Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

ShadeGrenade It was announced earlier this week that the U.S. soap opera 'Dallas' is to make a comeback. To me, its about as welcome a return as The Black Death or Adolf Hitler. I wasted much of the '80's hating not only the show itself, but the people who worked on it, and the B.B.C. for importing the flaming thing. It was the 'X Factor' of its day. You could not pick up a newspaper nor switch on the television without finding someone ( usually Nina Myskow ) gushing about how great it was. A 'Radio Times' letter writer called it: "television's greatest achievement ever!" ( what medication was he/she on? ). Yet I could not ( and still can't ) see its appeal. It was essentially 'Crossroads' with helicopter shots.Created by David Jacobs ( not the former B.B.C. presenter ), it told of the trials and tribulations of the filthy rich Ewing family, who lived in Dallas ( hence the title ), Texas. The head of the clan was grizzled Jock Ewing ( Jim Davis ), but he had to be written out after a few seasons as the actor playing him died. He was married to simpering Miss Ellie ( Barbara Bel Geddes, then Donna Reed, then Barbara Bel Geddes again ), their sons were bad guy John Ross ( J.R. for short, played to the hilt by Larry Hagman, former co-star of the sitcom 'I Dream Of Jeannie' ), and good guy Bobby ( ex-'Man From Atlantis' Patrick Duffy ). Bobby's wife was lovely Pam ( Victoria Principal, the lady who took away Anthony 'Psycho' Perkins' virginity ). J.R. was a swine who loved two things in life - himself and money. He was married to the permanently emoting 'Sue Ellen' ( Linda Gray ), who had a drink problem, a quivering upper lip and a tendency to throw empty glasses at her husband each week after a row. The Ewing ranch - Southfork ( known in my house as 'Forkoff' ) - was augmented by juicy Lucy ( Charlene Tilton, who must have been last in the queue when they handed out necks ). Jock had an illegitimate son in the shape of cowboy Ray Krebbs ( Steve Kanaly ), adding to the existing family friction. J.R.'s main business rival was creepy Cliff Barnes ( Ken Kercheval ).Promiscuity was rife, rather bizarre in an era where we were all being urged to be monogamous. 'Dallas' offered some startling insights into the high-powered world of big business. For instance, I learnt that the job of oil tycoon involves sitting behind a desk all day, puffing cigars, knocking back whisky, and trying to inject the word 'offshore' into everyday conversation as often as possible. In the immortal words of 'Yosser Hughes' ( Bernard Hill ) from 'Boys From The Blackstuff': "Give us a job...I can do that!". It might have been fun had it been played for laughs, sort of like the Susan Harris sitcom 'Soap', but everyone concerned took the stupid plots of adultery and double-dealing deadly seriously. When J.R. got shot at the end of one season, the tabloids went into a frenzy, attempting to identify the would-be killer. 'Who Shot J.R.?' became the most oft-asked question of the '80's. Since then, almost every soap has tried to do a 'who shot J.R.?' type cliffhanger, with varying results.Howard Keel was Miss Ellie's love interest 'Peyton Farlow' and Steve 'The Baron' Forrest was made up to resemble a goat's bum as 'Wes Parmalee' ( where did they get these names from? 'Star Wars'? ) Terry Wogan was the first British 'Dallas-phile' and it is his name I used to curse each week when that bombastic theme tune blasted out of the television. I.T.V. attempted to poach the show from the B.B.C. at one point but sold it back to the B.B.C. - just as interest was on the wane. The final straw came in 1986 when, after being killed off, Bobby was famously resurrected in a shower, invalidating an entire season ( was this where Steven Moffat got the idea from for the Season 5 finale of 'Dr.Who'? ). Fans decided they'd had enough, and the last series went out in a graveyard on Sunday afternoon slot on B.B.C.-1 in 1991.As if the prospect of a new 'Dallas' is not worrying enough, a 'Dynasty' revival ( Ye Gods! ) is also threatened. Good to know that Hollywood is currently bursting with exciting new ideas. To my mind the 'Dallas' series is the second worst thing to have happened to that famous city, the very first being J.F.K.'s assassination.On the plus side, it kept a lot of women entertained for over a decade, and the late, great Kenny Everett did a wonderful parody called 'Dallasty' which ended each week with the credit: 'Creative Realisation Associates Production' ( spell out the first letters ).

nablaquadro When Dallas was aired for the first times in the 80s I was a child and I couldn't appreciate it yet. Since last September, when a satellite channel proposed again this Soap Opera, I had a small crush of it. I became fond of J.R.'s intrigues, his rivalry with Bobby and Cliff Barnes, the beautiful Pamela and nice Miss Ellie.Dallas' strength is the plot. Not completely concerned about love and betrayals (typical but annoying), the Ewing Oil battles can move even the male audience transforming the Soap in a TV-series. Jim Davis' death (the mythical Jock, R.I.P.) put a lot of fuel in the "engines" with the legacy questions and relations getting worse. J.R.'s Machiavellian plans filled the script of amusing and caustic irony, always enjoyable.The recitative level wasn't so great; all the actors, actually, had their height in this series, but the general quality is decent. Except for Ken Kercheval and Steve Kanaly, which proved to be good actors giving a great shape to their characters, challenging J.R. at any cost. Special mention to Charlene Tilton, which is really beautiful and should have had greater relief in the story. Ending too late, in 1991 (2-3 years too many), the story was slowly plagued by script tricks and poorly credible deaths or departures, compromising its heritage made of several Emmys and 1 Golden Globe won.6,5 / 10

itsmrbigtoyou ''Dallas'' is the greatest series ever, #2 is ''Knots Landing'', #3 is ''Dynasty'' and #4 is ''Dynasty II: The Colby's''. The series stars out with newly wedded couple Pam and Bobby Ewing returning to Texas state after eloping to New Orleans. Naturally, Bobby's family and her's, the Barnes's, don't exactly see eye to eye on everything. Leave that to Bobby's conniving 14 year's older brother J.R. Ewing. With Pam being the only innocent goldfish in a tank of vicious piranha-like Ewing's. She's gonna have to show and prove to them all that she can be just as tough and as determined as them all, and that she is here to stay at SouthFork for good. Each season of the show added more spice and zest to it with more and more character's along with that catchy and well-known theme music, courtesy of Jerrold Immel. ''Dallas'' shaped the TV Schedules of today, and introduced us to many character's and faces such as: Miss Ellie Ewing, played by Barbara Bel Geddes/Donna Reeed: The Matriarch of the powerful Ewings, Jock Ewing I played by Jim Davis: The father of Ray, Bobby, J.R. II, and Gary, Bobby James Ewing played by Patrick Duffy: the goody-two-shoes Ewing brother, Larry Hagman as J.R. Ewing II: the shows major bad guy, Victoria Principal Glassman/ Margaret Michales as Pam Ewing: the sweetheart wife of Bobby, Charlene Tilton as Lucy Cooper: the spoiled brat daughter of Gary and Val, Linda Gray as Sue Ellen Ewing: the alcoholic ex wife of J.R., Steve Kanaly as Husky ranch foreman Ray Krebbs Ewing: The illegitimate child of Jock, Ken Kercheval as Cliff Barnes: the brother of Pam, Susan Howard as Donna Krebbs Ewing:politician wife of Ray, Howard Keel as Clayton Farlow: second husband of Miss Ellie, Morgan Fairchild/Francine Tacker and Priscilla Beaulieu Presley as Jenna Wade: childhood honey of Bobby, Dack Rambo as Jack Ewing: Bobby-like cousin of the Ewing's, Sheree J. Wilson as April Ewing: Jack's ex-wife, Bobby's second wife, Kimberly Foster as Michelle Beaumont: sister of April, George Kennedy as Mack: Ewings enemy, Cathy Podewell as Cally Ewing: second wife of J.R., Sasha Mitchell as James Beaumont Ewing: J.R.'s illegitimate son, Lesley Anne Down as Stephanie Rogers: P.R. woman of J.R., Barbara Stock as Heather/Liz Adams: love of Cliff's life is final season, Colleen Camp/Mary Crosby as Kristin Farraday: Sue Ellen's baby sister, Joel Grey as Adam: J.R.'s guardian Angel, George Chakiris/Jack Scalia as Nicholas: Sue Ellen's toy-boy in season 10, David Ackroyd/Ted Shackelford as Gary: Lucy's father, Joan VanArk as Val Ewing: Lucy's mother, Rosalind Allen as Annie Ewing/Julia Cunningham: Bobby's love interest in 1996, Eric Farlow/Joshua Harris/Christopher Demetral as Christopher Ewing: Kristin's real son, fostered by Pam then Bobby, Tyler Banks/Omri Katz as John Ross III: Sue Ellen's love child of her, Cliff and J.R., Jenna Pangburn/Deborah Kellner as Pamela Cooper: Cliff's illegitimate daughter, Audrey Landers as Afton Van Buren: Cliff's one-time lover, Tracy Scoggins as Diane Kelley/Anita Smithfield: one of J.R.'s many mistresses, Michelle Johnson as Rhonda Cummings/Jennifer Jantzen: another misaddress of J.R.. Series creator: David Michael Jacobs.

CKCSWHFFAN J.R. Ewing is, to me & many others, the top television character ever.Larry Hagman did a great job with this character.One of my all time favorite television shows.For as much as I like it I did not like everything.NEVER did like the Lucy character. Ray was not a favorite, especially when they made him to be Jock's son. Just the soap opera side of the show working here.Really liked the Pam & Bobby characters. Liked Donna, Miss Ellie & Clayton.But, hands down, it was J.R. that was the show.If I ever was to visit the Dallas area I would like to drive by the ranch that was used for South Fork.The year being a dream........Too many bar fights though. Did it not seem every time a cast member went to a bar or night club a fist fight had to start?