Dallas: The Early Years

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Dallas: The Early Years
Genre	Drama
Based on	Dallas by David Jacobs
Written by	David Jacobs
Directed by
Starring	David Grant Dale Midkiff Molly Hagan Hoyt Axton Larry Hagman
Theme music composer	Jerrold Immel
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	David Jacobs Malcolm Stuart
Producer
Production locations	Fort Worth Texas State Railroad, Rusk, Texas Cloyce Box Ranch - 10514 E. Main St., Frisco, Texas Dallas Parker, Texas Plano, Texas
Cinematography
Editor	Harry Kaye
Running time	180 minutes
Production companies	Lorimar Television
Distributor	Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original network	CBS
Original release	March 23, 1986 (1986-03-23)
Chronology
Related shows	Dallas

Dallas: The Early Years is a 1986 American made-for-television drama film and a prequel to the television series Dallas. The three-hour film aired on CBS on March 23, 1986 between the 26th and 27th episodes of the 1985–1986 ninth season of Dallas.

Plot[]

Written by series creator David Jacobs, the movie chronicles the exploits of Jock Ewing, Ellie Southworth, and Willard "Digger" Barnes from 1933 to 1951, and firmly established the background story of Dallas and how the long and ongoing feud between Jock and Digger started. Larry Hagman also appears in the opening sequence as his character, J. R. Ewing, being interviewed by a reporter who is researching the Barnes – Ewing feud.

While focusing on the triangle of Jock – Ellie – Digger, the movie also features Jock's brother, Jason, and Miss Ellie's father, Aaron, as starring characters. It shows the origins of the Ewing Oil, and Jock's schemings to make it big, and it deals with the inter-family relations of the Ewings, the Barnes, and the Southworths. It also shows Jock's first marriage to Amanda Lewis, and Ellie's relationship with her mother, Barbara, and brother, Garrison.

Cast[]

Starring

• David Grant as Willard "Digger" Barnes
• Dale Midkiff as Jock Ewing
• Molly Hagan as Ellie Southworth Ewing
• as Jason Ewing, Jock's brother
• Hoyt Axton as Aaron Southworth, Miss Ellie's father

Introduced by

• Larry Hagman as (the contemporary) J.R. Ewing

Also Starring

• Bill Duke as Seth Foster
• Geoffrey Lewis as Ed Porter

Guest Starring

• Diane Franklin as Amanda Lewis Ewing, Jock's first wife
• Marshall Thompson as Dr. Ted Johnson
• William Frankfather as Newman
• Wendel Meldrum as Honey
• Joe Rainer as Sam Culver
• Marjie Rynearson as Barbara Southworth, Miss Ellie's mother
• Liz Keifer as Cherie Simmons
• Matt Mulhern as Garrison Southworth, Miss Ellie's brother
• Davis Roberts as The Preacher
• Kevin Wixted as J.R. Ewing

Co-Starring

• Ryan Beadle as Bobby Ewing
• Angie Bolling as Deborah Culver
• Johnny Felder as Cliff Barnes
• Rhashell Hunter as Priscilla Foster
• Bennie Moore as Benjamin Foster (1933)
• Norma Moore as Maggie Barnes
• Terrence Riggins as Benjamin Foster (1951)
• Andrea Wauters as Pamela Barnes
• as Gary Ewing (uncredited)

Home media[]

Warner Home Video released Dallas: The Early Years on DVD April 12, 2011 on Dallas: The Movie Collection 2-disc set.^[1]

References[]

External links[]

• Dallas: The Early Years at IMDb
• Ultimate Dallas: Official Guide to the series