Linda Gray Shares ‘Dallas’ Memories

Linda Gray, known for her role as Sue Ellen Ewing on the hit show Dallas, is collaborating with Julien’s Auctions for the ‘Ladies of the ’80s’ event. This auction, launching on August 12, will allow bidders to own costumes, props, personal archives, and other rare memorabilia from prominent television stars of the 1980s. Among the items are two of Gray’s original Dallas scripts related to the iconic ‘Who Shot J.R.?’ storyline.

Dallas aired from April 2, 1978, to May 3, 1991. At its peak during the 1980s, it was one of the top shows on television.

Gray reminisces about her time on the show, especially the less glamorous aspects of sharing on-screen kisses with her co-star, Larry Hagman, who played J.R. Ewing. Hagman, who died in 2012 at age 81, had a unique approach to filming those intimate scenes. The first time we kissed, he had a mouthful of peanut butter, Gray said. She recounted how Hagman used these pranks, often involving food like onions, to ease the tension and entertain the crew. It looked good on camera, but that was not my reality, Gray laughed.

Gray highlighted Hagman’s dislike of kissing scenes, suggesting that his playful antics were a method to cope with the discomfort. When there was a kissing scene, Larry cringed, she shared, but the pranks helped him manage the anxiety. The Dallas set was well-known for its practical jokes, especially from Hagman.

Beyond the set, Gray had amusing interactions in Texas, recounting a time when she encountered a woman with a gun in her purse, alongside lipstick. Excuse me, is that a gun? she recalled asking, only to receive a nonchalant response: Of course, darling. This is Texas!

Gray also mentioned social gatherings with Texas women, observing distinctive fashion choices. Recalling one lunch, she noted a friend’s peculiar routine: She had to fluff her hair and turn into the woman her husband expected.

The ‘Who Shot J.R.?’ twist remains one of television’s most memorable cliffhangers. Gray recalled how the season 3 finale left audiences in suspense for eight months. Let’s just shoot the bastard, one writer suggested, an idea that revolutionized prime-time drama at the time.

During the lead-up to the reveal, Gray faced challenges in maintaining the secret, even being grilled by interviewers. She shared her concern about inadvertently exposing the plot, remembering a close call with her children who, fortunately, never spilled the beans.

The auction of these items is something Gray views not as a goodbye, but an opportunity to share cherished memories with devoted fans. The memorabilia from Dallas provides a nostalgic journey back to a celebrated era in television history.