Larry Hagman

Mike Nichols directed this Elaine May screenplay adapted from the 1996 bestseller by "Anonymous" (Joe Klein), who fictionalized Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign. In the New Hampshire primary, Governor Jack Stanton (John Travolta) convinces Henry Burton (Adrian Lester), grandson of a respected civil rights pioneer, to become his deputy campaign manager. Stanton's smart wife Susan (Emma Thompson) always comes through with public support for her philandering husband. The film's parallel for James Carville is Stanton's redneck advisor Richard Jemmons (Billy Bob Thornton), who knows every strategy and tactic but worries, "The woman thing, that's the killer." Sure enough, problems during the New Hampshire primary include charges of adultery. To get a handle on past peccadillos, Stanton's staff brings in an old family friend, lesbian Libby Holden (Kathy Bates), who knows how to clean up dirt. Stanton, a strong debater, moves on to Florida and New York. When one opposing candidate drops dead of a heart attack, he's replaced by Florida's Governor Fred Picker (Larry Hagman), but Holden holds the skeleton key to the skeleton in Picker's closet. Just how the Stantons put this information to use reveals whether they are ruthless politicians or inspirational leaders with ideals. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

The Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Co. authorized this documentary commemorating the 90th anniversary of the company. Shown are film clips from news footage, movies and television shows that featured the company's motorcycles, and such stars as James Caan, Peter Fonda and Larry Hagman are interviewed and talk about their fascination with, and ownership of, Harleys. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide

As Dallas enters its 13th season on the air, only actors Larry Hagman and Ken Kercheval, cast respectively as ruthless oil tycoon J.R. Ewing and his lifelong enemy, attorney-executive Cliff Barnes, have been seen in every season. Though rumors occasionally spread that Hagman was poised to leave the show, the fact that he had been appointed one of the executive producers pretty much put the kibosh on such talk. The season opens as a Ewing Oil tanker collides with a tanker from rival Westar Oil, thereby laying the groundwork for a full-scale government investigation of the Ewing empire, spearheaded by the vengeful Cliff Barnes. With the assistance of high-pressure PR agent Stephanie Rogers (Lesley-Anne Down), Barnes is elected United States energy czar -- all the more reason for J.R. to spite Cliff and step up his efforts to bring about his enemy's downfall. Meanwhile, J.R.'s brother Bobby (Patrick Duffy), reconciled to the fact that his wife Pamela is dead (Victoria Principal had long since exited the series), proposes to April Stevens (Sheree J. Wilson). This turn of events permits the writers to introduce a new character, April's younger sister Michelle, played by Kimberly Foster. Also making their first appearances this season are Gayle Hunnicutt as J.R.'s former lover Vanessa Beaumont, and Sasha Mitchell as James Richard Beaumont, J.R. and Vanessa's illegitimate son. A true chip off the old block, 20-year-old James bids fair to be even more conniving, underhanded and untrustworthy than his father. But even as "new blood" is pumped into Dallas, we lose an old favorite: namely, J.R.'s mom, Miss Ellie, played by Barbara Bel Geddes. As the season rushes to a close, James conspires with J.R.'s new wife, Cally (Cathy Podewell), to gain full control of Ewing oil -- while J.R., having fraudulently committed himself to a mental institution in order to get a controlling interest in Westar Oil from Jessica Montford (Alexis Smith), the insane sister of J.R.'s stepfather, Clayton Barlow (Howard Keel), finds that he is unable to leave the institution, and may spend the rest of his life in a padded cell! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although Victoria Principal had left Dallas at the end of season ten, by the time the series' 11th season rolled around, Principal's character, Pamela Ewing, was still lingering about, swathed in bandages after being seriously injured in a car accident. As if to lead viewers to the conclusion that Pamela would suddenly make a complete recovery in the tradition of her husband Bobby Ewing's (Patrick Duffy) "return from the dead" at the outset of season ten, the ultimate fate of Pamela was left unresolved for several weeks -- and further complicated when the poor girl suddenly vanished from her hospital bed. Elsewhere, it appears as though ruthless oil tycoon J.R. Ewing will finally get his comeuppance when he loses control of Ewing Oil to his brother Bobby after proof of J.R.'s illegal maneuverings are made public. Setting up another oil firm, J.R. works hand and glove with Casey Denault (Andrew Stevens) to undercut Bobby and regain his power, which also involves our "hero" secretly buying up the stock of a rival firm, Westar Oil. At the same time, Casey has a brief fling with J.R.'s niece Lucy (welcome back, Charlene Tilton). In other developments, Bobby is tormented by Lisa Alden (Amy Stock), who claims to be the mother of his adopted son, Christopher. Meanwhile, Bobby's old flame Jenna Wade (Priscilla Presley) marries his half brother, Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly) -- a union that seems doomed from the start when Ray has a fling with a certain Connie Hall (Michelle Scarabelli). Newcomers to the cast include the aforementioned Andrew Stevens and Amy Stock, as well as Jack Scalia as banker Nicholas Pearce, who has an affair with J.R.'s estranged wife, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray), after helping her get her lingerie business off the ground -- and who turns out to have a hidden agenda that only April Stevens (Sheree J. Wilson) is fully aware of. Finally, this season marks the first appearances of recurring characters Harrison "Dandy" Dandridge (Bert Remsen) and Kay Lloyd (Karen Kopkins). In an echo of the celebrated "Who shot J.R.?" season finale of 1980, the 11th season of Dallas ends with another burst of gunfire -- and this time, it is Sue Ellen who is taking aim at J.R. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

At the tail end of Dallas' ninth season, Pamela Ewing (Victoria Principal) was awakened from her troubled slumbers by the sound of a familiar voice in her bathroom. Investigating, she peeked past the shower curtains -- and was astonished to find her ex-husband, Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy), who had presumably been killed at the end of the series' eighth season, alive and well! How could this be? Well, the opening scene of season ten explains all. Bobby was never killed -- and the entire ninth season was all a nightmare, dreamed up by poor Pamela! Thus, the writers have blithely negated everything that has happened during the previous season, and from this point forward, not even the most loyal of the series' fans will ever be able to take Dallas entirely seriously again. Be that as it may, season ten does offer a few interesting plot developments, as well as a handful of new characters. Having been humiliated time and again by her ruthless oil-tycoon husband, J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman), Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) gets even by setting up her own lingerie business, using J.R.'s erstwhile mistress Mandy Winger (Deborah Shelton) as his star model.

Meanwhile, Southfork is invaded by April Stevens (Sheree J. Wilson), former wife of J.R.'s cousin Jack Ewing, who like everyone else in the family is determined to carve out her own piece of the Ewing millions, by hook or by crook. (April will eventually marry J.R.'s brother Bobby, though he is blissfully unaware of this now.) Also making his first appearance is Ben Stivers (aka Wes Parmalee, played by Steve Forrest), who throws a monkey wrench into the connubial bliss of Miss Ellie Ewing (Barbara Bel Geddes) and her second husband, Clayton Barlow (Howard Keel), by posing as Miss Ellie's presumed-dead first husband, Jock. And in another development, the marriage between J.R.'s half-brother, Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly), and his ambitious wife, Donna (Susan Howard), totally collapses when Donna attaches herself to the influential Senator Dowling (Jim McMullan). Getting back to Pamela and Bobby, the couple decides to celebrate his "return from the grave" by getting married all over again. Alas, a happy ending is not in the cards: at the end of season ten, Pamela is seriously injured in an auto accident. Since Victoria Principal had announced her intention to leave the series, viewers braced themselves for the likelihood that Pamela has been killed -- and at the same time, they cynically awaited another likelihood, that the whole thing was yet another "Bobby in the shower" hoax! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The infamous ninth season of Dallas begins with Pamela Ewing (Victoria Principal) grieving over the death of her ex-husband Bobby, who was killed saving Pamela from her vengeful half-sister, Katherine Wentworth. To Pamela, the whole situation seems like one horrible nightmare -- and as it turns out, she may be right! In other developments, Barbara Bel Geddes returns to the role of Miss Ellie, mother of the redoubtable J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) -- a bit of retrospective casting that prompted Donna Reed, who'd taken over as Miss Ellie during Bel Geddes' absence in season eight, to sue the series' producers. Also back is Dusty Barlow (Jared Martin), whose millionaire father, Clayton (Howard Keel), has become Miss Ellie's husband. Now an embittered paraplegic, Dusty becomes deeply involved in a custody battle between his former lover Sue Ellen Ewing (Linda Gray) and her husband, J.R., over their son, John Ross. In the midst of this courtroom intrigue, J.R. pulls strings to have the alcoholic Sue Ellen committed to a sanitarium, but her mom, Patricia (Martha Scott), bails her out. Another returnee to the series is Mark Graison (John Beck), who hopes to offer love and comfort to his disconsolate ex-sweetheart Pamela. Newcomers to Dallas include Dack Rambo as cousin Jack Ewing, to whom Bobby's onetime inamorata Jenna (Priscilla Presley) turns after Bobby's death; Barbara Carrera as ruthless shipping magnate Angelica Nero, who aligns herself with J.R.'s sworn enemy Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval) -- who in turn is romancing Jack's sister Jamie (Jenilee Harrison); and Marc Singer as Matt Cattrell, a childhood friend of Pamela who talks her into financing a dangerous mining venture in South America. That the viewers sorely missed Patrick Duffy was painfully evidently in the fact that Dallas ratings were rapidly plummeting. Both the series' producers and star Larry Hagman approached Duffy, offering him all sorts of attractive incentives to get him to return to the show. The results of their entreaties are revealed in the season finale, when, after a horrific explosion that apparently kills half the cast, the action suddenly shifts to Pamela, who is aroused from her slumbers by a familiar voice emanating from her bathroom.... ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The fire that trapped J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman), his wife, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray), their son, John Ross (now played by Omri Katz), and J.R.'s half-brother, Ray (Steve Kanaly), in the Southfork mansion at the end of Dallas' sixth season is still raging as season seven begins. Fortunately, J.R. et al. are rescued at the last minute by his younger brother Bobby (Patrick Duffy). And speaking of Bobby, he has been divorced by his wife, Pam (Victoria Principal), who then takes up with Mark Graison (John Beck). Meanwhile, Pam's half-sister, Katherine Wentworth (Morgan Brittany), has set her sights on Bobby, making it clear that if she can't have him, no one will. But Bobby prefers the company of his old flame Jenna Wade, played by Priscilla Presley (in previous episodes, Jenna was portrayed by Morgan Fairchild and Francine Tacker). J.R. encourages Bobby to pursue a relationship with Jenna, if only to strike out at J.R.'s hated rival Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval) -- who of course is Pamela's brother. J.R.'s own marriage is on the rocks again, thanks to the arrival of his son John Ross' camp counselor Peter Richards (Christopher Atkins), whose schoolboy crush on Sue Ellen rapidly develops into something far more serious. As J.R. deals with this, he must also reconcile himself to the fact that his mother, Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes), is dead set on marrying millionaire Clayton Barlow (Howard Keel), the father of Sue Ellen's former (and now missing) lover Dusty Farlow. And in another branch of the Ewing family, J.R.'s half-brother, Ray (Steve Kanaly), disposes of his troublesome cousin Mickey (Timothy Patrick Murphy) -- who the previous season had been canoodling with J.R.'s niece Lucy (Charlene Tilton) -- in a dramatically direct fashion. As the season comes to an end, a double wedding is planned involved Ellie and Clayton and Bobby and Jenna -- but events conspire to keep the couples apart. And in the cliffhanger finale, yet another stalker fires another shot in the office of J.R. Ewing -- but this time it is Bobby who falls wounded to the ground! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Director Vilgot Sjoman of I Am Curious - Yellow fame, has created this film of a director named Gunnar Sjoeman (Gunnar Hellstrom) making a movie in the Philippines that is based on Joseph Conrad's book "Victory." After arriving on location, the director finds that his leading man has shafted him and so he finds another (Larry Hagman playing himself), then his mistress (Bibi Andersson) gets involved with a movement to free a political prisoner, and the Philippine co-producer would like to transform the movie into a more commercial product. Amidst these developments, the director is still able to shoot some pretty bloody scenes of local color, and make broad jabs at the regional brand of foreign white dominance over underprivileged nationals. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Having closed its fourth season with the unidentified body of a young woman floating in the Ewing family swimming pool, Dallas launches its fifth season by casting suspicion of murder on both of the series' chief antagonists: the cunning, consciousless Texas oil tycoon J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) and J.R.'s lifelong enemy, attorney Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval). For a while, it appears as though J.R. is the guilty party, since he had the most motive. The dead girl turns out to be Kristin Shepard (Mary Crosby), the same person who had shot J.R. full of holes at the end of season three. Once this matter is settled, there are plenty of other crises to dwell upon. On the verge of breaking up her marriage with J.R., Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) sues for custody of her son, John Ross, at the behest of her current lover, Dusty Farlow (Jared Martin). This results in a confrontation between J.R.'s mother, Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes), and Dusty's millionaire dad, Clayton Farlow (Howard Keel) -- though this adversarial relationship will eventually dissolve in a surprising matter. Meanwhile, J.R. schemes to get even with Sue Ellen by temporarily shacking up with Serena Wald (Stephanie Blackmore)and scheming to financially ruin the Farlows; but at the end of the day, he relents and embarks upon a campaign to win Sue Ellen back (not for her sake, but so that he can wrest away custody of his son).

Elsewhere, the marriage between J.R.'s niece Lucy (Charlene Tilton) and medical student Mitch (Leigh McCloskey) comes to an end. Unable to have children of their own, J.R.'s brother Bobby (Patrick Duffy) and his wife, Pam (Victoria Principal), adopt a child named Christopher -- without revealing the fact that the child's biological parents are the late Kristin Shepard and her blackmailing paramour Jeff Farraday (Art Hindle). Cliff Barnes goes to work for his entrepreneur mother, Rebecca Barnes Wentworth (Priscilla Pointer), hoping to beat J.R. at his own game in the marketplace -- and in the process becoming almost as greedy and duplicitous as his rival! Conspicuous by his absence this season is Miss Ellie's husband, Jock Ewing. Although actor Jim Davis had died the previous season, the producers decided not to completely write out Davis' character of Jock Ewing, instead contriving a scenario whereby Jock is in South America on a mission for the government. Ultimately, Jock perishes in a helicopter crash, whereupon a grieving Miss Ellie finds solace in the arms of her former enemy, Clayton Farlow. In the series' traditional cliffhanger ending, Cliff Barnes, financially ruined and in disgrace thanks to the machinations of J.R., tries to commit suicide -- and if he dies, it will mean disaster for several of the main Dallas characters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide