1. AMERICAN SOAP OPERAS
DALLAS
WHEN WAS IT AIRED?
April 2, 1978 – May 3, 1991
DALLAS
“EWING FAMILY”
WHERE WAS IT SET?
In Dallas – Texas
OIL
SOUTHFORK
MAIN CHARACTERS BOOBY
Barbra Geddes TEXES
Jim Davis J.R & SUE ELLEN
Patrick Duffy SAGA – TAKES PLACE OVER GENERATIONS
Larry Hagman
Susan Howard TEXES > OIL > POWER&WEALTH > GREED&CORRUPTION
Steve Kanaly
Howard Keel
George Kennedy
Ken Kercheval
Audrey Landers
Cathy Podewell
Priscilla Presley
Victoria Principal
Dack Rambo
Donna Reed
Charlene Tilton
Sheree Wilson
MAIN STORY LINES
 Who shot J R Ewing
FIRST SEASON OPENING CREDITS 1978:
 Establishing shot – see the whole of the city & fields before – implies the fields (oil) are powering the city
 Happy music
 Fields and oil rigs – show were the wealth has come from
 Helicopter – POV shot from whoever is inside – shows wealth
 Happy expressions from the characters
SEASON 13 OPENING CREDITS 1994:
 More dramatic than original – explosions
 Oil rig in the sea – exploding land to get more oil (MORE ABOUT GREED AND WEALTH)
 Family sat right on top of gold
 Thought beats/montage/cut away shots – so attached to the characters that audience need a split second and
recognise everything about each character
 Helicopter – can see the copter flying past this time – implication the family own the copter
 DALLAS - is brighter on the screen
 Refresh genre - New characters towards end of the trailer – fit characters – draw in younger audience

2. DALLAS 2012
BOBBY VS JR
CHRIS VS JOHN-ROSS
BOBBY’S TWO LINES – setting his position as the good guy
CHRIS – “back on top” – like over the last 18 years the family has been crumbling, decaying.
Bobby and Chris have been trying to put it all right
CHRIS AND BOBBY v JR AND JOHN-ROSS
US SOAPS
 Wealthy families “beautiful”
 Characters have defining traits
 Glamorous
 Dramatic
 Lots of emotion
 Big story lines
 Syndicated