Removing the notion BBG was requesting a pay rise but did insist on a reduced work load due to health issues I'd be slightly annoyed the character I had brought to life was suddenly filled by another actor with a completely different interpretation.
I tend to agree with other posters on this subject that the producers were thumbing their collective noses at BBG. And can someone please answer this simple question? As soon as the other actors; Howard, Larry, Linda, Patrick, Victoria etc were aware of what was going to happen why didn't they all walk as a collective group. They all knew what Dallas had become, a massive hit. The cast should have stood as one and told Lorimar Productions re-casting the role of Miss Ellie was not on.
I know what you mean, and I agree. Barbara Bel Geddes had been a huge part of Dallas' success. I think her fellow cast members all found out too late about what was going on. I don't think Donna Reed was confirmed in the role of Miss Ellie until late August 1984, by which point they were already many episodes into recording the new season (Season 8 DVD).
Larry Hagman said that he found out about Barbara's situation that summer when somebody suggested that Donna Reed play Miss Ellie and Larry laughed it off thinking it was a joke. By this time, it was too late to save Barbara's job, and Larry wished that Barbara had gone to him personally a lot earlier. It had previously been Barbara's agent negotiating with Lorimar, and they couldn't agree terms over a temporarily reduced workload and a pay rise. When Barbara realized that she was being dismissed, she tried to say "I'll do it", in regards to Season 8 DVD, but the dye had been cast (to quote David Paulsen). Larry Hagman then tried to get his own mother, Mary Martin, to take over when he realized that Barbara was gone, but Mary turned down her son's suggestion. Lorimar wanted Donna Reed, and that's what happened.
Barbara Bel Geddes was confirmed as getting back the role of Miss Ellie in April 1985, while there were still another 4 episodes of Donna Reed as Miss Ellie to air. Donna Reed found out about the news while she was on holiday in Europe. There was then a legal battle, where Donna sued Lorimar and where one of her aims was to try to halt production of Season 9 DVD of Dallas, or at least to prevent any scenes being recorded which involved the Miss Ellie character. Donna failed with this attempt, and she later settled out of court. Ironically and tragically, Donna Reed was diagnosed with terminal cancer in October 1985 and she died in January 1986. Had Donna carried on playing Miss Ellie, she'd have managed about another 10 episodes before getting the diagnosis, and would certainly not have done more than 20-22 episodes that season had she carried on for as long as possible in a Jim Davis fashion. Rather ironic considering that Barbara was the one who had previously had the health problems, yet by her return as Miss Ellie, Barbara looked fully healthy again, and she lived until August 2005.
This whole saga was a soap opera in itself.
