Southfork rewind
Grab the crimping iron, break out the Stetson and chaps and pull your shoulder pads and fringed jacket from the back of the closet.
Big hair, big money and big, splashy family dramas are back as the sex-and-scandal-laden 1980s hit television show “Dallas” (1978-91) makes a comeback this summer on TNT.
And that makes it the perfect time to head to Southfork Ranch. Before we go there, though, let’s revisit how it became a real-life destination.
Who shot J.R.? For millions of people around the world, the shooting of greedy, arrogant Texas oil baron J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) by his mistress (who also happened to be his sister-in-law) was big news.
That night — March 21, 1980 — I was at a party in Springfield hosted by a group of medical students. While many of us were dancing to New Wave music in the living room, others were glued to the TV set in the apartment’s bedroom, watching America’s favorite evening soap opera. Suddenly several partygoers burst out of the bedroom, their eyes wide with shock, to announce the news.
They weren’t the only ones blabbing. The media coverage of J.R.’s shooting was phenomenal, even playing on Britain’s BBC News. The cliffhanger became a worldwide obsession. In 2007, TV Guide ranked it as No. 69 on its list of “TV’s Top 100 Episodes of All Time.” According to Nielsen Media Research, “Dallas” was the top-rated United States network television show from 1980-84, and was broadcast in 96 countries.
It’s no wonder so many people around the world took the shooting personally. The exterior shots of the mansion were filmed north of Dallas, and the home’s owner at that time was a man named J.R.
Phyllis George, a CBS anchorwoman at the time, announced to the world that Southfork was a real ranch and that a real family lived there — though she failed to mention the family’s last name was Duncan. Fans assumed that J.R. and his family were the fictional Ewings, and many went to pay their respects to the ailing J.R.
Fans started jumping the fence in front of the house and leaving flowers and get-well cards. Then they began camping out on the property, swimming in the Duncan family’s swimming pool, peeking in their windows, stealing their mail as souvenirs and even taking pictures of the Duncans as they came out of their house, at all hours of the day and night. When the family told them to leave, fans claimed they were waiting for the Ewings to come home.
To learn who shot J.R., fans had to wait well into autumn for the “Who Done It?” episode, which received the highest domestic ratings ever in the history of television up to that point, with more than 90 million American viewers tuning in for the answer. (In 1983, the final episode of “M*A*S*H” finally beat those ratings.)
TNT’s version of “Dallas,” now in production, will feature iconic stars Hagman, Linda Gray (beleaguered wife Sue Ellen) and Patrick Duffy (true-hearted Bobby Ewing). Joining them as the new generation of the dysfunctional family will be actors Josh Henderson, Jesse Metcalfe, Jordana Brewster, Julie Gonzalo and Brenda Strong. The original series ran for 356 episodes, and there’s no telling how long these younger Ewings can stir up trouble. Meanwhile, you can get your “Dallas” fix by visiting the place where it all began — Southfork Ranch in Parker, Texas. If you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of the series’ stars filming now outside the mansion.
All-out Ewing Southfork’s current owner, Rex Maugham (founder and CEO of Forever Living products and Forever Resorts), spent $500,000 redecorating the inside of the ranch house and gave each room a theme as if the Ewing family actually lived there. Except for a special 25th anniversary show (filmed at Southfork in 2004), no scenes in the original series were filmed inside the mansion — Lorimar Productions filmed all interior scenes on a set in Culver City, Calif.
No matter. Diehard “Dallas” fans from all over the world get chills sitting at the glass table outside on the patio where the stars had their breakfasts, brunches, brawls and feuds. They shriek with glee when they spot the pool where skimpily-clad female stars took their dips, Bobby swam laps and J.R.’s mistress Kristin (played by Mary Crosby) was discovered floating face down after drowning. They point out spots around the house where the Ewings had pre-dinner drinks and barbecues, amid the usual family squabbles.
Touring the mansion is plenty fun — discover the Texas Two-Holer (a bathroom with two toilets) in J.R.’s Den; the Waterford crystal chandeliers hanging above the table in the Ewing Dining Room; the ruffles, ribbons and ceramic white rabbits in Miss Lucy’s Yellow Rose of Texas bedroom; and the magnificent opulence of J.R.’s Master Suite, with its European antiques, Waterford crystal lamps and Jacuzzi tub with 24-karat gold faucets.
Smoke and mirrors After you view J.R.’s suite, step outside to the balcony, where Kristin supposedly was pushed over, ultimately landing in the pool. Look down and you might notice that if you were pushed off the balcony, you’d fall into a clump of bushes — not the pool. Call it camera trickery by Lorimar Productions.
When shooting that episode, the crew first pushed the actress over the balcony and into a net, and then cut the camera. She was rolled out of the net, the camera started back up and she landed in the pool. The two clips were spliced together to make it look like one fall.
The swimming pool also is much smaller than the Olympic-sized pool it was supposed to be in the show. Lorimar placed a mirror at the end of the pool and used wide-angle lenses to make the pool appear larger. When Bobby Ewing was swimming laps, the crew placed him in a clear harness with a string that anchored him to one side of the pool. He wasn’t moving forward at all.
The driveway at Southfork also is smaller than when Jock Ewing drove down it in his 1978 Lincoln Continental (which can be viewed in the Lincolns & Longhorns gift shop). To make it appear longer, the Lorimar crew taped him driving the same distance over and over, and spliced the footage together making one huge driveway. And to create the illusion of a dirt road, flour was sprinkled on the edge of the tires and on the drive so when the Lincoln drove over it, it looked like dust in the air.
Retail, food and relaxation Beyond touring the mansion, there are two gifts shops where you can buy can’t-live-without souvenirs (like shot glasses with J.R.’s and Sue Ellen’s names on them); explore a Dallas Legends museum exhibit featuring Lucy’s wedding dress; view the prop gun that shot J.R., his boots and 10-gallon hat; the grill that the Ewings used for all their cookouts; video clips, photos, and signed scripts; and snarf down a humongous barbecue sandwich at Miss Ellie’s Deli.
One of the most interesting items in the museum exhibit is a huge diagram of the Ewing family tree, succinctly titled “Ties, Lies and Commitments.”
The Southfork Hotel, a sister property to the Southfork Ranch seven miles away in Plano, is the perfect place to relax after a hard day of wheeling and dealing in the oil business.
The rooms are comfortable and oversized (it’s Texas, remember?) and the complimentary breakfast at Remington’s Restaurant gives you a hearty start to your day. Lunch and dinner are served at Cattlemen’s Club & Lounge. And the outdoor pool, nestled amidst beautiful yaupon holly trees, is refreshing after a day in the Texas sun.
And if you’re looking to step out for dinner, J.R. would be proud to be seen escorting his latest squeeze to Love & War in Texas. This authentic “Western-style” eating establishment in Plano was developed by two Texans to promote Texas food and heritage. No smoked salmon or Alaskan snow crab on the menu here. But you will find live music by Texas singers and songwriters, big beef ribs and Texas-shaped honey cornbread. You can’t get more Texas than that.
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If you goWebsites
Where to stayGood local eats (Western-style)‘Please Don’t Feed Fingers to Horses’