Underutilized Characters in Dallas

[Kenny Coyote]

This list is not in any specific order:

1. Kendall: she was beautiful and did a fine job as Kendall.I'd like to have seen her utilized in some slightly more involved roles.

2. Mandy Winger - she was very good except maybe in lovemaking scenes, where her passion could have used a little subtlety. She was certainly no tramp though - she dressed in some very nice dresses and looked about as far from a hobo as you could possibly imagine. On the contrary, she looked very glamorous and beautiful! BTW, for those unsure of the definition of "tramp" -
a person who travels from place to place on foot in search of work or as a vagrant or beggar.
synonyms: vagrant, vagabond, street person, hobo, homeless person, down-and-out;

traveler, drifter, derelict, beggar, mendicant, bag lady, bum
"a wandering old tramp"

3. Wally Hampton of Old Coal Industries - the man who was going to do JR a favor by hiring Cliff to work for Old Coal Industries in Oklahoma and then discredit him in about 6 months by accusing him of embezzling r something else that would have ruined Cliff's reputation as well as getting Cliff away from Sue Ellen. The actor who played him was just so good at playing sleazy character and he was entertaining.

4. Scotty Demerest - I thought he played a lawyer better than any other actor on Dallas so I would have liked to have seen him in more storylines. he really came across as a great lawyer.

5. Punk Anderson - at times they used him a good amount but then they would go long periods of time without utilizing him at a all. Especially after Jock died, Punk was one of the last great oil men and friends of Jock from that generation. Also his wife was Miss Ellie's best friend!

Please feel free to add on other characters to this thread!!

 

[Angela Channing]

1. Cousin Jimmy - The Barnes/Ewing feud was always so one sided as there were so many more Ewings than Barnes. Jimmy could have joined with Cliff to take on the Ewings.
2. Dora Mae - Would have loved for her to have been given a storyline, maybe being blackmailed to spy on a customer the Oil Baron's.
3. Jordan Lee - Could have been a really interesting adversary of JR and/or Cliff, possibly introducing his children to be part of a team.

 

[yago]

2. Mandy Winger - she was very good except maybe in lovemaking scenes, where her passion could have used a little subtlety. She was certainly no tramp though - she dressed in some very nice dresses and looked about as far from a hobo as you could possibly imagine. On the contrary, she looked very glamorous and beautiful! BTW, for those unsure of the definition of "tramp" -
a person who travels from place to place on foot in search of work or as a vagrant or beggar.
synonyms: vagrant, vagabond, street person, hobo, homeless person, down-and-out;

traveler, drifter, derelict, beggar, mendicant, bag lady, bum
"a wandering old tramp"

I am confused on the bolded part. JR's passion in lovemaking scenes with Mandy was far less subtle than Mandy's. Mandy was wild in bed, and they were displaying that on a network show as indirectly as possible. The show displayed their sex life as epic. This would have been a graphic sex life between the 2 had this of been an HBO show. The network pushed it as far as they could with as many indirect messages/lines/innuendos/scenes as possible.

 

[Vote4Cliff]

I would have liked to have seen Jackie, Cliffs secretary, do more. After all there was a backstory where she & Pam were like BFFs when they worked at The Store together.

 

[Presea]

1.Katherine Wentworth. She was entertaining, but they could have done so much more with this character. She could have been a highly powerful businesswoman who knew how to give the Ewings a real run for their money. It was sad that they decided to make Katherine go against Pam. It could have been an opportunity for Pam to have a real sister to bond with and share her problems with. Someone who didn't care about the Barnes-Ewing feud like Cliff did. It was like Pam was ultimately stuck with Cliff for family and that was it. Why did they have to go with the "sister tries to steal the other sister's husband" route again after we had just seen that with Kristin? It would have been nice for Pam to have a sibling who could've actually payed more attention to her feelings! Also, I know that this is a very unpopular opinion and that I am weird for believing this, but I think Katherine would have been the perfect woman for JR! Evil and Evil! They could have ruled Dallas and stuck it to everybody with both Ewing Oil and Wentworth Industries! Or they could have been friends who sometimes battled each other and sometimes schemed together. But instead of any of this, we got stuck with the erotomania storyline that prevented any kind of real character growth and alternate storylines for Katherine. I blame it on the writers and Bobby. 2. Alan Beam. I thought he was awesome as JR's henchman! I would have liked to see them work together more. He also would have made a great lawyer for the Ewings with all of the dirty tricks he knew! Harve was good, but his conscience got in the way. I don't think Alan ever would have said "JR, I can't do this!" I also kind of wondered what would have happened if Alan had actually married Lucy and moved into Southfork. Just how much could he have gained from all of this and what would JR have done about it?

 

[Victoriafan3]

Mickey Trotter could have stayed a lot longer and married Lucy

 

[Rove]

Alan Beam. I thought he was awesome as JR's henchman! I would have liked to see them work together more. He also would have made a great lawyer for the Ewings with all of the dirty tricks he knew! Harve was good, but his conscience got in the way. I don't think Alan ever would have said "JR, I can't do this!" I also kind of wondered what would have happened if Alan had actually married Lucy and moved into Southfork. Just how much could he have gained from all of this and what would JR have done about it?

I agree. Alan Beam was an interesting character to me. He was always so eager to please J.R. Your idea of Alan marrying Lucy was a good one. I can see how J.R. could have easily have persuaded Miss Ellie that Alan was a good match for Lucy, of course this was J.R.'s way of potentially controlling Lucy's share in Ewing Oil.

 

[Rove]

Marilee Stone. This woman was HOT, HOT, HOT. She had style, she had flare and no way was she ever the nanny...lol. I loved how Marilee Stone mixed it with the oil men of Dallas and how they in return allowed her into their world. Interesting isn't it how the Ewing women had to fight their way through a mans world but Marilee was already there within the Cartel.

 

[Swami]

I agree we didn't see enough of Marilee, Punk and Mavis. Good idea too about Wally Hampton.

Although we did see a fair bit of him, I often think we didn't see enough of Harry McSween.

Swami

 

[southfork88]

My personal Top Ten

1) Jimmy Monahan
2) Digger Barnes
3) Rebecca Barnes
4) Mitch Cooper
5) Tommy McKay
6) Charlie Wade Marchetta
7) Kay Lloyd
8) Teresa and Raoul
9) Stephanie Rogers
10) Harv Smithfield

 

[Rove]

I often think we didn't see enough of Harry McSween.

I agree. I liked Harry as he reminded me of those old cop types. It didn't surprise me J.R. had someone like Harry on the sly to dig up dirt when it was required. If memory serves correct wasn't there a scene when Harry would often turn up at the Ewing Building after hours to meet J.R. to discuss some scheme he had cooking. Harry reminded me very much of Bum in Dallas TNT.

 

[Presea]

Marilee Stone. This woman was HOT, HOT, HOT. She had style, she had flare and no way was she ever the nanny...lol. I loved how Marilee Stone mixed it with the oil men of Dallas and how they in return allowed her into their world. Interesting isn't it how the Ewing women had to fight their way through a mans world but Marilee was already there within the Cartel.

It's a pity how they turned her into a permanent pool lounger who seemed to be there for purely comedic effect in the later seasons.

 

[Presea]

I agree. I liked Harry as he reminded me of those old cop types. It didn't surprise me J.R. had someone like Harry on the sly to dig up dirt when it was required. If memory serves correct wasn't there a scene when Harry would often turn up at the Ewing Building after hours to meet J.R. to discuss some scheme he had cooking. Harry reminded me very much of Bum in Dallas TNT.

I hated Harry's replacement. That weird Ratigan, or whatever his name was, who always met JR in strip clubs. Harry was so much better.

 

[Rove]

It's a pity how they turned her into a permanent pool lounger

Hey! I didn't mind those pool scenes at all

 

[Steven Wayne]

I hated Harry's replacement. That weird Ratigan, or whatever his name was, who always met JR in strip clubs. Harry was so much better.

Yes, I detested that, too. It looked like tptb were actually making an effort to gear the show more towards a male, chauvinist audience, i.e. dumbing it down. If that was the plan, it worked!

 

[lbf522]

No doubt about it, Katherine Wentworth was wasted. There was potential there. I would have loved to have seen more of Cliff and Pamela's cousin Jimmy. I liked Mandy Winger and hated seeing her go. She was the only one of JR's mistresses who I liked to stick around.

 

[Presea]

No doubt about it, Katherine Wentworth was wasted. There was potential there. I would have loved to have seen more of Cliff and Pamela's cousin Jimmy. I liked Mandy Winger and hated seeing her go. She was the only one of JR's mistresses who I liked to stick around.

It was truly sad how almost the whole Barnes/Wentworth family just disappeared one by one. I wouldn't have minded Mandy sticking around if they at least did more things with her character, or made her relationship with JR not so one-dimensional with the constant sex. In my opinion, Deborah Shelton was a good actress who deserved more than what she was given to work with with her character on Dallas.

BTW, nice to see you back again.

 

[ArchieLucasCarringtonEwing1989]

Mandy, Jimmy, Katherine and Mickey were definitely wasted, not just wasted characters but wasted opportunities.

Mandy was JR's longest term mistress, she was also I think the 2nd great love of his life, she was on the show for three years and even tptb in the new series had her return for JR's funeral, Mandy was being molded into being the next Mrs JR Ewing, and then instead we get Cally "recent high school graduate class of 1987" Harper which was just plain creepy.

Jimmy for the reasons stated above, there weren't enough Barnes especially since it was revealed that Pam was technically a McKinney and only Digger's stepdaughter, Jimmy could've backed a Cliff up more as a sort of Barnes answer to the Ewing's JR and Bobby team, I guess that's why we had the "Pam Gang" in seasons 7 & 8 to readdress the balance but even that fell apart after Mark "died", Afton left and Katherine going bat-ship mental.

Katherine I think was the 2nd biggest waste, I'm not sure if TPTB wanted their own "Alexis" archetype female bitch villain or a more or less remake of the Kristen storyline just four seasons earlier, right down to the "Who Shot...." cliffhanger, Katherine could've and should've been Pam's genuine friend and sister who acts bitchy towards the Ewings because she's protective of Pam and a Cliff to a lesser extent.

Mickey was the 1st biggest waste in the entire series, Mickey was an outsider related to a minor Ewing, whose relationship to the Ewings is because he was born on the wrong side of the sheets, Mickey was the best of Lucy's love interest, and it gave Lucy her best storyline since the first season, Lucy and Mickey were like a bettered version of Gary and Val
And TPTB should've used him more instead of killing him off and making Lucy remarry her douche bag 1st husband.

 

[Presea]

Mandy, Jimmy, Katherine and Mickey were definitely wasted, not just wasted characters but wasted opportunities.

Mandy was JR's longest term mistress, she was also I think the 2nd great love of his life, she was on the show for three years and even tptb in the new series had her return for JR's funeral, Mandy was being molded into being the next Mrs JR Ewing, and then instead we get Cally "recent high school graduate class of 1987" Harper which was just plain creepy.

Jimmy for the reasons stated above, there weren't enough Barnes especially since it was revealed that Pam was technically a McKinney and only Digger's stepdaughter, Jimmy could've backed a Cliff up more as a sort of Barnes answer to the Ewing's JR and Bobby team, I guess that's why we had the "Pam Gang" in seasons 7 & 8 to readdress the balance but even that fell apart after Mark "died", Afton left and Katherine going bat-ship mental.

Katherine I think was the 2nd biggest waste, I'm not sure if TPTB wanted their own "Alexis" archetype female bitch villain or a more or less remake of the Kristen storyline just four seasons earlier, right down to the "Who Shot...." cliffhanger, Katherine could've and should've been Pam's genuine friend and sister who acts bitchy towards the Ewings because she's protective of Pam and a Cliff to a lesser extent.

Mickey was the 1st biggest waste in the entire series, Mickey was an outsider related to a minor Ewing, whose relationship to the Ewings is because he was born on the wrong side of the sheets, Mickey was the best of Lucy's love interest, and it gave Lucy her best storyline since the first season, Lucy and Mickey were like a bettered version of Gary and Val
And TPTB should've used him more instead of killing him off and making Lucy remarry her douche bag 1st husband.

The Pam Gang! I love it! Too bad they ruined any hope of that by doing everything you just mentioned. And I don't know what happened to poor cousin Jimmy. The guy seemed to have been erased from existence.

In the first season she appeared, I believe that Katherine was meant to look like a female version of JR with how she idolized her father and was in a rivalry with Cliff for her father's company that was somewhat similar to JR's with Bobby, and that she and JR were both the sneaky blue-eyed members of their respective families who liked to scheme behind people's backs. If there was a chance of the writers deciding that there could be a new Mrs. JR Ewing, it should have been then with Katherine, in my opinion. (Mandy was too simple for me, but I do believe that she was at least a better choice than Cally. Ick.) That would have also eliminated the Bobby obsession, which was the sole plan for Katherine in season 6 (dvd) and beyond.

Mickey never should have died! I thought he was perfect with Lucy and they managed to develop a good understanding of each other. Plus, Mickey would have spared us from having to watch more of those loser characters like Casey and Eddie who were just after Lucy's money. Not to mention preventing Lucy's annoying fascination with Peter, who was not even interested in her.

 

[Rove]

It was truly sad how almost the whole Barnes/Wentworth family just disappeared one by one.

It's interesting you bring that up. I'm nearly finished viewing Season 7 (commencing with the Southfork fire and ending with Bobby being shot) and find this season exceptional regarding the writers thoughts on extending the Barnes/Wentworth family. And in direct comparison we find the Ewing family shrinking. No Miss Ellie at the beginning of the season with just visits from Clayton. Bobby spending more time at the office rather than home. Sue Ellen spending her time at the hairdressers/bedroom/local park or eye-balling Peter's budgie smugglers (Speedo's).

I'm not sure if it was deliberate or just how the story evolved but I was beginning to enjoy Cliff, Afton, Pam, Mark and sometimes Katherine's story-line. Rather than impede my viewing (which TNT Dallas did by introducing irrelevant characters) this group just enriched it. It was a joy to watch. The dynamic had changed and this was clearly evident when Bobby would go to Pam's house to collect Christopher.

Fast forward another full season and everything went to crap. Afton had left Dallas. Pam was island hopping searching for Mark and Katherine face plants herself on the steering wheel. And what was the pay-off for this brilliant writing? Dallas went to pot.