A Guide to the Dallas Scripts Collection, 1978-1985

Biographical Note

Running from April 1978 to May 1991, Dallas was a popular prime time television soap opera on CBS that revolved around the family of J. R. Ewing, a Texan who made his fortune in the oil and ranching industries. Created by David Jacobs and starring Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, Barbara Bel Geddes, and Jim Davis, the show produced 356 episodes and was the top rated show on television for three seasons. Dallas produced one spin-off, Knots Landing, and revolutionized television with the cliffhanger finale of its second season, which left fans waiting months to find out “Who shot J. R.?”

Sources:

Jacobs, David. “TV view; When the rich and powerful were riding high.” New York Times, April 15, 1990.

Carter, Bill. “So ‘Dallas’ is finally over. Or is it?” New York Times, May 6, 1991.

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Scope and Contents

Comprising 330 original scripts, the Dallas Scripts Collection, 1978-1985, documents the production of the popular CBS television series. All of the scripts were working copies used during the show’s production (some including annotation).

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

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Separated Material

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Dallas Scripts Collection, 1978-1985, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

Processing Information

This collection contains unprocessed materials.

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project, 2009-2011.

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Detailed Description of the Papers

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