fbpx
Wikipedia

Pam Ewing

Pamela Jean "Pam" Barnes Ewing is a fictional character from the CBS primetime soap opera Dallas. Pamela is portrayed by actress Victoria Principal, first appearing on the show in the first episode, titled "Digger's Daughter", which was first broadcast on April 2, 1978. Dallas follows the trials of the wealthy Ewing family in the city of Dallas, Texas, which Pam has married into. Principal played Pam until the end of season 10 in 1987, when the character crashes her car into a truck carrying butane and propane and her body is severely burned. A year later, she was briefly played by actress Margaret Michaels in an attempt to write the character out.[1] Pamela's storylines in season 1 focus on her relationship with her new husband, Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy), and her fight against the considerable suspicion and hostility from within the Ewing family, due to Pamela being a member of the Barnes family. Pamela's love for Bobby remains a strong character trait throughout her tenure on the show, noted for its similarities to Romeo and Juliet, with two people from hostile families falling in love.

Pamela Barnes Ewing
Dallas character
Victoria Principal as Pamela Ewing
Portrayed by
Duration1978–1988
First appearanceApril 2, 1978
Digger's Daughter
Last appearanceOctober 28, 1988
Carousel
Created byDavid Jacobs
Spin-off
appearances
Dallas: The Early Years
Crossover
appearances
Family Guy (1999)
In-universe information
Other namesPamela Jean Barnes
Occupation
  • Businesswoman
  • Retailer worker
FamilyBarnes (by birth)
Ewing (by marriage)
Father
MotherRebecca Barnes Wentworth
Brothers
  • Tyler Barnes (legal brother, biological half-brother)
  • Cliff Barnes (legal brother, biological half-brother)
SistersCatherine Barnes (legal sister, biological half-sister)
Half-sistersKatherine Wentworth
Husband
  • Ed Haynes (1968; annulled)
  • Bobby Ewing (1978–1983, 1986–1987)
Adoptive sonsChristopher Ewing
GrandfathersHenry Barnes (legal)
AuntsMaggie Monahan (legal)
NiecesPamela Rebecca Barnes
First cousinsJimmy Monahan (legal)

In the early years of Dallas, Principal took measures to add depth to her character. She initially was very distant from the cast and they assumed she didn't like them. Series producer Leonard Katzman confronted her about the issue and she said, "I like everybody. It's just that I want to feel like an outsider, like Pam Barnes does, being married to a Ewing."[2] Principal also took to other ways of improving her character, such as taking voice lessons to perfect a Texas accent.[2] Her relationship with Patrick Duffy's character, Bobby, was a central component to the show, and when Duffy returned to Dallas in 1986, after being killed off a year earlier, the entire previous year had been written off as Pam's dream.[3]

Principal received positive reviews for her portrayal of Pamela and a Golden Globe nomination in the category of "Best Actress in a Television Series" at the 40th Golden Globe Awards.[4] She was nominated for a Soap Opera Digest award for "Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role on a Prime Time Serial" in 1986, while also sharing a nomination with Patrick Duffy for "Favorite Super Couple: Prime Time" in 1988.[5] Hal Erickson of MSN.com opined that Pamela's exit from the series was open ended and left the audience hanging.[6]

Casting and creation edit

Background edit

Before the creation of Dallas, series creator David Jacobs had quite a different idea of what he envisioned the show to be. He wanted to create a television show based on "family issues and examining relationships at the middle class level".[7] The Production Company, CBS, initially turned down his original idea, as they wanted something more "glitzy" to put on the air, with wealthier characters. After the success of Dallas, Jacobs' initial idea would later become the Dallas spin-off Knots Landing. He initially conceived Pamela as the central character of the Texas-based serial.[7] The role was created specifically for actress Linda Evans to star, and was indefinitely called "The Untitled Linda Evans Project" that was set in Indianapolis. He described her character as, "a semitrashy lady who marries into a rich Texas family".[7] After crafting the backstory of the Ewing family, Jacobs began to realize that the show couldn't be settled simply around the character of Pamela. He wanted it to be based around the entire clan and their lives as wealthy oil people living in Dallas, Texas. Evans was ultimately not offered the part, but ironically would later go on to play Krystle Carrington on Dynasty, a rival show to Dallas.[8][9][10]

Casting edit

After Jacobs decided that Evans would no longer play Pam, he began searching for another actress to play the character. The role was eventually won by then 28-year-old actress, Victoria Principal.[11] Principal won the role over another finalist, Judith Chapman, who was known famously for her work in daytime television. Shortly after Principal's role on Fantasy Island, a friend pointed her in the direction of Dallas and "a part in it that was written for you".[11] Eventually, Principal received a copy of the script "and read it and thought [my friend] was absolutely right". Acting as her own agent, she set up a meeting with the producers of Dallas. Lee Rich, an executive producer in 1979, recounted: "We had all heard rumors about Victoria. This is a small town. Victoria's background, her so-called past, was a plus. We felt that she had experienced life and could understand the part."[11] Jacobs later said, "Victoria, of all the actors, went for the role the most aggressively. And that sort of determination just became part of the character." Prior to being cast in Dallas, Principal had starred in a few small roles in movies and television specials.[12] These works include Earthquake in 1974, and Fantasy Island in 1977.[12]

In 1977, Aaron Spelling offered Principal a role in the pilot of his television series Fantasy Island, which she accepted, however, she stipulated in the contract for the role to be written out as she was planning to attend law school. However, she obtained the pilot audition script for Dallas and her career ambitions changed. As Principal explained to TV Guide Network in 2004, "I had left acting to be an agent and was on my way to law school, but when a friend dropped off a Dallas script, I read it. When I finished, I knew my life had changed – that part was mine. So I called the [casting] person and said, "I'm sending someone in." She said, "Who?" I said, "Just put down my name. It will be a surprise." And it certainly was a surprise – I showed up with me! I sent myself in for it!"[13] Principal landed the role of Pamela Barnes Ewing on the long-running prime time TV soap opera series Dallas that aired on the CBS network from 1978 to 1991.[14]

Patrick Duffy, who would play Pamela's on-screen love, knew the part was ideal for Principal the minute he set his eyes on her. He recalled that one of the finalists for Pamela "was a remarkably talented young actress from New York...[who was] really good. [Later], in walked Victoria Principal with the tightest jeans I've ever seen and the most unbelievable blouse. I just went, 'Hello, Pam'. I knew she was going to be Pam Ewing."[11] Producer Michael Filerman (Knots Landing and Falcon Crest) offered insight, "Principal really wanted that role...and worked very hard to get it. And there's a humanity about her that's just winning. And the camera likes her very much. The camera just loves her. That's real important."[11] During the pilot filming, Principal became very close with teenaged actress Charlene Tilton, who played Lucy Ewing. Principal explained that "the location shooting was hard on Tilton, who was only seventeen and had never been away from home".[15]

After appearing in ten of the fourteen seasons of Dallas, Principal indicated that she wished to leave the serial to pursue other venues, and chose not to renew her contract.[16][17] Leonard Katzman, who was the executive producer at the time, was now faced with the show losing one of its main characters. Initially, Principal's departure was made out to be a simple "snag in contract negotiations".[18] Lorimar also made notice that the departure was related to a "financial disagreement", even after Principal's agent gave notice that she was leaving. A show spokesperson commented, "We were unable to reach an agreement and now the producers are revising scripts without her...she turned down our last offer." The Milwaukee Journal noted that Principal was lined up for other venues at the time, included a project serial of her own.[16] However, Principal, saying:

"I've considered [leaving Dallas] for two years, and in the last six months, it's seemed real clear to me. I realized that my job would become my career if I stayed. Some people stay with a series until the end, you know, and afterwards they often have some problems, I think, finding new opportunities. And I wanted a career after Dallas. There's great sadness in leaving my friends and the show – I was never bored with it – but I'm not at all ambivalent about this. I'm realistic about taking care of myself financially. I didn't want to walk away blindly without plans. My plans are set. I have a project with a network that is ready to go that I can't talk about yet. It's a drama mystery."[18]

Principal also reunited with several former cast mates in the Dallas reunion special titled Dallas Reunion: The Return to Southfork that was televised in 2004, marking her first public appearance with them since her exit from the show.[19]

Potential return edit

In an interview with Digital Spy.com, Cynthia Cidre (the show's executive producer) commented: "Bobby's ex-wife – played by Victoria Principal from 1978 to 1987 – is not currently planned to appear in the revamped soap's second season. It's not in our plans so far and I've pitched the whole season. It seemed to me at the time [that the series] needed a breath of fresh air, so I said let's give Bobby a new wife, having no idea what a pot I was stirring. I personally have not reached out to [Victoria Principal] and to my knowledge the studio hasn't either, and I don't think she has any interest in it.

—Cidre on Pam's return[20]

In 2010, TNT (sister company to Warner Bros. Television which is the current copyright owner of the series) announced it was producing a new, updated series of Dallas.[21] The new series is a continuation of the original series, and primarily centered around J.R. Ewing's son John Ross Ewing III, and Bobby Ewing and Pam's adopted son Christopher Ewing, though various stars of the original series will be reprising their roles.[21] With the Dallas continuation set to air in June 2012, rumors began swirling that Principal could make a return to the show as Pam.[22] On March 28, 2012, Yahoo.com reported that Principal's return to the show was a definite possibility.[23]

They said, "Victoria Principal could be set to make a shock return to legendary drama series Dallas after stars Patrick Duffy and Jesse Metcalfe let slip producers want her in the show's upcoming reboot. The actress' character, Pamela Ewing, was written out of the series in 1987, when viewers were told she had only months to live after fleeing the Texan dynasty."[23] In an added piece, they said: "But the storyline was left open-ended, and it's now emerged Principal – who is the only surviving member of the show's original cast not signed up for the relaunch later this year – could be brought back to Dallas in an explosive plot."[23] Jesse Metcalfe said, "She hasn't (come back) – she hasn't as yet. But I think for the producers of the show, it's an open invitation."[23]

The Staff of Yahoo.com said that Principal was "the one major missing piece" of the new Dallas and made notion that a possible return could potentially happen in the future, critically saying: "The drama. The mystery. The intrigue. Specifically, where is Victoria Principal?"[24] Entertainment Weekly said that Principal was "certainly missed" as original character Pam when reviewing the new series.[25] Morgan Jeffrey of Digital Spy said that Principal was "unlikely" to return to the new series due to lack of interest in the project, but the door would always be open. He said, "She's indicated that it's something she's not interested in."[26]

Character development edit

Lineage and personality edit

 
Victoria Principal noted that Pamela evolved significantly as Dallas progressed.

The character of Pamela was a cornerstone for Dallas; the lynchpin of the Barnes/Ewing family around which the soap was originally structured. At the beginning of the serial in 1978, Pamela was the newly married wife of Bobby Ewing, the youngest son of oil baron Jock Ewing and Miss Ellie Ewing. The fictional history of the character has been told via the serial, and the made-for-television movie Dallas: The Early Years, which told the backstory of the Ewing family and the Barnes family.[27][28] Dallas: The Early Years told the background of the longstanding feud between Jock Ewing and Pamela's father, Willard "Digger" Barnes, and how Pamela came to be raised.[28] Later, on Digger's deathbed, Pamela comes to find that Digger is not her biological father, but that her biological father is in fact Hutch McKinney, who had an affair with her mother Rebecca Barnes while she was married to Digger. Digger caught them together, and Digger ended up shooting Hutch dead in a temper and burying Hutch's body on Southfork land. Digger then brought up Pamela as if she were his own daughter, becoming her legal father.[29] Pamela's mother, Rebecca, left Digger and her children behind in mysterious circumstances when Pamela was a year old, giving Digger the impression that she was dead. Pamela and Cliff were both raised by Digger and Digger's sister, their aunt Maggie.

As a member of the Barnes family, Pamela was initially met with suspicion and hostility from the rival Ewing family after she had married Bobby Ewing and moved onto the Southfork Ranch to live with her new husband. The strongest hostility towards Pamela came from Bobby's older brother, J.R. Ewing, who tried to drive Pamela off Southfork Ranch with methods of bribery and intimidation, as well as trying to con Bobby into believing that Pamela was having an affair with her ex-boyfriend, Ray Krebbs. Principal, who wanted to represent her character's outsider perception of the family, would portray this with the cast. Leonard Katzman described her as being "the world's most isolated lady". When confronted by Katzman about why Principal chose to be isolated from everyone else, he described the situation as: "After a while, I thought, 'Maybe she doesn't like us'. I went to see her. She said, 'No, I like everybody. It's just that I want to feel like an outsider, like Pam Barnes does, being married to a Ewing.'"[2] Principal also took to other ways of improving her character, such as taking voice lessons to perfect a Texas accent.[2] Fellow actor Patrick Duffy analyzed:

"She is enigmatic but I must tell you I never had a bad experience because of her enigma. What it was, she explained this once, is that she did this on purpose. The choice she made as an actress was, in playing the outsider in the Ewing family, she actually maintained somewhat of an outsider position with the cast as social equals. She didn't do a lot of the hanging out social activities that a lot of us did because we were together so much. So in that sense, she was maybe a few percentage points removed from the swirl that was the social center of our group. At least twice a year Larry Hagman and I would go up to Canada – fishing trips, hunting trips, things like that. Steve Kanaly was included in that group, and we would go up together, and Steve and I would take other trips together. We were a group, and Linda Gray was also a member of that group. Victoria was always slightly outside and didn't participate in those things. It was her own choice and she felt it was conducive to her playing the part of Pamela. But the times we were together on the set, waiting for scenes to be shot, in the make-up room and everything, it was nothing but convivial."[30]

Victoria Principal has said that she feels Pam changed throughout the course of the series. She commented, "Pam didn’t have two parents, her father was a drunkard, and she really had to fight for everything she aspired to and achieved. When Bobby married her, he wasn’t marrying a milquetoast; she was very, very spirited; she was always a good person. I always felt Pam was the moral centre of the programme but she was complicated, and she was fiery, she had opinions, and she was not afraid to voice them. But as the years went by, as J.R. became more and more evil, the writers felt, and I certainly understand why for the benefit of the show, that Pam had to become more and more good."[31] When asked about whether she had any input on her characters growth, she said: "Once the show achieved extraordinary world wide fame, I don’t think any of us had much input. You know the old saying, if it's not broken, don’t fix it; I really believe that Lorimar Television looked upon it as something that was working and they did not want to deviate from the formula."[31]

Relationships edit

 
In a dream, Pam (Victoria Principal) clutches Bobby after he was hit by a car.

Pamela's marriage to Bobby Ewing is central to understanding her character. The couple produced the opening scene of Dallas when the show first aired in 1978, with Bobby bringing his new bride home to meet Jock and Miss Ellie Ewing.[32] Their complex relationship has often been compared to that of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. When asked about whether or not series creator David Jacobs had this parallel relationship in mind from the start, he said: "Yes, guilty (laughs)".[33] Relations can be made from William Shakespeare's two feuding families in Romeo and Juliet, the Montagues and the Capulets. These families represent the Barnes and the Ewing feuding families, with Pamela being portrayed as Juliet Capulet and Bobby as Romeo Montague.[33] According to Patrick Duffy, being immediately paired off with Principal was a challenge. He said, "We were in a constant state of competition. We were very territorial in front of the camera, and it was a strain."[32] However, their off-screen relationship significantly improved in the show's third season, with Duffy explaining: "I developed an appreciation for her, and I think for the first time she started to trust me. Some of the best scenes on the show were between Victoria and me, and they happened after we got comfortable with each other."[32]

Pamela and Bobby's relationship changed significantly as the show went on and began to progress. In order to create conflict, the producers brought in actors Priscilla Presley (Jenna Wade) and John Beck (Mark Graison) to cause drama for the couple.[34] Eventually, the two characters divorced one another and went their separate ways. After becoming involved with Ewing Oil, Bobby tended to put Pam on the backburner with the company coming first. In an interview with People, Principal said: "I wouldn't put up with the way Pam is treated by Bobby."[35] She also added, "Our marriage just doesn't work anymore and I want a divorce."[35] With the impending couple doomed, Pamela began a newfound relationship with Mark Graison (played by John Beck). The producers of Dallas were faced with the obstacle of getting the audience to root for a new love interest in Pam's life. When asked about the reception of his characters relationship with Pamela, Beck commented: "It was always set up that way from the beginning, so it was quite a task and of course they came back together in the long run. I was just hoping for the best. I never got an extraordinary reaction from the public but it was everywhere, so constant recognition. It was pretty amazing but I never saw it the way he sees it but I can see his point of view. I never really looked at it like that."[34]

In 1985, Patrick Duffy announced his intentions to leave the show which left Pamela and Bobby permanently disconnected from each other. When Duffy initially left Dallas in 1985, it was assumed that Pamela and Bobby's relationship had finally ended after a brief reconciliation during that season. However, the actor returned to the show the following season after the ratings began to fall.[3] Leonard Katzman said, "Without Bobby we lost the white knight to J.R. and the Romeo to Victoria Principal's Juliet. With Patrick back we can return to the family drama that made the show."[36] The entire previous season was written off as a dream, with Pamela waking up and finding Bobby alive in the shower.[3]

Storylines edit

Original run edit

 
J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) is the central antagonist of Dallas, who openly hates Pam.

In the pilot episode of Dallas, Pam and Bobby (Patrick Duffy) elope in New Orleans and are married by a Justice of the Peace.[37] After Bobby brings Pam home to Southfork, she is met with great hostility from the Ewing family for being the daughter of their enemy, Digger Barnes (Keenan Wynn, originally David Wayne).[37] Early on, Bobby's brother, J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman), accuses Pamela of being a spy for her brother, Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval), who is building a case against Ewing Oil, claiming that she passed a very important company file to Cliff. Bobby vigorously defends his wife and the family eventually find out that Pam is innocent.[37] Shortly after the pilot episode, Pam becomes pregnant with Bobby's child. However, she argues with a drunk J.R. and falls from the rafter of a barn, prompting her to miscarry the baby.[38]

After her miscarriage, much of the hostility from the family evaporates, with the exception of J.R. He openly despises her and her brother. In 1979, Pam is told by Digger's doctor that Digger was a carrier of neurofibromatosis, and that she and Cliff, as his children, were carriers; as neurofibromatosis is a potentially fatal disease to infants.[39] Ironically, Pam soon discovers she is pregnant again. As before, however, tragedy strikes as a rattlesnake frightens Pam's horse when she is out riding and throws her, causing a second miscarriage.[39] In 1980, Pam watches Digger die slowly and painfully as a result of his decades of heavy drinking. On Digger's deathbed, he tells Pam that she's not his biological child, but born after an affair her mother Rebecca (Priscilla Pointer) had with Hutch McKinney (William Watson). Overwhelmed by a sense of loss after Digger's death and deathbed confession, she pushes to find out more about what happened to her mother. She develops a notion – a dream born out of grief – that perhaps her mother isn't dead after all.[29] Then a private investigator turns up evidence that her mother had not died as Digger had believed, but was alive in Houston. Meanwhile, Bobby has taken over Ewing Oil while J.R. is convalescing after being shot. Pam watches her husband get deeper and deeper into the heart of business in an effort to prove himself, and takes note of Bobby's instinctive attraction to power, which she realizes might be a danger to their marriage.[40]

The baby issue continue to haunt Pam, after learning that she is unlikely to carry a child past the third month of pregnancy. Her depression culminates in near-fatal tragedy: Pam tries to kill herself by jumping off the top of the place of her employment, The Store.[41] However, Bobby stops her but it is clear that Pam needs psychiatric help.[41] She is admitted to a psychiatric hospital where she can get the help she needs. On a surprise visit to Southfork, Pam walks through the front door and sees Bobby with a baby boy in his arms.[41] In soaring spirits, Pam quickly settles into her life as mother to Christopher (Eric Farlow, later Joshua Harris), while Bobby handles the adoption proceedings.[42] She and Bobby grow closer during this period. In May 1982, Bobby finally tells Pam about Jeff Faraday (Art Hindle), Kristin Shepard (Mary Crosby) and the fact that J.R. could be Christopher's father.[42] Pam is shocked that Bobby had kept this from her but doesn't hesitate to fly to California with him to find the truth, preparing to fight whoever she had to in order to keep her son.[43] As Rebecca leaves for Houston on business, the Wentworth jet was involved in a midair collision and Rebecca is killed. Pam is devastated – and angry – blaming the contest between J.R. and Bobby for her mother's death. Pam leaves Bobby and they divorce in the fall of 1983.[35] She then begins a relationship with wealthy businessman Mark Grayson (John Beck), though he soon learns he has a terminal illness and apparently dies in a plane crash. Pam is unable to accept this and begins searching for Mark, travelling the globe in her efforts, but without success.

By 1985, Bobby and Pam realize that they are still in love. Bobby proposes, Pam accepts and they spend the night together. The next morning, Bobby saves Pam from being hit by a car driven by her deranged half-sister, Katherine Wentworth (Morgan Brittany), but the car hits him instead. He dies hours later, leaving Pam heartbroken.[44] For the next year, Pam goes on to work at Ewing Oil and runs Bobby's interest in the company, while reestablishing her relationship with Mark Grayson, who had not died as previously thought. However, the morning after her wedding to Mark, Pam goes into the bathroom and finds Bobby in the shower – alive and well. It transpires that the events of the entire past year were nothing more than a dream she had, and Bobby did not die.[45] Pam and Bobby remarry in 1986, and she receives good news at the end of the 1986–87 season finale: she is finally able to conceive a baby, after confirming that there would be no health risks involved. However, she never gets that chance.[46] While calling her husband to tell him the good news, she is in a massive auto accident where she hits an oil tanker which explodes and she is severely burned in the subsequent fire. While recovering from her burns, she decides to leave Dallas, including Bobby and Christopher, and disappears. She later divorces Bobby for a second time.[46]

Pam made a brief appearance in the season 12 premiere, with a different appearance as a result of plastic surgery (now played by Margaret Michaels). She tells her brother Cliff that she is happy in her new life and plans to marry her doctor David Gordon (Josef Rainer). Later, after Cliff leaves, her doctor asks why she didn't tell Cliff that she has a terminal disease and only has a year to live. This was the character's final appearance in the series, although Pam was not immediately declared dead on the show.[47]

Dallas (2012 TV series) edit

During the airing of J.R. Ewing's funeral on March 11, 2013, viewers learned that J.R. had been investigating Pam's disappearance before he died. In the episode "Let Me In", the Ewings discover Rebecca Wentworth left one-third of Barnes Global to her daughter, Pam, which Christopher would inherit in the event of her death.[48] In the episode "A Call to Arms", Christopher tries to have his mother declared legally dead so he can inherit her shares of Barnes Global.[48] In the same episode, an agent named Ellis finds a list of deposits made to a Swiss account that mirror the amount in the trust, indicating there is still activity and implying she remains alive. However, in the episode "Legacies", Pam was finally declared dead.[49] Her plastic surgeon, David Gordon, explains that she had been horribly burned in her 1987 car accident, and left her family because she didn't want them to see the way she looked. She underwent several surgeries in an attempt to reverse some of the badly scarred tissue left by the oil truck explosion.[49] Unfortunately, she had developed pancreatic cancer. She flew to Abu Dhabi to receive an experimental surgery but died on the operating table.[49] According to Pam's death certificate, she was born on April 10, 1950, and died on July 14, 1989, making her only thirty-nine years old at the time of her death. However, this contradicts the flashback scenes of the episode "Jock's Trial, Part II" in Season 3, in which Pamela's mother is pregnant with Pamela after the 1952 presidential election.

Reception edit

 
Jesse Metcalfe portrays Pam's adopted son, Christopher Ewing, in the revival of Dallas.

The character of Pamela has been well received by television critics. Principal received a Golden Globe nomination in the category of "Best Actress in a Television Series" at the 40th Golden Globe Awards for her work as Pam.[4] Principal was nominated for a Soap Opera Digest award for "Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role on a Prime Time Serial" in 1986. She also shared a nomination with Patrick Duffy for "Favorite Super Couple: Prime Time" in 1988.[5]

Pamela crashed into an oil tanker at the end of the tenth season of Dallas. The exit storyline was the subject of notable controversy. It was left open ended after Principal left the show and the audience had no idea where the character was going. Hal Erickson of MSN.com said, "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."[6]

Patrick Duffy returned to Dallas in 1986 after being absent for an entire season. The whole year's worth of episodes was written off entirely as Pam's dream. The storyline garnered the show a lot of publicity, both good and bad. The Staff of UGO Networks.com said: "Soap Operas are known (and at times hated) for their ridiculously implausible storylines, and while '80s primetime suddser Dallas is still one of our favorite guilty pleasures, even the great Ewing empire is not immune to the absurd storytelling techniques the genre has become associated with. While your average primetime soap operas don't usually mingle with the stuff of sci-fi and horror, there's an incredibly high rate of characters returning from the dead in the genre. Case in point: Bobby Ewing. Presumed dead after being run over by his sister-in-law, Katherine Wentworth, who also happened to be obsessed with him, fans (and CBS) had to do without Patrick Duffy, and even worse, ratings, for one whole season. Thus, Larry Hagman, who played Duffy's onscreen brother and despised oil baron J.R. Ewing, along with network execs, persuaded Duffy to return, making it possible (we're talking in soap opera terms here), for Bobby Ewing's character to come back by writing off the ratings nightmare of a season as a dream... a very bad one."[3]

Notes edit

  1. ^ Haque, Ashan (2008). "Family Guy Flashback: "Da Boom" Review". IGN. News Corp. from the original on March 12, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ a b c d Dallas: The Complete Story of the World's Favorite Prime-Time Soap, pp. 14
  3. ^ a b c d . UGO Networks. IGN. February 11, 2009. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
  4. ^ a b . Golden Globes. Hollywood Foreign Press Association. 1983. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
  5. ^ a b TV.com Staff (August 12, 2009). "Victoria Principal Trivia and Quotes". TV.com. from the original on January 18, 2012. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
  6. ^ a b . MSN. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
  7. ^ a b c Dallas: The Complete Story of the World's Favorite Prime-Time Soap, pp. 4–5
  8. ^ Dallas: The Complete Story of the World's Favorite Prime-Time Soap, pp. 6–7
  9. ^ Schemering, Christopher (September 1985). The Soap Opera Encyclopedia. pp. 80–81).
  10. ^ Mar, Alex (May 25, 2011). "The Dynasty That Could Have Been". Slate. State.com. from the original on September 6, 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
  11. ^ a b c d e Dallas: The Complete Story of the World's Favorite Prime-Time Soap, pp. 8–9
  12. ^ a b "Victoria Principal: Celebrity Credits". TV Guide. United Video Satellite Group. from the original on August 28, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  13. ^ "Victoria's Dallas Secrets Revealed! – TV Guide". from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  14. ^ "Victoria Principal, Now Rescuing Animals on Her California Ranch, Revisits Dallas 40 Years Later". from the original on May 27, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  15. ^ Dallas: The Complete Story of the World's Favorite Prime-Time Soap, pp. 13
  16. ^ a b "Victoria Principal Leaving Dallas". The Milwaukee Journal. Milwaukee, WI. January 29, 1987.
  17. ^ "Victoria Principal Leaving Dallas; Liz and George teaming for film". The Lakeland Ledger. Lakeland, FL. January 30, 1987.
  18. ^ a b Dallas: The Complete Story of the World's Favorite Prime-Time Soap, pp. 224
  19. ^ . Ultimate Dallas.com. CBS. November 7, 2004. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  20. ^ Jeffery, Morgan (October 31, 2012). "'Dallas' won't bring back Pamela Ewing, says show exec". Digital Spy. Nat Mags. from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  21. ^ a b . People. February 2, 2011. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  22. ^ "Actress Victoria Principal back in Dallas?". Ultimate Dallas.com. CBS. November 18, 2011. from the original on April 1, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
  23. ^ a b c d "Principal in the Frame For Shock Dallas Return". omg!. Yahoo! News. February 2, 2011. from the original on March 18, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  24. ^ Zap, Claudine (June 20, 2012). "Missing From 'Dallas': Victoria Principal". The Staff of Yahoo.com. Yahoo! News. from the original on June 25, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  25. ^ Tucker, Ken (June 13, 2012). "'Dallas' premiere review: J.R. Ewing rose from the crypt of TV history". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on May 9, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  26. ^ Jeffrey, Morgan (August 17, 2012). "Dallas' exec doubts Victoria Principal return: 'She's not interested". Digital Spy. from the original on August 21, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  27. ^ . Fandango (ticket service). Comcast. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  28. ^ a b "Dallas: The Early Years – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. from the original on May 29, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  29. ^ a b Irving J. Moore (director), Arthur Bernard Lewis (writer) (February 29, 1980). ""Jock's Trial, Part II" (Dallas Episode)". Dallas. Season 2. Episode 52. CBS.
  30. ^ "Exclusive Interview with Dallas actor Patrick Duffy". Ultimate Dallas. CBS. from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  31. ^ a b "Official Dallas Website : Exclusive Interview with Victoria Principal". Ultimate Dallas.com. CBS. from the original on March 22, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  32. ^ a b c Michelle Green (May 13, 1985). "Patrick Duffy Bids Bye-Bye to Bobby in the Hottest Dallas Cliff-Hanger Since J.R. Got Shot". People. from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
  33. ^ a b "Official Dallas Website : Exclusive Interview with David Jacobs". Ultimate Dallas.com. CBS. from the original on May 29, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  34. ^ a b "Official Dallas Website : Exclusive Interview with actor John Beck". Ultimate Dallas.com. CBS. from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  35. ^ a b c David Gritten (March 30, 1981). "The Dallas Good Girl, Victoria Principal, with the Party Girl Past, Regrets Nothing". People. from the original on December 10, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
  36. ^ Jane Hall (May 19, 1986). "Bobby Might Be Dead, but That Can't Stop Patrick Duffy from Jumping Back in the Dallas Saddle". People. from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
  37. ^ a b c Robert Day (director), David Jacobs (writer) (April 2, 1978). ""Digger's Daughter" (Dallas Episode)". Dallas. Season 1. Episode 1. CBS.
  38. ^ Robert Day (director), David Jacobs (writer) (April 30, 1978). ""Barbecue" (Dallas Episode)". Dallas. Season 1. Episode 5. CBS.
  39. ^ a b Irving J. Moore(director), Arthur Bernard Lewis (writer) (October 5, 1979). "'The Silent Killer' (Dallas Episode)". Dallas. Season 2. Episode 32. CBS.
  40. ^ Irving J. Moore(director), Barbara Searles (writer) (February 29, 1980). "'The Wheeler Dealer' (Dallas Episode)". Dallas. Season 3. Episode 53. CBS.
  41. ^ a b c Irving J. Moore(director), Linda Elstad (writer) (November 6, 1981). "'The Sweet Smell of Revenge' (Dallas Episode)". Dallas. Season 4. Episode 82. CBS.
  42. ^ a b Leonard Katzman (director), Leonard Katzman (writer) (December 11, 1981). "'Starting Over' (Dallas Episode)". Dallas. Season 4. Episode 87. CBS.
  43. ^ Irving J. Moore (director), Arthur Bernard Lewis (writer) (April 9, 1982). ""Goodbye, Cliff Barnes" (Dallas Episode)". Dallas. Season 4. Episode 103. CBS.
  44. ^ Leonard Katzman (director), Leonard Katzman (writer) (May 17, 1985). "'Swan Song' (Dallas Episode)". Dallas. Season 7. Episode 191. CBS.
  45. ^ "Bobby Ewing's Life after Death". People. September 29, 1986. from the original on June 26, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
  46. ^ a b Leonard Katzman (director), David Paulsen (writer) (May 15, 1987). "'Fall of the House of Ewing' (Dallas Episode)". Dallas. Season 9. Episode 251. CBS.
  47. ^ Gates, Anita (April 24, 1998). "TV WEEKEND; To Recap, J. R. Is Older; Pam's Still Dead". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 8, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2010.
  48. ^ a b Tipp9jg, Joy (April 2, 2013). . PopCulture. Archived from the original on April 5, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  49. ^ a b c N. Kent, Sari (April 17, 2013). . The Celebrity Cafe. Archived from the original on April 20, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2013.

References edit

  • Curran, Barbara A. (2005). Dallas: The Complete Story of the World's Favorite Prime-Time Soap. Cumberland House Publishing. ISBN 978-1581824728.

External links edit

  • Pamela Ewing Biography at Ultimate Dallas.com

ewing, barnes, redirects, here, australian, television, producer, barnes, television, producer, pamela, jean, barnes, ewing, fictional, character, from, primetime, soap, opera, dallas, pamela, portrayed, actress, victoria, principal, first, appearing, show, fi. Pam Barnes redirects here For the Australian television producer see Pam Barnes television producer Pamela Jean Pam Barnes Ewing is a fictional character from the CBS primetime soap opera Dallas Pamela is portrayed by actress Victoria Principal first appearing on the show in the first episode titled Digger s Daughter which was first broadcast on April 2 1978 Dallas follows the trials of the wealthy Ewing family in the city of Dallas Texas which Pam has married into Principal played Pam until the end of season 10 in 1987 when the character crashes her car into a truck carrying butane and propane and her body is severely burned A year later she was briefly played by actress Margaret Michaels in an attempt to write the character out 1 Pamela s storylines in season 1 focus on her relationship with her new husband Bobby Ewing Patrick Duffy and her fight against the considerable suspicion and hostility from within the Ewing family due to Pamela being a member of the Barnes family Pamela s love for Bobby remains a strong character trait throughout her tenure on the show noted for its similarities to Romeo and Juliet with two people from hostile families falling in love Pamela Barnes EwingDallas characterVictoria Principal as Pamela EwingPortrayed byVictoria Principal 1978 1987 Margaret Michaels 1988 Duration1978 1988First appearanceApril 2 1978 Digger s DaughterLast appearanceOctober 28 1988 CarouselCreated byDavid JacobsSpin offappearancesDallas The Early YearsCrossoverappearancesFamily Guy 1999 In universe informationOther namesPamela Jean BarnesOccupationBusinesswoman Retailer workerFamilyBarnes by birth Ewing by marriage FatherWillard Digger Barnes legal Hutch McKinney biological MotherRebecca Barnes WentworthBrothersTyler Barnes legal brother biological half brother Cliff Barnes legal brother biological half brother SistersCatherine Barnes legal sister biological half sister Half sistersKatherine WentworthHusbandEd Haynes 1968 annulled Bobby Ewing 1978 1983 1986 1987 Adoptive sonsChristopher EwingGrandfathersHenry Barnes legal AuntsMaggie Monahan legal NiecesPamela Rebecca BarnesFirst cousinsJimmy Monahan legal In the early years of Dallas Principal took measures to add depth to her character She initially was very distant from the cast and they assumed she didn t like them Series producer Leonard Katzman confronted her about the issue and she said I like everybody It s just that I want to feel like an outsider like Pam Barnes does being married to a Ewing 2 Principal also took to other ways of improving her character such as taking voice lessons to perfect a Texas accent 2 Her relationship with Patrick Duffy s character Bobby was a central component to the show and when Duffy returned to Dallas in 1986 after being killed off a year earlier the entire previous year had been written off as Pam s dream 3 Principal received positive reviews for her portrayal of Pamela and a Golden Globe nomination in the category of Best Actress in a Television Series at the 40th Golden Globe Awards 4 She was nominated for a Soap Opera Digest award for Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role on a Prime Time Serial in 1986 while also sharing a nomination with Patrick Duffy for Favorite Super Couple Prime Time in 1988 5 Hal Erickson of MSN com opined that Pamela s exit from the series was open ended and left the audience hanging 6 Contents 1 Casting and creation 1 1 Background 1 2 Casting 1 3 Potential return 2 Character development 2 1 Lineage and personality 2 2 Relationships 3 Storylines 3 1 Original run 3 2 Dallas 2012 TV series 4 Reception 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksCasting and creation editBackground edit Before the creation of Dallas series creator David Jacobs had quite a different idea of what he envisioned the show to be He wanted to create a television show based on family issues and examining relationships at the middle class level 7 The Production Company CBS initially turned down his original idea as they wanted something more glitzy to put on the air with wealthier characters After the success of Dallas Jacobs initial idea would later become the Dallas spin off Knots Landing He initially conceived Pamela as the central character of the Texas based serial 7 The role was created specifically for actress Linda Evans to star and was indefinitely called The Untitled Linda Evans Project that was set in Indianapolis He described her character as a semitrashy lady who marries into a rich Texas family 7 After crafting the backstory of the Ewing family Jacobs began to realize that the show couldn t be settled simply around the character of Pamela He wanted it to be based around the entire clan and their lives as wealthy oil people living in Dallas Texas Evans was ultimately not offered the part but ironically would later go on to play Krystle Carrington on Dynasty a rival show to Dallas 8 9 10 Casting edit After Jacobs decided that Evans would no longer play Pam he began searching for another actress to play the character The role was eventually won by then 28 year old actress Victoria Principal 11 Principal won the role over another finalist Judith Chapman who was known famously for her work in daytime television Shortly after Principal s role on Fantasy Island a friend pointed her in the direction of Dallas and a part in it that was written for you 11 Eventually Principal received a copy of the script and read it and thought my friend was absolutely right Acting as her own agent she set up a meeting with the producers of Dallas Lee Rich an executive producer in 1979 recounted We had all heard rumors about Victoria This is a small town Victoria s background her so called past was a plus We felt that she had experienced life and could understand the part 11 Jacobs later said Victoria of all the actors went for the role the most aggressively And that sort of determination just became part of the character Prior to being cast in Dallas Principal had starred in a few small roles in movies and television specials 12 These works include Earthquake in 1974 and Fantasy Island in 1977 12 In 1977 Aaron Spelling offered Principal a role in the pilot of his television series Fantasy Island which she accepted however she stipulated in the contract for the role to be written out as she was planning to attend law school However she obtained the pilot audition script for Dallas and her career ambitions changed As Principal explained to TV Guide Network in 2004 I had left acting to be an agent and was on my way to law school but when a friend dropped off a Dallas script I read it When I finished I knew my life had changed that part was mine So I called the casting person and said I m sending someone in She said Who I said Just put down my name It will be a surprise And it certainly was a surprise I showed up with me I sent myself in for it 13 Principal landed the role of Pamela Barnes Ewing on the long running prime time TV soap opera series Dallas that aired on the CBS network from 1978 to 1991 14 Patrick Duffy who would play Pamela s on screen love knew the part was ideal for Principal the minute he set his eyes on her He recalled that one of the finalists for Pamela was a remarkably talented young actress from New York who was really good Later in walked Victoria Principal with the tightest jeans I ve ever seen and the most unbelievable blouse I just went Hello Pam I knew she was going to be Pam Ewing 11 Producer Michael Filerman Knots Landing and Falcon Crest offered insight Principal really wanted that role and worked very hard to get it And there s a humanity about her that s just winning And the camera likes her very much The camera just loves her That s real important 11 During the pilot filming Principal became very close with teenaged actress Charlene Tilton who played Lucy Ewing Principal explained that the location shooting was hard on Tilton who was only seventeen and had never been away from home 15 After appearing in ten of the fourteen seasons of Dallas Principal indicated that she wished to leave the serial to pursue other venues and chose not to renew her contract 16 17 Leonard Katzman who was the executive producer at the time was now faced with the show losing one of its main characters Initially Principal s departure was made out to be a simple snag in contract negotiations 18 Lorimar also made notice that the departure was related to a financial disagreement even after Principal s agent gave notice that she was leaving A show spokesperson commented We were unable to reach an agreement and now the producers are revising scripts without her she turned down our last offer The Milwaukee Journal noted that Principal was lined up for other venues at the time included a project serial of her own 16 However Principal saying I ve considered leaving Dallas for two years and in the last six months it s seemed real clear to me I realized that my job would become my career if I stayed Some people stay with a series until the end you know and afterwards they often have some problems I think finding new opportunities And I wanted a career after Dallas There s great sadness in leaving my friends and the show I was never bored with it but I m not at all ambivalent about this I m realistic about taking care of myself financially I didn t want to walk away blindly without plans My plans are set I have a project with a network that is ready to go that I can t talk about yet It s a drama mystery 18 Principal also reunited with several former cast mates in the Dallas reunion special titled Dallas Reunion The Return to Southfork that was televised in 2004 marking her first public appearance with them since her exit from the show 19 Potential return edit In an interview with Digital Spy com Cynthia Cidre the show s executive producer commented Bobby s ex wife played by Victoria Principal from 1978 to 1987 is not currently planned to appear in the revamped soap s second season It s not in our plans so far and I ve pitched the whole season It seemed to me at the time that the series needed a breath of fresh air so I said let s give Bobby a new wife having no idea what a pot I was stirring I personally have not reached out to Victoria Principal and to my knowledge the studio hasn t either and I don t think she has any interest in it Cidre on Pam s return 20 In 2010 TNT sister company to Warner Bros Television which is the current copyright owner of the series announced it was producing a new updated series of Dallas 21 The new series is a continuation of the original series and primarily centered around J R Ewing s son John Ross Ewing III and Bobby Ewing and Pam s adopted son Christopher Ewing though various stars of the original series will be reprising their roles 21 With the Dallas continuation set to air in June 2012 rumors began swirling that Principal could make a return to the show as Pam 22 On March 28 2012 Yahoo com reported that Principal s return to the show was a definite possibility 23 They said Victoria Principal could be set to make a shock return to legendary drama series Dallas after stars Patrick Duffy and Jesse Metcalfe let slip producers want her in the show s upcoming reboot The actress character Pamela Ewing was written out of the series in 1987 when viewers were told she had only months to live after fleeing the Texan dynasty 23 In an added piece they said But the storyline was left open ended and it s now emerged Principal who is the only surviving member of the show s original cast not signed up for the relaunch later this year could be brought back to Dallas in an explosive plot 23 Jesse Metcalfe said She hasn t come back she hasn t as yet But I think for the producers of the show it s an open invitation 23 The Staff of Yahoo com said that Principal was the one major missing piece of the new Dallas and made notion that a possible return could potentially happen in the future critically saying The drama The mystery The intrigue Specifically where is Victoria Principal 24 Entertainment Weekly said that Principal was certainly missed as original character Pam when reviewing the new series 25 Morgan Jeffrey of Digital Spy said that Principal was unlikely to return to the new series due to lack of interest in the project but the door would always be open He said She s indicated that it s something she s not interested in 26 Character development editLineage and personality edit nbsp Victoria Principal noted that Pamela evolved significantly as Dallas progressed The character of Pamela was a cornerstone for Dallas the lynchpin of the Barnes Ewing family around which the soap was originally structured At the beginning of the serial in 1978 Pamela was the newly married wife of Bobby Ewing the youngest son of oil baron Jock Ewing and Miss Ellie Ewing The fictional history of the character has been told via the serial and the made for television movie Dallas The Early Years which told the backstory of the Ewing family and the Barnes family 27 28 Dallas The Early Years told the background of the longstanding feud between Jock Ewing and Pamela s father Willard Digger Barnes and how Pamela came to be raised 28 Later on Digger s deathbed Pamela comes to find that Digger is not her biological father but that her biological father is in fact Hutch McKinney who had an affair with her mother Rebecca Barnes while she was married to Digger Digger caught them together and Digger ended up shooting Hutch dead in a temper and burying Hutch s body on Southfork land Digger then brought up Pamela as if she were his own daughter becoming her legal father 29 Pamela s mother Rebecca left Digger and her children behind in mysterious circumstances when Pamela was a year old giving Digger the impression that she was dead Pamela and Cliff were both raised by Digger and Digger s sister their aunt Maggie As a member of the Barnes family Pamela was initially met with suspicion and hostility from the rival Ewing family after she had married Bobby Ewing and moved onto the Southfork Ranch to live with her new husband The strongest hostility towards Pamela came from Bobby s older brother J R Ewing who tried to drive Pamela off Southfork Ranch with methods of bribery and intimidation as well as trying to con Bobby into believing that Pamela was having an affair with her ex boyfriend Ray Krebbs Principal who wanted to represent her character s outsider perception of the family would portray this with the cast Leonard Katzman described her as being the world s most isolated lady When confronted by Katzman about why Principal chose to be isolated from everyone else he described the situation as After a while I thought Maybe she doesn t like us I went to see her She said No I like everybody It s just that I want to feel like an outsider like Pam Barnes does being married to a Ewing 2 Principal also took to other ways of improving her character such as taking voice lessons to perfect a Texas accent 2 Fellow actor Patrick Duffy analyzed She is enigmatic but I must tell you I never had a bad experience because of her enigma What it was she explained this once is that she did this on purpose The choice she made as an actress was in playing the outsider in the Ewing family she actually maintained somewhat of an outsider position with the cast as social equals She didn t do a lot of the hanging out social activities that a lot of us did because we were together so much So in that sense she was maybe a few percentage points removed from the swirl that was the social center of our group At least twice a year Larry Hagman and I would go up to Canada fishing trips hunting trips things like that Steve Kanaly was included in that group and we would go up together and Steve and I would take other trips together We were a group and Linda Gray was also a member of that group Victoria was always slightly outside and didn t participate in those things It was her own choice and she felt it was conducive to her playing the part of Pamela But the times we were together on the set waiting for scenes to be shot in the make up room and everything it was nothing but convivial 30 Victoria Principal has said that she feels Pam changed throughout the course of the series She commented Pam didn t have two parents her father was a drunkard and she really had to fight for everything she aspired to and achieved When Bobby married her he wasn t marrying a milquetoast she was very very spirited she was always a good person I always felt Pam was the moral centre of the programme but she was complicated and she was fiery she had opinions and she was not afraid to voice them But as the years went by as J R became more and more evil the writers felt and I certainly understand why for the benefit of the show that Pam had to become more and more good 31 When asked about whether she had any input on her characters growth she said Once the show achieved extraordinary world wide fame I don t think any of us had much input You know the old saying if it s not broken don t fix it I really believe that Lorimar Television looked upon it as something that was working and they did not want to deviate from the formula 31 Relationships edit nbsp In a dream Pam Victoria Principal clutches Bobby after he was hit by a car Pamela s marriage to Bobby Ewing is central to understanding her character The couple produced the opening scene of Dallas when the show first aired in 1978 with Bobby bringing his new bride home to meet Jock and Miss Ellie Ewing 32 Their complex relationship has often been compared to that of Shakespeare s Romeo and Juliet When asked about whether or not series creator David Jacobs had this parallel relationship in mind from the start he said Yes guilty laughs 33 Relations can be made from William Shakespeare s two feuding families in Romeo and Juliet the Montagues and the Capulets These families represent the Barnes and the Ewing feuding families with Pamela being portrayed as Juliet Capulet and Bobby as Romeo Montague 33 According to Patrick Duffy being immediately paired off with Principal was a challenge He said We were in a constant state of competition We were very territorial in front of the camera and it was a strain 32 However their off screen relationship significantly improved in the show s third season with Duffy explaining I developed an appreciation for her and I think for the first time she started to trust me Some of the best scenes on the show were between Victoria and me and they happened after we got comfortable with each other 32 Pamela and Bobby s relationship changed significantly as the show went on and began to progress In order to create conflict the producers brought in actors Priscilla Presley Jenna Wade and John Beck Mark Graison to cause drama for the couple 34 Eventually the two characters divorced one another and went their separate ways After becoming involved with Ewing Oil Bobby tended to put Pam on the backburner with the company coming first In an interview with People Principal said I wouldn t put up with the way Pam is treated by Bobby 35 She also added Our marriage just doesn t work anymore and I want a divorce 35 With the impending couple doomed Pamela began a newfound relationship with Mark Graison played by John Beck The producers of Dallas were faced with the obstacle of getting the audience to root for a new love interest in Pam s life When asked about the reception of his characters relationship with Pamela Beck commented It was always set up that way from the beginning so it was quite a task and of course they came back together in the long run I was just hoping for the best I never got an extraordinary reaction from the public but it was everywhere so constant recognition It was pretty amazing but I never saw it the way he sees it but I can see his point of view I never really looked at it like that 34 In 1985 Patrick Duffy announced his intentions to leave the show which left Pamela and Bobby permanently disconnected from each other When Duffy initially left Dallas in 1985 it was assumed that Pamela and Bobby s relationship had finally ended after a brief reconciliation during that season However the actor returned to the show the following season after the ratings began to fall 3 Leonard Katzman said Without Bobby we lost the white knight to J R and the Romeo to Victoria Principal s Juliet With Patrick back we can return to the family drama that made the show 36 The entire previous season was written off as a dream with Pamela waking up and finding Bobby alive in the shower 3 Storylines editOriginal run edit nbsp J R Ewing Larry Hagman is the central antagonist of Dallas who openly hates Pam In the pilot episode of Dallas Pam and Bobby Patrick Duffy elope in New Orleans and are married by a Justice of the Peace 37 After Bobby brings Pam home to Southfork she is met with great hostility from the Ewing family for being the daughter of their enemy Digger Barnes Keenan Wynn originally David Wayne 37 Early on Bobby s brother J R Ewing Larry Hagman accuses Pamela of being a spy for her brother Cliff Barnes Ken Kercheval who is building a case against Ewing Oil claiming that she passed a very important company file to Cliff Bobby vigorously defends his wife and the family eventually find out that Pam is innocent 37 Shortly after the pilot episode Pam becomes pregnant with Bobby s child However she argues with a drunk J R and falls from the rafter of a barn prompting her to miscarry the baby 38 After her miscarriage much of the hostility from the family evaporates with the exception of J R He openly despises her and her brother In 1979 Pam is told by Digger s doctor that Digger was a carrier of neurofibromatosis and that she and Cliff as his children were carriers as neurofibromatosis is a potentially fatal disease to infants 39 Ironically Pam soon discovers she is pregnant again As before however tragedy strikes as a rattlesnake frightens Pam s horse when she is out riding and throws her causing a second miscarriage 39 In 1980 Pam watches Digger die slowly and painfully as a result of his decades of heavy drinking On Digger s deathbed he tells Pam that she s not his biological child but born after an affair her mother Rebecca Priscilla Pointer had with Hutch McKinney William Watson Overwhelmed by a sense of loss after Digger s death and deathbed confession she pushes to find out more about what happened to her mother She develops a notion a dream born out of grief that perhaps her mother isn t dead after all 29 Then a private investigator turns up evidence that her mother had not died as Digger had believed but was alive in Houston Meanwhile Bobby has taken over Ewing Oil while J R is convalescing after being shot Pam watches her husband get deeper and deeper into the heart of business in an effort to prove himself and takes note of Bobby s instinctive attraction to power which she realizes might be a danger to their marriage 40 The baby issue continue to haunt Pam after learning that she is unlikely to carry a child past the third month of pregnancy Her depression culminates in near fatal tragedy Pam tries to kill herself by jumping off the top of the place of her employment The Store 41 However Bobby stops her but it is clear that Pam needs psychiatric help 41 She is admitted to a psychiatric hospital where she can get the help she needs On a surprise visit to Southfork Pam walks through the front door and sees Bobby with a baby boy in his arms 41 In soaring spirits Pam quickly settles into her life as mother to Christopher Eric Farlow later Joshua Harris while Bobby handles the adoption proceedings 42 She and Bobby grow closer during this period In May 1982 Bobby finally tells Pam about Jeff Faraday Art Hindle Kristin Shepard Mary Crosby and the fact that J R could be Christopher s father 42 Pam is shocked that Bobby had kept this from her but doesn t hesitate to fly to California with him to find the truth preparing to fight whoever she had to in order to keep her son 43 As Rebecca leaves for Houston on business the Wentworth jet was involved in a midair collision and Rebecca is killed Pam is devastated and angry blaming the contest between J R and Bobby for her mother s death Pam leaves Bobby and they divorce in the fall of 1983 35 She then begins a relationship with wealthy businessman Mark Grayson John Beck though he soon learns he has a terminal illness and apparently dies in a plane crash Pam is unable to accept this and begins searching for Mark travelling the globe in her efforts but without success By 1985 Bobby and Pam realize that they are still in love Bobby proposes Pam accepts and they spend the night together The next morning Bobby saves Pam from being hit by a car driven by her deranged half sister Katherine Wentworth Morgan Brittany but the car hits him instead He dies hours later leaving Pam heartbroken 44 For the next year Pam goes on to work at Ewing Oil and runs Bobby s interest in the company while reestablishing her relationship with Mark Grayson who had not died as previously thought However the morning after her wedding to Mark Pam goes into the bathroom and finds Bobby in the shower alive and well It transpires that the events of the entire past year were nothing more than a dream she had and Bobby did not die 45 Pam and Bobby remarry in 1986 and she receives good news at the end of the 1986 87 season finale she is finally able to conceive a baby after confirming that there would be no health risks involved However she never gets that chance 46 While calling her husband to tell him the good news she is in a massive auto accident where she hits an oil tanker which explodes and she is severely burned in the subsequent fire While recovering from her burns she decides to leave Dallas including Bobby and Christopher and disappears She later divorces Bobby for a second time 46 Pam made a brief appearance in the season 12 premiere with a different appearance as a result of plastic surgery now played by Margaret Michaels She tells her brother Cliff that she is happy in her new life and plans to marry her doctor David Gordon Josef Rainer Later after Cliff leaves her doctor asks why she didn t tell Cliff that she has a terminal disease and only has a year to live This was the character s final appearance in the series although Pam was not immediately declared dead on the show 47 Dallas 2012 TV series edit During the airing of J R Ewing s funeral on March 11 2013 viewers learned that J R had been investigating Pam s disappearance before he died In the episode Let Me In the Ewings discover Rebecca Wentworth left one third of Barnes Global to her daughter Pam which Christopher would inherit in the event of her death 48 In the episode A Call to Arms Christopher tries to have his mother declared legally dead so he can inherit her shares of Barnes Global 48 In the same episode an agent named Ellis finds a list of deposits made to a Swiss account that mirror the amount in the trust indicating there is still activity and implying she remains alive However in the episode Legacies Pam was finally declared dead 49 Her plastic surgeon David Gordon explains that she had been horribly burned in her 1987 car accident and left her family because she didn t want them to see the way she looked She underwent several surgeries in an attempt to reverse some of the badly scarred tissue left by the oil truck explosion 49 Unfortunately she had developed pancreatic cancer She flew to Abu Dhabi to receive an experimental surgery but died on the operating table 49 According to Pam s death certificate she was born on April 10 1950 and died on July 14 1989 making her only thirty nine years old at the time of her death However this contradicts the flashback scenes of the episode Jock s Trial Part II in Season 3 in which Pamela s mother is pregnant with Pamela after the 1952 presidential election Reception edit nbsp Jesse Metcalfe portrays Pam s adopted son Christopher Ewing in the revival of Dallas The character of Pamela has been well received by television critics Principal received a Golden Globe nomination in the category of Best Actress in a Television Series at the 40th Golden Globe Awards for her work as Pam 4 Principal was nominated for a Soap Opera Digest award for Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role on a Prime Time Serial in 1986 She also shared a nomination with Patrick Duffy for Favorite Super Couple Prime Time in 1988 5 Pamela crashed into an oil tanker at the end of the tenth season of Dallas The exit storyline was the subject of notable controversy It was left open ended after Principal left the show and the audience had no idea where the character was going Hal Erickson of MSN com said 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 6 Patrick Duffy returned to Dallas in 1986 after being absent for an entire season The whole year s worth of episodes was written off entirely as Pam s dream The storyline garnered the show a lot of publicity both good and bad The Staff of UGO Networks com said Soap Operas are known and at times hated for their ridiculously implausible storylines and while 80s primetime suddser Dallas is still one of our favorite guilty pleasures even the great Ewing empire is not immune to the absurd storytelling techniques the genre has become associated with While your average primetime soap operas don t usually mingle with the stuff of sci fi and horror there s an incredibly high rate of characters returning from the dead in the genre Case in point Bobby Ewing Presumed dead after being run over by his sister in law Katherine Wentworth who also happened to be obsessed with him fans and CBS had to do without Patrick Duffy and even worse ratings for one whole season Thus Larry Hagman who played Duffy s onscreen brother and despised oil baron J R Ewing along with network execs persuaded Duffy to return making it possible we re talking in soap opera terms here for Bobby Ewing s character to come back by writing off the ratings nightmare of a season as a dream a very bad one 3 Notes edit Haque Ashan 2008 Family Guy Flashback Da Boom Review IGN News Corp Archived from the original on March 12 2009 Retrieved August 31 2010 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link a b c d Dallas The Complete Story of the World s Favorite Prime Time Soap pp 14 a b c d Best Dream Sequences UGO Networks IGN February 11 2009 Archived from the original on February 13 2012 Retrieved March 15 2012 a b THE 40TH ANNUAL GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS 1983 Golden Globes Hollywood Foreign Press Association 1983 Archived from the original on November 24 2010 Retrieved March 15 2012 a b TV com Staff August 12 2009 Victoria Principal Trivia and Quotes TV com Archived from the original on January 18 2012 Retrieved March 16 2011 a b Dallas Season 11 Synopsis MSN Archived from the original on December 11 2008 Retrieved March 15 2012 a b c Dallas The Complete Story of the World s Favorite Prime Time Soap pp 4 5 Dallas The Complete Story of the World s Favorite Prime Time Soap pp 6 7 Schemering Christopher September 1985 The Soap Opera Encyclopedia pp 80 81 Mar Alex May 25 2011 The Dynasty That Could Have Been Slate State com Archived from the original on September 6 2011 Retrieved May 27 2011 a b c d e Dallas The Complete Story of the World s Favorite Prime Time Soap pp 8 9 a b Victoria Principal Celebrity Credits TV Guide United Video Satellite Group Archived from the original on August 28 2011 Retrieved March 10 2012 Victoria s Dallas Secrets Revealed TV Guide Archived from the original on January 20 2021 Retrieved February 20 2020 Victoria Principal Now Rescuing Animals on Her California Ranch Revisits Dallas 40 Years Later Archived from the original on May 27 2018 Retrieved May 27 2018 Dallas The Complete Story of the World s Favorite Prime Time Soap pp 13 a b Victoria Principal Leaving Dallas The Milwaukee Journal Milwaukee WI January 29 1987 Victoria Principal Leaving Dallas Liz and George teaming for film The Lakeland Ledger Lakeland FL January 30 1987 a b Dallas The Complete Story of the World s Favorite Prime Time Soap pp 224 CBS Special Return to Southfork Ultimate Dallas com CBS November 7 2004 Archived from the original on October 6 2012 Retrieved March 20 2012 Jeffery Morgan October 31 2012 Dallas won t bring back Pamela Ewing says show exec Digital Spy Nat Mags Archived from the original on November 3 2012 Retrieved November 4 2012 a b Will You Watch the New Dallas Reboot People February 2 2011 Archived from the original on October 17 2012 Retrieved February 4 2011 Actress Victoria Principal back in Dallas Ultimate Dallas com CBS November 18 2011 Archived from the original on April 1 2012 Retrieved March 22 2012 a b c d Principal in the Frame For Shock Dallas Return omg Yahoo News February 2 2011 Archived from the original on March 18 2013 Retrieved February 4 2011 Zap Claudine June 20 2012 Missing From Dallas Victoria Principal The Staff of Yahoo com Yahoo News Archived from the original on June 25 2012 Retrieved June 25 2012 Tucker Ken June 13 2012 Dallas premiere review J R Ewing rose from the crypt of TV history Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on May 9 2013 Retrieved June 25 2012 Jeffrey Morgan August 17 2012 Dallas exec doubts Victoria Principal return She s not interested Digital Spy Archived from the original on August 21 2012 Retrieved August 20 2012 Dallas TV Series Synopsis Fandango ticket service Comcast Archived from the original on July 5 2018 Retrieved March 10 2012 a b Dallas The Early Years Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes Archived from the original on May 29 2013 Retrieved March 10 2012 a b Irving J Moore director Arthur Bernard Lewis writer February 29 1980 Jock s Trial Part II Dallas Episode Dallas Season 2 Episode 52 CBS Exclusive Interview with Dallas actor Patrick Duffy Ultimate Dallas CBS Archived from the original on March 19 2012 Retrieved March 10 2012 a b Official Dallas Website Exclusive Interview with Victoria Principal Ultimate Dallas com CBS Archived from the original on March 22 2012 Retrieved March 11 2012 a b c Michelle Green May 13 1985 Patrick Duffy Bids Bye Bye to Bobby in the Hottest Dallas Cliff Hanger Since J R Got Shot People Archived from the original on July 16 2012 Retrieved March 15 2012 a b Official Dallas Website Exclusive Interview with David Jacobs Ultimate Dallas com CBS Archived from the original on May 29 2012 Retrieved March 11 2012 a b Official Dallas Website Exclusive Interview with actor John Beck Ultimate Dallas com CBS Archived from the original on March 20 2012 Retrieved March 11 2012 a b c David Gritten March 30 1981 The Dallas Good Girl Victoria Principal with the Party Girl Past Regrets Nothing People Archived from the original on December 10 2011 Retrieved March 15 2012 Jane Hall May 19 1986 Bobby Might Be Dead but That Can t Stop Patrick Duffy from Jumping Back in the Dallas Saddle People Archived from the original on September 19 2015 Retrieved March 15 2012 a b c Robert Day director David Jacobs writer April 2 1978 Digger s Daughter Dallas Episode Dallas Season 1 Episode 1 CBS Robert Day director David Jacobs writer April 30 1978 Barbecue Dallas Episode Dallas Season 1 Episode 5 CBS a b Irving J Moore director Arthur Bernard Lewis writer October 5 1979 The Silent Killer Dallas Episode Dallas Season 2 Episode 32 CBS Irving J Moore director Barbara Searles writer February 29 1980 The Wheeler Dealer Dallas Episode Dallas Season 3 Episode 53 CBS a b c Irving J Moore director Linda Elstad writer November 6 1981 The Sweet Smell of Revenge Dallas Episode Dallas Season 4 Episode 82 CBS a b Leonard Katzman director Leonard Katzman writer December 11 1981 Starting Over Dallas Episode Dallas Season 4 Episode 87 CBS Irving J Moore director Arthur Bernard Lewis writer April 9 1982 Goodbye Cliff Barnes Dallas Episode Dallas Season 4 Episode 103 CBS Leonard Katzman director Leonard Katzman writer May 17 1985 Swan Song Dallas Episode Dallas Season 7 Episode 191 CBS Bobby Ewing s Life after Death People September 29 1986 Archived from the original on June 26 2012 Retrieved March 15 2012 a b Leonard Katzman director David Paulsen writer May 15 1987 Fall of the House of Ewing Dallas Episode Dallas Season 9 Episode 251 CBS Gates Anita April 24 1998 TV WEEKEND To Recap J R Is Older Pam s Still Dead The New York Times Archived from the original on August 8 2012 Retrieved September 28 2010 a b Tipp9jg Joy April 2 2013 Dallas recap Let Me In has stories about a horse and a Komodo dragon along with a too sympathetic John Ross and a makeup less Pamela PopCulture Archived from the original on April 5 2013 Retrieved April 18 2013 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link a b c N Kent Sari April 17 2013 Dallas season finale episode hour 2 recap Legacies The Celebrity Cafe Archived from the original on April 20 2013 Retrieved April 18 2013 References editCurran Barbara A 2005 Dallas The Complete Story of the World s Favorite Prime Time Soap Cumberland House Publishing ISBN 978 1581824728 External links editPamela Ewing Biography at Ultimate Dallas com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Pam Ewing amp oldid 1212222566, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.