J. R. Ewing

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John Ross Ewing, Jr., more commonly known as J.R. Ewing, played by Larry Hagman, was a nefarious figure on the hit CBS television series Dallas. The series was a cross between Romeo and Juliet (Bobby Ewing and Pamela Barnes were lovers whose families were sworn enemies) and the western Bonanza (with its affluent patriarch and three sons). America's favorite antihero since Eddie Haskell, J.R. was a covetous, egocentric, and amoral oil baron, who was constantly plotting subterfuges to plunder his foes and their Texas-sized wallets.

The thrust of the series was initially the feuding families, with J.R. just a supporting character. However, his popularity grew and the producers acknowledged he became the "break-out character". Two highly rated 1980 episodes became pop culture zeniths. In "A House Divided" and "Who Done It?", the audience witnessed J.R. being shot by an unknown assailant. After the cliffhanger was broadcast in March, the audience had to wait until the October conclusion. The summer of 1980 was all abuzz with a new national obsession known as "Who shot J.R.?". Riding the crest of his newfound popularity, Larry Hagman threatened to leave the series unless his contractual demands were met. CBS leaked rumors of recasting, but the actor eventually prevailed.

[edit] Fictional character biography

J. R. shared oil duties with his kind-hearted kid brother Bobby, while fair-haired middle brother Garrison (Gary) moved to California. An alcoholic, Gary and his wife Val were spun-off into the prime time soap, Knots Landing. Gary's daughter Lucy was whisked away to the ranch by J.R. Knots Landing was created before Dallas, but it was not bought by CBS until 1979.

J.R.'s extramarital flings and an obsessive drive to maximize profits left no time for the Southfork Ranch and animal husbandry, which were mostly the domain of his half-brother Ray Krebbs and mother Miss Ellie. J.R. was keen on women and mean on his arch nemesis Cliff Barnes. The two characters were the only ones who remained with the series throughout all 14 seasons.

Though ever the womanizer, J.R. had two wives: Sue-Ellen (played by Linda Gray) and Cally (played by Cathy Podewell), and three sons: John Ross III, Terrance Harper, and James Beaumont during the show's run (one each to his wives and one from an earlier, off-screen affair). J.R. drove a pale green Mercedes-Benz with the license plate "EWING 3" (patriarch Jock was #1). J.R. drove a Cadillac Allante convertible from 1987-1991.

The series capitalized on ending each season with ratings-grabbing cliffhangers. Some notable cliffhangers included the "who shot J R?" dynamo, a floating female corpse in the pool, a blazing mansion fire, Bobby mistakenly being shot while sitting in J.R.'s office, and the kidnapping of Miss Ellie by her half-crazed sister-in-law. Usually, no longlasting damage was done to any essential cast member — unless they wanted to leave the series. Both Bobby and Pam were killed-off, with Bobby returning in a dream-sequence. As Dallas drew to its 1991 finale, "Conundrum", J.R. was finally undone by a combination of his enemies and booze. Abandoned by most family members (Sue Ellen, John Ross, Miss Ellie, Lucy...), J.R. was set-up by West Star Oil owner Carter McKay. Believing that Westar was available, J.R. sold his half of Ewing Oil to Cliff Barnes, only to discover that this con was engineered by Mackay (whom J.R. previously framed for murder). J.R. had bought up worthless voting rights with no hope of buying the required shares to use them. He had lost both companies. J.R. contemplated suicide and could be seen wandering around the Southfork pool with a bottle of bourbon and a loaded revolver. After an It's a Wonderful Life-like fantasy in which J.R. is shown what life would have been like had he never been born, the series ended as a gunshot rang out and Bobby dashed into the main bedroom of Southfork shouting "oh my God" at the mystery sight which met him. J.R.'s fate was not revealed.

In a later reunion movie it was revealed that J.R. had shot the mirror (despite no glass being heard to smash at the time) and left for Europe. After five years travelling, he decided to return and reclaim his rightful place as head of Southfork and Ewing Oil. This plan was to have differing success but stopped Bobby from selling Southfork and caused him to buy back Ewing Oil from Cliff Barnes. Seeing that all things Ewing were back within the family, J.R. then set up a new operation to oust enemy Carter McKay from Westar, installing J.R. as the new chairman of the board.

Another reunion movie (in which Ken Kercheval was absent) saw J.R. try and fail to force a merge with Ewing Oil, but he claims a consolation of conning $50,000,000 from Carter McKay.

[edit] J.R.'s storylines

J.R., as main character and villain in Dallas, was involved in too many controversies to note. Below is a basic outline of some of the Ewing patriarch's more memorable escapades.

[edit] The Mini Series

It is often said that it was Hagman's role as J.R. that won Dallas a second season. During this five episode pilot series, J.R. attempts to pay off Bobby's new wife, Pamela, due to his hatred of the Barnes family.
When this fails he and ranch forman Ray Krebbs set up a sting which the resourceful Pam blackmails her way out of. J.R. appears to look forward to the ongoing challenge, smiling as he says "I underestimated the new Mrs. Ewing... I surely won't make that mistake again..."
When J.R.'s secretary and mistress of many years, Julie Grey, betrays the Ewings and reveals documents of corruption involving senators, J.R. sees this as a chance to turn his family against Pam. However Pam again shows her strength by solving the mystery and revealing her own brother Cliff, who is leading an inquiry into Ewing affairs, as the one who led Julie to betray J.R.
It becomes evident at this time that, with Bobby now pushing for an equal share of Ewing Oil responsibilities, J.R. is hiding something much greater than senate bribes...
J.R. and Ray drive to Waco for a passionate evening with two local women, leading their vengeful husbands to Southfork in a hostage situation. Though nobody is hurt, it is the first sign of J.R.'s mask slipping with his family, particularly wife Sue-Ellen. Also, J.R. pushes Pamela from a stable roof, causing her to miscarry her baby. It is probable that J.R. did this accidentally as he was drunk, however he later shows no remorse for his actions as he wants himself and Sue-Ellen to produce the first Ewing heir, despite his obvious refusal to touch her.

[edit] Series Highlights

The third Ewing brother Gary returns to Southfork with estranged wife Valene to be with Lucy, their daughter. J.R. has different ideas however and subtly builds up business pressure on Gary, knowing he is an alcoholic. Gary almost takes a drink and instead realises Southfork is too much and leaves. J.R. then attempts to blackmail Valene who vanishes without taking money, although J.R. sets her up to appear as though she did - alienating both parents from his niece Lucy.
Later Jock, the head of the family, collapses while confronting J.R. about shady business partners. It is revealed he needs open heart surgery and even while his father is having life saving surgery, J.R. cannot help but notice Ames and Garr, his "partners", circling the hospital like vultures. Jock pulls through and asks Bobby to return to Ewing Oil to control J.R. but Bobby refuses. J.R.'s dealings remain a secret and he retains control of Ewing Oil.
During this time a maternal Sue Ellen tries to buy a baby but foolishly she does not go out of town and J.R. is soon informed by his spies. He pays off the mother to vanish, leaving his wife distraught.
Cliff Barnes and J.R. have their first major skirmish. Ciff runs for State Senator against the man who the Ewings have backed and Barnes looks good for the win, so Jock and J.R. agree to dig up whatever dirt they can. J.R. uncovers a secret of Cliff's past - he forced an old girlfriend into an abortion which claimed her life. With abortion a controversial subject, Cliff loses the election by a landslide and J.R. wins the first of their many battles.
In between stealing a girlfriend from Ray Krebbs with the lure of industry contacts and pacifying Ames and Garr with increasing difficulty, J.R. hears that Sue Ellen is pregnant. However in a shock twist the baby could be Cliff's! Sue Ellen leaves Southfork and means to be with Cliff, however J.R. goes to Cliff's office and threatens to bring him down with full Ewing force. Cliff calls Sue Ellen and tells her to go back to J.R. - which she is forced to do.
Julie Grey is killed by an out of control Ames and Garr leading to J.R.'s secrets finally being revealed. He initially attempts to frame Cliff Barnes but, while he is on trial, Bobby apprehends Ames and Garr at the airport and they are forced to confess. He then burns all of J.R.'s dodgy files including a fake will of Jock's, leaving Southfork to J.R.
An unstable Sue Ellen takes up drinking and, paranoid about what alcohol may inspire her to reveal about his secrets, J.R. has her instantly committed to a sanitarium. Sue Ellen breaks out and in the cliffhanger crashes her car. The baby is delivered - a boy - and as Cliff looks on at what might be his son, J.R. breaks down at his wife's side. Cliff takes a job as the Head of the Office of Land Management and starts to crucify Ewing Oil.
Sue Ellen's sister Kristen arrives to help nurse her older sibling through her recovery, and manipulates J.R. into giving her a job as his "secretary". Sue Ellen begins an affair with rodeo star Dusty Farlow, the son of a rich oilman, and J.R. and Kristen sleep together.
J.R. reshuffles and rebudgets to try to secure an offshore oil lease in south-east Asia, but eventually decides the only way to get the leases is to mortgage Southfork!
A typhoon hits the Asian wells and J.R. panics about Southfork. Bobby discovers the loan and is forced to tell Jock. J.R. looks on as Jock and Bobby undermine him and attempt to sell the wells, while J.R. enlists lawyer Alan Beam to convince Cliff he could win a seat in U.S. Congress and resign his post at the O.L.M. before Ewing Oil is destroyed.
J.R. is forced to bring Bobby into Ewing Oil but pulls strings to get Pam a job, focussing Bobby solely on his troubled marriage. Meanwhile Alan Bean and Lucy are a couple, and J.R. backs his man - because he wants Lucy out of Dallas!
The Asian wells come in before the deadline and the Ewings are billionaires.
After Cliff resigns from the O.L.M., his Congressional campaign dies as the money was all J.R.'s - J.R. defeats him again. John Ross III, the baby, is also proven to be J.R.'s - prompting him to start loving the boy in a way J.R. did not previously seem capable of love.
Cliff quickly lands a new job on the District Attorney's staff and resumes his harassment of the Ewings. When a skeleton is found on Southfork land and identified as the former ranch foreman Hutch McKinney, he builds a case targeting Jock as the murder suspect. Jock is nearly convicted, until Cliff's father Digger, on his deathbed, confesses to the murder, since McKinney had bedded his wife - and was, in fact, the real father of Pam.
Searching through his father's belongings, Cliff finds an old contract giving himself and Pam a 50% share in oil field Ewing 23, which Bobby has just reopened. Upon learning this, J.R. immediately shuts down the field. Cliff has nothing left now but his loathing of J.R.
Jock makes Alan Beam an offer of a law firm in Dallas and J.R. stops the wedding as he will no longer gain anything from it... A vengeful Alan threatens J.R., who responds in kind by having police chief Harry McSween bring Alan to the office and threaten him with a fake rape charge if he doesn't leave Dallas. The used and jilted Kristen attempts to bring down J.R. and is similarly threatened with a prostitution charge unless she too leaves town.
J.R. gets word that the Asian wells are to be nationalised and sells 75% of them to his friends for $750,000,000. The investors are ruined, including banker Vaughn Leland who demands restitution, and promises to end J.R.'s crooked dealings.
With the suspects mounting, J.R. is shot in his office, triggering the greatest TV cliffhanger of all time.

J.R. is rushed to hospital and has two emergency surgeries. Kristen is revealed as the shooter, but J.R. keeps this quiet as she claims to be pregnant with his child. He sends her away and sends monthly checks (unaware that she is also getting financial maintenance from cartel member Jordan Lee, who believes he is the father of her baby).
Despite being paralysed and hospitalised, as soon as he hears Bobby is the new President of Ewing Oil, J.R. is quickly on the phone to friends, sabotaging deals.
J.R. walks again, while Bobby finds the power of Ewing Oil intoxicating, to the immeasurable fear of his brother. Despite J.R.'s best attempts, Bobby secures a refinery - Jock had always wanted one and J.R. had never delivered. This prompts the famous quote from J.R. to his newly loving wife Sue Ellen: "Im gonna cut Bobby out, even if I have to destroy Ewing Oil to do it..." J.R. continues to attempt sabotage, sinking an oil tanker and costing the company $18,000,000 by ensuring the contents were never insured - although Bobby eventually discovers that the oil was never actually aboard, and regains it from J.R.'s accomplices. When terrorists threaten to blow up Ewing 23, J.R. calls up local banks to slow the process of acquiring the demanded money, and the oil wells are destroyed.
At about this time, Jock discovers that forman Ray Krebbs is his son from an earlier offscreen affair.
Lucy has a new husband - Mitch Cooper. At the wedding J.R. sleeps with Mitch's sister Afton and helps her with her singing career.
J.R. positions Bobby so that he either lets down his friends or his family, and so he resigns. J.R. takes back control of Ewing Oil.
Conscious that nobody will deal with him after the Asian scam, J.R. hires a fiesty P.R. woman, Lesley Stuart, to improve his image - though obviously J.R. is interested in more than her business acuman.
With Lesley woking hard on his image, J.R. makes moves to topple the government that nationalised his Asian wells. Jock is pressuring him to make friends in the cartel again and they won't talk because of the losses he made for them over the Asian deal - therefore J.R. sees this as the only viable option.
Rumour flies that Cliff Barnes could be selected to run for state senate again, so J.R. pushes Bobby forward and he wins the nomination - and the election. Bobby hires Cliff as his legal council.
Sue Ellen resumes her relationship with Dusty after he returns from a presumed-fatal plane crash - although he is now crippled and impotent.
Ray marries Donna Culver, a wealthy widow with powerful family and a grudge against J.R. Pam discovers that her & Cliff's mother, Rebecca (whom Digger always maintained was dead) is alive and married to the immensely wealthy Herbert Wentworth. Soon after, Herbert dies and Rebecca gains control of his business empire, putting her in a position to lend Cliff vast resources for his vendetta.
Jock and Miss Ellie appear on the brink of divorce and so, in an uncharacteristic kneejerk response, J.R. meets with Jeremy Wendell, the head of the much larger Westar Oil, and proposes that Westar purchase Ewing Oil to save it from a divorce action. J.R.'s terms are "for myself? A suitable title, substantial cash, common and preferred stock with annual options... and provisions for retirement." Wendell agrees in principle and gives J.R. the documents for himself and Jock to sign. J.R.'s Asian counter-revolution is a success and he has his power back within the cartel, plus $250,000,000 in oil wells.
Donna threatens J.R. with vengeance after he sets Ray up for a fallout with the family, and Cliff gets wind of the counter-revolution and its ties to the Ewings.
Sue Ellen leaves J.R. and goes to live with Dusty on his father Clayton's ranch, taking John Ross with her. Losing his son is particularly devastating to J.R.
Jock and Ellie reconcile and J.R. blatantly stalls Wendell, who realises what is going on and swears revenge. Wendell meets with Cliff Barnes and supplies him with all the evidence he would ever need to get J.R. convicted for financing the revolution. Cliff submits the evidence during a senate meeting and J.R. is ordered to appear before the state senate.
Afton, who has been sleeping with Cliff on J.R.'s orders, drugs him and opens the apartment door for J.R. and Harry McSween. J.R. finds the evidence he needs and Harry photographs it.
At the senate hearing, despite Lesley Stuart sensationally betraying J.R., his ability to see the evidence beforehand allowed J.R. to bribe an Asian official to testify on his behalf and explain where his funds were "spent" - hospitals and schools. Cliff is disappointed that J.R beat him yet again and confronts him, but the oil tycoon taunts, "Barnes, if you didn't do it this time, you never will. Nobody is ever gonna get ol' J.R."
Kristen reappears, having left her baby with a boyfriend in California, and attempts to blackmail J.R. for more money. However, buoyed up by the senate hearing result and by finally sleeping with Lesley Stuart, he tells her to go away and promises no more money - ever.
Cliff accuses Bobby of giving J.R. the evidence and drives to Southfork to tell Bobby he is reporting him, but on his way in he finds a body in the pool. Jumping in Cliff finds she is dead and looks up to the broken railing from which she fell. There, with a glass of Bourbon and Branch and the trademark grin, is J.R. Ewing.

[edit] Trivia

• He was renamed in the Hungarian version of the series to Jockey.
• The character ranked 180th in a countdown of the 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons compiled by VH1.
• Rapper Sir Mix-A-Lot refers to himself as "the J.R. Ewing of Seattle" in the song Posse On Broadway.
• Larry Hagman would often comb his eyebrows in an upward pitch like the Grinch, which was intended to bring about a subconscious dislike of the character.
• Rock'n' Roll legend Ozzy Osbourne parodies J.R. in his video for the song "The Ultimate Sin". He wears the same white cowboy hat and is depicted as the head of "Ozzy Oils" company.
• Larry Hagman (as J.R. Ewing) is impersonated by lookalike Greg Dickerson (a real life doctor), who makes appearances at Southfork Ranch, on request; and has appeared on TV and at other events throughout Texas and the United States.
• Larry Hagman (as J.R. Ewing) is the only actor to appear in all 357 episodes of the series.
• John Bradshaw Layfield, a former WWE Champion and color commentator on Smackdown, uses J.R. Ewing's character base as his persona.