I think 'Crash of 83' might be the cleverest, even if took me about twenty-five years to get it. I'm really slow on puns.
Sadly I still Don’t get it. Could you explain?
Do you all mind if I give some input from a Dallas (the city) perspective?
1980 was the summer of "Who shot J.R" West Texas Crude was $ 31/ barrel. There were a lot of Texas families becoming wealthy, just like the Ewings. It was a great premise for a show.
In 1981 things only got better in Texas. West Texas Crude climbed to $ 37/ barrel.
Imagine at this point a person like Ray Krebbs or Mickey Trotter. They are working on a ranch, making decent money. But then the oil fields start calling, and they are paying TEN TIMES the amount Ray and Mickey are used to. Oh, yes, being young in Dallas during the 1980-81 oil boom was a great time! Remember Ray Krebbs Suburban? This became the official car of Texas and dealers couldn't keep them on their lots.
Then came the crash. Oil prices softened in 1982. Okay, we can handle that. Prices fell from $ 37/ barrel to $ 33/ barrel. We became nervous.
The nervousness turned to panic when 1983 came around and prices dropped further, crashing below the $ 30 mark. People were now in a lot of trouble. Banks were foreclosing on homes and ranches. Some of my friends were told, "The only reason we don't foreclose on you is that we don't want a worthless piece of land."
You know those Ray Krebbs Suburbans everybody bought during the boom? During the Crash of 83 people were parking their Suburbans in the bank parking lots and dropping the keys in the night drop because they couldn't make the payments.
During the boom of 1980, people everywhere talked about Who Shot J.R.
During the Crash of 83, people talked about who would be the last person left in the oil towns.
This is Eliasville, Texas. Named after it's first shopkeeper, Elias.
Look at the picture again-- this is the main intersection of town.
Population boomed to 1500. After the Crash of 83, there were fewer than 100 people left. Not much need for this bridge coming into town anymore.
For every oil boom, there is an oil crash. Just like the Crash of 83.
So, the writers of Dallas picked up our spirits a bit with a pun.
Remember that in 83, there was no internet or forums like this one. It was much easier to keep a secret. So we all met for our Dallas party thinking the Crash of 83 would be about oil prices crashing-- but then discovered the double meaning.
So, I hope you enjoyed this little side trip with your old buddy, The Last Kid Picked. And now you know.
tvtropes.org
