Dallas - The Early Years

[EW1NG_1]

just gonna sit and watch this later .... remember seeing it years ago when i was a kid! can anybody else remember it? or has watched it lately

one of my relatives told me that parts of it didnt make sense with the original story...oh well lets give it a go!

[dr.ivankipling]

I've not seen that movie since it first aired. I don't remember much about it though I did enjoy it a lot. One thing that still sticks in my mind is how odd I thought it was when I heard Molly Hagen had been picked to play Miss Ellie. I'd seen Molly in a few things before the movie. I frankly didn't think she was a good choice for Ellie Ewing. I quickly found out how wrong I was with that hasty assumption. I think Molly did an excellent job as a younger Ellie Southworth. It was however a bit strange seeing Miss Ellie inside of Herman's Head a few years later.
Enjoy the movie.

[EW1NG_1]

I've not seen that movie since it first aired. I don't remember much about it though I did enjoy it a lot. One thing that still sticks in my mind is how odd I thought it was when I heard Molly Hagen had been picked to play Miss Ellie. I'd seen Molly in a few things before the movie. I frankly didn't think she was a good choice for Ellie Ewing. I quickly found out how wrong I was with that hasty assumption. I think Molly did an excellent job as a younger Ellie Southworth. It was however a bit strange seeing Miss Ellie inside of Herman's Head a few years later.
Enjoy the movie.

i have seen some of it now - it is interesting and i look forward to the performance now of Miss Ellie

i was only 7 years old when it aired originally lol
and i still remember bits ! cant believe my memory on dallas

lol @ how jock meets digger - great little scene!

[dr.ivankipling]

I'm going to have to add that movie to my list of 'watch overs'. I was a little past 7 when it came on but,as I said,don't remember much of the movie, Funny thing is though it premiered on March 23......my birthday is March 23. Normally my family would take me out for dinner&a movie or something each birthday. That year I told my parents I wanted to stay in for my birthday that year. My father was almost puzzled silly hearing me say that. My mother gave a slight smile&a quiet "I thought you might". My poor father kept asking what was wrong?He kept sking why I didn't want to celebrate&spend time with family&friends as I usually did on birthdays. I looked,smiled&said "Daddy nothing's wrong I just want to stay home" My poor father had a look on his face as though he was trying to find a new way to split the atom. As I headed for the stairs to go my my room I heard my mother laugh as she told him in a whisper "That Dallas movie is coming on on his birthday&he's afraid he'll miss it if we go out"
I went out a day early to celebrate that year&stayed home to watch Dallas:The Early Years lol.

[dr.ivankipling]

Posting about DTEY got me a little nostalgic so I decided to pull the movie up on the tube(btw,I LOVE the tube!!Any&everything you can think of is there lol). Is it just me or does anyone else who's seen it think the casting department did pretty an excellent job casting some of the parts? As I look at David Grant as Digger I can see shades of a younger Ken Kercheval. Dale Midkiff puts me in mind of Patrick Duffy in his younger days. The only thing I was bugged by when I saw this movie years ago&am still bugged by is how much younger Cliff was compared to J.R. Junior(J.R.)was teenager in the stables with his gal while Cliff looks to me to be all of 6 or 7 in the movie??.
Well back to the movie for me. Take care all.

[dr.ivankipling]

One last question about this movie. Is it just me or are some of the details of this movie at odds with what has been said on original Dallas? I seem to remember Garrison bringing Miss Ellie an oil photo of what SF used to look like years ago. In that painting Southfork was a small shack-ish house whereas in this movie it's a grand manor. Am I imagining this about the old house in the picture?

[victor lord jr]

One last question about this movie. Is it just me or are some of the details of this movie at odds with what has been said on original Dallas? I seem to remember Garrison bringing Miss Ellie an oil photo of what SF used to look like years ago. In that painting Southfork was a small shack-ish house whereas in this movie it's a grand manor. Am I imagining this about the old house in the picture?

yes the house was different from the picture and I remember that about jr being older than clif,but the story of jock and digger and what really happened was good,digger might have be a drunk but he did truly loved miss ellie.The only thing that bugged me was all the flash back seens sometimes it was hard to realize what was going on.and the suprising ending with the rabbit being shot at.

[EW1NG_1]

yes DR ...a few things did not add up

the age of the boys for a start - now its the BBQ at southfork on Armistice day/Veterans day and its 1951
and they said Digger came back after 15 years - which makes you believe that JR Ewing was probably born in 1937??? or around then to be in his teens at the time of the 1951 BBQ
but what doesnt make sense is Bobby...he would be a baby as he much younger then Jr - so confused haha

other thing that bothered me was - Jock and Digger didnt meet till 1933 but am sure that in the 80s when Jack Ewing came into it, it came out that Jock, Jason, and Digger founded Ewing Oil in 1930 gained complete control of it in 1932 - before he met Ellie! ???? cant be right really if digger and jock didnt meet till 1933 lol

and Pams real father Hutch - was killed in 1952 by digger and am sure Rebecca was pregnant at the time of Hutch's death with Pam
so how can she also be at the 1951 BBQ lol

[EW1NG_1]

another thing not ONCE is the name Ewing Oil mentioned by Jock in the early years! thats strange!

[dr.ivankipling]

yes the house was different from the picture and I remember that about jr being older than clif,but the story of jock and digger and what really happened was good,digger might have be a drunk but he did truly loved miss ellie.The only thing that bugged me was all the flash back seens sometimes it was hard to realize what was going on.and the suprising ending with the rabbit being shot at.

Seeing SF in such grand condition in this movie threw me when I first saw it back in '86. I'd read the book&remember how SF looked when Garrison brought that potrait for Miss Ellie on Dallas. Honestly I'd forgotten these inconsistancies until I rewatched DTEY yesterday. As much as I enjoyed the movie a part of me wishes I'd not rewatched it lol.

yes DR ...a few things did not add up

the age of the boys for a start - now its the BBQ at southfork on Armistice day/Veterans day and its 1951
and they said Digger came back after 15 years - which makes you believe that JR Ewing was probably born in 1937??? or around then to be in his teens at the time of the 1951 BBQ
but what doesnt make sense is Bobby...he would be a baby as he much younger then Jr - so confused haha

other thing that bothered me was - Jock and Digger didnt meet till 1933 but am sure that in the 80s when Jack Ewing came into it, it came out that Jock, Jason, and Digger founded Ewing Oil in 1930 gained complete control of it in 1932 - before he met Ellie! ???? cant be right really if digger and jock didnt meet till 1933 lol

and Pams real father Hutch - was killed in 1952 by digger and am sure Rebecca was pregnant at the time of Hutch's death with Pam
so how can she also be at the 1951 BBQ lol

Ewing you bring up very good points.You also make me regret rewatching Dallas The Early Years a bit more than I already do lol. No seriously I did enjoy the movie but the inconsitancies were glaring!
Ewing I thank you and Victor for your time.

[EW1NG_1]

Seeing SF in such grand condition in this movie threw me when I first saw it back in '86. I'd read the book&remember how SF looked when Garrison brought that potrait for Miss Ellie on Dallas. Honestly I'd forgotten these inconsistancies until I rewatched DTEY yesterday. As much as I enjoyed the movie a part of me wishes I'd not rewatched it lol.



Ewing you bring up very good points.You also make me regret rewatching Dallas The Early Years a bit more than I already do lol. No seriously I did enjoy the movie but the inconsitancies were glaring!
Ewing I thank you and Victor for your time.

i missed your reply dude! sorry

one more thing - they never ever ever mentioned the name 'Ewing Oil' not once! and i thought it would have come up

[dr.ivankipling]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^No worries. We all miss a post here&there.

[DrCampbell]

I've not seen that movie since it first aired. I don't remember much about it though I did enjoy it a lot. One thing that still sticks in my mind is how odd I thought it was when I heard Molly Hagen had been picked to play Miss Ellie. I'd seen Molly in a few things before the movie. I frankly didn't think she was a good choice for Ellie Ewing. I quickly found out how wrong I was with that hasty assumption. I think Molly did an excellent job as a younger Ellie Southworth. It was however a bit strange seeing Miss Ellie inside of Herman's Head a few years later.
Enjoy the movie.

Molly's performance was incredible. She took the character in so many directions, giving her so many dimensions, it was amazing.

She's a yoga teacher in California now. Has a studio.

[DrCampbell]

yes the house was different from the picture and I remember that about jr being older than clif,but the story of jock and digger and what really happened was good,digger might have be a drunk but he did truly loved miss ellie.The only thing that bugged me was all the flash back seens sometimes it was hard to realize what was going on.and the suprising ending with the rabbit being shot at.

That's the "media res" style, and it's my favorite. You throw the audience into the middle or end of the story, then go back to the beginning to explain it. I became a fan of this style after watching its use in Casino (1995), which began almost at the end of the story before winding it back.

The part of the whole Dallas saga that doesn't make sense to me is how Digger could ever have failed even with his drinking. Wouldn't someone with that nose for oil of his be in demand everywhere? Also how did Jock succeed without him?

[DrCampbell]

Seeing SF in such grand condition in this movie threw me when I first saw it back in '86. I'd read the book&remember how SF looked when Garrison brought that potrait for Miss Ellie on Dallas. Honestly I'd forgotten these inconsistancies until I rewatched DTEY yesterday. As much as I enjoyed the movie a part of me wishes I'd not rewatched it lol.



Ewing you bring up very good points.You also make me regret rewatching Dallas The Early Years a bit more than I already do lol. No seriously I did enjoy the movie but the inconsitancies were glaring!
Ewing I thank you and Victor for your time.

Well in the opening scene JR did note that no one was around who had the whole story, so I suppose the film reflected that.

If you think that's bad, The Odd Couple had three different stories of how Oscar and Felix met (as kids, during the war, and on a jury), plus they gave Gloria two maiden names (Schafer and Fleener).

As for Dallas, they retconned an incest story between Ray and Lucy when they made Ray Jock's kid.

[dr.ivankipling]

Molly's performance was incredible. She took the character in so many directions, giving her so many dimensions, it was amazing.

She's a yoga teacher in California now. Has a studio.

Neat!Glad she's doing well

[DrCampbell]

Neat!Glad she's doing well

She's acting sometimes as well. Actually has a very impressive resume, one that says she put her craft above celebrity. Between that film and Herman's Head, plus her other stuff, she's got a lot to be proud of.

[midwestdj]

Well, I finally got around to watching The Early Years.
For me, it was just OK.
The things I did like: The use of history. I really liked that we got a chance to see a young Ellie, Digger, Jock, JR, Bobby, et al. I thought it was fun that Aunt Maggie brought a young Cliff and Pam to a Ewing BBQ and had Cliff fighting with JR and Pam "flirting" with Bobby. I liked that Uncle Garrison was in it and that Gary Ewing was in it. Having Sam Culver and Jason Ewing in it was awesome. All in all, from a history standpoint as well as a prequel standpoint I thought TEY did a great job.
I really wasn't all that impressed with the acting. I wish someone else would've been Ellie. I'm sure Molly Hagan is a fine actor however, I just didn't see it. The only actor I felt was cast properly was the man who played Digger, David Grant. I thought DG was GREAT and was the acting highlight for me in the movie.

All in all, I'd give The Early Years a B+. I can look past miscasts if the history is there.

Now that I've seen all the movies I do have to say that TEY is far and away my favorite.

[DrCampbell]

Well, I finally got around to watching The Early Years.
For me, it was just OK.
The things I did like: The use of history. I really liked that we got a chance to see a young Ellie, Digger, Jock, JR, Bobby, et al. I thought it was fun that Aunt Maggie brought a young Cliff and Pam to a Ewing BBQ and had Cliff fighting with JR and Pam "flirting" with Bobby. I liked that Uncle Garrison was in it and that Gary Ewing was in it. Having Sam Culver and Jason Ewing in it was awesome. All in all, from a history standpoint as well as a prequel standpoint I thought TEY did a great job.
I really wasn't all that impressed with the acting. I wish someone else would've been Ellie. I'm sure Molly Hagan is a fine actor however, I just didn't see it. The only actor I felt was cast properly was the man who played Digger, David Grant. I thought DG was GREAT and was the acting highlight for me in the movie.

All in all, I'd give The Early Years a B+. I can look past miscasts if the history is there.

Now that I've seen all the movies I do have to say that TEY is far and away my favorite.

I agree with you on DG. He brought the young Digger to life much the way MH did with Ellie. In each case, they were given pretty much a blank slate and ran for a touchdown with it.

As Ellie was the more prominent later character, Hagen was given a whale of a task that could easily have been messed up, yet I think she went the other way and became a huge addition to the cast. I think she surpassed DG in that he was playing a "young, old Digger" who was too similar to the present-day (1980s) version, while Hagen brought to life the firebrand who had long since mellowed into the laid-back Soutthfork matriarch.

The wrong actress playing Ellie would have completely sunk the film.

[EW1NG_1]

one thing though for the history of the show - why was the name 'Ewing Oil' never mentioned

Ewing Oil is Dallas!

[midwestdj]

I agree with you on DG. He brought the young Digger to life much the way MH did with Ellie. In each case, they were given pretty much a blank slate and ran for a touchdown with it.

As Ellie was the more prominent later character, Hagen was given a whale of a task that could easily have been messed up, yet I think she went the other way and became a huge addition to the cast. I think she surpassed DG in that he was playing a "young, old Digger" who was too similar to the present-day (1980s) version, while Hagen brought to life the firebrand who had long since mellowed into the laid-back Soutthfork matriarch.

The wrong actress playing Ellie would have completely sunk the film.

For me, TEY wasn't about Ellie at all. It was more about Jock and Digger and Ellie was in the background and that was perfectly fine with me.
I think the dynamic between Jock and Digger was more important than the sub-story of Jock/Ellie/Digger. The Barnes-Ewing feud was more about Jock and Digger first and their business. Ellie second.
Of course Ellie was needful for the story to be played, I just don't have the same opinion of the importance of Ellie in the movie as you do (which is fine, everything is subjective).
I, actually, think it would have been GREAT to see someone like Joan Van Ark play the young Ellie. I know JVA is a few years older than Hagen, however, I think Joan would've been a welcome addition with the history JVA has with the franchise.

[midwestdj]

one thing though for the history of the show - why was the name 'Ewing Oil' never mentioned

Ewing Oil is Dallas!

I never realized that it wasn't mentioned that until now! Good point Ewing_1 and good eye, er ear!

[DrCampbell]

one thing though for the history of the show - why was the name 'Ewing Oil' never mentioned

Ewing Oil is Dallas!

Probably because it was just a piece of paper in the beginning, with the three principals not having the need to refer to it. As a big corporation, that would obviously not be the case, but I know when I went into business with someone once, we never used our company name with each other. It would be "the business" or whatever.

[DrCampbell]

For me, TEY wasn't about Ellie at all. It was more about Jock and Digger and Ellie was in the background and that was perfectly fine with me.
I think the dynamic between Jock and Digger was more important than the sub-story of Jock/Ellie/Digger. The Barnes-Ewing feud was more about Jock and Digger first and their business. Ellie second.
Of course Ellie was needful for the story to be played, I just don't have the same opinion of the importance of Ellie in the movie as you do (which is fine, everything is subjective).
I, actually, think it would have been GREAT to see someone like Joan Van Ark play the young Ellie. I know JVA is a few years older than Hagen, however, I think Joan would've been a welcome addition with the history JVA has with the franchise.

JVA is one of my least favorite actresses of all time, and would have been way too old for the part by then. I still haven't forgiven her stint on The Odd Couple (if that was her).

Take Hagen out of the film and I'd have stopped watching it after ten minutes. Take Digger out and it would have dragged, but I'd have remained transfixed. Don't think I took my eyes off Hagen once during the entire film, nor did I pause it. I find 95-99 percent of actors to be severely lacking in talent, and every now and then one comes along who reminds me of why my standards are so high.

With Digger I think the writing was poor. All he did was drink and find oil, just like in the show. Ellie had a half-dozen dimensions, with a half-dozen more in reserve. Without the proper introduction of why Southfork was so important to her family, thus making Jock so important to her, the entire series makes absolutely no sense. I literally couldn't believe my eyes, I found her that good, and the writing did her talent justice. More attention to Digger would have done the same thing, but they seemed to almost mail it in with his backstory.

For example: WHY did Digger turn to alcohol so much? That wasn't even explored. We're supposed to just accept that he is a drunk, yet there's no reference to what made him that way, or how he first leearned of his tlaent for spotting oil. Too much remained unexplained. With Ellie, every fiber of her being was explored, and I couldn't find any flaws in how Hagen brought her to life. I consider it one of the best acting performances of all time, but to each their own.

[midwestdj]

Just a question, shouldn't have Ray been in TEY? I mean the parts at the BBQ, when Digger tried to shoot Jock.

Seems with JR being 15-17 yrs old, Ray should've been around too....

[DrCampbell]

Just a question, shouldn't have Ray been in TEY? I mean the parts at the BBQ, when Digger tried to shoot Jock.

Seems with JR being 15-17 yrs old, Ray should've been around too....

Ray was a half-breed who later became a ranchhand.

Not sure if they were connected.

[midwestdj]

Ray was a half-breed who later became a ranchhand.

Not sure if they were connected.

Right, I know that... I was trying to put the timing together and see if Ray would've been at Southfork yet. That was my question.
The more I think about it, I don't think he would've been there yet. If anyone has an idea, per the timeline of events, let me know....

[victor lord jr]

Ray was a half-breed who later became a ranchhand.

Not sure if they were connected.

I think the half breed would have got there like a year or two later because hes a year or two younger than jr,and it was mentioned he came to sf when he was a teen.

[July Baby]

I believe Ray showed up at SF when he was 15. I'm not sure how much younger he is than JR.

[midwestdj]

I think the half breed would have got there like a year or two later because hes a year or two younger than jr,and it was mentioned he came to sf when he was a teen.

I believe Ray showed up at SF when he was 15. I'm not sure how much younger he is than JR.

Yes, Ray was 15 when he came to Southfork. I doubt he would've been there already, surely they would've showed him.

[Viki&Charlie]

I've not seen that movie since it first aired. I don't remember much about it though I did enjoy it a lot. One thing that still sticks in my mind is how odd I thought it was when I heard Molly Hagen had been picked to play Miss Ellie. I'd seen Molly in a few things before the movie. I frankly didn't think she was a good choice for Ellie Ewing. I quickly found out how wrong I was with that hasty assumption. I think Molly did an excellent job as a younger Ellie Southworth. It was however a bit strange seeing Miss Ellie inside of Herman's Head a few years later.
Enjoy the movie.

Dr.Kipling, initially, I too thought Molly Hagen was going to be miscast in the role of Ms. Ellie. Once I started watching, I was pleasantly surprised, I loved every single moment of this film. Also distinctly remember Liz Keifer's role as Cherie, Ms. Ellie's sister, if memory serves. How time flies!