Dallas Character Harv or Scotty?

[Sarah]

Just for completely random reasons, who do you prefer and why?

I know both have different jobs to do within the law world, but I have always had a soft spot for Harv and would actually place him in my top ten of my favourite Dallas characters. Despite his small stature I feel he always had an air of authority about him and knew exactly how to handle the Ewing business, in particular his patriarchal way of dealing with JR and Bobby when they got their feathers ruffled.

Scotty cut an intimidating figure and I remember as a young girl feeling if I could master his accent I could accomplish anything. He was proper courtroom scary and his loyalty was to whoever paid him.

Which one is your favourite and why?

 

[Chris2]

I love Harv, but I have a soft spot for Scotty, played by Stephen Elliott, who was the chief of police in Beverly Hills Cop.

”Is this the gentleman who disabled an unmarked unit with a banana?”

 

[the-lost-son]

I go with Harve Smithfield who served the Ewings faithfully for so many years. That was part of the saga feeling of Dallas. He was more than a hired lawyer. He was a confidant of the complete Ewing family.

Scotty Demearest was around frequently too - if I'm not mistaken for the court trials of Jock, Ray and Jenna.
It was nice to see him return (comparable to Dr. Danvers for example). But I didn't regard him as that important. It wouldn't have mattered to me if someone else, filled that spot, but it was nice.

Dallas wasn't a legal drama, so the lawyers took a backseat. I liked it though when JR changed his lawyers before his 1st divorce from Sue Ellen because the old one was "too soft."

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

I love Harv, but I have a soft spot for Scotty, played by Stephen Elliott, who was the chief of police in Beverly Hills Cop.

”Is this the gentleman who disabled an unmarked unit with a banana?”

note that the thuggish oilman Willie Joe Garr is now a detective in the Beverly Hills PD in this scene

 

[DallasFanForever]

I voted for Harv. I mean he was such a staple of the show. His readings of Jock’s and Bobby’s wills are two of my favorite scenes. He was loyal til the end, and could always see right through JR’s shenanigans.

Scotty was excellent as a trial lawyer. He had a lot of class and his voice was terrific. I wish they would’ve used him more than they did.

Great idea for a thread @Sarah. I like discussing characters that quite often really don’t get their due.

 

[Rove]

I voted for Harv. Yet another secondary character who shone when required. How I wish TNT Dallas had Harv's son or daughter appear as the Ewing's legal representative. That would have been a nice touch to history.

 

[Seaviewer]

IIRC

I voted for Harv. Yet another secondary character who shone when required. How I wish TNT Dallas had Harv's son or daughter appear as the Ewing's legal representative. That would have been a nice touch to history.

IIRC Tracy Scoggins's character in the reunion movies was Harv's niece.

 

[Angela Channing]

Harv was more of a corporate lawyer whereas Scottie was criminal defence lawyer so it's hard to compare them. If I needed someone to draw up a contract of sale for me I would choose Harv but if I was on trial for murder I would go for Scottie.

 

[James from London]

Scotty was a blast but his win record was 0. (Paul Morgan, the one who had the hots for Donna, was Ray's trial lawyer.) Scotty and Jenna have a great scene together - I think it's in 'Lockup in Laredo' - where he visits her in jail and gives her a real grilling about Naldo's murder. It's one of Priscilla Presley's best scenes. Scotty was also married to Angela Channing on FALCON CREST and Mavis Anderson in real life.

Harv was great too. He's very funny in 'Paternity Suit' where he's being all outraged on Sue Ellen's behalf when Baby Josh's paternity is called into question. (Little does he know ...)

And today's the today I finally have to face the fact that I've been spelling Harv incorrectly as Harve all these years. It's Cecile Colby all over again.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

Harv was great. George O. Petrie was a lovely supporting actor. I can't imagine Dallas without him.

It was good to see him again in JR Returns.

 

[Jimmy Todd]

I selected Harv because I always felt he conveyed a sense of history with the Ewings, even if it wasn't explicitly stated. It was the way he interacted with them, a professional familiarity. It was another way of making "Dallas" feel like a saga with a rich history.

 

[Angela Channing]

And today's the today I finally have to face the fact that I've been spelling Harv incorrectly as Harve all these years. It's Cecile Colby all over again.

I use to have the same issue with Vaughn (not Vaughan) Leeland. Dallas characters seem to like to economise on their use of vowels.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

Harv was more of a corporate lawyer whereas Scottie was criminal defence lawyer so it's hard to compare them. If I needed someone to draw up a contract of sale for me I would choose Harv but if I was on trial for murder I would go for Scottie.

Your best bet if you're on trial for murder is to open a communication channel to the USS Enterprise and say "Beam me up Scotty!!"

 

[Sarah]

I use to have the same issue with Vaughn (not Vaughan) Leeland. Dallas characters seem to like to economise on their use of vowels.

And yet I still see this - Sue-Ellen and Grey. I mean I ask you!

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

Both were good actors but I prefer George O. Petrie simply because he was there when Jock was alive and had on screen history with the Ewing's. He was also seen in some of the meatier storylines during the show's run. It's fitting that he came back for the first reunion film which I'm presuming was one of his last TV roles. May he Rest In Peace.