Ken Kercheval Has Died - Now Confirmed 21/04/19

[Barbara Fan]

I really want to re-watch an episode in honour of Ken Kercheval. Which season do you guys think has Cliff's best moments?

I would watch S1 original not WB cocked up numbering of the show

and watch Election and For love of money, he really excelled in both episodes and gave a very powerful and angry performance as Cliff - hard done to by the Ewings

Both very powerful episodes and ones before they turned Cliff into a bit of a joke

I would then watch S6 and End game where he is throwing ice ubes at the TV over Gold canyon 340 and s10 Brother can you spare a child? For a seat in the park and a shoe box of memories with BBG

How much I regret they didnt film more together

he was fantastic in White Christmas and always lived in hope he would come back for a 3rd year to act in it in UK

 

[Kenny Coyote]

I am glad to hear that Ken is getting the recognition by the media that he deserves.
The Swedish press is reporting about this too today.



I agree that Ken was a great actor and that the Ewing-Barnes fued was central to the drama but I didn't really take sides in it since I loved all the characters.
So I don't know about the rest of you but I never hated Cliff Barnes. I think that was the beauty of Dallas, that all the original characters were so complex that they seemed human somehow and therefore we could like them despite their flaws since we understood them.

Then as for great Cliff episodes. There were a few in the later seasons too. The romantic in me loved the episodes when Afton came back and he didn't go on that business trip to Europe since he had realized that Afton was his true love and wanted to win her back. Then there was the tanker accident episodes when Cliff quit Ewing Oil and went back to his vengeful ways.

Really early on there was also the Paternity Suit episode which did have most reprecussion on JR/SE but the whole who is the daddy drama was started by Cliff who was convinced that John Ross was his.

Also dream season Cliff was really likable. It was the only time when Cliff was happily married on the show. But like others have said there were many great episodes to chose from.

It's interesting that until I brought up the subject and mentioned I hated Cliff Barnes (because Ken Kercheval was so good at what he did) that I found out there were fans here who liked Cliff. Until then I'd never come across anyone who liked him, but clearly there are Dallas fans who liked Cliff. The way I look at it, the Ewings are the reason people watch Dallas. If you didn't like the Ewings family, you probably wouldn't watch for long, because the idea of watching a show which is centered around a family you don't like doesn't make any sense.

So if somebody was out to hurt this family I liked so much, then I hated that person, whether it was Cliff, Jeremy Wendell, or anyone else who wanted to hurt them. Characters like Wendell and especially Cliff were great for Dallas. They created the conflict. If the Ewings always had an easy time and never faced a threat, it wouldn't be too exciting, would it?

Cliff was the perfect opponent for the Ewing family because Cliff was driven by personal reasons for wanting to hurt the Jock, JR, and the Ewings in general. That personal vendetta Cliff had made the Barnes -Ewing feud infinitely more exciting than if he just wanted to compete with them for business reasons. If that was all it was, there is no way he would have kept coming back after the beatings he took to still wage war against the Ewings and Ewing Oil. He hated the Ewings so much that even his sister becoming part of the Ewing family didn't stop or even temper Cliff's thirst for vengeance. He really didn't care if anything he did hurt Pam's marriage to Bobby. He hoped it would! He wanted his sister out of that marriage, whether she was happy with Bobby or not It didn't matter to Cliff whether Pam was happily married to Bobby or not, or that he had a nephew who was Christopher Ewing.. None of that stopped from wanting to hurt the Ewings. He was just so single minded about his personal war against the Ewings that it made for a great feud.

Has anyone found out any more information regarding why Cliff's son told Sheree J. Wilson that Ken was alive and well? It's somewhat reminiscent of Miss Ellie's denial over Jock's death isn't it? They say art imitates life but sometimes life imitates art too.

 

[Kenny Coyote]

s10 Brother can you spare a child? For a seat in the park and a shoe box of memories with BBG

That was a great scene where Cliff said he learned his lesson and that he just wished Pam had been there to see her brother learn his lesson.. That was season 11 though. Pam's crash wasn't until the end of season 10 so it would have had to be after season 10.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

I would watch S1 original not WB cocked up numbering of the show

Now, BF, we've been all through this before. The WB did not "cock up the numbering of the show" --- both seasonal counts have existed from the very beginning, as any old CBS press release or TV GUIDE will prove.

It gets confusing, yes, and we can all use the count we prefer. But WB weren't responsible for "changing" the count with the 2004 DVD releases.

 

[Toni]

It's interesting that until I brought up the subject and mentioned I hated Cliff Barnes (because Ken Kercheval was so good at what he did) that I found out there were fans here who liked Cliff. Until then I'd never come across anyone who liked him, but clearly there are Dallas fans who liked Cliff. The way I look at it, the Ewings are the reason people watch Dallas. If you didn't like the Ewings family, you probably wouldn't watch for long, because the idea of watching a show which is centered around a family you don't like doesn't make any sense.

So if somebody was out to hurt this family I liked so much, then I hated that person, whether it was Cliff, Jeremy Wendell, or anyone else who wanted to hurt them. Characters like Wendell and especially Cliff were great for Dallas. They created the conflict. If the Ewings always had an easy time and never faced a threat, it wouldn't be too exciting, would it?

Cliff was the perfect opponent for the Ewing family because Cliff was driven by personal reasons for wanting to hurt the Jock, JR, and the Ewings in general. That personal vendetta Cliff had made the Barnes -Ewing feud infinitely more exciting than if he just wanted to compete with them for business reasons. If that was all it was, there is no way he would have kept coming back after the beatings he took to still wage war against the Ewings and Ewing Oil. He hated the Ewings so much that even his sister becoming part of the Ewing family didn't stop or even temper Cliff's thirst for vengeance. He really didn't care if anything he did hurt Pam's marriage to Bobby. He hoped it would! He wanted his sister out of that marriage, whether she was happy with Bobby or not It didn't matter to Cliff whether Pam was happily married to Bobby or not, or that he had a nephew who was Christopher Ewing.. None of that stopped from wanting to hurt the Ewings. He was just so single minded about his personal war against the Ewings that it made for a great feud.

Has anyone found out any more information regarding why Cliff's son told Sheree J. Wilson that Ken was alive and well? It's somewhat reminiscent of Miss Ellie's denial over Jock's death isn't it? They say art imitates life but sometimes life imitates art too.

All I have to say about this (and I did say it on Facebook) is: "That is so April..."

 

[Toni]

I could mention quickly a handful of memorable scenes of Ken...

For instance:
- Cliff´s first argument with Pam about her marriage to a Ewing in the Pilot
- He leaving Sue Ellen after being threatened by J.R. (For Love or Money)
- His promise to get her and Baby John back at the hospital (John Ewing III, Part 2)
- His first "real" reunion with Rebecca (Full Circle)
- His last meeting with Sue Ellen after trying suicide (Goodbye Cliff Barnes)
And many more...He was always worth watching...until he was paired up with Da Slutty Blond, that is.

 

[Falcon Crest I]

Rest In Peace Mr. Kercheval! You will be missed.

 

[Sarah]

A tribute from Cathy Podewell also - she's right, "Dallas is a beautiful family"!

 

[KayLloyd]

It's interesting that until I brought up the subject and mentioned I hated Cliff Barnes (because Ken Kercheval was so good at what he did) that I found out there were fans here who liked Cliff. Until then I'd never come across anyone who liked him, but clearly there are Dallas fans who liked Cliff. The way I look at it, the Ewings are the reason people watch Dallas. If you didn't like the Ewings family, you probably wouldn't watch for long, because the idea of watching a show which is centered around a family you don't like doesn't make any sense.

So if somebody was out to hurt this family I liked so much, then I hated that person, whether it was Cliff, Jeremy Wendell, or anyone else who wanted to hurt them. Characters like Wendell and especially Cliff were great for Dallas. They created the conflict. If the Ewings always had an easy time and never faced a threat, it wouldn't be too exciting, would it?

Cliff was the perfect opponent for the Ewing family because Cliff was driven by personal reasons for wanting to hurt the Jock, JR, and the Ewings in general. That personal vendetta Cliff had made the Barnes -Ewing feud infinitely more exciting than if he just wanted to compete with them for business reasons. If that was all it was, there is no way he would have kept coming back after the beatings he took to still wage war against the Ewings and Ewing Oil. He hated the Ewings so much that even his sister becoming part of the Ewing family didn't stop or even temper Cliff's thirst for vengeance. He really didn't care if anything he did hurt Pam's marriage to Bobby. He hoped it would! He wanted his sister out of that marriage, whether she was happy with Bobby or not It didn't matter to Cliff whether Pam was happily married to Bobby or not, or that he had a nephew who was Christopher Ewing.. None of that stopped from wanting to hurt the Ewings. He was just so single minded about his personal war against the Ewings that it made for a great feud.

Has anyone found out any more information regarding why Cliff's son told Sheree J. Wilson that Ken was alive and well? It's somewhat reminiscent of Miss Ellie's denial over Jock's death isn't it? They say art imitates life but sometimes life imitates art too.

It is extremely strange that Ken's son would lie to at least one of Ken's Dallas colleagues. Sheree probably wasn't the only one. I can understand misleading the press until he had a chance to notify the whole family of Ken's passing first, but lying to colleagues who had cared about Ken seems very cruel to me. He should have been honest with them and I'm sure they would have respected his wishes to keep the news private until the family had been notified.

 

[Billy Wall]

It is extremely strange that Ken's son would lie to at least one of Ken's Dallas colleagues. Sheree probably wasn't the only one. I can understand misleading the press until he had a chance to notify the whole family of Ken's passing first, but lying to colleagues who had cared about Ken seems very cruel to me. He should have been honest with them and I'm sure they would have respected his wishes to keep the news private until the family had been notified.

I wouldn’t say it was cruel and I’m sure he had his reasons. Besides, you never know how someone is grieving.

 

[MenaceTheDennis]

I had the same gut punch reaction when I read Ken died, but I was relieved when it was revealed it was a hoax. Then I found out the truth. Ugh so sad.

I started watching Dallas in 1983. Then it went into syndication in 1987 and got caught up with all the missed episodes from 1978 on. Ken was a tremendous actor and shared perfect chemistry with the cast. His scenes always were interesting and he played them to the hilt, whether drama or comedy. I think Cliff could’ve been used as a cynical observer of the Ewings and a supporter of his daughter in the TNT version. By this time the Ewing Barnes feud had been way played out and it’s a shame the character was ruined. The TNT version is best ignored imo.

Rest In Peace Ken. Thank you for the wonderful entertainment all those years. Mmm wonder if Patrick, Susan and Steve are gonna release statements?

 

[Barbara Fan]

WB Cocked up, Dallas had a mini and 13 seasons and Ive got plenty of articles as proof!! Over 100 000! but not all on that topic i hasten to add!!

 

[Barbara Fan]

I went through my large box of Dallas cast autographs and didnt realise I had over 20 of Ken Kerchevals. He was such a lovely man who would take time to write and send cards and photos. He sent me this card in 2006. I will never post the letter he sent me about BBG, its too personal, but I always loved this card x

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

WB Cocked up, Dallas had a mini and 13 seasons and Ive got plenty of articles as proof!! Over 100 000! but not all on that topic i hasten to add!!

No, BF. There have always been two different counts. If you want to discuss it, and you feel it's off-topic, you can also bring it up on another thread, yes?

The S1 thru S14 count has always existed, as has miniseries thru 13 ---- and the former didn't start with WB's DVD releases.

 

[Payton Cross]

I really want to re-watch an episode in honour of Ken Kercheval. Which season do you guys think has Cliff's best moments?

I was busy re-watching Dallas season 3, but I haven't seen much epsiodes for the last couple of weeks, but I'm going to re-watch a couple extra episodes of Dallas again this weekend, just to pay my tribute to Ken Kercheval.

To be honest @Adamski, I don't really know which seasons Ken Kercheval was acted the best on Dallas, I do have a many favorite scenes but they all come from different seasons.

 

[supermanfan]

 

[Rove]

A tribute from Cathy Podewell also - she's right, "Dallas is a beautiful family"!

Oh no! Now I find myself liking Cathy for publishing that post. Can I like Cathy and not Cally?

 

[darkshadows38]

Karin honestly i didn't see them ruin Cliff's Character as i didn't watch season 2 of the reboot. i didn't think the show was awful but it was airing at the same time another show was and i lost track on what was going on.

 

[Sarah]

Oh no! Now I find myself liking Cathy for publishing that post. Can I like Cathy and not Cally?

Yes that's ok. I actually do like Cally if it helps.

 

[Karin Schill]

I can't read the Cathy Podewell tribute. The image won't open for me.
I love Cally so I would love to read what she said.

I noticed that Leigh McCloskey has posted a tribute on his facebook too.

Karin honestly i didn't see them ruin Cliff's Character as i didn't watch season 2 of the reboot. i didn't think the show was awful but it was airing at the same time another show was and i lost track on what was going on.

Thanks for clarifying that. It makes so much more sense now.

Also Dallas Fanzine (thanks @garry ) reposted their interview with Ken from last year:

It's great but it makes me sad to listen to it now since I think this is probably one of the last interviews ever done with Ken.