The primetime TV soap opera descendants of Peyton Place reached a new apogee in 1978 with the premiere of Dallas, which included all of the elements that fascinated viewers: wealth, power, familial intrigue, conspicuous consumption, and promiscuous sex. America immediately embraced the Ewings, a dynastic family of Texas oil tycoons headed by gruff patriarch Jock (Jim Davis) and his faithful wife Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes). Initially the series revolved around the competition between siblings J.R. (Larry Hagman) and Bobby (Patrick Duffy), and their respective wives, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) and Pamela (Victoria Principal). Tempestuous baby sister Lucy (Charlene Tilton) and scheming brother-in-law Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval) spiced up the subplots, and various other characters did their level best to upset the Ewing apple cart. Dallas wasn't very subtle--everything was out in the open and dramatized with a heavy hand--and in fairly short order Hagman's J.R. became the man TV viewers most loved to hate (his shooting at the end of the second season was the most-watched “cliffhanger” episode in the medium's history at the time). The series etched itself into the public consciousness, not only making for great water-cooler conversation in the nation's workplaces but even exerting an influence on fashion: in the late ‘70s, as a result of the show's popularity, wide-brimmed Stetsons and cowboy boots were sold all over the country. In short, Dallas wasn't just another TV drama, it was a bona fide cultural phenomenon. Compiling all 29 episodes of the first two seasons (1978-79 and 1979-80), DVD extras for this boxed set include audio commentaries on three episodes with Hagman, Tilton, and director David Jacobs, as well as a 42-minute "Soaptalk Dallas Reunion" special featuring Hagman, Tilton, Duffy, and Gray. Highly recommended. (E. Hulse)
Dallas: The Complete First and Second Seasons
Warner, 5 discs, 1,397 min., not rated, DVD: $49.98 Volume 19, Issue 6
Dallas: The Complete First and Second Seasons
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