The duffle bag full of family silver.

[Jock Og]

Barbara Bel Geddes (R.I.P.) was Ellie Southworth Ewing Farlow, period. However I always thought Donna Reed (R.I.P.) provided her best in the role, given difficult circumstances. As time went on she just couldn't do right for doing wrong. After a strong enough start as the matriarch, Donna's Ellie was soon diminished. The 'duffle bag full of family silver' scene (shown below) and the removal of Jock's portrait are two scenes, in which she shone well imho. The question then arises how would Barbara's Ellie have been in these scenes?

Ellie (Donna Reed) recently returned to Southfork Ranch with Clayton, after spending their honeymoon in Greece. The matriarch intends putting Jock's portrait back at Ewing Oil (the company he built). J.R. disagrees with his very different looking mama. Ellie's two sons are with her; in the living room of Southfork, where Jock's famous portrait is still very prevalent, (a scene from season 7; DVD-8, 1984 - '85):

Ellie: "J.R. I know how much you loved your daddy but keeping that painting up there is not going to bring him back. Only our memories can do that and we have a lifetime of those. Your daddy is in every shadow in this house, in every place he ever walked. Nobody can take away, the love we had for him."

J.R. looks glum.

Ellie: "His life with us is over and we have mourned him, long enough."

Bobby and J.R. look at their father's portrait.

Ellie lifts the portrait off the wall: "Taking this painting down is the right thing to do! I'm sure even Jock would agree. It's time for this family to start again."

The frame freezes on Jock's portrait; fade to black, the theme tune and the closing credits.

 

[Angela Channing]

The question then arises how would Barbara's Ellie have been in these scenes?

There was another scene in which Ellie takes Clayton to a hotel on the pretext that they are going to a party with some of her friends but she's really taking him there for a night of nookie. There was a playfulness about Ellie that was a side to her that we didn't really see when Barbara Bel Geddes was in the role and it's hard to imagine Barbara in that scene.

I think Donna Reed did ok as Ellie and I always thought viewers might have felt differently about her had she played Ellie for 11 seasons and Barbara only did one.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I had no problem with Donna Reed. The role will always be synonymous with BBG and that’s as it should be. But I just look at Donna’s portrayal as being different. Her mannerisms were different, her clothes were different, her acting style was different, everything was different. I do understand all the criticism she receives but for me she was never a problem.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

I had no problem with Donna Reed. The role will always be synonymous with BBG and that’s as it should be. But I just look at Donna’s portrayal as being different. Her mannerisms were different, her clothes were different, her acting style was different, everything was different. I do understand all the criticism she receives but for me she was never a problem.

And the same for me too.

She was a terrific actor. The only thing which taints her time on Dallas is the disgraceful treatment she received from Lorimar.

I liked her as Miss Ellie very much, may she Rest in Peace.

 

[pete lashmar]

If you look at how Reed greets and deals with Jamie and how BBG greets and deals with Cally they are virtually the same.

Reed did a good job and played the role very much in her own way, it wasn't significantly different, in my opinion but was certainly more glamorous.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

bah, down with you “Donna Reed was a good Miss Ellie” hipsters!

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

If you look at how Reed greets and deals with Jamie and how BBG greets and deals with Cally they are virtually the same.

Reed did a good job and played the role very much in her own way, it wasn't significantly different, in my opinion but was certainly more glamorous.

There was another scene in which Ellie takes Clayton to a hotel on the pretext that they are going to a party with some of her friends but she's really taking him there for a night of nookie. There was a playfulness about Ellie that was a side to her that we didn't really see when Barbara Bel Geddes was in the role and it's hard to imagine Barbara in that scene.

I think Donna Reed did ok as Ellie and I always thought viewers might have felt differently about her had she played Ellie for 11 seasons and Barbara only did one.

I thought Donna Reed was quite good as Miss Elly, I don't understand some of the negativity toward her.

Donna Reed was quite a noted actress,
Her Oscar for best supporting actress, From Here To Eternity,
Her role in It's a wonderful Life
Her show, The Donna Reed Show, ran for 8 seasons

DR bought some style to Miss Ellie. She dressed more upscale,
and I thought she was quite good with Howard Keel
DR also has some good scenes, as you noted.
One such was when she implored Sue Ellen to support JR, Bobby and Ray in
their battle to retain Ewing Oil,
noting that Sue Ellen and JR had a difficult marriage at times,
that JR was still trying to win Jock's approval even after his passing,
and that Sue Ellen had a greater ability to heal the marriage, more so than JR.
It was more motherly understanding of JR than anything from BBG.

Not trying to disrespect BBG, but I wish Donna Reed had been given more support

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

If you look at how Reed greets and deals with Jamie and how BBG greets and deals with Cally they are virtually the same.

Reed did a good job and played the role very much in her own way, it wasn't significantly different, in my opinion but was certainly more glamorous.

I always had a problem with Miss Ellie and Callie.

How could a mother not try to comfort her son, after, JR's experiences in Cally's hometown?
Wouldn't a loving Mother resent Callie for those events?
Somehow, BBG's Miss Ellie never seemed like much of a loving Mother to JR

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

I always had a problem with Miss Ellie and Callie.

How could a mother not try to comfort her son, after, JR's experiences in Cally's hometown?
Wouldn't a loving Mother resent Callie for those events?
Somehow, BBG's Miss Ellie never seemed like much of a loving Mother to JR

I think it's because she knew what JR was capable of that's why.