Could someone please explain how the role of Executive Producer differs from that of Director? I'm interested because this point (Larry Hagman being made one of the executive producers of Dallas) has been brought up quite a few times, with the implication being that giving Hagman that position was responsible for the downward spiral of Dallas in its later years.
If this is a real possibility, then why aren't the directors and writers for the later years of Dallas ever mentioned in the same light? Although I don't know much about the role of producer and how it varies from executive producer and how either one compares to the role of director, I do know that when people talk about movies that are true classics, the credit usually goes primarily to the actors, the director, and to a slightly lesser but still major extent, the writer or writers. Anyone can name famous directors: Hitchcock, Spielberg, Scorsese, and Francis Ford Coppola are some that come to mind. Naming famous producers is harder. The Academy Awards generally save the Oscar for Best Director for very near the end of the show because of its prestige. In comparison there isn't even a "Best Producer" Academy Award is there? Why then, is so much attention given to who the executive producers of Dallas were as opposed to the directors and writers? Shouldn't the directors and writers share more of the blame than co-exective producers?
Thank you in advance. I will appreciate any knowledge anyone is willing to share regarding the role and responsibilities of co-executive producer and how they compare to the role and responsibilities of being a director.
Kenny, you have made a few good remarks about producers and Hollywood. I´ll try to give you my humble opinion about the Dallas producers in particular (and keep in mind that it´s an opinion from reading books and watching interviews and documentaries about the show).
First of all, Larry Hagman as Executive Producer. Well, he said himself that he had no responsibility at all re the producing task, they just gave him some more money in those last years. Theoretically, he had also some input in questions like major storylines and casting choices (he did meet Cathy Podewell before she was hired and saw there would be instant chemistry, though some people here might disagree...). About the Haleyville saga, the official story confirms that it was him who suggested it to the writers / producers, but I personally think that they said: "Ok Larry, that´s a great idea!" and instead of developing it in a good, creative way, they made up the nonsense story they gave us!
In the golden era of "Dallas" (Seasons 1 through 7 originals), the power was distributed between Phil Capice (executive producer) and Leonard Katzman (producer, writer and director). If there is a good reason for those seasons being so many wonderful TV hours, aside from the original cast, is that. Both guys allegedly were opposite in character and dynamics: Capice was the executive, cold mind who took big decisions, while Katzman was the friend of the actors, and controlled everything story-wise, from little details in the background story of the characters to re-shooting scenes of episodes directed by other people that he saw didn´t work. There is a French documentary titled "Faire Dallas" where they (Katzman, A.B. Lewis and Paulsen) succintly talk about this subject.
Comparing movie producers with TV producers of that era is not a good thing, because TV was a second-class kind of entertainment back then (and within the TV world, soap operas were very likely the pariahs, just look at the Emmy awards or nominations for the casts of any of the 4 big soaps). Today it may be more equalled though in a way it´s been reversed: fantasy blockbusters are million-makers but not too many critics give high reviews of them. However, the cable-produced series are, even when they don´t have high viewer numbers, mostly acclaimed even internationally. Some people say that young bankers are the ones who really make movies today, and that talented people have been attracted to TV channels, where they are more free creatively.
Back to "Dallas": "When the Prods Collide". In the D. Reed Season, I might guess that Capice and Katzman had big, well-hidden problems (who knows if casting Ms. Reed had something to do with it?), and Katzman left to produce his own series ("Something´s Honor"?), which flopped considerably. Capice took reins of the series and brought writers from "Knots Landing" while Paulsen decided to take a job as a producer / writer in the 7th Season of the spin-off. The change of writing style wasn´t really noticed until the Dream Season debuted, and it was not a bad idea to get deeper into the main characters´ psyche but eventually, what they (and also Capice, and even Katzman as Consultant, and the one who created Angelica Nero, go figure) did was turning the show into a "Dynasty" copycat, though some storylines reminded more of "Little House on the Prairie" (Ray and Donna).
So, ratings dropped and dropped, and Larry Hagman made the celebrated call to his "dead brother" Duffy to convince him to return. He also was the one who blamed Capice for the show´s failure, and rumors say that he did pay him a few bucks from his pocket to get rid of him. Katzman and Duffy came back, and the dream resolution killed the credibility of the series forever and ever. Viewers kept leaving, especially after Victoria Principal decided not to renew her contract at the end of the year. Losing Susan Howard and later Steve Kanaly and Linda Gray hurt the ratings too. Anyway, the "Dallas" writers in Season 9 were not new, because Katzman brought Paulsen back from "Knots" and also a few other writers from earlier seasons. In a very suspicious move he also put one of his sons at one of the top charges. In future seasons only he or his son appeared in the main producer titles, so maybe having Mr. Hagman added later on was more of a marketing strategy. About the writers of the post-Pam years, Paulsen also was pivotal for Season 10 storylines, and they brought back another writer from the early seasons, Howard Lakin, partly responsible for turning the show into the "Haggie and Duffy Comedy Hour". So to each his own. I hope I made sense of something here...
