most parents raise their children best they can and hope they move on to live their own lives married or not......Miss Ellie was the type woman who loved her family so much she couldn't cut the apron strings waiting her children at home forever.
You just don't get television like this anymore. The other thing Dallas/ Knots did was classic scenes with no dialogue at all. When the Fishers went to visit Valene's twins for the last time in front of her house. Not a word of dialogue... but raw emotion and pure gold!
Yes, they sure don't make classic TV shows like that anymore. In fact, when Dallas and Knots Landing ended so did the era of classic TV shows. Furthermore, when those two shows ended I seldom watched television because it wasn't even worth switching the set on because all that the only thing to watch were-and still are brain-dead comedies and BS programs. RIP Dallas 1978-1991 and RIP Knots Landing 1979-1993
The Takapa story was, as I recall, originally supposed to go much longer but they wrapped it up quickly because Jim Davis's health was failing fast. They needed a way to wrap it up while he could still perform as well as he did; he struggled mightily, but he kept it up as long as he could do it, and then they sent Jock and Miss Ellie to Europe. I do love how Miss Ellie accepted and embraced Ray; by the latter seasons, he was as much a son to her as her own. Ray loved Southfork and had always been such a strong and steady presence in her life, and he reminded Miss Ellie of Jock in so many ways. Plus he was always there when he needed her.
Despite his flaws, at least Ray has a heart and, though he could never ever replace Gary (who is also an extraordinary character in and outside Dallas), he has a Ewing connection well-deserved. Kudos to you both, Ray and Gary.
Ray first came to work on Southfork ranch as a teenage orphan after his mother died. They said that in the first season. So Miss Ellie had been somewhat of a mother figure all those years.
@@PungiFungi He didn't know at the time that Lucy was his niece; if you recall, the first season was meant to be a six-part miniseries, and Ray being an Ewing was not in the cards. Everyone was surprised to find out Dallas was successful and became a series. And different writers made the decision to make Ray an Ewing, retconning the Ray-Lucy romance. It was what it was.
Jock favoured JR and Bobby while Miss Ellie favoured Gary, but they did love their children, Miss Ellie was devastated at the thought of JR leaving Dallas forever in the dream season and while it may have been Pam’s dream I still believe it would be her reaction to him going,
@@rockyracoon3233 I’ve heard they considered James Arness. I think he could have pulled it off but it would have been hard to accept anyone else as Jock. In addition to that, Arness had played Matt Dillon for twenty years. I don’t know if the audience would have easily accepted him as Jock.
The scene itself is bittersweet. It would be just a sweet scene because of the reconciliation and Miss Ellie accepting Ray as one of her own sons. But it's bitter because Jim Davis is ravaged with cancer in this scene and was barely able to function at this point. It's incredible how he was able to still be Jock to the end.
You can look at him and tell that the chemo is making his face swell up. I wish he could have continued on the show for another 10-12 years. The only actor that I can think of that could have taken his place would have been Lorne Green.
Not quite true He does appear for a few seconds in the beginning of the next episode At that stage jim Davies could not even walk or talk properly. He was seen sitting in car and his one line was dubbed over . But yes this is his last proper full speaking scene
Donna Reed gave it here best shot at it. The audience would not accept any female recast in the role of Ellie. I do think that Martha Stewart, of all people, had both the looks and personality to maybe do a recast justice. I say that with no disrespect to BBG.
Absolutely! They wanted the Late Phil Carey (Ex-Asa Buchanan) from One Life To Life to play him but he said no. John Bolger Tanked as Phillip Spaulding on Guiding Light but became successful on Another World and One Life To Live. His Uncle played The Scarecrow in The Wizard Of Oz.
Another one was Dennis Parlato who from 1997-1997 replaced Michael Zaslow as Roger Thorpe on Guiding Light but the fans didn't accept him. He came on after Michael got fired for having ALS.
The funny thing is Ellie did accept Ray as family and later on in the series Ray was more of a son than Bobby and JR were. During the fight for Ewing Oil, he stood by her as both of her other sons were blinded by power of control of the company. He really did love Miss Ellie.
Barbara Bel Geddes as Miss Ellie was one of the great casting choices. I remember as a kid when Barbara appeared in Campbell’s Soup commercials in the 80s, I was like, “It’s the lady from Dallas!”
Miss Ellie and Ray, even though they were step mother and step son, were actually very close later on in this show. I think the writers sort of took Ray's character in the same direction that they would have if Gary had been a permanent character on Dallas.
I just watched this today...I'm streaming and this was the 2nd to the last show Jim Davis did and the one after he was just shown for a couple of minutes sitting in back of a limo. So sad. Now I'm almost the age he died and I'm watching these old shows that I used to never miss and so many of the actors are gone. Time flies fast. So much time wasted on bad times. So I'm glad I looked up Dallas again. I don't think though I'll get through all of the shows. Too many and I've got things to do
When Jock asks, “Does that include me too?” it would’ve been refreshing to have Ellie reply, “No, you get the hell out of here!” Then, before he recovers, she pulls him in for a hug and they all laugh while drying their tears. After 40 years of marriage, she would’ve been comfortable enough with Jock to answer his stupid question that way, making a sweet moment even sweeter. Plus, it would’ve shown Ellie had a sense of humor instead of just being a comfort or a scold, the only two modes the writers seemed to have for her.
One thing you should note about this scene. If you rewatch it you will note Jim Davis is only seen with Barbara Bel Geddes for a split second in this entire sequence--- otherwise it is just upclose shots of him when he speaks--- There isn't even an embrace between Jim Davis and Barbara Bel Geddes... why? Well Jim Davis was very ill when this was filmed- he would die months later of Cancer. They filmed his shots and edited them in- he was having a very hard time with his lines by then and his stamina was not good--- I would say that explains the "coldness" between the two even at the end without any embrace... just a thought... Barbara's master shots were probably filmed with a standin or maybe even nothing in front of her as she delivered her lines to "Jock"... this wrap up of the Takapa fallout and "Jock and Miss Ellie's" rift was wrapped quickly into a happy place because they knew Jim Davis was dying and in all likelihood not live to see the next season.
@@jasongilmore8595 not true. They were all in the same room when filming. The technology you are talking about didn’t exist when this was filmed, February 1981.
Steve Kanaly and Barbara Bel Geddes should have won Emmys for this Scene. Yet you saw a lot of Baggage being dealt with. Miss Ellie with some justification resented Ray because he was Jock's Son from an Affair. Maybe she felt that she wasn't enough for him. Also, keep in mind that maybe in Ray Miss Ellie saw a Strength that Gary didn't have. I think that part of the reason why Ray was wiling to give up the trust was because he may have felt that he had to make amends. When Gary #1 then played by David Ackroyd and Ray showed him The Books for Southfork, Gary wasn't interested. That alone showed you that he wasn't ready to take on any responsibility. Also, Ray may have been worried that Gary would take his job away from him and remember Ray did more for Southfork than Gary ever did, so in some ways he was just as much a Southworth because he too loved the land. Also, Ray didn't show any resentment that he didn't grow up with the perks of being a Ewing that Bobby, JR and Gary had although he squandered it.
Very good analysis. I agree that both of them are excellent in this scene. I don't remember ANY scene where Bel Geddes wasn't great. I think it would have been interesting just to watch her read a phone book.
@@kimberlywhitehead22 It was a Lady named Margaret Hunter who served in WW II along with Jock in Europe. She was a Nurse. Miss Ellie may have been hurt but she knew she had no right since she used Jock to hold on To The Southfork. Jock only found out when the Man that Ray thought was his "Daddy" showed Jock a Diary that Margaret had.
My sister was her post master in NEH, Maine. When she came to post office in this very small town ,often another customer would approach her and say "Oh, I loved you on Dallas." My sister says she would reply "Oh, that silly thing" inferring that she considered her work on Dallas as trivial compared to her other work.
@@jasongilmore8595 yes, her raise request being turned down was the REAL reason she left the show in 1984. After she left DALLAS for the second time, in 1990, she lost most of her $$ from bad business investments.
I enjoyed the sweet relationship Ray and Miss Ellie developed. Ray was a decent man in willing to give up his birthright and leave to not come in between Jock and Ellie.
Ms. Ellie is a very good Woman. And is very caring and forgiving. Bobby has a lot of that in him. This shows how willing she is to admit her faults. And accept Ray as a member of her family.
I know she's just playing the part of the character. And that this is a TV show. However I felt the same way she did when my brother left home. He said he was never coming back. He's been dead now for over 20 years. I miss him very much.
Whenever two people have a love for each other that is eternal, they WILL find a way to work things out and be together, no matter what. No ocean is too deep. No mountain is too high. No desert is too hot, no road is too long. And that's all I've got to say.
I honestly do not think Jim Davis, if was live back in 1991, would have been happy the way his beloved show turned out in the end. He would have been outraged.
You're right. They probably went on three years too long. The writing really started to suffer in the mid-80s. That's the main reason Victoria Principal left.
Jim Davis for an actor had no responsibility to oversee what would go on the show if he had remained living longer basically glad of getting steady work in what got to become one of the biggest primetime television hits ever. Larry Hagman of course eventually took charge with most of the going on's on the set after J.R. took over the show in character.
Gary's not coming back because he's too involved in all that craziness with those nosy neighbors on Seaview Circle. Why return to Southfork when you have Mack and Karen grilling over the back fence or Abby flirting from her driveway?
you can tell just how sick Jim Davis is after this episode or the next one we see him in the limo taking Miss Ellie on a Second Honeymoon. and that was the last time we see Jim Davis. soon after he passed away.
Yes and his Son Ethan played Stephen Logan Jr., aka "Storm" #1 on The Bold & The Beautiful and in future years Patrick Duffy would play Stephen Logan Sr. He also guest starred on The Fosters produced by Jennifer Lopez's Production Company.
I think that if Gary was around more Lucy wouldn't. She was like a substitution for Gary. She was there for the younger generation her age group of fans.
Gary wasn't able to measure up to the rest of the family standards while better off on his own to eventually find his footing on Knots Landing in becoming his own man.
I could never figure out why Miss Ellie never took a trip out to Knots Landing, California, to visit her favorite son? She could certainly afford it. She could spare the time, too. And she was up to traveling, as she did with Clayton in later seasons of Dallas.
It also reminded me of when Michael Zaslow (Ex Roger Thorpe Guiding Light had Lou Gherig's Disease and nobody knew about it at the time. He had such a hard time with his dialogue and folks thought it was Lyme Disease or a Stroke. Another one was James Mitchell (Ex-Palmer Cortlandt) on All My Children who was frail before he died and even when Phil Carey (who was considered for the Role of Clayton farlow who played Asa Buchanan on One Life To Live from 1979 to 2007) who died of Lung Cancer. In Europe The Tates on The UK Soap Opera Emmerdale 1972-Present were a fabulously wealthy Family who although didn't have the dysfunction of The Ewings bought Glamour to The Farming Community. Sadly enough Leah Bracknell who played Zoe Tate from 1989-2005 died last Month of Lung Cancer.
Of course, Dallas had to go on without Jim Davis, though everybody loved him so much, however, it was Barbara Bel Geddes's show and she had to look after the younger people to become "another family," to the kids, something she was very good at, who asked them to treat them with respect (without talking schmack, to each other), and (of course), it was also Larry Hagman's, too, because he was a dedicated hard worker (and a darn, good drinker both on- and off-camera) and got involved with every aspect of the script, who became a 'surrogate father' to the younger, newer actors, who came by year, after year, in all of the 13 1/2 seasons. RIP Jim Davis, Barbara Bel Geddes & Larry Hagman.
Glad they did not recast out of respect to Jim Davis. But if it had come down to it, Steve Forrest would have made a great Jock Ewing, Wes Parmalee not withstanding.
Yes, they wanted the Late Phil Carey who played Asa Buchanan on One Life To Live for 30 Years on ABC. it was a very smart move because Phil Carey would also die of Cancer.
This was Jim Davis's second-to-last appearance, and it was also the year after Ted Shackelford left to do "Knots Landing," with Joan Van Ark, that his character wasn't really coming back to live with Miss Ellie, Jock & The Ewing Boys in "Dallas," when he was living with Val, near The Fairgates, The Averys, The Wards & wicked, wicked Abby Cunningham, all in California.
Miss Ellie was the one who bought Gary and Valene their house in Knots Landing for a wedding present. She should have Known that Gary and J.R. couldn't ever live under The same roof again Valene certainly didn't.
Yes. Phil Carey (Ex-Asa Buchanan) One Life To Live was once considered for the Role of Jock Ewing after Jim Davis died but he said no. He didn't want to leave New York for Los Angeles. Also, because he played a Millionaire from Texas he was similar to Jock but his relationships with his Sons Beaufort aka "Bo" and Clinton aka "Clint" wasn't as challenging.
You can see how sick Jim Davis was here. His cheeks bloated from steroids and wearing a wig from cancer treatments. He worked that entire time and never complained once. What a man! RIP!
@@billhosko7723 uh, it's not "gossip" lol. You don't know what words mean. Gossip: "casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true." It's confirmed Jim died of cancer and it's also confirmed by multiple cast members in multiple interviews that he worked while violently ill and had to wear a wig because of chemo. Another fact not making this gossip is that this episode was filmed as he was dying of cancer and shortly before he left the show. Go buy a dictionary and read it, because that was an ignorant comment.
@@billhosko7723 Would you shut up with the "gossip" thing? There are INTERVIEWS RECORDED With Steve Kanaly, Susan Howard, Victoria Principal and others stating how hard he worked that last season and wanted to work even though he was ill and bloated from the chemo and having to wear a wig.... so please sit down with your ridiculous "gossip" comments
I never liked the way they closed out her character, giving up Southfork and never coming back. Instead off to Europe with Ray, Jenna, Clayton, Lucy, Sue Ellen and John Ross all who moved to Europe before her. All those Texas ranch folks in Europe?
At the heart of DALLAS wasn't family, it was the passion between Jock and Ellie, which started an empire. All the stories always came down to them. Everything was outside their inner circle. When Jock passed, the show lost that. He haunted the story for years to come, but the real DALLAS truly ended when Jock and Ellie could no longer bring the story back to them.
It tells you of his love for the show / the way that he carried himself as an actor and a man. Most people who know that they only had weeks (days?) to live, wouldn't be coming into work. If you read Dallas history, you will find that he barely could stand in that limo scene and that all sorts of editing had to be done, just to make it believable.
Its crazy. These are all billionaires by today's standards. 80% of the problems they have are from living together. sometimes I hear them say" Im going to my room" like they are teenagers.
Just a few observations: Ray matured into a good man; of all the actors and actresses on the show, I think Barbara Bel Geddes may have been the most talented; CBS hit a home run...no parts have ever been better played than Jim Davis as Jock and Larry Hagman as JR; Gary was a deadbeat; Donna was the best-looking wife on the show.
@@rahlohmcdonogh280 , JR may have intimidated Gary but he had his reasons JR was selfish he wanted Ewing Oil all to himself he never wanted to share the company with Bobby and Gary. Dispite that being Jock's wishes as we found out during the reading of his Will...before he thought up the contest.
Gary left because of that evil Jr Gary didn't have the strength to stand up to him like Ray and Bobby all I can say right with a hell of a man you didn't care about money
Jim Davis was one tough son of a bitch, he was loaded with brain cancer during these scenes, and you could really tell he was struggling. But like the pro he always was he got through it the best he could. Friend of mine who worked on the Dallas set told me that Davis was most focused actor on the show, he would remember his lines after reading the script once. That final scene with BBG seemed more like a real goodbye than just a scene on television.
I appreciate Ray wanting to keep Miss Ellie and Jock from divorcing, but damn. I don't think I could physically make myself sign any legal document that would give away my claim to the Ewing money. lol....I would have said, "Jock made me part of the trust fund, if you don't like it Miss Ellie, that's just too damn bad. " Ray better be glad that Miss Ellie didn't call his bluff on that one. lol.....
Gary just wasn't strong enough to stand up against Jr like Bobby and Ray was Gary should have been stronger with Jr you had to stand up to Jr Jr got mad when Miss Ellie leftl Southport to Bobby what did he expect after all the crap he did Jr was a selfish man only cared about himself
