It isn't often that a character and a fictional one at that makes such an impact that he is remembered as an icon that shaped a moment in time. I think it's safe to say everyone remembers the iconic cliffhanger
Who shot JR? Larry Hagman went from being a player in a fun little series like
I Dream of Jeannie to becoming a character so evil and at the same time so incredibly beloved that everyone would tune in to
Dallas to see exactly what JR Ewing was up to.
Larry Hagman did not just play a part in a series he was a character so strong that he made viewers go through a roller coaster of emotions week to week and sometimes within a one hour period. JR was the bully that used his incredible cunning in order to stay ahead of his younger brother in the race to control Ewing Oil. JR was also an abusive husband that mentally battered his wife and yet always held that spot of true love for her. The JR and Sue Ellen dynamic turned Sue Ellen from a frail alcoholic into a powerhouse that could match JR wit for wit. What JR was in the end was the sort of character that would be the binding agent one way or another in a universe of wealth, excess, and power.
JR would elevate the ambitions of Cliff Barnes and the life of ranch hand and half brother Ray Krebbs as well as the life of Gary Ewing elsewhere. It's funny that this piece goes into everything that a fictional character did. Seeing Larry Hagman in an interview during the
Dallas years was almost like seeing good JR. It was interesting to see how JR had those subtle moments of humanity like when he first held his infant son after he learned the boy's paternity. JR was also a son that loved his father even though his ambition and lack of morals was the opposite of his father's on the series.
What I find striking is the almost full circle in the fact that JR perishes during the second season of the new series. In a way it's almost like Larry Hagman went from being JR to an evil and far more interesting but still mortal version of his father Jock played by the late Jim Davis. Davis passed away after the third season of the original series. The new
Dallas series is carried by the core characters from the original and it's hard to envision Southfork Ranch without JR. I think the idea that the old powerful devil of Dallas is no longer with us is one that will be hard to accept for a long time to come.
In the end Larry Hagman's legacy is that of a survivor that always put forth an example of some sort. As Larry Hagman the man he underwent a liver transplant and became a spokesperson for transplants while as an actor he left us with an imprint that will never fade. As JR he was truly at his finest he was also a great good guy in
I Dream of Jeannie and manage to steal the Bill Cosby vehicle film
Mother, Jugs, and Speed.
Goodbye JR and thank you for the wonderful memories, let's hope there are some drilling rights in the ranches of heaven.
