R. in the "Who shot J. R.?" storyline; Jared Martin (seasons 3–6, 8–9, and 14) as Sue Ellen's cowboy lover, and Clayton's foster son, Steven "Dusty" Farlow; Leigh McCloskey (seasons 4–5, 8 and 12) as medical student Mitch Cooper, Lucy's husband; Audrey Landers (seasons 4–8 and 12–13) as Mitch's sister Afton Cooper, an aspiring singer and Cliff's longtime fiancée; stage actress Priscilla Pointer (seasons 4–6) as Rebecca Barnes Wentworth, Pam's and Cliff's estranged mother; Morgan Brittany (seasons 5–8 and 11) as Rebecca's daughter, Katherine Wentworth, Cliff's and Pam's crazy half-sister who falls madly in love with Bobby; John Beck (seasons 6–7 and 9) as Mark Graison, Pam's beau after her first divorce from Bobby; William Smithers (seasons 3–13) as Rival Oil Baron and CEO of WestStar Oil, Jeremy Wendell; Miss USA winner Deborah Shelton (seasons 8–10) as model Mandy Winger, longtime mistress of J.R.; Jenilee Harrison (seasons 8–10) as Jack's sister and Cliff's wife Jamie Ewing Barnes; and Andrew Stevens (seasons 11–12) as Casey Denault, a young hustler who works for J.R., romancing Lucy in order to get to her money.
Long-time child characters include J.R.'s and Sue Ellen's son John Ross Ewing III (portrayed for seasons 4–6 by Tyler Banks, and for seasons 7–14 by Omri Katz); Bobby's and Pam's adopted son Christopher Ewing (portrayed by Eric Farlow for seasons 6–8, and by Joshua Harris for seasons 9–14), and Jenna's daughter Charlotte "Charlie" Wade (Shalane McCall, seasons 7–11, also played – as a toddler – by Laurie Lynn Myers for a season 2 episode).
Among the most frequently appearing business associates of the Ewing family are oil cartel members Jordan Lee (Don Starr, seasons 2–14), Marilee Stone (Fern Fitzgerald, seasons 2–13) and Andy Bradley (Paul Sorensen, seasons 2–10); Jock's good friend Marvin "Punk" Anderson (Morgan Woodward, seasons 4–11); Shady investment banker Vaughn Leland (Dennis Patrick seasons 3–6) and original WestStar Oil frontman Jeremy Wendell (William Smithers, seasons 4–5, 8–12). Other long-time Ewing acquaintances include Dallas PD detective Harry McSween, serving as J.R.'s source within police force (James Brown, seasons 2–12); family attorney Harv Smithfield (George O. Petrie, seasons 3–14); and Donna's stepson, U.S. Senator Dave Culver (Tom Fuccello, seasons 3–6, 8, 10–11 and 13–14).
Also appearing in many episodes are several background characters, including Bobby's secretaries Connie Brasher (portrayed by Donna Bullock in season 1, Ann Ford and Nancy Bleier in season 2, and Jeanna Michaels in season 2–4) and Phyllis Wapner (Deborah Tranelli, seasons 4–14); J.R.'s secretaries Louella Caraway Lee (Meg Gallagher, seasons 2–4) and Sly Lovegren (Deborah Rennard, seasons 5–14); Cliff's secretary Jackie Dugan (Sherill Lynn Rettino, seasons 2–5 and 7–14); Ewing Oil receptionist Kendall Chapman (Danone Simpson, seasons 6–14); Southfork maid Teresa (Roseanna Christiansen, seasons 6–14); and Oil Baron's Club staff Dora Mae (Pat Colbert, seasons 7–14), Cassie (Anne C. Lucas, seasons 5–10) and Debbie (Deborah Marie Taylor, seasons 11–14).
Main cast departures[edit]
By the end of the series, only three of the series' original characters (J.R., Bobby, and Cliff) were left in Dallas, the others having either died or left town.
Jock Ewing was the first main character to depart the series, as he died offscreen in a mysterious plane-accident in South-America, early in season five. Actor Jim Davis had died mid-season in 1981, but remained credited throughout season four.
Bobby Ewing's death in the season eight finale, alongside his subsequent absence during the following season, was explained away at the beginning of season ten as a dream of Pamela Barnes Ewing, thus effectively erasing everything that had happened during season nine. Actor Patrick Duffy had left the series to pursue other opportunities, but due to declining ratings, he was convinced to return to the series by production company Lorimar as well as series star Larry Hagman.[8]
Jack Ewing left Dallas to continue his travels and get away from J.R., midway through season ten, and returned a final time for two episodes towards the end of the season. While there has been no official reason why actor Dack Rambo was written out of the series, Rambo himself later stated the reasons to be his sexual orientation and/or conflicts with Larry Hagman.[9][10] Hagman has since denied any involvement in Rambo's dismissal.[11]
Pamela Barnes Ewing was severely injured in a car accident in the tenth season finale, and left Bobby and Christopher due to her apparent inability to let them see her in such a physically disfigured fashion. Nevertheless, while Victoria Principal never returned again to the series, Margaret Michaels, a Principal look-alike, played the character in a season 12 episode. Having undergone plastic surgery which explained the difference in her appearance, it was revealed that Pam was dying of a disease, though only she and her doctor knew. After this, Pam is never seen in Dallas again. It was Principal's own decision to not renew her Dallas contract[12][13]
Donna Culver Krebbs and Ray Krebbs divorced at the end of season ten, and the former moved to Washington, D.C. where she married Senator Andrew Dowling (guest star Jim McMullan), with whom she raised Ray's daughter Margaret. A year later Ray sold his ranch to Carter McKay and left Dallas with his new wife Jenna Wade and Jenna's children Charlie and Lucas (the latter fathered by Bobby), bound for Switzerland. Ray returned for five episodes in the beginning of the 12th season. While Priscilla Presley opted to leave the show to spend more time with her family, including her, at the time, 1-year old son,[14] and Susan Howard decided to leave due to creative differences with the writers, as well as her disapproval of the firing of longtime executive producer Philip Capice in 1986,[13][15] Steve Kanaly was let go due to budget cuts.[14]
Lucy Ewing, who had left with husband Mitch at the end of the eighth season, returned to Southfork in the final episodes of season eleven, only to leave again two years later, heading for Europe. At both times, the let go of actress Charlene Tilton was a decision made by the creative team, which had difficulties creating story lines for her.[11]
Sue Ellen Ewing left in the season twelve finale, to move to London with her new husband, film director Don Lockwood (guest star Ian McShane). While actress Linda Gray was let go by the same budget costs that ended Steve Kanaly's run on the show,[11] Sue Ellen's exit has since been described by Gray as a mutual decision by her and Leonard Katzman, agreeing that the character "had come more than full circle".[16]
Stephanie Rogers was let go as Cliff's PR representative at the end of season 13 and subsequently left Dallas, making actress Lesley-Anne Down the most short-lived member of the regular cast, lasting only 13 episodes.
Barbara Bel Geddes' health had caused her to miss half of the seventh season, and after the season finale, she left the series entirely, with the role of Miss Ellie recast with Donna Reed for season eight.[17] Bel Geddes opted to return the following year in a high-profile public relations debacle that left Reed infuriated and in litigation with the series producers, who made her a $1 million out-of-court settlement.[18] Miss Ellie remained on the show until season thirteen when she and Clayton left Dallas, traveling and eventually settling in Europe, near Ray and Jenna. Following her exit from Dallas, Bel Geddes retired from acting.[19]
When the final, fourteenth season of the series commenced, ten actors received regular cast status. Although half of them would leave the show prior to the series finale, all of them remained billed in the series' opening sequence throughout the year. Clayton Farlow made four appearances, clearing up business that included deeding Southfork to Bobby; April Stevens Ewing tragically died early on in the season, while kidnapped on her honeymoon by the psychotic Hilary Taylor (guest star Susan Lucci); Cally Harper Ewing left Dallas midway through the season to build a new life, away from the Ewings, with a new boyfriend, and her and J.R.'s newborn boy; Liz Adams broke her engagement to Cliff and left Dallas near the end of the season, and James Beaumont left the show a couple of episodes prior to the series finale, to start a new life on the east coast with his newly discovered toddler son Jimmy, and Jimmy's mother Debra Lynn (guest star Deborah Tucker).
As the series concluded, Carter McKay stayed put at WestStar, as powerful as ever; Michelle Stevens was left heartbroken and humiliated, all alone in the ranch she had bought from McKay hoping to live there with James; Cliff Barnes was once and for all the sole owner of Ewing Oil; and Bobby Ewing, now owner of Southfork, was finally able to find closure after April's death. J. R. Ewing, however, having lost both Ewing Oil and Southfork, as well as being abandoned by his sons, was at the end of his rope; the series ended with the unanswered question whether or not he had killed himself.
Production[edit]
See also: Crew of Dallas (1978)
Seasons 1–8[edit]
Series creator David Jacobs wrote the first and the final episode of the original five-part miniseries (season 1), with the other three episodes being written by Arthur Bernard Lewis, Camille Marchetta and Virginia Aldrige. While Aldrige didn't return to the series again and Marchetta left during season 4, Lewis grew to be one of Dallas' most influential writers.
Leonard Katzman had been a part of the miniseries as a producer, and during season two his influence increased, as he was given both directing and writing responsibilities. Half way through the second season, Jacobs left the day-to-day duties of the series to focus on the production of spinoff Knots Landing, leaving Katzman to become the de facto showrunner, albeit original executive producers Philip Capice and Lee Rich kept their positions.
During the first eight seasons of the show, Dallas' production team remained basically intact (the main exception being Rich's leaving after season 3): Philip Capice served as executive producer, Leonard Katzman as producer, Cliff Fenneman as associate producer, and Arthur Bernard Lewis as executive story editor/supervising producer. And, although 25 writers contributed with scripts, the trio of Katzman, Lewis and David Paulsen wrote nearly two-thirds of the episodes during these first eight seasons. Paulsen had joined the show during the fourth season and was promoted to story editor for season six. Notably, the three of them wrote every episode but two during the shows seventh and eight seasons.
Season 9[edit]
However – internal, creative, conflicts between on one hand executive producer Philip Capice, and on the other hand, Larry Hagman and the writers, most notably Leonard Katzman, had increased over the years, finally resulting in Katzman leaving his position as producer of the show at the end of season 8.[20] Although Katzman was to continue writing for the show, albeit to limited degree, as "creative consultant", the fact that neither Lewis nor Paulsen returned for season 9, meant that Dallas was faced with not only a new production team (joining executive producer Capice and associate producer Fenneman were James H. Brown as producer and Peter Dunne as supervising producer) but also an all new team of writers (headed by Dunne, executive story consultant Joel J. Feigenbaum, and story editors Hollace White and Stephanie Garman). To make the change even more noticeable, the eight season finale had also been actor Patrick Duffy's farewell to the show, with his character, Bobby, being killed off.
But increased production costs[20] and decreasing ratings[8] caused production company Lorimar to persuade both Duffy and Katzman to return. As thus, as season 9 came to a close, Katzman had returned as a full-time writer, and the season finale saw Patrick Duffy inexplicably resurface on screen.[21]
Season 10[edit]
So, as of the season 10 premiere, there was yet a major overhaul of the crew: Leonard Katzman was promoted executive producer, reportedly under the condition that he would get "total authority" of the show,[20] while Capice and most of the season nine staff had left the production. Alongside Katzman, David Paulsen was brought back as writer and the show's new producer, while the position as supervising producer was offered newcomer Calvin Clements, Jr. Cliff Fenneman remained associate producer. A new set of writers was hired to work alongside the producers, including Katzman's son Mitchell Wayne Katzman as story editor, Leah Markus as story consultant, and Louella Lee Caraway. Markus left after two years, while the others remained until the show's end.
Scriptwise, Patrick Duffy's return was explained by having the entire ninth season being a dream of Victoria Principal's character Pam, effectively sweeping away the events occurring during the period which Katzman involvement with the show had been minimized.
Even the cast was affected by the production. While Larry Hagman (J.R.) reportedly supported Katzman, and had played a great part in bringing Duffy back, Susan Howard (Donna), who also had written the script for one of the season 9 episodes, had sided with Philip Capice, and was strongly opposed the idea of annulling an entire season. While she returned to write another episode for season 10, she left the show, both as a writer and as a cast member, at the end of the season.[15][20]
Seasons 11–14[edit]
During the final four years of the show, Leonard Katzman remained showrunner, with series star Larry Hagman joining him as executive producer (beginning with season 12) and Ken Horton as co-executive producer (as of season 13).
Supervising producer Calvin Clements, Jr. left the show after the tenth season, and was replaced for seasons 11 and 12 by the returning Arthur Bernard Lewis, who remained a writer on the show until its end. Lewis was thus reuniting with Leonard Katzman and David Paulsen. Paulsen did however leave Dallas at the end of the 11th season, and was replaced as the show's producer first by newly recruited writer Howard Lakin for season 12, and then by longtime associate producer Cliff Fenneman for the final two years. Laking spent seasons 13 and 14 as supervising producer.
Mitchell Wayne Katzman was promoted to co-producer as of season 12, while Frank Katzman (the other son of Leonard Katzman) and John Rettino (Leonard Katzman's son-in-law), served as associate producers during season 13 and season 14. Additionally, writer Louella Lee Caraway also served as executive coordinator for the final three seasons.
The final major addition to the staff was Lisa Seidman, who joined the show as writer and executive story consultant for the final two seasons, leaving the writing staff of season 13 and 14 to include executive producer Leonard Katzman, co-executive producer Ken Horton, co-producer Mitchell Wayne Katzman, supervising producer Howard Lakin, executive coordinator Louella Lee Caraway, executive story consultant Lisa Seidman, and Arthur Bernard Lewis
Filming locations[edit]
The Cloyce Box Ranch, used as Southfork for the original five episodes.
The Pilot Season was shot entirely on location in Dallas, Texas, and at the Cloyce Box Ranch in Frisco, Texas. Later, most interiors for the show were shot at the MGM studios in Hollywood, with some exteriors being shot at the Southfork Ranch in Plano, Texas, and other sections of Dallas. For seasons 13, rising production costs led to all filming being relocated to California. Typically the cast and crew would spend six to eight weeks filming on-location sequences in the Dallas area during the summer prior to the season, then film the remainder of the season in the Los Angeles area; less than half of the episodes in a given season had on-location sequences filmed in Dallas. MGM built a full-size replica of the Southfork Ranch backyard and pool on one of its soundstages, allowing for filming of "location" shots during the latter part of the season.
Directors[edit]
Leonard Katzman is the most prominent director on the show, having directed episodes of every season except the first, ninth and twelfth. Next to Katzman, Michael Preece, is responsible for having directed the most Dallas episodes, having joined the show during season four and remaining until the end.
Of the two directors attached to the original miniseries, Robert Day did not return for subsequent seasons, while Irving J. Moore remained on the show until the fifth season, and then returned for the final three.
Five of the series stars did also direct episodes: Larry Hagman (seasons 3-14), Patrick Duffy (seasons 4-8 and 10-14), Linda Gray (seasons 9-12), Steve Kanaly (seasons 10-12) and Ken Kercheval (seasons 13-14)