Barbara Stock was "too stupid" to see the axe

Rove

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Until I can get access to Dallas on Blu-ray or a streaming service here in Australia will finally upload it I have forgotten this character entirely.
 
Soaplover

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I know Lesley Ann Down started at the start of the season, and she vanished midway through and Barbara Stock came on around the time that lesley Ann Down was phased out. I think Ms Stock was saying that she was given no warning that she wouldn't be filming any longer until she filming, or finished filming, the final scene.
 
tommie

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I kind of assumed she must've known how many episodes she was contracted for, but I guess not.

I'm really curious how the contracts looked in that final season. Did the cast members that sat out episodes get paid anything at all? Did they know how much they were going to be used?
 
Monzo

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It's quite astonishing that, of all the Dallas actors, Barbara Stock is getting a new retro article in People (online).

I always thought that the newer characters (Cally, James, Liz) were written out earlier so that the focus in the final episodes would be primarily on the veterans and also to save money to afford the returnees and Joel Grey in the series finale. So it would be a surprise if Barbara Stock, Cathy Podewell, and Sasha Mitchell (and maybe even Sheree J. Wilson) were paid for the entire season despite their absence, similar to Jane Wyman and Ana-Alicia on Falcon Crest.

Liz felt like a replacement for Stephanie, and I can easily imagine the Johnny Dancer story with Stephanie, too. I just don't really see Cliff and Stephanie as a couple; Liz was a better partner for him. Still, I think Lesley-Anne Down would have been a great fit for the show back when Dallas was still really good, while Barbara Stock was more of a fit for the final seasons.
 
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tommie

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Monzo said:
I always thought that the newer characters (Cally, James, Liz) were written out earlier so that the focus in the final episodes would be primarily on the veterans and also to save money to afford the returnees and Joel Grey in the series finale. So it would be a surprise if Barbara Stock, Cathy Podewell, and Sasha Mitchell were paid for the entire season despite their absence, similar to Jane Wyman and Ana-Alicia on Falcon Crest.
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Could be - though at that point most of the cast bar Patrick and Larry had missed episodes. So I'd assume everyone but them had their episodes cut - I guess Barbara Stock might've had more episodes in her contract that they skipped and she got paid for though.
 
Monzo

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Barbara Fan said:
It showed how desperate Dallas was by the end when the likes of Ms Stock made the opening credits - because there was hardly anyone of note left!

All those years of Audrey Landers, Morgan Brittany, John Beck and co who never got a look in!
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What a coincidence that you mention those three names that are at the top of the poll when it comes to who should have been in the opening credits: https://www.tellytalk.net/threads/who-should-have-been-in-the-opening-credits.13570/

Instead of Barbara Stock (and Lesley-Anne Down before), I would have put Gayle Hunnicutt in the opening credits. Her character at least gave JR a child, while the other two were just newcomers without any family ties.
 
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K

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Well it's possible she would have been brought back for the next season if there had been one!

If I remember correctly they used to say that they didn't know that the writing was on the wall until they had filmed the final episode.
Because when VP wanted confirmation that it would be the last episode they wouldn't give it to her.
I think it's a shame Dallas ended on such a bad note. It would have been better if they had known it was the last season in plenty of time so they could have created an ending worthy of the show. Knots Landing had a much better ending IMHO.
 
KayLloyd

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Karin said:
Well it's possible she would have been brought back for the next season if there had been one!

If I remember correctly they used to say that they didn't know that the writing was on the wall until they had filmed the final episode.
Because when VP wanted confirmation that it would be the last episode they wouldn't give it to her.
I think it's a shame Dallas ended on such a bad note. It would have been better if they had known it was the last season in plenty of time so they could have created an ending worthy of the show. Knots Landing had a much better ending IMHO.
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Yes, Stock's account seems to contradict that narrative and confirms my suspicion that they indeed knew all along that Dallas was ending and could have given VP the promise of closure for Pam and Bobby that she asked for to play Pam one last time.
 
Toni

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Monzo said:
What a coincidence that you mention those three names that are at the top of the poll when it comes to who should have been in the opening credits: https://www.tellytalk.net/threads/who-should-have-been-in-the-opening-credits.13570/

Instead of Barbara Stock (and Lesley-Anne Down before), I would have put Gayle Hunnicutt in the opening credits. Her character at least gave JR a child, while the other two were just newcomers without any family ties.
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Carry on Granny...? Please no!
 
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Monzo said:
What a coincidence that you mention those three names that are at the top of the poll when it comes to who should have been in the opening credits: https://www.tellytalk.net/threads/who-should-have-been-in-the-opening-credits.13570/

Instead of Barbara Stock (and Lesley-Anne Down before), I would have put Gayle Hunnicutt in the opening credits. Her character at least gave JR a child, while the other two were just newcomers without any family ties.
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I liked Gayle Hunnicutt. I wish she had stayed with JR
 
Matthew Blaisdel

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Yes. She could have been a good wife for JR.
She was way more educated and experienced than most others JR had been with.

Of course, those mega superficials and short-sighted among us would degrade and discriminate her to granny status (despite, what would be wrong with that anyway, she and JR were about the same age?? Just SO stupid and old cis-man-attitude), but i prefere to judge people not because of their age, but because of their capability and charisma.
So ... yes. Of course Vanessa would have been a great match for JR!

Really liked her and wished, they had expanded her character further. She could have made JR a better person.
 
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Monzo

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If I had to choose between Vanessa, Liz, and Stephanie, I think Vanessa was the best character and Stephanie was the worst, although that's only the writing and not Lesley-Anne Down's fault.

I also think Vanessa was a character who had more to offer, especially additional family members. Dallas often had a little sister who showed up and caused trouble, so why not Vanessa's sister as well? A younger brother, maybe ten years older than James, would have been interesting, too. JR could have been jealous of James' cool uncle, whom James looked up to. The uncle could also have been a love interest for Michelle.
 
Frank Underwood

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Gayle Hunnicut is a fine actress, but Vanessa and JR never seemed compatible to me. A leopard doesn't change its spots, and I don't think any woman could make JR "better."

That said, I've always disliked the "Granny Beaumont" comments that have been made over the years. They're usually made by disgruntled Sue Ellen fans, even though Linda Gray is 3 years older than Gayle Hunnicut. Of course, making negative generalizations about "old cis-men" isn't helpful either. In fact, many of Vannesa's critics are women.

As for Barbara Stock, I thought she was another example of a good actress in a thankless part. It was obvious that she and Cliff were doomed to fail, as were Vanessa and JR. The fact that they both joined the show when it was in decline didn't help matters either. Vanessa felt especially shoehorned in as a way to give JR a grown son to battle with.
 
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Toni

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Frank Underwood said:
Gayle Hunnicut is a fine actress, but Vanessa and JR never seemed compatible to me. A leopard doesn't change its spots, and I don't think any woman could make JR "better."

That said, I've always disliked the "Granny Beaumont" comments that have been made over the years. They're usually made by disgruntled Sue Ellen fans, even though Linda Gray is 3 years older than Gayle Hunnicut. Of course, making negative generalizations about "old cis-men" isn't helpful either. In fact, many of Vannesa's critics are women.

As for Barbara Stock, I thought she was another example of a good actress in a thankless part. It was obvious that she and Cliff were doomed to fail, as were Vanessa and JR. The fact that they both joined the show when it was in decline didn't help matters either. Vanessa felt especially shoehorned in as a way to give JR a grown son to battle with.
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J

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Frank Underwood said:
Gayle Hunnicut is a fine actress, but Vanessa and JR never seemed compatible to me. A leopard doesn't change its spots, and I don't think any woman could make JR "better."

That said, I've always disliked the "Granny Beaumont" comments that have been made over the years. They're usually made by disgruntled Sue Ellen fans, even though Linda Gray is 3 years older than Gayle Hunnicut. Of course, making negative generalizations about "old cis-men" isn't helpful either. In fact, many of Vannesa's critics are women.

As for Barbara Stock, I thought she was another example of a good actress in a thankless part. It was obvious that she and Cliff were doomed to fail, as were Vanessa and JR. The fact that they both joined the show when it was in decline didn't help matters either. Vanessa felt especially shoehorned in as a way to give JR a grown son to battle with.
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I think the idea was good, in theory.
JR with a grown son, with a woman that he may have truly loved.
It also gave us a chance to see a different JR, one that had a better nature

Clearly, it didn't work, or at least not as much as was hoped.
 
Seaviewer

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I've never had anything against Vanessa as a character. Just the concept of the sudden introduction of a "one true love "we'd never heard of before, when we'd always been led to believe that Sue Ellen's eyes were the only ones for him - despite his repeated infidelities over the years.
 
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