DALLAS 40th ANNIVERSARY INTERVIEW - LINDA GRAY

well here we go on Dallas fanzine and I am delighted to say that we have the lovely Linda gray joining us once again for a chat Linda happy 40th birthday to Dallas sounds funny to think that we were on the air 48 we began 40 years ago it's very strange well what do you think the show has got that others haven't that makes the fans keep coming back for more because I still feel that it's it's a bit of magic and you in Ireland I think it's a bit of magic I really do because what how else would you explain because we were all we were all grown up so when we started the show I mean we weren't like in our 20s except Charlene was very young um but you know we were all professional we were all unemployed actors very happy that we got a job with five episodes that was the original and that was it we were just thrilled to be at Woking I got to work with all these wonderful actors and I was thrilled but we had no idea none and I don't know what it is whether it you know I can't explain it so I I just feel that it was great it was a great concept it was a perfect if it was perfect timing in the history of television it was it was many many things and aspects that that took it to that that really iconic level the last time Linda you were in Ireland you were promoting your book titled the road to happiness as always under construction what was the catalyst in deciding to write your memoir at this period in your life they called and they said we would like you to write your memoir and I was stunned and also I thought that it was very lovely calm woman but inside I wait I wait a minute hang on don't be don't be telling me that write a memoir I don't you know I don't have number one I don't have time number two I don't know how to do all that pull it together and I knew and they did say they said we want to bring it out on your release date would be your 75th birthday and I looked at my calendar and I thought oh my god first of all I was shocked that I was gonna be 75 that was a big one I was like was like are you kidding me are you sure how'd that happen [Laughter] they said yesterday so I thought well you know I have a grape saying in my head I it's not original but when I heard it it it just appeared to be perfect if not now when so I thought if I don't write a book now and I'm 75 and then when the hell am I gonna write it so I thought that's a good time so I set up upon and debriding my book and all of a sudden interesting memories started coming in literally it was like a download I got and my past and the things that happened that I'd not thought of in a hundred years [Laughter] started to get fun and I but the deadlines kept coming and I was filming Dallas I was in Texas buildings and I thought you don't do this you know I you can't multi-tab this is the ultimate in multitasking you don't you can't do that and so but I did I kept I kept forging ahead and then we had six months where TNT couldn't decide whether they wanted to pick us up or cancel us and so we had a six-month hiatus where we couldn't take a job and we couldn't do anything we couldn't do we didn't know what was going on so we didn't know whether to cancel our condominium cancel this cancel that we couldn't take another job anyway it was and we didn't get paid so it was kind of an odd six months and then in October of that year they said we're not going to pick you up so I'm that was kind of devastating a big devastation it was for us we love the show we love the kids that knew kids we just we couldn't believe we'd been cancelled so anyway that was that was it was closing down a condominium shipping furniture back here and all this nonsense and yet and then my publicist he he talked to someone in London and they said would she like to do Pento in London actually absolutely so I went from Sue Ellen Ewing who is now CEO of Ewing oil I went from that to playing a fairy godmother in Cinderella [Laughter] oh boy this is a contrast exactly it was one you know it took the sting out of the shock of being canceled and after we were having such a good time and such wonderful reviews everybody was loving it you know it was one of those who it was disappointment and I thought that they didn't do a good job of canceling us to one offend because as you're you know Dallas fans I'm if I'm sending that says you know we have fans all over the world and I don't think they respected us they didn't they didn't respect the franchise I think in my mind I feel that they should have given us like three or five episodes more to show up all the little plot lines that weren't finished and I thought that would have been respectful and then everyone would have been feeling better about it yeah I think a lot of people at the time were kind of hoping for some kind of closure to the show for the sake of the fans but as you said the decision made to cancel it but I believe TNT I think we're looking at other genres to explore at the time but we've gotten so many comments from fans were totally excused the french pissed at the decision so obviously your own reaction was you were devastated to hear the news to be fair and balanced on the flip side of that as well we received many comments from telling us by the third year there was too much emphasis on drug cartels and crime and post you know we didn't get to see those big Ewing dinner and breakfast scenes on the new show which were always they were always a tradition on Dallas did you miss doing those kind of scenes I'm the new one oh yes and I did miss that as well and and we were kind of disappointed by all the drug cartel because I think that the key for Dallas was family drama and that was that's the key I mean every family has a drama and I find when even in the original show when Patrick Duffy left and and jock Ewing died you know there's there was some an element missing it's like people like the family to stay together dysfunction they loved they loved watching all that but it's the family it's the glue that keeps it all together and then I thought when it started going off to the cartel and stuff it it kind of was like where's the family what happened to the family it was kind of like led you on in a different direction well as I said the fans did want a proper ending to the series but you never know Linda Dallas could come back someday we we always view it as the show that refuses to go away doesn't go away and who knows you know Patrick and I may come back as jock and Miss Ellie never know that'll be interesting that's for sure apart from writers such as Camille Marchetta and Lia Marcus Dallas was mainly written produced and directed by men and I think the only other female director apart from yourself on the show was Gwen rner who did a few episodes I think back in 1984 I do remember former Dallas writer Howard Lake and one saying in an interview that producer Leonard Katzman hated the independent thinking woman now in your book you mentioned the problems with mr. Katzman and working on what was that male-dominated environment how Leonard treats you on the Saturday Ellis did he ever listen to your opinions he did but it was definitely a male show hmm definitely you know it was the producers and the writers and mainly the directors you know I we were respected when when the show got up and running but he didn't he he the women worthy I called them bookends we were the reactors we reacted to whatever the men did as an example you know he did something and she would do something you know in retaliation so it was it was a very interesting concept to to look underneath the the why of why is this happening and I said I don't know I think it was part of his the way he grew up I think it was his rearing that was like well the women that's the way the women are and a lot of men thought that you know that's the way women should behave they should they should drink they should look pretty and they shouldn't say anything they have no you know verbally they they shouldn't be they should be seen and not heard it was an interesting concept to to be a part of and then watch the women growing and changing globally and have them still a little bit stuck that's why I I thought I want a direct because they need more women more female influence in the show now Phil capice did you have a good relationship with failed now I'm asking this because most of the cast that we previously interviewed say that Phil was kind of more distant and not as hands-on with the actors like Leonard was well that's true but but I like Phil I like so personally and I'm just sort of stayed away from from the interaction because Leonard was really the one that he knew every character and the inter wolven character plots and these I mean he had this huge board in his office and he knew everybody so if you came to Leonard and said I want to change this I don't think that Sue Ellen or what it would do this and he would show you why because it was it was this intriguing spiderweb he knew everybody and what they were doing and where they were going so you couldn't just change your part because that would have a domino effect on the rest of the cast so he was genius in that in that arena what do you think of the movement in Hollywood now for women to get equal rights in the industry is it long overdue do you think I think so what I would not I just I'm curious as to not getting angry not getting so angry I think that women do deserve it I think that you know when you when like when women get so angry they're losing their losing the the reality of what it is it's like we don't have to be angry we just can have our our rights and say this is what we need this is what we want sometimes it doesn't happen as easily and as rapidly as we would want but I I think a lot of women feel very comfortable feeling being a female and they don't want to do a lot of the things that men men do and I think they've been quiet they we do want equal pay absolutely I think that's essential and you know the the whole abuse thing is ridiculous that should absolutely stop it's been quiet for so long it's been under being scooped under the rug and so I'm happy that it's all out in the open now and I think there's more to come I'm concerned that it does not turn into anger we have our rights that's huge if and the money thing is absolutely huge I think women have to make sure that they're not coming from an angry place I don't think anger gets you a lot of love things that move people forward I think that's what has to be monitored a little bit from what I see here in Hollywood Dallas maybe 40-plus years old but the show was it was pretty groundbreaking back in the day and I'm thinking long before Tony Soprano was on the shrinks couch Sue Ellen was doing that back in 1980 with dr. ellby and this was this was a year long analysis for Sue Ellen did you enjoy playing out those scenes and your memories of Jeff Cooper who of course played dr. Simon lb on the show I like I loved that I said I thought it was a very good plotline because she didn't eat their appeal and I remember talking to Leonard who was very open I said why did Sue Ellen marry him I want to know why because he doesn't have any anybody doesn't have any redeeming qualities and he's very bet he's a bad guy why would she marry him and I said I'd like you to bring in someone to play her mother to find out what what her childhood was like and he was very open to that and brought in Martha's got to play my mother and we found out that she was groomed to marry the richest man in Texas now that does not lead for he was he was raised to to marry you know a beauty queen so those had that happened to both of them but that doesn't that has nothing to do with love and heart and long-lasting relationships so they both went at this relationship in in the backwards way or a way that she's never happened anyway so but it was but it was good because Leonard did listen to me said you're right you know we need to bring in your mother to find out what kind of a how come she married jr. Ewing and I remember in the very first five episodes I remember looking at Larry and Sue Ellen had nothing to say I was literally the brunette on the couch at that time and it was every Heat they had to go around and do close-ups of everybody and the close-up was on Larry and he was going on roundabout something I don't remember I just remember looking at him during my close-up thinking who in the world would marry this guy he's an idiot and he's not very nice and he's just pompous arrogant why would anyone marry him and so that was the start of it wasn't like oh god he's not he's not very nice person and why would anybody marry him anyway that's how it started so and I loved it because it allowed it allowed for the relationship to grow and to expand and I think that's when you know audiences love that that's what I mean about the the core family relationship getting too scattered and getting away from the family sadly were losing more and more of the people which made Dallas very special in front and behind the camera yourself in the late Jared Martin shared many great episodes together Sue Ellen and dusty what are your memories of working with him wonderful that puts together little clips of highlights and she she loves team somebody I don't know who it is she's genius she finds these little clips and last night I saw the sweetest sweetest clip of Jared and myself and rodeo and it was charming and he was absolutely lovely to work with I have such fond memories and I was just shocked and very surprised that he had passed know yeah those are those are those are hard memories you know you just remember I remembered I flashback when I saw this little clip that she had posted on Instagram and I just sat there and I watched it several times I thought I just have these beautiful memories I know it's probably a tough question to answer but what Dallas story liner episodes are you most proud of Linda oh boy want to know what one of my favorites are it's the Valentine knickers story where Sue Ellen gets rid of Mandy winger though that was a fun one that was a great one I love that yes it was oh it's always a wonderful one you know Larry's favorite scene was when he put me in the sanitarium I kept I would always argue with him I said why is that your favorite scene of all the things that we've done no I like putting you in the sanitarium it was all that control power macho things I was crazy and he would say that in all these interviews and I knew I knew he would say it because they would you know they would say okay now what was your favorite and I knew the second they asked that that I knew what he was going for and I would get so mad at him and I would tell him on on-air why do you like that sanitarium said I always like to thrown you in the sanitarium well anyway that was his it was not mine typical of Larry throwing Sue Ellen in the in the sanitarium I like that anyway that was Larry what was your favorite moment to yourself well what moment are you most proud of on the show well you know I always look at say I always look at them like what what is what is the story what what am i putting across to the audience I was I was looking bad but you know I as far as an actor I loved in the first go-around in the original show I loved it to her drunk scenes because as an actor I mean this is very selfish I know but I still loved it it used to take two hours to get Sue Ellen ready for camera two hours make me crazy what one hour it make up one hour and hair I was like oh crazed and and that was long before cellphones couldn't even sit there doing emails or anything so anyway when I played the drum scene it was 20 minutes they'd sit me down and put like some I don't know a little bit of makeup and then the hairdresser would put a little bit of gel in my hair and then she'd say okay you ready yes anyway so selfishly that was that was so much fun and I got to just blow it out I just chewed scenery and loved it cuz I didn't you know I was always very proper and did not proper but really you know she would she always looked lovely they always made it made Suellen look lovely and this was fun not to be so lovely I still loved it and then in the new in the new reboot I loved my favorite scene was the at juniors memorial I just loved that scene and there's a story behind that because I had asked the producers I said this is going to be really hard for me to stand at the casket and say goodbye to jr jr ewing as Sue Ellen like I said it's tough because he had lived he had dot he had passed Larry had passed and so this was kind of a sort of saying goodbye to him as the character and then in the background was the saying goodbye to him as Larry Hagman so it was too close and it was really delicate so I asked the producer which I never I never asked the producer sir anything so I said I'd like to ask a favor could you give me three cameras if they had to cover it you know close out the wide shot and all that I said could you give me three please three close-ups three and three sorry three cameras and one take because I can't keep doing this again yeah I just can't I said it's too too emotional too sensitive and he was brilliant Mike Robin and he said absolutely so you know everybody else got up at the funeral and and the around the graveside they said you know their words and then she was my turn and so I got up and you know walked to the casket and started and I had not gotten maybe two sentences out and people forget that we have a script this is scripted you know wasn't I didn't just create words and so I've got about two sentences out and we'd you know the guys the gardener's came and with their blowers and they had to say cut because of the noise and I took a deep breath and we started again and then there was some dog attack or some horrendous thing there was the dogs start barking cut start again and it went on there was then a helicopter came over we had to stop so finally I looked up to the skies and I said Larry stop missing me I thought he wants to be center of attention at all times even though he's departed and then everybody just started laughing because it was it was like he was messing with me it's like oh okay you're you're an actor you've got to go past these things and here we go so I mean it was when I said that I said okay now I know he's here he's messing with me and stop it Larry just give me a break and you can start playing but not now so we went on and we made it but it was like so I was just ah I was so mad at him yet again it goes without saying that we really do miss his presence in the world yourself and Patrick were with Larry shortly before he passed over in 2012 I don't want to step on your privacy here but can you share anything about your final days with Larry yes because Larry was not afraid of dying he didn't he didn't think he was dying we saw him on the Wednesday and he died on a Friday morning so that's how close we were because the day in between was the American Thanksgiving and his home it was almost like you two orchestrated it in a in a loving way he had his whole all of his grandchildren in his it's son/daughter were there and you know then they Patrick and I were in alone just the three of us on the Wednesday and then his children on Thanksgiving he had planned and he had done it he'd planned to have a lovely Thanksgiving like a picnic at Southfork Ranch with because all the children were there beautiful and so he arranged that himself and um so they were that's what was planned and so he was in hospital and so obviously he couldn't go but he arranged through everybody to go anyway and they went and then I remember 9 o'clock Friday morning I got a call saying come now immediately to the hospital he's gone into a coma and so Patrick and I were there with the family and you know we said our goodbyes but we had had this beautiful day with him on the Wednesday where we giggled and laughed until stupid jokes and you know just we're with our friend but he was not he was not afraid of dying and and we I remembered that the sweetest thing is we all talked about I said Larry you know everybody wants to die people talk about death they want to die doing what they love to do and they don't want to die in an old folks home or something they want to die doing what they love to do and I said you know at this stage what's happening and we didn't know was gonna be so soon I said you brought GRU and back to to reality you brought it back and and I said and you you got to play him again and we got to work together as a trio that three months catears we got to work together I said that's extraordinary that we all got to work together and you played jr. Ewing's you know for you know nothing talk about a few if you're dying you want to do this you know the thing you love to do so that that's I think he orchestrated it it was the best thing ever so you know he went out with this like a party that's what he wanted his daughter Christina has since revealed in her book that her father never really stopped drinking up until his passing now I know you Linda her an advocate of healthy living and you tried to help Larry with that over the years what was it frustrating for you as his friend to see that he couldn't kick his drinking habit honestly yes it was we tried when we came back to do I hired he paid and I told him I said I'm hiring a nutritionist for you and you're gonna pay for it and I he was grumbling at that moment yes you do and I hired her and she's coming tomorrow so he didn't want any part of it and so she made you know everything was organic and we tried cranberry juice and water and you know the seltzer water Perrier or something and we put it in a wine glass so it would look like red wine well it didn't taste like red wine for him of course and so he didn't like it he didn't like anything she didn't like her food he was cranky and you know I was still the pain-in-the-ass sister who was just being well you gotta eat this we would I was the nutritionist sous chef and we I would go over to her house and help her cook and we'd bring it over to Larry and he would sort of play with his dinner he didn't like it he'd like anything and I have a sense that the minute we left he'd bring out the wine I don't know he just didn't seem to bother about it so that's what happened even in the ends you were obviously still playing that sister role to Larry like you were in the beginning right open to the end I was so mad I would get so mad at him you know and you know but only because the M&E was love it was absolutely that big sister thing of you know you know we got a chance Larry you know to make it this show wonderful and you know and it won't be very good without you and you know come on you know just hang in and just eat this stuff and don't drink and because it's not when he had that liver transplant his doctor told him he said you know you can if you drink one more drink you're gonna die and then he had his he stopped and he had his liver transplant but he just loved drinking and you know that was part of the party process by Hollywood standards Linda you were a late bloomer in that your acting career didn't take off until your 30s and in your book you revealed that your ex-husband aid wasn't exactly supportive to you in your career did your own success send the two of you off in different life directions I think so it was a lovely man but I think a lot of men have difficulty when the wife the girlfriend they become successful i he didn't want that he didn't want that and you know he did tell me that when I could be an actor why didn't I become an actor when the children went to college and and I remember stopping straight in my tracks and I think wow that's interesting but when you're an actor you know you you take the jobs that are offered you know at this time that this was offered to me I didn't know what's going to fill me in Texas and he you know it was very challenging for him and I had totally understand that it's because it disrupted the family and it was and then there were all of a sudden it was like the world wanted to know what I had for breakfast and you know it's disruptive and I totally agree with that but it was the emotional thing that was that was so you know unnerving for me it was like you know there's the support was not there I recently watched an interview with actress Kate Mulgrew who played captain for seven years on the Star Trek Voyager show and when that show was filming she was raising a family much like yourself during the golden era of Dallas and Kate says that to this day her children still can't watch her on Star Trek because that that was the show that took her took their mom away from them when they were growing up what was it like for you and your own children Kelly and Jeff during those Dallas days well you know it's the same and it's very very challenging to to do both you know I mean it was long before I mean now and I don't mean to minimize it but bye bye bye the women now but we didn't have TiVo and FaceTime and all the things that we have now you can at least see them we didn't have any of that we had a phone call so you couldn't see them you could hear them and that was it but you couldn't check with them and do little instagrams and do little instant photos and whatever it was that I physically was in Texas for two months and that's that's hard so you know I I'm sure they resented they've been you know they're very very supportive and I I don't think they know how hard it was and I don't want to say I don't want to be the kind of mother that says oh it was so hard I don't want to do that but it was I'm sure it did it it did some kind of little damage you know it's like an emotional relief you know mom is not there mom's the heart of the family and if mom isn't there that's a tough one in the book you actually talk about in the book about missing your son's graduation that was one of the hardest things ever I thought to myself I thought I'm missing his graduation for a stupid TV show and I did I honestly felt that I was so mad because I couldn't get out I couldn't literally I called people with private area private planes and said can you please just get me there and but we it was on a Friday and I had would have to go in go to the graduation and go immediately back and that was not possible to do the the airline schedule and my schedule did didn't compute so it was the saddest day I did that was a well Linda we're gonna finish up here now with a bit of what we're gonna call a Linda love fest okay okay because in your book you give your your own personal perspective on how to deal with what life throws at you and I have to say Linda that all the Dallas people that we've interviewed over the years for Dallas fanzine not one of them had a bad word to say about you for example there's a few examples we have for you Debra Shelton called you a little dynamo good-hearted open and appreciative Sheree Wilson told us you have the sweetest essence she could only compare to her mother and there's not a mean bone in your body Kathy yep Kathy pode well told us that you are one of the sweetest kindest persons she's ever met Susan Howard told us that Linda Linda's always got a laugh she's always encouraging to people she was never mean or ugly to anyone and is a warm woman and even miss Victoria principal told us that you are a curious person who loves to learn is fearless and a seeker so how is that for a love fest oh my gosh I'm I'm standing in my kitchen looking out at my ring and absolutely smiling I I feel I want to cry it's sweetest thing Oh seriously I just like to add that between myself and Gary we've been very very honored that you've agreed to come on and talk with us over the past few years it's been very much appreciated it's my pleasure and I I do appreciate you being so such a support over these many years and it's very appreciated from my standpoint so I thank you so much for all that you've done continue to do

Channel: DALLAS70

Views: 56,938

Keywords: DALLAS, DALLAS TV, DALLAS TV SERIES, DALLAS EWING, EWING OIL, DALLAS SOUTHFORK, SOUTHFORK RANCH, DALLAS 40TH ANNIVERSARY, DALLAS 40, DALLAS TELEVISION SERIES, LINDA GRAY, LARRY HAGMAN, PATRICK DUFFY, JR EWING, SUE ELLEN EWING, DUSTY FARLOW, JARED MARTIN, BOBBY EWING, PAM EWING, VICTORIA PRINCIPAL, CHARLENE TILTON, STEVE KANALY, DALLAS REUNION, ORIGINAL DALLAS, LUCY EWING, RAY KREBBS, WHO SHOT JR, DALLAS CBS

Id: MCaqeZOgP8Q

Length: 35min 19sec (2119 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 04 2018