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Grangehill1
Telly Talk Fan
Audrey Landers
Snarky Oracle!
Telly Talk Supreme
They had a policy that only the family members were allowed to be in the opening credits until Priscilla's second year. So most of the above mentioned actors probably wouldn't qualify. In the later years, of course, lots of folks started slipping into the opening credits because so much of the original cast were quit-fired, and the show had to fill up the space.
Yes. Once Afton came back, she should have stayed. Gradually drifting towards Bobby as Cliff continued obsession with Ewing Oil drives her away. Bobby should have married Tracey Lawton, she should have died in Paris, and April should have been one of those jealous Bobby-stalkers who follows him to France and is also shot to death.
Then Afton and grieving Bobby engage and marry during the last few months of the show, Cliff enraged that yet another Ewing "stole a Barnes woman" once again. So, of course, Landers would have eventually wound up in the credits.
Also, during Season 13 (per DVD), JR and Bobby discover their foolish incarceration of Jeremy Wendell a few months earlier was a scam to lull the Ewings into an unvigilant calm while he plotted against them in the shadows. And they gradually realize he had something to do with Pam's disappearance (even if they never quite figure out exactly what) so, naturally, Smithers would wind up in the credits with George Kennedy (on the warpath against the Ewings once again).
Yes. Once Afton came back, she should have stayed. Gradually drifting towards Bobby as Cliff continued obsession with Ewing Oil drives her away. Bobby should have married Tracey Lawton, she should have died in Paris, and April should have been one of those jealous Bobby-stalkers who follows him to France and is also shot to death.
Then Afton and grieving Bobby engage and marry during the last few months of the show, Cliff enraged that yet another Ewing "stole a Barnes woman" once again. So, of course, Landers would have eventually wound up in the credits.
Also, during Season 13 (per DVD), JR and Bobby discover their foolish incarceration of Jeremy Wendell a few months earlier was a scam to lull the Ewings into an unvigilant calm while he plotted against them in the shadows. And they gradually realize he had something to do with Pam's disappearance (even if they never quite figure out exactly what) so, naturally, Smithers would wind up in the credits with George Kennedy (on the warpath against the Ewings once again).
Billy Wall
Telly Talk Dream Maker
William Smithers/Jeremy Wendell.
They had no choice but to start adding other characters to the opening credits. If you're Ken Kercheval, you'd have a major problem with Charlene Tilton being in the opening credits just because she plays a Ewing.
They had no choice but to start adding other characters to the opening credits. If you're Ken Kercheval, you'd have a major problem with Charlene Tilton being in the opening credits just because she plays a Ewing.
Luke_Krebbs_Ewing
Telly Talk Champion
Definitely Steve Forrest that would've added weight that the character was indeed Jock Ewing all along. 
Ollie james
Telly Talk Active Member
Loved that chatacterDefinitely Steve Forrest that would've added weight that the character was indeed Jock Ewing all along.
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Luke_Krebbs_Ewing
Telly Talk Champion
I should point out that if John Beck was put in the titles he'd be up first before Barbara Bel Geddes. I don't think I'd like that very much!
MarkSinacori
Telly Talk Fan
Audrey Landers never had been in the opening, except in JR Returns. She should have been in them. All the seasons she was in she always was named first, I think, on the guest starring credits of "Also Starring". I feel the same about Patrick Muldoon and Rena Sofer when they were on Melrose Place. Patrick should have been in all of season 4 and the first 3 of season 5, and Rena all the episodes she was in should have been in them as well.
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Michelle Stevens
'The Lovely Michelle'
John Beck and Audrey Landers but I think the did an overall good job with who was in the opening credits over the years. It the middle years when you had so many stars Jerrold Immel would have had to add more to the Dallas theme to get them all in.
Luke_Krebbs_Ewing
Telly Talk Champion
He did!
He doubled the length of the opening theme for season thirteen onwards when Cliff Fenneman changed the opening title sequence and it lost the three way split!
LMLDallas78
Telly Talk Enthusiast
I don't recall that at all, thanks for the info, but then I've only ever watched season 13 & 14 when they originally aired. Can't bare to watch again how poor Dallas had become and without Sue Ellen!He did!
He doubled the length of the opening theme for season thirteen onwards when Cliff Fenneman changed the opening title sequence and it lost the three way split!
DarkVader
Telly Talk Active Member
While we're discussing the lengthened version of the show's theme, in what season of the show was it first used? Was it the 'Donna Reed' season?
In Germany, CBS Records released the longer version of the theme as a single 45. The audio of which is up on YouTube in stereo.
In Germany, CBS Records released the longer version of the theme as a single 45. The audio of which is up on YouTube in stereo.
In season 8, when Donna Reed was added to the credits, there was a slight extension to the end of the theme song. This was not used in season 9, but returned in the 10th season, absent again in the 11th, and used when Steve Kanaly returned for 5 episodes in season 12. Most of the 13th season had it, but then towards the latter half of this season, yes, parts of the theme were even doubled because of Lesley Anne Down's inclusion in the credits. The "starring in alphabetical order" and Barbara Bel Geddes title shot used the same cut of the music for these episodes. The show got pretty cheap there towards the end. Think of how the 14th season left April in all the credits, and Cally, too, while on the last season of Falcon Crest, the moment an actor departed, they were cut from the intro.
Luke_Krebbs_Ewing
Telly Talk Champion
Season thirteen is better than fourteen because at least this season has still got Barbara Bel Geddes in residence at Southfork as Miss Ellie.. She doesn't appear in the final fourteenth season and this makes the last season all the worse because of her absence.
Snarky Oracle!
Telly Talk Supreme
The only female character who seemed permanently squelched throughout the run of the show was Miss Ellie. BBG was the real, untapped star of DALLAS, and they needed to use her more in the later years instead of less.
I still say April should have become a shrill Bobby-stalker and not his shrill wife. She should have died in Paris just after the youngest Ewing son married Tracey Lawton (who should also die, enraging her red-faced daddy, Carter McKay, who then blames her death on the Ewings -- freeing up Bobby to date a neglected Afton, much to the chagrin of Cliff who's busy chasing Michele and her piece of Ewing Oil).
I still say April should have become a shrill Bobby-stalker and not his shrill wife. She should have died in Paris just after the youngest Ewing son married Tracey Lawton (who should also die, enraging her red-faced daddy, Carter McKay, who then blames her death on the Ewings -- freeing up Bobby to date a neglected Afton, much to the chagrin of Cliff who's busy chasing Michele and her piece of Ewing Oil).
Seaviewer
Telly Talk Warrior
Cliff could just squeak by as family member, being Pam's brother and Bobby's brother-in-law.
Yes. Regardless of how it would eventually have been resolved, it would have been one more piece of "evidence" for the viewers.Definitely Steve Forrest that would've added weight that the character was indeed Jock Ewing all along.
Snarky Oracle!
Telly Talk Supreme
Wes Parmalee was the de facto ghost of Jock Ewing, whether he was actually Jock or not. His arrival sending shockwaves through the family, the very possibility that he might be Jock placing the plotline at the epicenter of all that was DALLAS, good and bad, the ambiguous non-conclusion conclusion a necessity in order for it to have any meaning.
But can a ghost ever really be in the opening credits?
But can a ghost ever really be in the opening credits?
tommie
Telly Talk Hero
To be fair, I think the reason why they didn't cut April, Cally and Liz was to hide what a sausage fest the show had become - I mean, Kimberly Foster is the female character that appeared the most that season at 16 episodes, followed by Barbara Stock at 14. They might as well have added Sly to the opening credits at that point - or just cut it down to Hagman and Duffy.