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Post by StarFuryG7 on Nov 24, 2012 3:49:05 GMT -5
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Post by CRAMBAM on Nov 24, 2012 21:17:14 GMT -5
Larry Hagman would be on the list of top 5 actors not named William Shatner. JR Ewing was up there with Captain Kirk among my favorite characters of all time.
It's a sad loss.
And to make it worse, it's going to ruin the new Dallas, which was spot on and great. Without JR, it's just not that good.
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Post by StarFuryG7 on Nov 25, 2012 3:46:55 GMT -5
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Post by TrekBeatTK on Nov 25, 2012 21:50:59 GMT -5
I was always a Major Nelson fan myself (well, I was a Jeannie fan).
And he even had a cameo in Superman. Yeah, Hagman was one of the great TV actors and he'll be missed.
-TK
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Post by CRAMBAM on Nov 26, 2012 9:54:16 GMT -5
What really sucks is that this likely means they will kill of JR too. It would be awesome if when they write him out of the show, they save the character's life, but I can't see that happening.
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Post by captainbasil on Nov 26, 2012 10:41:23 GMT -5
According to Yahoo, they are going to give him a big sendoff, whatever that means. It's a toughie. You can't really re-cast, nobody would accept it . But as a guy who got hooked on his Grandmother's daytime soap, I can think of tons of stuff they could do. They could bump him off and keep a mystery running for a season. J.R. could disappear. There is also the "string-puller" scenario where he vanishes to an undisclosed location and the character lives on through phone calls, voices in shadow and cuff-linked wrists and hands holding a cell phone. It's a classic trick but they may be able to make it work. I believe 6 episodes of the new season have been completed so they have time to work out something.
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Post by StarFuryG7 on Nov 26, 2012 11:48:37 GMT -5
Let the man and the character he made famous rest in peace.
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Post by CRAMBAM on Nov 26, 2012 13:32:26 GMT -5
The death of the man doesn't have to be the death of the character. But the character does need to be written out. I wouldn't recast.
But writing out doesn't mean death always. I'd hate to see JR die. That's what I'm expecting, but if they are creative, they can certainly send JR away and then move forward.
Maybe a letter to John Ross, and then turn John Ross INTO JR.
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Post by StarFuryG7 on Nov 26, 2012 17:12:02 GMT -5
The death of the man doesn't have to be the death of the character. But the character does need to be written out. I wouldn't recast. But writing out doesn't mean death always. I'd hate to see JR die. That's what I'm expecting, but if they are creative, they can certainly send JR away and then move forward. Maybe a letter to John Ross, and then turn John Ross INTO JR.
The actor who made that character iconic has passed on, so you therefore honor the man that played him by having the character pass on as well. It would be silly to have something said in the show along the lines of the character having decided to retire finally and that he moved to Belize to live out the rest of his days.
Larry Hagman died. It's time to have that character die off as well in some fashion, even if it's off-screen and only alluded to by the rest of the cast in the aftermath. |
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Post by CRAMBAM on Nov 27, 2012 10:53:50 GMT -5
The character is SOOO important to the show. Hagman's death pretty much deflated the show big time. It's amazing that he was still so important.
I'm not talking about recasting.
I think that could have worked with JR's father (the actor also passed away during the show), but in JR's case, it can't be done.
I would just send him off somewhere relevant, and leave it at that.
I'm guessing the character WILL die, but I'm hoping they don't do that.
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Post by captainbasil on Nov 27, 2012 19:18:39 GMT -5
There is lots of stuff they can do. I watched a show for years, Guiding Light. When the actor who played that show's ace villain, Alan Spaulding died it took years to successfully replace him. Once the first new actor tanked they put him in jail for several years, real time. Finally they found someone the audience would accept. I think the only reason he went over is because he approached the character differently. But I agree, Cram, that they should keep the character of J. R. alive and in the background.
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Post by CRAMBAM on Nov 28, 2012 7:40:38 GMT -5
For me, if I'm the writer, I would try to put myself in the audience's position.
Despite the fact that JR is technically a villain, everyone loved him. I don't know too many villains this popular. Maybe it was because the character was so three dimensional. He wasn't pure evil. He had good in him and it came out on occasion. Maybe it was because Hagman was just so good in the role. Maybe it was because he had some of the best one liners in TV history.
What made the reboot so successful was JR. They brought Hagman, Duffy and Gray back, and wrote the characters with significant roles, and were very true to the characters.
What to do now?
If it were me, I would think, "what would the fans want?"
I believe the last episode left things off with JR and John Ross forming an alliance.
You can never replace JR, but for me, the next best thing would be to have his son take up his legacy.
If the true idea is to focus on the next generation anyway, I would try to make John Ross a lot more like JR. He's still only in his 30s, but when Hagman first got the role, he was only in his early 40s, so it's not THAT different.
I would know, as a writer, how popular JR is, and for that reason alone, I wouldn't kill him. I would have him depart in some way. Last season, he wanted to throw John Ross in the deep end and let him get out of various messes.
Let John Ross really become that chip off the block. Let him take up the feud with the Barnes'. Let Cliff be his enemy. Let him outsmart Cliff.
When a king dies, the prince needs to step up and become the new king. If he's worthy, the people will rally around him. Let John Ross become the new king. Maybe that will help.
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Post by Mel on Nov 29, 2012 6:25:28 GMT -5
Okay, they may be asking what would the fans want? (I watched TOS, not the new one.)
But the producers have also got to be thinking, "JR's funeral could draw as many viewers as the episode that revealed Who Shot JR?" That's a tempting piece of bait to be able to use, totally free.
I read that, in the current show, JR was in a nursing home for a while, for depression. They could say he was sent back. But I think that would be a lackluster end for such an iconic character.
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Post by CRAMBAM on Nov 29, 2012 12:56:11 GMT -5
I'm sure if they spare JR's life, it would not be a bad ending.
I don't think JR's funeral would cause that big of a ratings spike. And if you are a fan of the original series, you should watch this show. It is absolutely good enough.
But this version of Dallas without JR is going to be like what the original Dallas would have been without JR. Missing something big.
Not sure if they have decided JR's fate yet, but I'm guessing if they haven't, they are close.
I don't even know if the Super Bowl could do what Who Shot JR did in the ratings these days.
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Post by Mel on Nov 29, 2012 13:15:12 GMT -5
Oh, I was definitely a fan of the original. But what did we have back then, 3 main TV channels, and a handful of locals? (I lived in Los Angeles.) Now, with so many channels to choose from, and DVDs that arrive in the mail, I watch too much TV. I chose not to add Dallas to my schedule, despite how good it is.
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Post by CRAMBAM on Nov 29, 2012 13:31:09 GMT -5
Dallas' first season was only 10 episodes. It was worth it, especially if you like the original. It is the perfect example of how to do bring back a past show.
No recasting, no starting over. Just pick it up years later, bring in some big characters, and move forward.
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Post by CRAMBAM on Dec 11, 2012 9:26:31 GMT -5
Well, looks like they are indeed killing good old JR off.
Funeral airs March 11.
Guessing they will have a slew of Dallas alumni guest starring.
I hope the writers are clever and have JR manipulate things beyond the grave to at least get the last laugh over Cliff Barnes.
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Post by captainbasil on Dec 11, 2012 18:51:52 GMT -5
As a vintage Soap Watcher, trust me. This has major Story Potential. I have liked everything the writers have done with the New Dallas. I think we're in for a fun , bumpy ride.  |
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Post by CRAMBAM on Dec 12, 2012 12:49:41 GMT -5
They've been very good. The new show is absolutely worthy of the original, but without JR, it's not the same. JR was the whole show both on the original and now. They would have to bring in a very strong character to make up for it. It's going to be nearly impossible.
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Post by StarFuryG7 on Dec 25, 2012 11:44:38 GMT -5
Over at the Huffington Post:
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Post by CRAMBAM on Dec 26, 2012 7:31:57 GMT -5
I bet that would be very funny. I like that he's even wearing a hat.
I once saw a guy who looked a lot like the skipper from Gilligan's Island on the subway. He also was wearing a similar hat.
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Post by StarFuryG7 on Jan 9, 2013 17:26:13 GMT -5
Just a remnder to people here that this airs TONIGHT. I intend to watch it even though I've never seen this show before tonight. I generally shy away from reality show nonsense, but because it's Larry Hagman that is appearing on the show, as a small tribute to him I'll be tuning in.I Get That a Lot NEWCelebrities that include Cheech Marin, Phil Keoghan, Jeff Gordon, Bruce Jenner, Jane Seymour and Larry Hagman pull pranks on unsuspecting people by pretending to be celebrity look-alikes. NEW CC 8:00 - 9:00 PM CBS tvlistings.zap2it.com/tv/i-get-that-a-lot/EP01528509?aid=zap2it
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Post by CRAMBAM on Jan 10, 2013 7:31:28 GMT -5
Dallas returns on January 28. 5 episodes were done when Hagman died, and I believe he was in a 6th, but after that, they will be dealing with JR's death. Stinks.
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Post by captainbasil on Jan 23, 2013 8:58:17 GMT -5
I'm curious how the writers handle the sucker punch of Hagman's sudden passing. The 20th was my wife's birthday and I bought her season 1 of the TNT Dallas. There's supposed to be some cool extras in the set. I will keep you folks posted. I like the show but she loves it and she's been wanting to watch the old ones again before the new season starts. |
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Post by StarFuryG7 on Jan 23, 2013 16:24:14 GMT -5
I suffered through "Pioneers of Television" last night on PBS. It was a new episode that will be on again during the week for those of you Larry Hagman fans who may happen to be interested. Personally, I'm not sure why I watched it though, especially once it was over because it focused almost entirely on three shows in particular: "Dallas", "Dynasty" and "Knots Landing", with the first two getting most of the attention. I never watched any of them though, so for me the show was a big waste of time. However, Hagman gets a good deal of attention in it, so for you "Dallas" fans, give it a look.
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