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

[Seaviewer]

Although they deny it, the way the show plays out suggests that they did intend to make him Jock and then changed their minds for whatever reason.
And of course, we don't really know what he said to Miss Ellie in their final meeting. Maybe he just convinced her that it would be best for everyone if he left, no matter the truth.

 

[Jock's Ghost]

The sad part of the Donna Reed incident, is that even if she had worked out perfectly and returned for her second season, she would have died in the middle of that season anyway as the actress was battling pancreatic cancer.

 

[Jock's Ghost]

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... ?

That is a fantastic storyline, up to that point. WHY portray him as Jock with irrefutable proof, but then don't.... it was daytime television at its worst. The fools who say Duffy's return helped the series are just that- fools. It did nothing of the kind and kicked DALLAS into a cowardly form of writing and for what?

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

The sad part of the Donna Reed incident, is that even if she had worked out perfectly and returned for her second season, she would have died in the middle of that season anyway as the actress was battling pancreatic cancer.

I’ve often wondered if the cancer, though not yet diagnosed, was already affecting her during the season she was on the show and that contributed to her apparent lack of energy and presence.

 

[Jock's Ghost]

I've said for years, if Duffy's exit had been planned with a little foresight and with an escape route. NONE of this shit, the mummy storyline would not have happened.

1. Duffy leaves with Bobby in a coma. Parmelee returns, explaining later, "I heard our boy was in a bad accident." He pays him a visit while in the coma. Imagine a season finale with Jock returning and Bobby waking up from his coma?
2. PLUS just recasting Victoria after the car crash would have saved so many headaches and stupidity.
3. After a season of Clayton still around, you reunite Jock and Ellie. Pair Clayton and Sue Ellen to drive JR batty- Bam. the show runs five more years of quality stories!

 

[Jock's Ghost]

I’ve often wondered if the cancer, though not yet diagnosed, was already affecting her during the season she was on the show and that contributed to her apparent lack of energy and presence.

Yes, I believe it did. She passed in the middle of the next season... it had to have something on her.

 

[Jock's Ghost]

Kristen, Jenna and Gary were all recast so yes they can work. It's better to lose an actor, than the character- Pam should have been recast.

NO, he should be recast and recasts dont work on Dallas - also Dallas was the hottest show on TV in 1980 -81 and the viewing public arent gullible to accept someone else in an established role

Jims death also gave Dallas some of its best storylines in S4 and 5 original and Steve Forrest was never the Ewing patriarch and was only contracted for a time limited period with other work lined up - he was never going to be Jock - but he was great as fake Jock

 

[Barbara Fan]

Kristen, Jenna and Gary were all recast so yes they can work. It's better to lose an actor, than the character- Pam should have been recast.

Yes but they played the part for 1 episode - Kristin and jenna x 2 and were not major characters

Same with Gary number 1

Dallas hadnt taken off at that point, it hadnt hit the big time and i dont think anyone would really recall that Collen Camp played Kristin briefly or Morgan Fairchild played Jenna number 1 or insipid Francine Tacker in S2 - also a high % of people didnt have VCRs back in late 70s or 1980 so not something most people would rewatch again at home to get "used" to that actor in their one off part

Jim Davis is totally different as is Victoria Principal

They had establihed themselves and a fan base in their roles and were accepted in the parts - They made Jock and Pam their own role - made their mark and stamped a personaility on the character

Fans arent easily fooled and gullible

Pam should never have been recast - Pam was Victoria Princicpal - noone else and she was a smart cookie and got out at the right time before the rot set in

 

[southfork88]

Although they deny it, the way the show plays out suggests that they did intend to make him Jock and then changed their minds for whatever reason.
And of course, we don't really know what he said to Miss Ellie in their final meeting. Maybe he just convinced her that it would be best for everyone if he left, no matter the truth.

Unfortunately this is the truth.

Great Steve Forrest, but the writers shouldn't even think about replacing Jim Davis.

Parmalee was supposed to be someone who had been involved with Jock and Ellie in the Thirties.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

That is a fantastic storyline, up to that point. WHY portray him as Jock with irrefutable proof, but then don't.... it was daytime television at its worst. The fools who say Duffy's return helped the series are just that- fools. It did nothing of the kind and kicked DALLAS into a cowardly form of writing and for what?

Ultimately I think it was probably Patrick Duffy's return which helped to nix the Wes Parmalee Jock Ewing storyline.

The shower scene at the end of season nine involving Duffy replaced the original cliffhanger of Miss Ellie discovering Ben Stivers was Jock. As Steve Forrest was still under contract they would've still had to have him in the following season, so Ben Stivers became the similar character Wes Parmalee. They tried again with the storyline to have him really be Jock who had survived the chopper crash but as a result of a fan backlash not receptive to the storyline they reneged on actually doing it and wrote Steve Forrest off the show around mid season. It's just a shame the amount of damage Patrick Duffy's return in that infamous shower scene really did!

 

[rkhullar]

Should the Producer's have re-cast the role of Jock with another actor after Jim Davis passed away?

They could've found a badly injured Jock in South America who needed emergency treatment.

He could've been bandaged up after his treatment before being shown on the show but now played by a different actor.

What are your thoughts?

For me personally I loved Jim Davis as Jock, another actor would've been hard to take seriously. However I loved Steve Forrest in Dallas season ten as the Ewing patriarch returned from the dead. I'm only sorry they dropped that storyline and let Steve Forrest go. Steve would've been a great Jock Ewing.

What do you all think?

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I would like to concur with many of the people here that jock Ewing was an original and only Jim Davis could have played him. They did for the record approach Howard keel and ask him if he wanted to take over even though he had already started with farlow. Out of respect for Jim Davis he said no. Jim Davis was loved by a lot of people in fact I read somewhere that Victoria principal felt the closest to him because he saw in her his own daughter for real. Like I said Howard keel was loved by Larry hagman and it would have been hard now looking back to see him go from farlow to being Jock Ewing. But because he married Ellie they kind of indirectly saw him as the replacement without actually being jock Ewing. That's sad no one can ever replace a legend like Jim Davis. So yes I concur with many of the people here who have said that. Recast in general are difficult especially on something like that. So yeah

 

[Barbara Fan]

There wasnt a fan back lash over Steve Forrest in Dallas as he was never intended to be Jock - he was only contracted for so many epiosdes and had another job lined up post Dallas

Howard Keel was never asked to be Jock Ewing, as you said they had already brought him in the be Clayton Farlow and Dustys dad - but when Jim Davis was unwell and unlikely to recover they expanded his role in the show

 

[Seaviewer]

Duffy leaves with Bobby in a coma. Parmelee returns, explaining later, "I heard our boy was in a bad accident." He pays him a visit while in the coma. Imagine a season finale with Jock returning and Bobby waking up from his coma?

I proposed something similar to that a while ago. Tying the two together eliminates the problem of two separate returns from the dead so close together.

Fans arent easily fooled and gullible

It's not about fooling anyone. It's about that well known willing suspension of disbelief. It just would have been so much better for Pam's story to have continued smoothly.

 

[Jock's Ghost]

It's the best way to have avoided shitty writing and boring stories we got. I've known people in real life who have lived far more absurdities than what we proposed.

 

[Jock's Ghost]

Yes but they played the part for 1 episode - Kristin and jenna x 2 and were not major characters

Same with Gary number 1

Dallas hadnt taken off at that point, it hadnt hit the big time and i dont think anyone would really recall that Collen Camp played Kristin briefly or Morgan Fairchild played Jenna number 1 or insipid Francine Tacker in S2 - also a high % of people didnt have VCRs back in late 70s or 1980 so not something most people would rewatch again at home to get "used" to that actor in their one off part

Jim Davis is totally different as is Victoria Principal

They had establihed themselves and a fan base in their roles and were accepted in the parts - They made Jock and Pam their own role - made their mark and stamped a personaility on the character

Fans arent easily fooled and gullible

Pam should never have been recast - Pam was Victoria Princicpal - noone else and she was a smart cookie and got out at the right time before the rot set in

So what. Still better to replace than lose the character. Its worked for James Bond, Superman, Batman...

 

[southfork88]

The true never-aired cliffhanger of the 1985-1986 Dallas season.

Pamela opens the shower door and finds Ben Stivers: - Good morning !

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

Unfortunately this is the truth.

Great Steve Forrest, but the writers shouldn't even think about replacing Jim Davis.

Parmalee was supposed to be someone who had been involved with Jock and Ellie in the Thirties.

No buddy that's wrong.

Wes Parmalee was meant to be the real Jock Ewing all along.

 

[southfork88]

No buddy that's wrong.

Wes Parmalee was meant to be the real Jock Ewing all along.

Steve Forrest was born in 1925, while Larry Hagman born in 1931, a father too young for a son too old.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

Steve Forrest was born in 1925, while Larry Hagman born in 1931, a father too young for a son too old.

you never know, Jock may have been even more reproductively precocious than Rebecca Barnes!

 

[LMLDallas78]

you never know, Jock may have been even more reproductively precocious than Rebecca Barnes!