What's The Real Reason Why People Don't Like Clayton?

[Seaviewer]

Howard Keel's arrival was similar to that of Donna Reed, with the obvious exception that he wasn't taking on an established role. He was a welcome face from the past given a renewed charge for his career. As @Jock Ewing Fan suggests, he was great in Calamity Jane and all those MGM musicals, but on Dallas, I wouldn't say I disliked him, I just found him rather blah.

 

[LMLDallas78]

Absolutely Howard Keel was a wonderful actor. One of my favourite films as a youngster was Calamity Jane with the beautiful Doris Day.

Maybe my expectations of him on Dallas were too great.
I don't see niceness as weakness, but as @Jock Ewing Fan says he came across as a bit of a phony and I agree with that list of Clayton's lowlights.
(Love the scenario for a whole other discussion too).

 

[Toni]

Maybe it´s got something to do with a subconscious reaction to the fact that he was the one who brought us FakeMiss Ellie. Isn´t that enough?

Now seriously, I didn´t like it when I read on the Spanish press that he was going to (sort of) replace Jim Davis as someone else, maybe because I associated him with musicals and all that Love-Boat glamour. But I must say that I almost instantly warmed to him and I consider the character underwritten but more nuanced than he´s credited for. Of course, believing that Afton slut when she told him what he felt for Swellin (the nerve!) was so stupid... I found really fun that the first thing he had to do was telling her that Dusty was "impotent". Swellin´s mandible fell to the floor right away! He really could be a bastard sometimes, but not often enough.

"Swellin, got news for you:
Dusty is impotent. I´m not!!"​

 

[Laurie Marr]

I think LM is onto something here. Despite the clearing up of the mystery of Amy's death and Dusty's parentage there was always something slightly otherworldly about old Clayton. Even, on occasion, slightly shifty. We didn't know him - but that probably had more to do with the lack of original extended storylines that could have made better use of Keel's talents.

 

[CeeCee72]

The scene where he threatened to spank Lucy.

That was it for me.

 

[Billy Wall]

The scene where he threatened to spank Lucy.

That was it for me.

That WAS cheesy. Lol

 

[Chase Gioberti]

I always liked Clayton. The only real issue I ever had with Clayton was when he went after Sue Ellen. Going after your son's ex is lame. But other than that, why is Clayton disliked? IMO, it seems as if he's hated because he's a nice man. For some strange reason, being a good/nice man means that you're weak. I also get the feeling that some fault Clayton for even helping out Sue Ellen when she was estranged from JR.

Again, why is Clayton so disliked?

He was likable until he hooked up with Miss Ellie. Serious. Subtle. A strong presence. Something changed once they got together.

The same sort of character change happened to Cliff Barnes around the same time. He went from being a serious, thoughtful loser to a clownish buffoon.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

He was likable until he hooked up with Miss Ellie. Serious. Subtle. A strong presence. Something changed once they got together

To be fair, I think that fit the general theme of outsiders being overwhelmed and losing their strength and agency (and a nice chunk of IQ points) when they marry into the family and move into Southfork, as if there’s some sinister force there underneath the “lounge by the pool and have all our meals together” veneer.

Pam went from feisty and street-smart to timid and insecurely baby-obsessed within a year, for instance. Miniseries Pam wouldn’t have had those frustrating “Bobby I need to talk to you” moments where he’d brush her off effortlessly and she’d meekly accept it.

 

[Chris2]

Maybe there was something in the water.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I really liked Clayton at first but once he married Miss Ellie I thought the character became very bland. I know I’m in the minority here but I was hoping they would’ve explored a Clayton-Sue Ellen pairing instead.

Once Clayton went to live at Southfork something just seemed to change with him. It didn’t feel like the same fiery, tough guy, no nonsense character we were used to. Perhaps it was just the way the character was written. Maybe writing better and more compelling storylines for the older characters on the show was no longer a top priority.

The scene where he threatened to spank Lucy.

That was it for me.

I can understand that but I actually like that scene cause it showed the side of Clayton I liked. He wasn’t going to stand for being disrespected. It was his home now too and he was also standing up for Miss Ellie, whom he felt Lucy was treating rather terribly at the time.

 

[Billy Wall]

I really liked Clayton at first but once he married Miss Ellie I thought the character became very bland. I know I’m in the minority here but I was hoping they would’ve explored a Clayton-Sue Ellen pairing instead.

Once Clayton went to live at Southfork something just seemed to change with him. It didn’t feel like the same fiery, tough guy, no nonsense character we were used to. Perhaps it was just the way the character was written. Maybe writing better and more compelling storylines for the older characters on the show was no longer a top priority.

I think they did that because it's almost impossible for another man to come in and be an alpha considering there's already two adult males living in the house. Heck, they didn't even want Clayton sitting in Jock's chair.

 

[LMLDallas78]

I really liked Clayton at first but once he married Miss Ellie I thought the character became very bland. I know I’m in the minority here but I was hoping they would’ve explored a Clayton-Sue Ellen pairing instead.

Once Clayton went to live at Southfork something just seemed to change with him. It didn’t feel like the same fiery, tough guy, no nonsense character we were used to. Perhaps it was just the way the character was written. Maybe writing better and more compelling storylines for the older characters on the show was no longer a top priority.

Oh I agree, I found a possible Clayton and Sue Ellen rather exciting. Proper forbidden fruit.
Would've been compelling to watch both of them fight their feelings for each other then maybe give into the odd moment of weakness.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

The scene where he threatened to spank Lucy.

That was it for me.

now that I think of it, they should have paired Clayton with Lucy instead of Miss Ellie. It was established only minutes into the series that Lucy liked “silver foxes”, and Clayton was often drawn to younger women, as we saw with Sue Ellen and Laurel. If those two got married and Sue Ellen and Dusty reconciled and were married as well, Clayton could have been his own grandnephew-in-law, with Lucy considering Sue Ellen to be an aunt and a niece simultaneously. Let’s see Dynasty beat that!

 

[Chase Gioberti]

Should have kept Clayton with Rebecca and kept Frank Krutcher with Ellie.

 

[Chris2]

I liked Howard Keel. But Clayton was just dull. A show like Dallas depends on conflict and there just wasn’t much there. I always thought that Miss Ellie’s second husband should have been someone who was a direct business rival of the Ewings. That would have been better for plots.

 

[southfork88]

Should have kept Clayton with Rebecca and kept Frank Krutcher with Ellie.

Ellie & Frank, Rebecca & Clayton.
Of course, this was a winning decision to keep the Ewing vs. Barnes feud going. Obviously Rebecca wasn't supposed to die in that plane crash, but to supervise her affairs, entrusted to Cliff, Pam and Katherine. With all the further internal conflicts ... also with Clayton.

 

[kenneth]

A misguided sense of loyalty to Jock Ewing.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

A misguided sense of loyalty to Jock Ewing.

Not misguided. Jock was a tough man in a tough business and he built the Ewing empire.
JR was right about Clayton, he was an outsider who tried to seduce Sue Ellen, his own son's (at the time),
was handed half of Southfork, a great act of disrespect to Jock... and so much more
ie Laurel Ellis, endangering everyone by not being truthful about his sister,
cheap punching JR at the wedding to Sue Ellen, etc.

 

[LMLDallas78]

That makes Clayton sound like a right creep! Rather sinister on the inside and seemingly "nice" on the outside, trying too easily to be everyone's friend and the good guy.
Hate to say it, but yeah, that sounds like good reasons not to like him.

His behaviour and actions indicated
he always had a motive and a pre planned agenda and I thought he was so lovely when we first met him...........so I fell for it!

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

So Ellie, Pam and Clayton are the shits of the family. Fascinating.