I’ve had one of those lifelong flirtations with the TV series Dallas for many years now. I’ve amassed quite a few celebrity encounters from the show – including two of its top stars Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy – and have even visited the actual Southfork Ranch as seen throughout the series. And I’ve done all of this without ever actually sitting down to watch an episode of the show. Oh sure, it was on in my household now and then as my Mom was taken in by this nighttime soap, and as I’ve mentioned before, even I remember the excitement surrounding the whole “Who Shot J.R.” conundrum. So through all of this, I’ve come to recognize that Dallas is more than a TV show, and has moved into the realm of an institution.
That’s all my way of saying that it’s not really a good idea for me to pass up opportunities to meet members of the show’s cast. So while attending the Hollywood Show on August 4, 2012 with my friend Ashleigh, I decided to just go ahead and participate in two more cast member encounters.
The first was Ken Kercheval, who played Cliff Barnes, the longtime personal nemesis of J.R. Ewing. The characters of Cliff and J.R. were in fact the only two to remain in the show throughout its entire 14 season run. Kercheval had a few interesting movie appearances throughout his career that began in the early 1960’s – in such films as Network and Pretty Poison. His long and varied TV career was mostly confined to dramas such as Family, CHiPs, Matlock, and Highway to Heaven, but I did discover one nice sitcom connection: a role in the TV reunion film I Still Dream of Jeannie – sans Larry Hagman.
Despite his rather shady character in Dallas, he was quite a nice guy – charging only $20 for his autograph which included a free photo op, and was even willing to put on the glasses that Ashleigh was admiring for the photo he took with her.
Somewhere along the line, I had almost gotten a chance to meet Steve Kanaly in my blurry past. I believe he did a personal appearance at one of the Chevy conventions that my family attended – possibly in New Orleans in 1982, but the memory is hazy. Nevertheless, this time there was no question: I met him.
Kanaly played Ray Krebbs, who was the illegitimate son of Ewing family patriarch Jock Ewing, and acting ranch foreman at Southfork. He too had a couple of interesting film appearances, namely Steve Spielberg’s The Sugarland Express, and the Sergio Leone spaghetti western My Name Is Nobody. His TV credits aren’t quite as extensive as his co-star, but he did quite a few 1970’s staple TV dramas as well: Starsky & Hutch, The Bionic Woman, Charlie’s Angels, and Fantasy Island.
Today Steve Kanaly is a talented and lucrative watercolor painter. My friend Ashleigh spent ample time talking to him about his work, and considered buying some of his work, but backed out at the last minute and just took his card. That didn’t stop him from being quite nice and friendly and posing for pictures with both of us – which were free with the $20 autograph purchase.
One day when I retire, I’ll finally sit down and enjoy this TV series I’ve been hearing so much about over the years.
Celebrity encounters from the Summer 2012 Hollywood Show will continue in the next posting…
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