With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"? - Page 4

Peyton Place: Part One is currently $13.95 on Amazon.com. Part Two has gone back up in price though.

Edited by WaveCrest - 6/12/11 at 3:10pm

Mark, is there an episode synopsis for each episode in the first volume of Peyton Place? Dosen't matter if there isn't, but I thought I'd just ask.

I am so happy that you are buying Peyton Place. Richard yes to your question.  Shout did a very nice job on both sets with the menu's.  You click on the preview of the episode you wish to watch and that will give you the info.  Here is a link for most of the Peyton Place episode's  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057779/episodes

 

Here is another link for the UK thread on the show provided by our good friend Stuart Manning.  Thankyou Stuart!! 

http://www.zetaminor.com/roobarb/showthread.php?29119-Peyton-Place-the-TV-series-coming-in-May-R1  

 

I think buying the show's is wise because i believe the cost will go up.

 

Dallas Fans should get the news soon on the new series getting the go ahead for a full season.  Here is a fun link. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek9j1cijWrs&feature=player_embedded

 

Maureen love the cat angle!!!

 

Please Fans email MPI Home Video aquistions department and let them know we want Peyton Place.  Remember MPI had the show on their short list. Email Fox and tell them you would like MPI to take over Peyton Place. 

 

I just have this feeling that the show is not over yet.  I have a strong feeling the show will resume in home video again.  2 years between release's is not good I know.  Yet other shows have come back after even longer period's of time.

 

Keeping the show out there such as here in the forum does not hurt it.  We as fans know that once you watch you are hooked!!

 

I almost forgot what i had wanted to add.  Tracy loved the Helen Lawson dialog!!.  Helen would love to hear more from you on PP.

Edited by Mark Collins - 6/14/11 at 7:48pm

 

Great stuff about the episode synopsis's for the first Peyton Place DVD volume.

 

Wish I had ordered the two volumes a week ago when both were just $20. Hopefully the second volume will come down in price in the next few months.

 

And thanks for sharing the Peyton Place UK thread link.

Hey Mark--

 

I was so glad to read about Stuart's UK Peyton Place blog site!  I know Stuart well from his Dark Shadows connection and follow all his other blogs.  I didn't know he was a fan of Peyton Place too.  Small world.  (Ironically, both of us are too young for either show's original run!)  We have much in common and I have every one of Big Finish Audio's Dark Shadows releases--and he has been a huge creative force for those.

 

I will write to MPI and ask them to PLEASE take over releases of Peyton Place!  They OUGHT to give me some consideration, since I purchased all 32 of their Dark Shadows sets--they at least know that they would have a committed customer in me!

 

Thanks,

Tracy

 

Oprah is looking for new ideas for OWN.  I have emailed her about the airing of Peyton Place. Ryan O'Neal having a series with her already would seem to be a good fit.  PP fans could also email Oprah as i did. Oprah@Oprah.com

 

The subject of the release of more episodes on Peyton Place. Fans also might wish to email this great company about Peyton Place.

feedback@acornmedia.com

 

I also wanted  fans to beware of those counterfeit DVD's on the Peyton Place tv series plus any TV DVD and Movies too.  I will never get over the DS9 deal i got into. The good thing I at least received my money back.

 

Thankyou Tracy!!!!  I have bought Dark Shadows twice even 3 times if you consider the first 8 edited versions on VHS.

 

You really brought up an interesting point which i had not thought of.  Peyton Place and Dark Shadows have many fans in common.  This was revealed in the other PP thread. 

 

So I would like to suggest to all DS/Peyton fans to email MPI and to contact Fox to get Peyton Place back into home video. 

 

Remember MPI was interested in the series.  Mr James Finn from Fox reads these posts from time to time. 

 

I know most fans have given up on the show.  The posts have fallen off because of this fact. 

 

The posts for Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea were what led to it's final release. 

 

Here is the contact info for MPI FOX and Time/Life all of whom gave these emails for suggested series they might carry.

 

Fox must be emailed along with MPI to let them know how much fans want the series.

 

Fans we really need to unite here from all threads on the net to get Peyton Place back again. Here are the email contacts

http://www.mpihomevideo.com/Contact/ foxconnect@orderassistance.com and Time/Life<TLCSMail@custhelp.com>
 

 

Good Luck to us all!!!

 

Happy Fathers Day to all the Dad's in the forum!!!

 

I am still waiting to hear on Dallas Pilot.

Edited by Mark Collins - 6/19/11 at 9:05am

Dallas Returns!! !Dallas back summer 2012 Peyton Place Fans Acorn media is looking at Fox TV Series as we speak. I emailed them to add Peyton Place to the list of shows to look at. I received a very nice reply. The email for Acorn is feedback@acornmedia.com.


July 8th, 2011 |


It’s been a long time coming but Dallas is officially back as TV series in Summer 2012 only on TNT in a 10 episode run

This is fantastic news for fans of the series as Larry Hagman, Linda Gray and Patrick Duffy reprise their roles alongside the next generation of Ewings played by Josh Henderson, Jesse Metcafe, Jordana Brewster and Julie Gonzalo.

Brenda Strong from Desperates Housewives fame also joins the cast as the latest wife of Bobby Ewing.

So JR is back in town as we see a brand new chapater unfold with JR’s son John Ross as the man we love to hate.

The new version will focus on the Ewing offspring — J.R. Ewing’s son John Ross (Josh Henderson of Desperate Housewives), and Christopher, the adopted son of Bobby and Pam Ewing (Jesse Metcalfe of Desperate Housewives) — as they clash over the family dynasty’s future. Jordana Brewster (Fast & Furious) stars as Elena, who is involved in a love triangle with Christopher and John Ross. Julie Gonzalo (Veronica Mars) stars as Christopher’s fiancée Rebecca. The updated Dallas will feature original series stars Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray. Hagman gained worldwide fame for his portrayal of oil baron J.R. Ewing. Gray played J.R.’s wife Sue Ellen Ewing, while Duffy portrayed J.R.’s younger brother Bobby.

If you can’t wait that long check out the new series TNT official website http://www.DallasTNT.com for behind the scenes photos, and more.

Read the news I think yesterday on Digital Spy. Good news (even though I'm more of a Knots fan). If this new Dallas series will indeed be a continuation of the original series, will the first season be classed as Season 14 (the original series lasting for a five episode mini-series, 13 seasons and two post-series TV movies)?

Here is the latest Dallas Preview. http://www.tnt.tv/series/dallas/ http://tunedin.blogs.time.com/2011/07/11/tnt-is-remaking-dallas-why-are-you-remaking-dallas-tnt/ The show does look interesting. I am viewing the Ann Howard storyline one of the best on Peyton Place. Acorn Media or MPI let them know if you want to see more Peyton Place.

I can't wait for DALLAS 2012!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1mJAwoV22Q


I love the preview!

Refresh my memory--what happened to Pam at the end of the series and sequel movies? I can't remember---although I have every season and the movies on DVD, I have yet to rewatch them all! If you want to protect this info from ruining it for potential Dallas newbies, please label it as SPOILERS BELOW!!!!! Thanks. As long as Pam didn't die, and if the series is successful, they could persuade Victoria to return for a few episodes, or permanently. Actually, even if she did die, they could say it was Bobby's dream and she could step out of the shower and say "Hello darling!"

Tracy thanks for your loyality!! Pam does live because they did not want that mistake again. The titles for the episode's were funny but did not make it to the dvds. The Mummy etc etc. I also like how they also mention a medical condition to open the 2nd season after Pam. Victoria was lobbied by Larry to come back. The new series she has stated had no interest to her. There is a disconnect here but who knows why.

Peyton Place is such a good series. The writing directing camera work is so good i only wish others could see it. I watched back to back ep of PP and Dallas toinght to see which was better. I cannot say. Strange I thought Peyton would be my choice over Dallas. No i have to say Dallas has a charm of it's own. I guess when I am pressed Peyton Place and Dark Shadows I shall always come back to.

DS is on hold until the latter part of August when i have traditionaly began to watch 1968 and 1897. I love those DS storyline"s right into Thanksgiving. Peyton Place I continue to watch each weekend. The Ann Howard plot straight to it's wonderful conclusion before Labor Day. I then begin the 1966 color ep's and also wrap up the Gena Rowlands 1967 storyline.

Dumb this sounds to most folks I know. The magic of great TV has never left me and I guess never will.

How are you watching all those episodes of "Peyton Place"? Did you record them on VHS at some point? I want so badly to watch the first 70 episodes (which I bought, of course), but I'm afraid to get hooked and not be able to continue if they don't release the rest! I've never seen even one episode! And I love Mia, Ryan and Barbara. I will get to see them all someday, somehow!!!

As for "Dallas" and "Dark Shadows", of course, I have seen every episode. "Dallas', only once--the original run. "Dark Shadows", multiple times! I will be in Brooklyn at the "DS" Festival next month.

By the way, I posted the preview of the new "Dallas" on my Facebook page! It looks great--money, power, sex, greed--all the ingredients of the original. And Linda Grey looks beautfiul...not a day older than when the original went off the air! ~tracy

Hi Tracy i happen to be one of the few people who recorded the show when it aired on the Romance channel. The show debuted on Valentines Day 1997. The show aired two episodes back to back daytime 5 days per week and at nighttime as well. The show also aired the weeks entire episode's on the weekend. Peyton Place was the reason I decided to go with Direct TV because that was the only way to get the show. The Romance channel began to reair the show in 1998 but only up to the point when the Martin Peyton the Martin Peyton storyline concluded. I of course recorded all of the show on VHS and then transfered to dvds.

I just wish someone would pick the show up because i think it would catch on. 514 epsidoes and i did print out the espisode guide here that Richard asked for. Murder in Peyton Place aired on Fox movie channel. Peyton Place next Generation aired on NBC and in Chicago on the Fox station. The only movie that has never aired is Peyton Place revisited which was a cast reuinon. The star's spoke of the show and the transcript was on ebay some months ago.

The black and white shows are fantastic. The color shows bring out the wonderful set decorations that the show used.

Shout Factory will release Peyton Place, Part 3 in November!! They just announced it on their site 40 minutes ago!! What news!!!! ~Tracy

Sorry, Tracy--apparently it was a hoax on the Shout message boards. Someone has been impersonating Brian Ward from Shout! all day.

Yeh, and he's doing a poor job at it too!

Does Brian Ward Even know?

His lack of any comments makes it rather odd.

Well, it's after hours at Shout atm. No doubt there'll be hell to pay tomorrow lol

What a disappointment....well, I've certainly learned my lesson not to get too excited over forum posts. I hope this imposter is found out. It is rather odd that no one has released an official followup statement. Sorry all, if I got anyone's hopes up. Mine certainly were. ~Tracy

Tracy do not beat yourself up over this!!! I wish I could of read it. Here is what Brian Ward posted on the Peyton Place thread 6 hours ago.

Thanks for seeing through him. We've got keen-eyed folks! Much appreciated.

Brian

I only wish this would be good for Peyton Place. I know Shout! is done with the show. I know of no other takers either at this point. I will say I have heard from some of the companies who purchase the rights to shows. Acorn was looking at Fox properties about a month ago. Peyton Fans may want to email them about picking Peyton Place up. The email is somewhere in this thread.

The new Dallas may bring some interest in Knots Landing. I thought that myself. The only thing is Dallas and Knots split after the Dallas dream season. The writers knew this would happen. The funny thing is i had been a viewer of Knots myself but in the 1986 season when Bobby came back Knots bored me to death. I quit watching when Donna Mills was written out. I did enjoy the last episode and the two reunion movies. Knots was very popular right to the end I believe. Dynasty was another i quit on and Dallas the last few seasons bad. I bought the last seasons but have never even looked at them.

Peyton Place again is great TV but the last half of 1967 and the rest of the show well it has it's moments up to the end. Betty really had some fun but they needed Martin Peyton. I loved that guy!!! I thought it funny that Return to Peyton Place brought him back for the last year of their show. I really enjoyed the storyline Sue Ellen gave us in the Peyton Thread about Return. I only saw one episode of the show. I doubt any will see it again since we cannot even get Peyton Place picked up.

Tracy I am sure I speak for all fans that we wish that stupid BS Stunt was real.

Scott asked me in the Dark Shadows thread how he could help me smooth the waters at MPI. He did this because I had made a request of him to do so. I knew Scott had a contact at MPI and this is why I asked him to give MPI my regrets on making public here in the forum that Peyton Place was among the shows they were interested in.

Here is some of that post.

I want to do some damage control here. I have tried my best to lobby for Peyton Place. The problem is that I gave out info about Peyton Place and MPI when i should have kept my mouth shut.

I did not respect the info as for my eyes only. I treated it as public info for Peyton Fans. The fact that MPI had and interest in Peyton Place should never have been stated by me here in the forum. I feel that perhaps my statements on MPI and Peyton Place may have caused problems for the person at MPI who gave me that info.


I guess I think I may have hurt the Peyton Place release's. The release's and the person at MPI. I am not suggesting to those who read this that I think I have the power to influence MPI on properites they would like to get release rights for. I am just saying I may have muddied the waters.

I also did no want to suggest that I have some special relationship with somone at MPI. So for the record no way unless you consider I am big fan of MPI products.

I have sent many emails to other companies. The emails were simply would you consider aquiring the rights to Peyton Place. I received postive response's back but Acorn and MPI were a tad differet.

Acorn seemed interested. MPI was quite generous in their response on the rights issue for Peyton Place.

I just felt I betrayed (not to be over dramatic here) MPI and their trust in me with the info they provided.

I put Scott my friend from the Dark Shadows thread in a rather difficult position by asking him to convey my regrets to MPI for what I revealed.

I hope this clears up any confusion I may have given to you the Peyton Place fans.

I also want to repeat my postion on posting for PP. I will post if a question is asked of me.

I think I really have said all there is to say on Peyton Place from view point.

I of course still encourage PP fans to post if they wish to.

Here is the latest Dallas Video and comments

July 27 2011 at 09:00am http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_blB2h9E2M&NR=1
-

DALLAS: It was the show that taught us that oil is good, big hats are better and there’s no social event that can’t be improved without hurling something (a drink, a hat, Cliff Barnes) into a swimming pool.

Now the US cable channel TNT is set to bring us a new series of Dallas, 21 years after the original ended with a down-on-his-luck JR Ewing seemingly considering suicide. Since that cliffhanger (a not entirely successful attempt to conjure up the soap’s infamous “Who Shot JR?” heyday), there have been two (rather dull) mini-series (JR Returns and The War of the Ewings) and much talk of a film version, the cast of which has been rumoured to include everyone from John Travolta, Luke Wilson and J-Lo to Meg Ryan and Matthew McConaughey.

That project collapsed ignominiously with the makers seemingly unable to decide whether it should be a drama, a comedy or some sort of uncomfortable hybrid of the two.

So what can audiences expect from the new TV version, which will air for 10 episodes next summer? For starters, the return of many of the key original cast members: Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray will reprise their roles as dastardly JR, good-guy Bobby and the drunken Sue Ellen, while Charlene Tilton and Steve Kanaly – aka Lucy “the poison dwarf” Ewing and nice-but-dim Ray Krebbs – will turn up in the pilot.

Most of the action, though, will focus on the next generation as a now grown-up John Ross Jnr (Desperate Housewives’ Josh Henderson) battles his cousin Christopher (Jesse Metcalf, also of Desperate Housewives) over everything from the future of oil in today’s fraught climate to who will ultimately win the hand of the beautiful Elena (Jordana Brewster, best-known for The Fast and The Furious, in the Victoria Principal role).

The real question surrounding the new series is: will anyone tune in? After all, we’re a long way from the heyday of prime-time soaps, those heady Eighties nights when no TV programme was complete without a big-haired woman in a wide-shouldered dress tossing off a pithy retort to a lantern-jawed man.

The nearest thing we have to an evening soap opera these days is the increasingly flaccid Desperate Housewives, a show which started life as an entertaining, campy attempt to both satirise the night-time soap and drag it into the modern era, but which has increasingly fallen victim to nonsensical plot- lines and inconsistent characterisation.


These days, our viewing habits are far more diffuse. Add to that the fact that daytime soaps have been taking a hammering of late, with fans tuning out and turning on lifestyle and reality television shows instead.

“Viewers are looking for different types of programming these days,” said ABC Daytime president Brian Frons of the decision to axe two of the most famous soaps, All My Children and One Life To Live, amid falling ratings. “They are telling us there is room for informative, authentic and fun shows that are relatable, offer a wide variety of opinions and focus on ‘real life’. A perfect example would be (the hugely popular morning talk show) The View.”

The new Dallas is unlikely to be award-winning or even high-quality television, but does it really have to be? As the juicy trailer filled with lines like “You’ll never be a Ewing, Christopher!” and “Oil’s the past, John Ross” makes clear, this will be next summer’s guilty pleasure bar none.


The only thing that the Peyton Place so called joke caused wasa few emails and some posts at Shout by fans. I just wish Shout and Fox would go back to table and work something out. We did not get restored prints so we could settle for that again. I know it will not happen PP release but if Dallas is a hit Knots Landing could come out in MOD. I do not understand why Falcon Crest only. Why cannot they offer both series. Peyton might be given a second look but the way things look do not indicate that at this time.
Edited by Mark Collins - 7/27/11 at 4:05pm

Here are some words from Patrick Duffy on the new Dallas. Much thanks to our good friend in Peyton Place Stuart Fanning for this episode of Peyton Place which i happen to be watching right now from video library. The great Ann Howard storyline. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiA0b144ICs

Before Patrick Duffy rocketed to fame on the ever-popular series Dallas, he was sporting yellow swim trunks and webbed feet on the short-lived series Man From Atlantis, which is being released on DVD by the Warner Bros. Archives collection.

Duffy, 62, talked to Parade.com about the sci-fi show that gave him his Hollywood start. Plus, why he can’t wait for the return of Dallas in the summer of 2012, which will once again see Duffy playing good-guy Bobby Ewing, alongside Larry Hagman’s J.R. and Linda Gray’s Sue Ellen.

His fans span generations.
“When I was on Dallas, I was known to audiences of the '80s. And then when my sons, who are in their 30s now, were going to college, Dallas was the cult thing to watch because it was being done on the soap channels, so a whole new generation saw it. And then I have the young fans that knew me from Step By Step in the '90s. It’s interesting when I walk out in public to see the age ranges of people and what they call me. Whether they refer to me as Frank or Bobby.”

Photo Flashback: The Stars of Dallas Then & Now

How he landed the lead role on Man From Atlantis in 1977.
“Los Angeles is peopled by waiters and carpenters and drivers who are there to be actors. I was a carpenter when I auditioned for that role. I probably did six to eight returns before it got to the point where they asked me to do a screen test. Even the audition process is exciting when you’ve never worked before.”

On why the series, which saw success as a TV movie, only lasted one season.
“The format changed a bit when we went from the TV movies to the series. The responsibility of producing an episode a week of science fiction got too difficult. It went from science fiction to more of a wet Batman, and that was not what the people who watched the movies were really looking for. That’s why the ratings dropped off. But the good news was that six days after Atlantis was officially cancelled, I started Dallas. It all works out the right way.”

First Jobs of the Rich & Famous

The hardest part about being the man from Atlantis.
“The one thing the producers were adamant about was that there could be no bubbles coming out of my nose when I was underwater because I was supposed to be breathing water. So I had to breathe a tiny bit of water into my nose so that there would be no air bubbles. I think that was the most uncomfortable daily thing that I had to do. It took me awhile to figure out how to do it and not the prettiest things would happen. Like in the middle of the night, I’d roll over in bed and one of my sinuses would release and all the sudden there’s this puddle on my pillow. I’m amazed my wife has been with me for 40 years when she had to deal with that on a regular basis! Those are the things I don’t miss and I was not sad to see go when the show was cancelled.”

Did he ever imagine he’d be playing Bobby Ewing again on Dallas?
“No! And Larry and Linda will tell you the same thing. We never thought that we’d be back playing those characters again. Larry and Linda and I truly love each other like family members. We’re the closest of friends, but we never thought we would work together ever again. But when we got the script and went down to Texas and stepped onto the Southfork Ranch, it was the happiest that we’ve been as actors. It was so much fun and we’re so looking forward to doing the series now.”

The new Dallas will carry on with the next generation, while not forgetting the previous one.
“We won’t just have cameos, like you go visit them at the old folk’s home. Larry and Linda and I are involved in every aspect of each of the episodes. I think that’s what the audience will expect. It’s not like a remake of Hawaii Five-O where they mention the old characters every now and then so you think it’s the same show. This is Dallas — it’s just 20 years later. We’re 20 years older and our children are now adults and the drama goes on. The young people are going to carry a large portion of the show, and that’s the way it should be, but we’re not marginalized in any way.”

He had zero doubt about heading back to Texas.
“There was no hesitation, but that’s only because of the script written by Cynthia Cidre, who is now going to oversee the writing of the show and be executive producer. She is the only person since our original producer Leonard Katzman died that knows what this show’s about. Larry, Linda and I read her script and realized we could now do Dallas again because it will be as good if not better than the original.”
What fans can expect from Bobby Ewiing…20 years later.
“He’s the patriarch of the Ewing family now. There is no mama or daddy on the ranch obviously, so Bobby is the combination of Jock and Miss Ellie in terms of his responsibilities and being the head of the family. Bobby is the cornerstone of the morality factor of doing what’s right. I think that’s been his function in a positive way for the 13 years it was on TV and that’s not going to change.”

He’s happy playing the mild-mannered brother.
“Everyone says, ‘Don’t you want to do something like J.R.’s character?’ But I always say no because the more J.R. does, the more fun my character has. I’m happy the way this dynamic has worked out. My goodness, if we could get 13 more years of Larry being J.R. and me being Bobby, I’d be the happiest man around.”

Hollywood isn’t the same place it was during the '80s.
“What I miss about that time is being that large of a character and a person in the business with still an appropriate amount of anonymity in your personal life. I don’t think that’s possible anymore. If the new Dallas series were to reach even a half of what the popularity was in those days, our lives won’t be as easy as they were in the ‘80s. There’s just too many market needs out there, there’s too many shows about celebrity. We’ll be photographed coming out of restaurants where we never were before. The paparazzi will be out there trying to get a picture. That didn’t happen to us in the old days. But we’re prepared for it. We’re old ponies in this parade. We know the drill; we just have to be ready to expect that now. It’s what the industry is.”

On the new kids on the ranch.
“The dynamic is perfect. I think we have the best young crop of actors playing these parts with Jesse Metcalfe, Josh Henderson, Jordana Brewster, and Julie Gonzalo. I didn’t know any of these people prior to coming on the set and they’re such good actors. It’s just a perfect marriage with the old Dallas. I couldn’t be happier and I just hope that they have the same kind of experience as we did thirty years ago when we started.”
Edited by Mark Collins - 8/2/11 at 5:15pm

VICTORIA PRINCIPAL WAS NOT EVEN INVITED TO RETURN TO THE NEW DALLAS!!! FANS UPSET! READ BELOW. PEYTON PLACE FANS FLOOD FOX SHOUT'S BRIAN WARD AND MPI AQUISTIONS WITH YOUR EMAILS THAT YOU WANT PETYON PLACE TO CONTINUE ON DVD!!!


It's been twenty years since the iconic series Dallas left our screens but in the summer of 2012 the show makes a dramatic comeback to television on TNT with more seduction, scandal and intrigue from the Ewing family. Executive Producer and writer Cynthia Cidre heads up the show with an immense passion and enthusiasm, respectively pulling the show into the 21st century.

Will we see Pamela back? Was Victoria Principal approached to return?

Cynthia - She has not been approached. When I was doing my research, both watching the episodes and reading your website, the last time we saw Pamela was after the car crash she was horribly burned and left Southfork, she eventually made a quick return because she has found a plastic surgeon she says she has fallen in love with and she tells Cliff she will not be coming back. We found out she was terminally ill and was really dying so I just went with that. So I married Bobby off to someone new

UD - I think the fans have been quite split over it and I personally feel there is far more scope in exploring Bobby's new wife Ann rather than regurgitating what we have seen before.

Cynthia - It felt a little bit that way to me. It was instinctual more than it was anything else. I just thought , you know what, a bunch of years has passed she might of died, it seemed like she died, let's marry him to a new lovely person. Brenda Strong who plays his wife, you will see, they are great together. They have wonderful energy together. She is nearly as tall as Patrick, who you probably know is enormous, he is six feet four and Brenda is six feet and not shy about wearing heels. I had lunch with Brenda yesterday and I think fans will be very happy with the character of Ann Ewing. I don't have an answer about Pamela either, not in my scope from the beginning so I just married him to someone else.

UD - She was left in a dying limbo, there was no real ending for the character which left viewers feeling rather unsatisfied. Since the website started back in 1997 it's always been a major discussion point - is she dead? Is she alive?

Cynthia - There was a scene with Cliff, it was a very fast scene. People like conclusions and when you leave something unfinished they feel the need for gestalt, to complete the picture



HERE IS THE REST OF THE INTERVIEW (caution it is long but interesting if you have time to read it) but i myself still want PAM BACK!!!!!



How did the idea for new Dallas come about? When did you get involved and what was your initial reaction?

Cynthia - The idea came about from an exec at Warner Horizon by the name of Craig Erwich who had previously been an executive at Fox and I had done a pilot for him. He emailed my agent who emailed me asking the simple sentence 'Are you interested in doing Dallas?'.

My initial reaction was Dallas! Why me? I have been a working writer for about twenty five years and done a lot of action movies and family dramas so Dallas seemed at odds for someone to offer me. I started to say no and then I was interrupted and spent the day doing errands. The truth is it just stayed with me. I thought wow, Dallas is a cool show why am I saying no? It sounds interesting.

So I emailed back and said if you want to meet I will be happy to meet with you. So I went in to see him and I said "What do you want to do about Dallas?" and he said "I've no idea, what do you want to do about Dallas?" and I said "I have no idea, I've not seen Dallas in twenty years and frankly I watched some of it but not that much". I was not that familiar with it.

So they gave me several seasons to watch and I said "let me think about it" and I started to watch some seasons and in the meantime I had another commitment, I was doing another pilot. I had a long time to think it through and I called them back and said "I absolutely want to do Dallas, this is what I have been waiting for my whole life, you have tapped the right person". You know I watched a lot of it , I had all the episodes, I read all the synopsis, I did family trees and then I came back and told them what I wanted to do and we were off and running.

How would describe the new Dallas?

Cynthia - I tried to be really really respectful of the original Dallas because it was really clear to me that the people who love Dallas are Trekkies, really committed to that show and I really did not understand that before, so I never wanted to violate anything that had happened in the past. On the other hand that was the past, twenty years had gone by, so at the same time I think we're properly balanced between the characters of Bobby Ewing, JR and Sue Ellen, I also have the new cast and it's John Ross and Christopher, the children of Bobby and JR, and their love interests. Total respect and a balance of old and new.

How are things progressing with writing the first season?

We moved into our offices a few days ago, the phones were put in today. We have deals with three writers and the other two are going to close today. We don't start the writers room until Monday although because I have lived with this for so long and in it I have found my calling in life ok, I didn't realize Dallas was calling in life until late but here I am.

I love it, stuff has poured out and I spent the last three days telling our most senior writer everything I want to do in the first season and he is incredibly organized, his name is Robert Rovner and he has run many writers rooms in the past. So that is what we have been doing for the past three days, breaking up our nine episode order, where do we want to end with this character? Where do we want to end with Southfork? Where do we want to end with Bobby? What happens to Christopher? What happens to John Ross? Then creating cliffhangers.
We don't have any episodes yet. I'm going to write the second episode and that one you try to answer what you set up in the pilot , obviously. But beyond that we don't know yet, we are not sure

UD - Wow that sounds so exciting. I'm completely jealous (laughs). So I gather the episodes are not self contained?

Cynthia - No no, it's serialized. Dallas has to be

UD - Will you maintain the iconic three way split opening?

Cynthia - It's very similar, we have the same theme music and the theme music to my phone now too. We have the new Dallas which has changed radically, it has a beautiful skyline. But we have the ranch, we shot it all at Southfork. For the first time Dallas is going to be shot in Dallas.

Can you give us a flavor of the new series, the tone?

Cynthia - It's a grounded family drama with flair and that has been at all my writer interviews what I have said to them. I said if you are thinking of Dallas as camp then you are on the wrong show.
I have picked writers who are really really good solid writers of human beings and so that's what I want. I think our actors are all excellent and they are all capable of doing it. This is not Dynasty, no slur on Dynasty but this is not a show where people pull each others hair out, falling in fountains. This is a show with really emotion and real passion about the land and about love. I'm just taking it seriously. However the caveat on that is that this is Dallas and we want to have fun. We want to love to hate the bad guys, have some flair. The situations are slightly pumped up as it's melodrama and it's a soap but we're grounding it in real human behavior.

UD - Would you say it was more reflective of the original mini series by David Jacobs which was very grounded. As it progressed it did seem to have an element of campness.

Cynthia - Yeah it's a serious soap. It's a soap, this is it you know. There's going to be some smiles, you're gonna have fun, double crossing and scheming. We'll have that but it's not in anyway camp.

UD - Brilliant. I think everyone is going to be really pleased to hear that

Does a cable channel like TNT allow more freedom than a bigger network such as CBS? Can we expect more adult themes, language?

Cynthia - TNT is the CBS of cable, they are very successful and they do probably have a similar audience. I think we get away with one or two bad words in it. Our freedom doesn't come from the adult themes or language, I think it actually comes from the fact that TNT really allows artists, not that I'm an artist, more freedom. Craig gave me maybe one or two notes originally which was astounding to me since I had only worked in network before where you can expect four hours of notes, this was five minutes and that's a pleasure to work for.

How do you bring back the show back with a fresh airing but still retain the spirit of the old show's legacy and back story?


Cynthia - I will be extraordinarily respectful of the old relationships and of the old characters and their motivations while seducing a new audience with a new cast. We certainly want to bring back the old fans and don't want to alienate them in anyway. That's why we've bent over backwards to be respectful of that but we have oil and we have alternatives as its the twenty first century.

What difficulties, concerns did you come across reviving an old show? Many have failed

Cynthia - I really found my calling in this. It was the right time in my life. I should have been an engineer and not a writer as I sort of came at it as a math problem of combining the old with the new and tried to keep a very delicate balance. I thought the luckiest thing to have happened was that Larry, Patrick and Linda have been friends for thirty years, I didn't know that. Had I picked a different three we may not have a show.
But they are wonderful, they are lovely human beings, they are a joy to work with. They set the tone on the set from day one and they are who they are, they were the original show. Instead of difficulties I have run into nothing but problem solving. I called Patrick, we needed a line for looping for JR to make something clear in a scene toward the end, I couldn't reach Larry and said "What would JR say at this point?" He texted me back a line. It was great. He knows, they have been these people for thirty years. I thought we would have problems but it's been the opposite.

In JR Returns the scene was set for a continuation of the Barnes Ewing feud. Why did you move away from this?

Cynthia - I was told, not necessarily to pick up where it left off but not to pay to much attention to the movies because the movies had tried to wrap stuff up in two hours. But we did not, I have to admit, although I saw one of them, I did not download it in my brain.
I was really going off the end of the season, I don't pick it up from then, its now 2012 so we have not seen the Ewing family in all those years but now we are going to see them and they look good. An old friend hopefully looks good

UD - I guess there was an expectation that the show would go with the Barnes Ewing feud again, maybe Cliff Barnes daughter and John Ross

Cynthia - I'm not going to away anything but I am aware of all of those things and what the fans love and I'm trying to incorporate it all in new and surprising ways.

Some fans of the original are concerned this will be Dallas 90210. What would you say to those people?

Cynthia - Not if I can help it. I'm very serious about this. It's now a life choice and commitment for me. I have, for the first time ever, taken a job outside my house, I have been writing for twenty five years, always out of my house. I have enjoyed that. I have now moved into an office because I'm taking this seriously. I'm gonna do the best I can. I've gotten some amazing writers. We have seven writers for nine episodes so this should be lots of brain power to make this as good as we possibly can. We have a director who directed the pilot, Mike Robin, who is also the Producer on The Closer and Rizzoli & Isles and he is just a wonderful person and he is going to stay on the show and direct the first and the second one. He's now my partner and we are both completely committed making this the best show on cable.

We know Ray & Lucy are returning, will we see them back or any other characters from the original?


Cynthia - I don't know about that yet. There are all kinds of budgetary restraints on this. They are in the pilot, they make a nice lovely cameo. It was wonderful they came to Dallas and did that for us. I don't know where we are heading with that. That's actually the truth, I'm not trying to avoid the question.

How did you approach casting? Did you get everyone you wanted?

Cynthia - We did. We were really lucky. So far we have been blessed. I sat in a room with the casting director, for months it seemed like, and eventually Mike [Robin] joined me, after we made his deal. We probably saw fifty John Ross's, they kept coming in reading those lines, I got very sick of those lines [laughs].

UD - Some of the auditions were up on Youtube

Cynthia - Really?

UD - yes and Melissa Gilbert tweeted she was up for the part of Ann.

Cynthia - She was very good, we were very close to that. She brought a lot of the right energy , she was on Little House on the Prairie, apparently she used to know Patrick when she was a kid on that show, they were shot on the same lot. Then we met Brenda Strong, she just seemed like the right person. She's very beautiful and Patrick's very virile and it just seemed like a very energetic relationship.

UD - Brenda does have an element of Miss Ellie about her

Cynthia - We've been thinking about that. Who is the voice of reason here? Who's going to be Miss Ellie, who's gonna pull the family together? Possibly it will be Ann because she has that energy.

UD - Josh Henderson is playing John Ross

Cynthia - We saw actors over and over. There is no doubt in my mind, Josh Henderson came in and just nailed John Ross. Once you've seen the right person you know who it is.

UD - From looking at the trailer he seems fantastic. The whole cast look fantastic

Cynthia - Yeah. The studio agreed with us. First we do it and then we take it to the studio and then he decided he liked it and then the network sign it off.

Dallas was always seen as a masculine show with the women very much secondary, only able to go so far. Was this something you consciously wanted to address?


Cynthia - You know I never thought of it that way but it is true it was a business heavy show. Even though it's a soap, when we tested it scored really really high with men. It happens to be about John Ross and Christopher, Bobby and JR so it is male centric that way but it's the twenty first century so our women have a point of view. Elena [John Ross's girlfriend played by Jordana Brewster] is the engineer with the oil, so it's different to what it was back in the seventies.

Linda Gray felt the writers had Sue Ellen in some kind of revolving door with alcohol and battling JR. Is the character going to have a major part in this new show and can you tell us a little bit about how you approached a 2012 version of Sue Ellen?

Cynthia - I don't want her to have that revolving door with alcoholism. I think she has spent the last few years finding out who she was. I think I described it as she looks vibrant and beautiful, healthy and sexy. What she was supposed to have been before life with JR. So I'm expecting great things from Sue Ellen. Linda is a lovely person

The character of Carmen played by Marlene Forte is an interesting addiction to the cast. In original Dallas the latino employees were more or less non speaking roles
Did you feel it was important to reflect the real demographic of Dallas?

Cynthia - I certainly did. I myself am Latino, it wasn't my agenda or anything. But I thought my goodness, we're in Texas you know. We need a character that reflects the demographic of Texas. So we have Carmen and her daughter Elena who is going to be one of our leads.

UD - I guess in original Dallas, eventually it could of been set anywhere. We never really got to see other parts of Dallas.

Cynthia - The reason was they were shooting in Burbank and trying to hide the palm trees. Now we are filming in Dallas, so we are going to be seeing Dallas. We asked the film comminsn for businesses in Dallas, if they wanted to show their business on the show we would shoot them. In the pilot we are at Neiman Marcus, on ones ever shot at Neiman Marcus, we're at Dallas National, which is one of the top ten golf courses in the country. Yes, we are going to be in the city of Dallas.

Will we get to see more new characters in the new series? Will it explore some of the family members of new characters like Ann, Rebecca and Elena. I believe Rebecca's brother Tom Sutter is in the pilot, will he return?

Cynthia - I like him. We tried to figure our what's Tommy up to. So we are pulling apart Tommy Sutter and hoping Tommy is with us for season one

UD - So will get to see Ann's back story?

Cynthia - Yes. I believe the fans are owed that, they will wonder how they met. How did Ann and Bobby get together, what happened? We are just putting out parts for that, how do we introduce Ann and that romance to the the audience. So they too can fall in love with Bobby's wife.

UD- So how far ahead have you planned for. Do you have a vision beyond the first season?

Cynthia - No no no. It's nine episodes, not twenty two but it's still nine hours we are trying to get through right now. We don't have a pick up for the second season yet so we can't think of a second season yet. But we are hoping, we are hopeful. A lot of the questions from the pilot will be explained in episode two, so we sort of of know what episode two is going to be but beyond that we just have to see

Is there a particular character you created that you are rather excited about?

Cynthia - At this point I feel, with the exception of Bobby, JR and Sue Ellen, that all of them are mine. They were all hatched in my brain, even though we saw John Ross and Christopher, they were children, I feel possessive of those people, the younger people on the show. I actually feel possessive of Bobby and JR too. because I'm writing their lines now.
I feel like Patrick Duffy is such an interesting person that maybe Bobby didn't always reflect that and it's twenty years later and he's matured and I think there is a lot of fun to be had with Bobby coming up.

UD - So is JR still as mean as old JR , John Ross and Christopher following their fathers personality traits?

Cynthia - I think you'll have to watch for that. I think it's satisfying , let me say I don't like patting myself on the back ever but everyone who have seen the pilot really liked it.
It's my fifth pilot, by far the one that turned out the best. All the stars aligned, the cast was wonderful, the director was wonderful. The Art director of photography is Rodney Charters who shot 24 for eight years, so he's totally brilliant. It looks gorgeous. It's really long, they are going to air it long, it's like fifty five minutes , most pilots are forty three minutes.

UD - So we will see this next summer?

Cynthia - It's sometime next summer, so we would have shot all episodes before any of them air. Which is good because then any tweaks you make in the story for later on, you can actually go back and fix it. If somehow you reveal too much early on or you didn't reveal enough , you can actually tweak things. In the other show that I did you were literally shooting and then on the air in a week. It was a horrible anxiety, this is much more civilized.

Finally are there any teasers you can give away to wet our appetite for the first season?

Cynthia - I'm betting the audiences will love it. The new audience and the old audience and I think they will have their desires satisfied. It will feel like they got the goods, that they did their favorite show justice. Even my son who you would think had no interest , the moment he watched the pilot was like "Mom you can't end it there, what happens next? Wait I've gotta watch" So I think in the best tradition of the Dallas television show hopefully we have done it justice.

UD - Cynthia thank you so much. We really appreciate you taking time out to talk to us. It really is very exciting, I can't wait to see it

Cynthia - Well thank you, we'll' talk again and thank you for everything you have done for Dallas. I am really very possessive over it myself.

Dallas airs Summer 2012 on TNT
Edited by Mark Collins - 8/8/11 at 4:58pm

Well, that's too bad about Victoria Principal, but I think we can be optimistic...this is a soap after all. She may show up down the road, if the series is a success!

Where does this interview come from? It's not very professionally written, with grammatical errors, etc. "Should of" instead of "should have"....yikes! I realize it's probably a transcript of a spoken interview, but the writer needs to sharpen his/her pencil!

Anyway, thanks for sharing, Mark. You're right...very interesting! Do you know who "UD" is? ~Tracy

"UD" stands for Ultimate Dallas; it's a fansite and they conducted that interview.

Ah! Got it. Thanks Ethan. I'm new to the world of 'Dallas-renewed' so wasn't familiar with UD. As a fansite, I guess I can overlook the mistakes, but only because I'm feeling less nitpicky and more charitable today than I was yesterday. ~Tracy

This is what remains of that rotten post I made yesterday. NOTHING!!!!!! I have other words for that post but would never write them here!!!! I just want every Peyton Place Fan to read what Jack has written below. I want people to see what a fine human being he is!
Edited by Mark Collins - 8/11/11 at 5:58am