Dallas Being Ignored By The Emmy Awards

[Kenny Coyote]

It's interesting that Dallas, despite being the most successful TV drama series ever, never got an Emmy award for best dramatic series. They also never gave Larry Hagman the Emmy for best actor in a dramatic series. I find all of this rather absurd. Dallas got the whole world talking about it. Larry Hagman's portrayal of JR Ewing got the whole world talking about JR, especially in the summer after JR was shot. That's why Hagman was able to command the salary he did. Dallas had captured the hearts and imaginations of the world to a greater degree than any other dramatic TV series of that time or any other time.

Maybe that's why I don't put much stock in awards like The Emmys, Oscars, or Grammys. I'm sure the people responsible for making Dallas the phenomenon it became appreciated the extra zeros in their paychecks a lot more than an Emmy award.

 

[Jimmy Todd]

I seem to remember in the early 80's that there was a critical backlash against Dallas from at least some television reviewers. Their perception was the Dallas was a "soap opera" that exploited sexual content for ratings. This was not really fair, because there was alot of excellent acting and issues that were tastefully handled. The media probably just focused on the affairs and the backstabbing storylines, which fueled this perception.
Mr.Hagman deserved an Emmy for his portrayal, as did Mr. Kercheval, Ms. Bel Geddes, and Ms. Grey. Other actors in the show had great moments as well. The writers, directors, and camera people deserved acknowledgment as well.
I'm sure the Emmy's are rife with behind the scenes politics, favors, and shenanigans.
As we know, in life real talent and achievement is often overlook, just as in the news, the really important stories are the ones that don't make the headlines.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Just after 'Who Shot JR?', DALLAS actors did get some Emmy nominations, and Barbara Bel Geddes had an Emmy win. And composer Bruce Broughton got two or three Emmys for DALLAS.

It's the most we could probably expect; DALLAS was too successful for its own good. In several ways.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

the year that Larry Hagman died, he barely got a mention, if that, in the Emmy broadcast, when a number of far lesser actors who had passed the previous year had video tributes.

That was absolutely preposterous!

 

[Barbara Fan]

Barbara Bel Geddes was nominated 3 times for an Emmy award and won x 1 in 1980.
typically it had to be the year that SAG went on Strike and she along with many others boycotted the show so no pics!

Bruce Broughton also won for the music on Dallas and Travilla also won for costume design in 1985

Others members of the cast were nominated but never won so they werent totally excluded from Emmys

 

[Victoriafan3]

Susan and Victoria should all have been at least nominated. Still boggles my mind that they weren’t. Linda was nominated in 1981 is that right? She should’ve had more nominations and a win too

 

[Angela Channing]

There were lots of very strong TV series back then so competition for the awards was always stiff. There is often a lot of snobbery with awards and they would look less favourably on soap operas as a result.

 

[Kenny Coyote]

I seem to remember in the early 80's that there was a critical backlash against Dallas from at least some television reviewers. Their perception was the Dallas was a "soap opera" that exploited sexual content for ratings. This was not really fair, because there was alot of excellent acting and issues that were tastefully handled.

I agree. What was this supposed exploitation of sexual content? They had Victoria Principal, one of the top sex symbols of that time and maybe the best looking actress on TV, but can anyone name even one scene with Pam and Bobby that exploited sexual content just for the sake of it? Did Pam and Bobby even have any sex scenes?

 

[Herofan]

I agree. What was this supposed exploitation of sexual content? They had Victoria Principal, one of the top sex symbols of that time and maybe the best looking actress on TV, but can anyone name even one scene with Pam and Bobby that exploited sexual content just for the sake of it? Did Pam and Bobby even have any sex scenes?

Attitudes must have really changed. I don’t recall any steamy sex scenes, especially in the early years. J.R. slept around a lot, but I don’t recall it showing anything. It would show him in bed with his lady friend chatting afterwards, but I don’t recall anything steamy.

 

[Barbara Fan]

Pam had more steamy scenes with Mark than Bobby especially during dream season in the shower together

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

I agree. What was this supposed exploitation of sexual content? They had Victoria Principal, one of the top sex symbols of that time and maybe the best looking actress on TV, but can anyone name even one scene with Pam and Bobby that exploited sexual content just for the sake of it? Did Pam and Bobby even have any sex scenes?

in this scene from Lessons in the miniseries, they're not exactly subtle about why Bobby suggests that he and Pam forego the riding lesson and head back to the house, but then again they're bundled up in full winter garb and it's just innuendo!

 

[Kenny Coyote]

am had more steamy scenes with Mark than Bobby especially during dream season in the shower together

She probably did have more steamy scenes with Mark because I don't recall any scenes with Pam and Bobby that would be considered "steamy."

Attitudes must have really changed. I don’t recall any steamy sex scenes, especially in the early years. J.R. slept around a lot, but I don’t recall it showing anything.

Right, during the early seasons, the really great seasons that should have gotten Emmy awards, they had almost no sex scenes, and certainly nothing that would make me think that Dallas was exploiting sexual content for ratings.

Attitudes have changed some, but the attitudes towards what is allowable regarding sex and violence have been pretty consistent in that sex is considered bad and violence is much more tolerated than sex. I've never agreed with that, but it seems to be something that's just embedded in our culture.

Breaking Bad in it's relatively short run - 63 episodes vs over 350 episodes for Dallas - got 58 Emmy nominations and 16 Emmy wins. The people responsible for deciding who gets nominated and who wins apparently didn't consider Breaking Bad to be exploiting graphic violence for ratings. Breaking Bad had a scene where we saw a man slice another man's throat with a box cutter. There was so much blood that it literally had to be mopped up off the floor. How can it be that Dallas was passed over for Emmy awards because they exploited sex, but Breaking Bad wasn't passed over for Emmy awards for exploiting violence?

I think it's a sign of a sick society when a show can depict that box cutter scene as well as a scene where a man walks out of a room where a bomb has exploded causing one whole side of his face to be blown off to be great art, but God forbid that instead of showing any graphic violence they show a woman's breasts. Then it's considered sexually exploitative trash and receives the harshest TV rating there is.

 

[Barbara Fan]

From main cast I think that larry hagman and Susan Howard should have been nominated

from memory Hill street Blues, St Elsewhere and Cagney and lacey did very well and all shows on at the same time as Dallas and competition

I thought daniel J Travaniti was a great actor and not a Cagney and lacey fan but both actresses just about dominated the 1980s and won it on a regular basis

 

[Bill Dilks]

I think it's like the movies. The weird stuff wins...the hugely popular stuff gets snubbed as too bourgeois. If everyone, meaning us commoners, likes it, it won't be considered good because we "just don't know any better".

 

[Lastkidpicked]

'I is interesting that Dallas, despite being the most successful TV drama series ever, never got an Emmy award for best dramatic series. They also never gave Larry Hagman the Emmy for best actor in a dramatic series. I find all of this rather absurd. Dallas got the whole world talking about it. Larry Hagman's portrayal of JR Ewing got the whole world talking about JR, especially in the summer after JR was shot.

I remember this!

I seem to remember in the early 80's that there was a critical backlash against Dallas from at least some television reviewers.

Jimmy Todd is on to something. And so is Angela Channing:

There were lots of very strong TV series back then so competition for the awards was always stiff. There is often a lot of snobbery with awards and they would look less favourably on soap operas as a result.

As a Texan who was around for the original run, I have some inside information for you:

CBS was tying to be the serious news network with hard hitting shows. 60 minutes was the news program that was the source of pride for them. They also led the way with groundbreaking shows such as All in the Family and M*A*S*H.

Along comes Friday nights at CBS. The Dukes of Hazzard was a rediculous show (I loved it!) that included bumbling cops, crazy rednecks jumping cars, and the ringleader Boss Hogg with a huge, white Cadillac with six foot long bullhorns mounted on the hood!

.

And after the kids had gone to bed, the adults stayed up to watch Dallas. A show about a scheming oil man and his wealthy family.

Fine, fine fine. Let those little shows entertain the unwashed masses, as @Bill Dilks said. We're still the serious network of 60 Minutes and M*A*S*H.

But what's this? Look a the top 5 TV shows:

Rank Program Network Rating 1980-1981
1 Dallas 34.5
2 The Dukes of Hazzard 27.3
3 60 Minutes 27.0
4 M*A*S*H 25.7
5 The Love Boat 24.3

The network and the Hollywood elites were horrified that Dallas and Dukes of Hazzard were beating their high brow TV shows.

So horrified that they tried to undermine their top shows.

On the set of Dukes of Hazzard, the actors didn't even get their own trailers. When the actors said, "We are your number 2 show! We bring in all the money! We don't even get a trailer?"
The network made it clear that they were embarrassed that Dukes and Dallas were their number one and number two shows.

Now, after the summer of "Who Shot J.R?" Even the most snobbish of executives could see that Dallas and Larry Hagman specifically were hugely popular. This gave Larry the power to negotiate a great contract and salary, which paved the way for the other actors to negotiate better contracts. (Think of Steve Kanaly and his new role in the series).

So while the people in power begrudgingly acknowledged the popularity of Dallas, they never fully accepted it. And the people involved were often snubbed in many areas, including awards shows.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

I remember this!

Jimmy Todd is on to something. And so is Angela Channing:




As a Texan who was around for the original run, I have some inside information for you:

CBS was tying to be the serious news network with hard hitting shows. 60 minutes was the news program that was the source of pride for them. They also led the way with groundbreaking shows such as All in the Family and M*A*S*H.

Along comes Friday nights at CBS. The Dukes of Hazzard was a rediculous show (I loved it!) that included bumbling cops, crazy rednecks jumping cars, and the ringleader Boss Hogg with a huge, white Cadillac with six foot long bullhorns mounted on the hood!
View attachment 16715

.

And after the kids had gone to bed, the adults stayed up to watch Dallas. A show about a scheming oil man and his wealthy family.

Fine, fine fine. Let those little shows entertain the unwashed masses, as @Bill Dilks said. We're still the serious network of 60 Minutes and M*A*S*H.

But what's this? Look a the top 5 TV shows:

Rank Program Network Rating 1980-1981
1 Dallas 34.5
2 The Dukes of Hazzard 27.3
3 60 Minutes 27.0
4 M*A*S*H 25.7
5 The Love Boat 24.3

The network and the Hollywood elites were horrified that Dallas and Dukes of Hazzard were beating their high brow TV shows.

So horrified that they tried to undermine their top shows.

On the set of Dukes of Hazzard, the actors didn't even get their own trailers. When the actors said, "We are your number 2 show! We bring in all the money! We don't even get a trailer?"
The network made it clear that they were embarrassed that Dukes and Dallas were their number one and number two shows.

Now, after the summer of "Who Shot J.R?" Even the most snobbish of executives could see that Dallas and Larry Hagman specifically were hugely popular. This gave Larry the power to negotiate a great contract and salary, which paved the way for the other actors to negotiate better contracts. (Think of Steve Kanaly and his new role in the series).

So while the people in power begrudgingly acknowledged the popularity of Dallas, they never fully accepted it. And the people involved were often snubbed in many areas, including awards shows.

They should have had them Duke Boys come flying over Southfork in the General Lee, with Rosco's car falling short and plunging into the pool - maybe early in Season 1 when episodes were still standalone. It wouldn't have been all that much more ridiculous than Lucy getting semi-kidnapped and taken hostage by the world's dumbest serial armed robber!

Imagine Jock's reaction: "Now what in the HELL is going on here??"

 

[Grant Jennings]

I think the Emmy nomination process worked against "Dallas" and the other prime-time soaps. Actors must chose a single episode to be considered for nomination (not an entire season of work - an exception will be made for a two-part episode). In an ensemble drama each actor receives less screen-time than an actor in a standard drama. In a serialized drama we only see an actor play part of the story - out of context. It's much easier to judge a performance if we see a story from start to finish.

Didn't Barbara Bel Geddes win her Emmy for the breast cancer storyline? That played out over just a couple of episodes. I wonder if she might have even been allowed to submit two episodes under the two-part episode rule.

 

[Chris2]

Priscilla Presley should have been nominated for an academy award for her incredible turn as Jenna. Also, Chris Atkins for Peedur.

 

[Rove]

the year that Larry Hagman died, he barely got a mention, if that, in the Emmy broadcast, when a number of far lesser actors who had passed the previous year had video tributes.

That was absolutely preposterous!

I remember it well. Cory Monteith was given an In Memoriam slot but not Larry Hagman. What were the producers of The Emmy's thinking? One actor died from "a mixed drug toxicity" and was really known for Glee. Larry on the other hand had achieved a long and successful career. His portrayal of J.R. Ewing set the benchmark that adult contemporary drama could be produced and be highly successful for commercial television. I've never forgiven The Emmy's for this betrayal and have refused to watch it since. Like the Oscars it's become too political and irrelevant.

 

[Victoriafan3]

Larry has Jeannie game before Dallas so his career was long and successful already which made his Emmy memorial that was forgotten even worse

Yes I think they are for single episodes but there was a lot of talk in 1985 from the Press about VP going to be Emmy nominated for Swan Song. It sadly didn’t happen. I mean what more did she have to do in that episode to get an Emmy nod for that?!

Also if you are talking single episodes Susan Howard when Donna found her baby would be downs was a perfect opportunity for her to be nominated as best supporting actress.

As for Linda Gray, and how she should have been nominated multiple times, so many of her individual episodes could have been chosen. Grrr Emmy bigwigs