Should Jock have been re-cast immediately after Jim Davis passed away?

[Richard Channing]

I always thought if they were going to recast him that the character that played Punk could have done it. He came across as a tough guy most of the time.

Although that might have taken some explaining story-wise. I suppose it's conceivable that Punk dies in the helicopter crash, not Jock, but Jock needs extensive plastic surgery. And seeing as Jock was always jealous of Punk's good looks, and as a tribute to his dear friend, he has the surgeons recreate his face to look like exactly like Punk. Only problem is that Mavis, who can't get over Punk's death, falls in love with Jock. This leads to a season long feud between Miss Ellie and Mavis ending in a season finale catfight which practically destroys the Southfork kitchen. Yes, the more I think about it this could have really worked!

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

Although that might have taken some explaining story-wise. I suppose it's conceivable that Punk dies in the helicopter crash, not Jock, but Jock needs extensive plastic surgery. And seeing as Jock was always jealous of Punk's good looks, and as a tribute to his dear friend, he has the surgeons recreate his face to look like exactly like Punk. Only problem is that Mavis, who can't get over Punk's death, falls in love with Jock. This leads to a season long feud between Miss Ellie and Mavis ending in a season finale catfight which practically destroys the Southfork kitchen. Yes, the more I think about it this could have really worked!

It might've worked yes.

However we would've had to endure more flying saucers than what we saw in the final episode of The Colby's!

 

[alexpaige]

Was it just tabloid speculation or did the name come from Lorimar or CBS? Was it ever known if CBS wanted a Jock recast and the producers objected or vice versa? Or was everyone behind the scenes in agreement that Jim Davis shouldn't be replaced?

Does anyone know how the press and tabloids dealt with Jim Davis' death? Was there wild speculation about a recast or was the end of Dallas predicted without the patriarch?

Katzman was on record very early on as saying they did not want to recast the role, but there was quite a few months of speculation as to how Jock would be written out, given that it was clear he was going to have to die offscreen. What complicated things was the writers strike prior to the beginning of the season, which is why they had to wait until halfway through the season before actually writing him out.

I don't think there was ever any speculation that it would be the end of the show - Dallas was too big by that stage and it was clear JR was the star, not Jock.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

Katzman was on record very early on as saying they did not want to recast the role, but there was quite a few months of speculation as to how Jock would be written out, given that it was clear he was going to have to die offscreen. What complicated things was the writers strike prior to the beginning of the season, which is why they had to wait until halfway through the season before actually writing him out.

I don't think there was ever any speculation that it would be the end of the show - Dallas was too big by that stage and it was clear JR was the star, not Jock.

JR was the break out key character. That doesn't in any way diminish the importance of the other actors on the show. Jock might not be the break out character but he was certainly one of the shows key characters, there's no getting away from that.

The cast were all stars in my eyes. Jim Davis was a wonderful actor who sadly left us all too soon. I firmly believe in my opinion that Jock really was a break out key character up until we sadly lost Jim and the emphasis on Jock was then switched to JR. God Bless Him.

 

[Snowcat]

JR was the break out key character. That doesn't in any way diminish the importance of the other actors on the show. Jock might not be the break out character but he was certainly one of the shows key characters, there's no getting away from that.

The cast were all stars in my eyes. Jim Davis was a wonderful actor who sadly left us all too soon. I firmly believe in my opinion that Jock really was a break out key character up until we sadly lost Jim and the emphasis on Jock was then switched to JR. God Bless Him.

View attachment 44415

Jock Ewing was awesome. But his presence never fully left the show. Even after his death, JR still lived to please his Daddy

 

[xab]

I know I'll deserve to be crucified after such a blasphemy, but Steve Forrest had much more charisma than late Jim Davis... When I first saw him on screen I thought he was more Jock Ewing than Jock Ewing himself and should have been chosen as Jock in the first place... Taller and tougher, cold with killer eyes... I would have accepted this recasting (not worse than a whole season being a nightmare...)

Ok. Now you can shoot me and burn my corpse.

 

[LMLDallas78]

I know I'll deserve to be crucified after such a blasphemy, but Steve Forrest had much more charisma than late Jim Davis... When I first saw him on screen I thought he was more Jock Ewing than Jock Ewing himself and should have been chosen as Jock in the first place... Taller and tougher, cold with killer eyes... I would have accepted this recasting (not worse than a whole season being a nightmare...)

Ok. Now you can shoot me and burn my corpse.

I agree Steve Forrest was a great actor but not Jock for me, no one else could be for me. How can you say he had "much more charisma" than Jim Davis? No way! Yes indeed the blasphemy from you!!!
Jim Davis had a rugged, tough, gritty persona but could still cry and I don't feel Steve Forrest quite matched that in the same way and he was only very slightly taller. Fine as another character but he ain't no Jock Ewing.

 

[Billy Wall]

I know I'll deserve to be crucified after such a blasphemy, but Steve Forrest had much more charisma than late Jim Davis... When I first saw him on screen I thought he was more Jock Ewing than Jock Ewing himself and should have been chosen as Jock in the first place... Taller and tougher, cold with killer eyes... I would have accepted this recasting (not worse than a whole season being a nightmare...)

Ok. Now you can shoot me and burn my corpse.

Steve Forest could have passed for Jock, but you got a little carried away. "More Jock than Jock?" LOL

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

Steve Forest could have passed for Jock, but you got a little carried away. "More Jock than Jock?" LOL

He means that Steve Forrest was Jim Davis underneath the Steve Forrest make up!!

Seriously though Steve's performance as Jock was very Jim Davis so I can certainly see what he means when he says he was more Jock than Jock! Steve did more than just suggest he was Jock, his performance just exuded Jock Ewing and made it all the more believable that the Ewing patriarch really had returned from the dead.

 

[Seaviewer]

I'l admit that the scene where he washes the dye out of his hair gave me the chills. Jock truly seemed to emerge in that moment.

 

[LMLDallas78]

Luke_Krebbs_Ewing and Seaviewer, as Jock would say " now you two knock it off!" LOL. Who else could deliver that line and " I am Takapa" and his "power" speech as well as Jim Davis? No one!

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

Luke_Krebbs_Ewing and Seaviewer, as Jock would say " now you two knock it off!" LOL. Who else could deliver that line and " I am Takapa" and his "power" speech as well as Jim Davis? No one!

Maybe so but how could a fraud know the things he knew!

And then there are the X rays which matched Jock's. If Wes really was Haines there's no way the X rays could've matched. It's impossible!

Wes Parmalee had to have been Jock Ewing all along.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

I know I'll deserve to be crucified after such a blasphemy, but Steve Forrest had much more charisma than late Jim Davis... When I first saw him on screen I thought he was more Jock Ewing than Jock Ewing himself and should have been chosen as Jock in the first place... Taller and tougher, cold with killer eyes... I would have accepted this recasting (not worse than a whole season being a nightmare...)

Ok. Now you can shoot me and burn my corpse.

I don't agree but I do find your perspective to be interesting.
Jock was a tough man in a tough business.
Steve Forrest was a good choice, and should have remained as Jock on the show.

 

[LMLDallas78]

Maybe so but how could a fraud know the things he knew!

And then there are the X rays which matched Jock's. If Wes really was Haines there's no way the X rays could've matched. It's impossible!

Wes Parmalee had to have been Jock Ewing all along.

I know Wes will always be Jock for you, I think he could've known those things. Shame they didn't carry out "more sophisticated blood tests" as in paternity suit.
The X rays were never mentioned again by the powers that be, so I guess they agreed with me!

 

[DarkVader]

Absolutely not. Jim Davis was irreplaceable.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

I know Wes will always be Jock for you, I think he could've known those things. Shame they didn't carry out "more sophisticated blood tests" as in paternity suit.
The X rays were never mentioned again by the powers that be, so I guess they agreed with me!

Actually the real reason the X rays weren't mentioned again was because they needed a reason to write Steve Forrest off the show. That's why they went with the polygraph lie detector test because those are supposedly not 100% accurate. That's why they suggested that he believed he was Jock when they wanted to disprove that he wasn't, the X rays weren't mentioned again because they proved conclusively who Wes Parmalee really was. He had to have been Jock all along, he even had the bullet wound injury sustained from the Dove Hunt shown on the X ray too which also wasn't mentioned either!

 

[LMLDallas78]

Actually the real reason the X rays weren't mentioned again was because they needed a reason to write Steve Forrest off the show. That's why they went with the polygraph lie detector test because those are supposedly not 100% accurate. That's why they suggested that he believed he was Jock when they wanted to disprove that he wasn't, the X rays weren't mentioned again because they proved conclusively who Wes Parmalee really was. He had to have been Jock all along, he even had the bullet wound injury sustained from the Dove Hunt shown on the X ray too which also wasn't mentioned either!

He still wasn't Jock Ewing, that will always belong to the beloved Jim Davis.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

He still wasn't Jock Ewing, that will always belong to the beloved Jim Davis.

If you want to believe that he wasn't Jock that's fine.

 

[Seaviewer]

Shame they didn't carry out "more sophisticated blood tests" as in paternity suit.

Yes, that was the one thing that was obviously missing. I kept screaming at the screen, "Do a blood test!" but they wouldn't listen to me.

 

[xab]

Though I still enjoy this storyline, I must say the epilogue was rushed and poorly written... The perfectly fitting X rays stuff was unbelievable IF he wasn't Jock. How can we buy the identical wounds if he wasn't Jock ? The bullet thing would have been too much of a coincidence... Every new evidence built up only one possibility : he was really Jock. But all of sudden he confessed to Miss Elie and he vanished into thin air... ?

I honestly do not think Jock would have given up on his ranch and wife, but this man had Jock's body. So where is the truth ?

It seems that he was simultaneously Jock and not Jock. He'll remain some sort of a Schrödinger's cat for eternity. (It's been Pamela's fate for decades too : alive AND dead...)

After a nightmare that lasted for 31 episodes, maybe Dallas tried quantum physics... ?