Though Everyone Hated J.R. Ewing, for Larry Hagman, He was the Role of a Lifetime - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Zoneboy · 11-16-2008, 01:20 AM

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Sitting at the desk in the living room of his suite at the Ritz-Carlton, Larry Hagman looks as if he could be a retired CEO or an elder statesman. But then he gets up to greet his guests and puts on the cowboy hat that had been resting on the desk and in an instant, the transformation is complete. No makeup artists, no phone booth – with a wave of his hand, J.R. Ewing appears.

It's been a long time since the now-77-year-old actor and Texas native first donned the cowboy hat that made him king of TV as the lovably hateful J.R. Ewing on the show that became an international phenomenon: Dallas. In fact, it's been 30 years, and it's the reunion celebration of that anniversary at the old TV family homestead, Southfork Ranch, that has brought Mr. Hagman back to town for a little pre-party promotion.

Thirty years later, J.R. Ewing still looms large. Around the world, to this day, when people think of Texas and Texans, chances are they picture the fictitious oil baron.

"If you're in Ireland and you say you're from Dallas, even now, you can get a free drink," Mr. Hagman says with a chuckle. "We just got back from Germany," motioning to his wife of 54 years, Maj, who has just sat down next to him, "and it's still huge there, too."

It may still be huge in Germany and elsewhere, but nothing like those crazy late-'70s, early-'80s days when Dallas was the primetime TV equivalent of Beatle mania and J.R. was like his own John-Paul-George-and-Ringo rolled into one Stetson and a pair of boots.

Asked about it now, all Mr. Hagman can do is shake his head and laugh while searching for a word to describe life in the eye of that hurricane.

"How about king? Or emperor? I don't know if anybody had ever been that famous that fast," he says. "We couldn't go anywhere. We'd literally stop traffic. One time in London, a bobby who was directing traffic halted everything and came over to me. I was in the back of this big, old limousine and I had this hat and I guess he saw me through the window.

"So he walks over and says" – here the good ol' boy from Texas drops into a perfectly crisp British accent – " 'I don't suppose I could have your autograph, sir?' What could I say but 'Absolutely, officer'? It was weird. It still is."

Looking back on it now, it's easy to wonder what made Dallas such an enduring sensation. There were plenty of primetime soap operas full of the schemes and shenanigans of the rich and powerful, but something about the Ewing clan stuck in the collective psyche of viewers. Mr. Hagman is as much at a loss to explain Dallas' endurance as anyone ("Listen, if I knew the formula, I'd be doing it now"), but he does offer one theory, which he's quick to credit some foreign journalist for suggesting.

"The thing about that show was that it was this whole family, three millionaires – Bobby, Jock and J.R. – all living in one house with their wives and children. Have you ever heard of that? Not in this country.

"But it struck a nerve around the world because in a lot of places, families live together like that, three and four generations all together. And there we were living like that in Dallas, Texas, multimillionaires all living together in the same house. It was pretty bizarre, not very realistic and kind of sick, if you ask me."

The man who was born in Fort Worth, moved away when he was young and returned as a teenager to go to high school and work among a bunch of "good ol' boys and roughnecks" he would draw on later to make J.R. come to life, has an interesting theory about what made J.R. such a hit, as well.

"I was the only one from Texas on the show. I brought credence to the role and an understanding of the mindset that the writers didn't have any idea about.

"I always thought J.R. was a cartoon, and I played him as a cartoon. That's how I always thought of him, as a cartoon, and a damn funny one at that."

He considers the prospect of attending the 30th reunion, being back at Southfork, once again surrounded by his TV family, which after 30 years have become like a real family.

"We just thought it would be fun. You know, it's 30 years. I probably won't be around for the 40th. I mean, I'm 77. ... I'm kind of in delicate health.

"Anyhow, I don't think I'm going to see the 40th, so let's make sure we live it up for the 30th."

Big3sCompanyFan · 03-15-2009, 12:31 AM

Yeah, that was VERY unrealistic. There's NO WAY 2 multimillionaire sons are going to STILL live with mommy and daddy their entire lives in the SAME house!! LOL!!

MickeyMac · 03-15-2009, 02:44 PM

^

True but the show was entertaining. Damn Larry Hagman was so good.

Also whenever Bobby or J.R. would move out, Jock or Miss Ellie would always try to get them to move back in.

By the end of the show they had the grandkids, and the illegitimate children living in the house as well.

Big3sCompanyFan · 03-15-2009, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MickeyMac

^

True but the show was entertaining. Damn Larry Hagman was so good.

Also whenever Bobby or J.R. would move out, Jock or Miss Ellie would always try to get them to move back in.

By the end of the show they had the grandkids, and the illegitimate children living in the house as well.

They already had grandkids living at the beginning of the show with John Ross there.

I agree the show was great and had a special element to it that no show has today. They should do one last TV movie as a farewell since some of the cast may not live much longer and some have already passed on like Miss Ellie and Clayton. Several more minor characters are also gone.

catlover79 · 03-15-2009, 03:05 PM

No one could've played the role like Larry Hagman. He was THE villain, the one you loved to hate!!

Big3sCompanyFan · 03-15-2009, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover79

No one could've played the role like Larry Hagman. He was THE villain, the one you loved to hate!!

That's why making a big screen movie would be stupid because no one could duplicate him unless Larry did it himself.

catlover79 · 03-15-2009, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big3sCompanyFan

That's why making a big screen movie would be stupid because no one could duplicate him unless Larry did it himself.

Speaking of - are they still going to do a big-screen remake (the one John Travolta was supposed to do)?

11-16-2008, 01:20 AM	#1
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,381	Though Everyone Hated J.R. Ewing, for Larry Hagman, He was the Role of a Lifetime Link Sitting at the desk in the living room of his suite at the Ritz-Carlton, Larry Hagman looks as if he could be a retired CEO or an elder statesman. But then he gets up to greet his guests and puts on the cowboy hat that had been resting on the desk and in an instant, the transformation is complete. No makeup artists, no phone booth – with a wave of his hand, J.R. Ewing appears. It's been a long time since the now-77-year-old actor and Texas native first donned the cowboy hat that made him king of TV as the lovably hateful J.R. Ewing on the show that became an international phenomenon: Dallas. In fact, it's been 30 years, and it's the reunion celebration of that anniversary at the old TV family homestead, Southfork Ranch, that has brought Mr. Hagman back to town for a little pre-party promotion. Thirty years later, J.R. Ewing still looms large. Around the world, to this day, when people think of Texas and Texans, chances are they picture the fictitious oil baron. "If you're in Ireland and you say you're from Dallas, even now, you can get a free drink," Mr. Hagman says with a chuckle. "We just got back from Germany," motioning to his wife of 54 years, Maj, who has just sat down next to him, "and it's still huge there, too." It may still be huge in Germany and elsewhere, but nothing like those crazy late-'70s, early-'80s days when Dallas was the primetime TV equivalent of Beatle mania and J.R. was like his own John-Paul-George-and-Ringo rolled into one Stetson and a pair of boots. Asked about it now, all Mr. Hagman can do is shake his head and laugh while searching for a word to describe life in the eye of that hurricane. "How about king? Or emperor? I don't know if anybody had ever been that famous that fast," he says. "We couldn't go anywhere. We'd literally stop traffic. One time in London, a bobby who was directing traffic halted everything and came over to me. I was in the back of this big, old limousine and I had this hat and I guess he saw me through the window. "So he walks over and says" – here the good ol' boy from Texas drops into a perfectly crisp British accent – " 'I don't suppose I could have your autograph, sir?' What could I say but 'Absolutely, officer'? It was weird. It still is." Looking back on it now, it's easy to wonder what made Dallas such an enduring sensation. There were plenty of primetime soap operas full of the schemes and shenanigans of the rich and powerful, but something about the Ewing clan stuck in the collective psyche of viewers. Mr. Hagman is as much at a loss to explain Dallas' endurance as anyone ("Listen, if I knew the formula, I'd be doing it now"), but he does offer one theory, which he's quick to credit some foreign journalist for suggesting. "The thing about that show was that it was this whole family, three millionaires – Bobby, Jock and J.R. – all living in one house with their wives and children. Have you ever heard of that? Not in this country. "But it struck a nerve around the world because in a lot of places, families live together like that, three and four generations all together. And there we were living like that in Dallas, Texas, multimillionaires all living together in the same house. It was pretty bizarre, not very realistic and kind of sick, if you ask me." The man who was born in Fort Worth, moved away when he was young and returned as a teenager to go to high school and work among a bunch of "good ol' boys and roughnecks" he would draw on later to make J.R. come to life, has an interesting theory about what made J.R. such a hit, as well. "I was the only one from Texas on the show. I brought credence to the role and an understanding of the mindset that the writers didn't have any idea about. "I always thought J.R. was a cartoon, and I played him as a cartoon. That's how I always thought of him, as a cartoon, and a damn funny one at that." He considers the prospect of attending the 30th reunion, being back at Southfork, once again surrounded by his TV family, which after 30 years have become like a real family. "We just thought it would be fun. You know, it's 30 years. I probably won't be around for the 40th. I mean, I'm 77. ... I'm kind of in delicate health. "Anyhow, I don't think I'm going to see the 40th, so let's make sure we live it up for the 30th."
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03-15-2009, 03:05 PM	#5
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	No one could've played the role like Larry Hagman. He was THE villain, the one you loved to hate!!
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03-15-2009, 12:31 AM	#2
Big3sCompanyFan Member Senior Member Join Date: Sep 16, 2003 Posts: 2,493	Yeah, that was VERY unrealistic. There's NO WAY 2 multimillionaire sons are going to STILL live with mommy and daddy their entire lives in the SAME house!! LOL!!

03-15-2009, 02:44 PM	#3
MickeyMac Member Forum Star Join Date: Jun 18, 2008 Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan Posts: 19,004	^ True but the show was entertaining. Damn Larry Hagman was so good. Also whenever Bobby or J.R. would move out, Jock or Miss Ellie would always try to get them to move back in. By the end of the show they had the grandkids, and the illegitimate children living in the house as well.