Dallas Actors Victoria Principal absent again.

[Frankz74]

I wish someone would say what went down at the reunion for the cast to break all ties with Victoria. Was it Linda that said she wouldn't appear on any more reunions with Victoria or was it Patrick? I do give both Linda and Victoria credit in that they haven't publicly trashed the other in interviews. Although, Victoria sometimes seems schizophrenic in her comments or lack of about her co-stars. I remember one interview in which she praised nearly all the original "Ewing" cast members and even included a comment about Mary Crosby, but omitted Linda all together. That seemed telling. But then around the time of nu-Dallas, she gave an interview in which she praised Linda for being a great actress and said she would sometimes observe Linda filming her scenes on times or days in which Victoria wasn't needed on set. I also don't remember Victoria talking much about Steve Kanaly, except for the fact they appeared together in the "Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean."

You need to follow her social media she has mentioned Steve as being a very good person. She and Linda are fine. Who said they cut ties with her? She phoned in to a cast get together after ken died and the entire cast spoke to her and told her they wished she was there. For Linda’s birthday she made a nice post about her and when Linda’s son died and people started posting pics of Linda on the internet saying she looked old and terrible Victoria came to her defense

 

[Frankz74]

I think the truth is in the middle... It does seem as if VP is more a do-my-own-thing kind of lady, and not everybody wants to relive, especially on video, their entire DALLAS experience forever. And that's fine.

But she does have a rep. She "didn't have the best relationship" with the original DALLAS producers according to one prime source, she felt violated by nuDALLAS pimping her character's name and possible existence that VP indignantly went public with her sense of exploitation, she refused to tell Valerie Bertinelli she was fat when an endorsement deal fell through (!), and while I initially thought the female posters here were just being "silly women" when they insisted that VP's and Miss Gray's body language at the 2004 Reunion revealed they were mad at each other, when I later went to re-watch the special, I quickly realized they were totally right!

So someone's apparently not that good at working and playing well with others, and probably has no interest at being so.

I rewatched the reunion! You need to see the behind the scenes on YouTube when they arrived Victoria went and kissed everyone and when she went to kiss Linda, Linda demanded a hug also and kept saying how are you! Last year on Linda’s bd Victoria made a post to her on fb and Instagram she also does the same for Charlene and Patrick! When Linda’s son passed away nasty people posted unflattering pics of her leaving a supermarket saying how old and bad she looked, Victoria immediately made a post and came to her defense! There is no issue there and I don’t believe any cast said she can’t come to a reunion! After ken died the cast was together and she called in they all spoke to her and all said they wished she was there

 

[Barbara Fan]

Victoria doesn't *owe* us anything. Remember that cast members that participate in these reunions get paid - they don't do it out of the goodness of their hearts (and no shame in that!). She doesn't need the money and her heart isn't in it so she'd just bring the mood down, so why do it? It sounds like an awful time for everyone.

Absolutely - she doesnt owe us anything and as you rightly say the others get PAID to attend

Ive been to a few in USA in New Jersey and California and the till goes ker ching every time - you want a signed photo, thats $20 and that was more than 10 years ago
You want a photo with Larry - that will be $40 using yoiur camera
They are selling themselves and their photos/memorablia, autographs - its not free and they are there to make ££££$$$$

The bigger the star you are the more you will pay - the likes of Ann Margaret and Patrick Stewart were over $100 easy and had queues out the door

Dallas was part of Victorias life for 9 years, she moved on - she doesnt need to sit in a cold hall, signing her life away, I wish she did but she doesnt do it and she shouldnt be expected too either. She also went on to make more money than the rest of the cast put together and thats from the wife of a cast member

BBG would have baulked at these kind of affairs - not her cup of tea either and thats OK - some like it, some dont but it shouldnt be EXPECTED that just because you were in Dallas you should have to attend

VP speaks fondly of Dallas co stars in her FB posts which are witty as well as showing what a caring perosn she is and her love for her animals shines through. She is not the Dallas cast member that I thought in 2023 would be the animal lover and living a life very removed from her 1980s, most popular poster girl on the show and winner of Polls re most beautiful, who would you like to look like etc - she was athe glam girl in the public eye for many a year. her life now seems very different.

there are people I worked with 20 years ago that Im still in touch with and meet up with , there are others I have never seen since the day they left and I dont miss them at all.

Thats life , it happens if you are famous and not famous. I dont really care if she got on with her costars or not off camera, its what happened in front of the camera that matters - and they all made magic especially in original S1-6

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Victoria doesn't *owe* us anything. Remember that cast members that participate in these reunions get paid - they don't do it out of the goodness of their hearts (and no shame in that!). She doesn't need the money and her heart isn't in it so she'd just bring the mood down, so why do it? It sounds like an awful time for everyone.

All actors, musicians, celebrities etc get compensated for their work and/or appearances. That is not the point.

VP role in Dallas made her a star. It gave her access to more opportunities, that she would not have otherwise had,
thanks to millions who watched the show. As I remember, she also did photos for JR returns. Why if she did not want to be associated with Dallas?
She clearly still worked in TV movies and the short-lived series "Titans" so she was clearly working when "JR returns" aired

he did appear in that Return to Southfork special. Big Deal. She didn't have to play Pam.
It seems she did publicity when it benefitted her. OK but she could have shown more respect for the fans that
made her success possible

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

Yes, a woman born in 1946. That said, Rivers was shaving off three years from her own age at the time.

The coup de grace comes in the final minute:

Joan would have absolutely eviscerated the competition in a presidential debate - she shoves ‘war’ in there over Pam’s ‘occupation’ like a dagger and holds on like a pitbull, to mix metaphors horribly.

 

[LMLDallas78]

others get PAID to attend

Obviously it's still their job.

They are selling themselves and their photos/memorablia, autographs - its not free

Obviously it's still their job.

she doesnt need to sit in a cold hall, signing her life away,

Sad to hear it described that way, like it's demeaning. It's not.

How absolutely amazing there's still demand for them in 2023.

They're hardly signing their lives away, they still enjoy what they do. Just because they choose to do Dallas events doesn't mean they are any less a person than Victoria.

Some people continue to put Victoria on a pedestal, we don't all have to.

she was athe glam girl

She WAS

She also went on to make more money than the rest of the cast put together

Why is this about who earned what? She made loads of money, so what? Her co stars stayed in the business they love.

dont really care if she got on with her costars or not off camera, its what happened in front of the camera that matters

Agreed.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Ive been to a few in USA in New Jersey and California and the till goes ker ching every time - you want a signed photo, thats $20 and that was more than 10 years ago
You want a photo with Larry - that will be $40 using yoiur camera
They are selling themselves and their photos/memorablia, autographs - its not free and they are there to make ££££$$$$

The bigger the star you are the more you will pay - the likes of Ann Margaret and Patrick Stewart were over $100 easy and had queues out the door

I would be embarrassed to charge for a live photo. Luckily, no one is asking me.

 

[LMLDallas78]

No charge for my photo of Linda which I took from home for her to sign, no charge for chatting to her for quite some time. No charge for numerous photographs taken by my husband. No charge for all the other autographs I got and lengthy chats with Charlene and Steve. No queuing, no cold hall.

Truly amazing for a loyal long time fan.

Entrance fee of course like other similar events.

Worth every single last penny.

I would be embarrassed to charge for a live photo

Even if you were famous?

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Even if you were famous?

It just seems so desperate. And the fans are usually not that well off, one assumes.

 

[LMLDallas78]

It just seems so desperate

It's not desperate, it's a job and jobs pay money.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

It's not desperate, it's a job and jobs pay money.

Well, no one's stopping you!!

 

[LMLDallas78]

Well, no one's stopping you!!

Well thank you, not quite sure what you mean, but obviously I'm not a celebrity.

 

[Laurie!]

Unfortunately, she does not seem to care about fans of the show that made her famous.

At least Joan Rivers saw her for who she is

I get the impression she cares a great deal about her fans. She often takes the time to reply to her social media followers or at least likes comments on FB and IG. She certainly doesn't have to do that. She also seems to have amassed a larger following all on her own, without doing media events or being part of the TNT Dallas social media blitz years ago.

I believe also, she made that public statement about her not appearing on TNT Dallas because many of her fans were being duped into believing she was coming back. Yes, it also gave TNT Dallas people a much deserved, backhanded slap in the face too. So it was a win, win for sure .

 

[Toni]

Yes, a woman born in 1946. That said, Rivers was shaving off three years from her own age at the time.

The coup de grace comes in the final minute:

What a memorable video, it belongs to the stuff forums are made of!!!

Truth might be even more surprising...​

 

[Toni]

Dallas was part of Victorias life for 9 years, she moved on - she doesnt need to sit in a cold hall, signing her life away, I wish she did but she doesnt do it and she shouldnt be expected too either. She also went on to make more money than the rest of the cast put together and thats from the wife of a cast member

I can see potential for an Audrey Landers hit song there...

 

[Toni]

Worth the price of admission alone to witness the Dorian Gray style incongruity between the publicity snaps and the Dallas alumni as they are today.

Not only that. The publicity also includes a few people who were in 2 or 3 episodes max, like Rosalind Allen from "JR Returns" and "Conundrum", or the woman who played Jason´s wife too in "Conundrum" (as everybody knows, the most favorite episode of all, one that all fans want to relive again and again...:fp

 

[the-lost-son]

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Pam was a great character and VP would have been welcomed back anytime. But it was a job. Some returned regularly to the franchise which brought them fame&money, others chose not to or very rarely (VP).

Basically, Dallas had a very amicable cast&crew. If you're looking for lifelong feuds or bitterness to the grave - there are plenty of other TV productions, especially back in the day when sth. like that was good for business generating some buzz in the press.

If you're done with a job, there simply are no obligations. Especially at her age, VP has every right to live the life she wants.
The same goes by the way for Dallas alumni who attend fan events. Some comments in that regard are rather derogatory.

 

[Toni]

Some data about Victoria´s life are often overseen. She left in 1987, one year after her marriage to her doctor... and at that time she also had a health scare with her back problems. She inherited arthritis from her mother and might have been thinking that she´d better paused a bit instead of spending 9 months playing whining Pammy... Not denying the rest, but this also was true. Who knows if she might be thinking about having a baby and got the news that she couldn´t carry full-term (like Pam). She mentioned all this in several interviews.

Also...she had just married... :danc::danc::danc:

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

It's probably not "lifelong feuds or bitterness." But that doesn't mean it doesn't get sticky.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I respect her privacy as well as her wishes. If she chooses not to attend these events that’s entirely her prerogative. Selfishly I wish she would do more Dallas related things but I don’t hold it against her that she chooses to stay away. We’re all different. Some people are done with something and move on to something else and never look back while others keep returning because it’s in their blood and part of who they are. Obviously she moved on when she felt it was time to and I don’t begrudge her that. As long as she’s happy and successful and enjoying what she does that’s all that matters to me.