"A House Divided" is the 25th and final episode of the third season ( 1979–80 season) and 54th overall of the American television series ''

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

''. The episode aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

on March 21, 1980. It is the episode known for spawning the eight-month " Who shot J.R.?" phenomenon. The episode ended with the mysterious shooting of

J.R. Ewing John Ross Ewing Jr. is a fictional character in the American television series ''Dallas'' (1978–1991) and its spin-offs, including the continuation series (2012–2014). The character was portrayed by Larry Hagman from the series premiere in ...

(

Larry Hagman Larry Martin Hagman (September 21, 1931 – November 23, 2012) was an American actor, best known for playing ruthless oil baron J. R. Ewing in the 1978–1991 primetime television soap opera ''Dallas'', and the handsome astronaut Major Anthon ...

) in his office by an assailant whose identity was not revealed until the following season. The mystery was resolved in the fourth episode of the following season, entitled "

Who Done It Who Done It? may refer to: * Who Done It? (1942 film), ''Who Done It?'' (1942 film), an Abbott and Costello film * Who Done It? (1949 film), ''Who Done It?'' (1949 film), a Three Stooges short * Who Done It? (1956 film), ''Who Done It?'' (1956 film ...

", which remains the second most-watched episode in American TV history. In the episode, nationalization of the Asian fields causes financial ruin that affects the cartel members and J.R. Ewing's banker. This leads to the suicide of cartel member Seth Stone (

Buck Young John Otto "Buck" Young (April 12, 1920 – February 9, 2000) was an American actor who played the role as Sergeant Whipple on the '' Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.'' TV series, and Deputy Joe Watson on ''The Andy Griffith Show''. In 1944, during World W ...

). J.R. attempts to run both

Kristin Shepard Kristin Marie Shepard is a fictional character on the American television series ''Dallas'', played by Mary Crosby (1979–1981) and, briefly, by Colleen Camp (1979). The character also made one appearance on ''Dallas''s spin-off series, ''Knots L ...

(

Mary Crosby Mary Frances Crosby (born September 14, 1959) is an American actress, the only daughter of actor/singer Bing Crosby and his second wife Kathryn Grant. She played Kristin Shepard in the television series ''Dallas'' (1979–1981, 1991).

) and Alan Beam ( Randolph Powell) out of town as they both plot revenge against him. He also attempts to move

Sue Ellen Ewing Sue Ellen Ewing is a fictional character and one of the female leads in the CBS primetime soap opera ''Dallas (TV series), Dallas''. Sue Ellen was portrayed by Linda Gray and appeared on the show since its Dallas (1978 TV series) (season 1), pil ...

(

Linda Gray Linda Ann Gray (born September 12, 1940) is an American actress, best known for her role as Sue Ellen Ewing, the long-suffering wife of Larry Hagman's character J.R. Ewing on the CBS television drama series ''Dallas (TV series), Dallas'' (1978� ...

) back into a sanitarium. With Cliff Barnes (

Ken Kercheval Kenneth Marine Kercheval (July 15, 1935 – April 21, 2019) was an American actor, best known for his role as Cliff Barnes on the television series ''Dallas'' and its 2012 revival. Early life Kercheval was born on July 15, 1935, in Wolcottvill ...

) having sought revenge upon J.R. based on an agreement he realized

Jock Ewing John Ross "Jock" Ewing Sr. (1909–1982) is a fictional character in the American television series ''Dallas'' created by David Jacobs. Jock was played by Jim Davis in the show's first four seasons from 1978 to 1981, and as a young man by Dale ...

( Jim Davis) and Digger Barnes (

Keenan Wynn Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn (July 27, 1916 – October 14, 1986) was an American character actor. His expressive face was his wikt:stock-in-trade, stock-in-trade; though he rarely carried the leading actor, lead role, h ...

) had, J.R. has the oil fields closed down to keep Cliff from earning any royalties. Pamela Barnes Ewing (

Victoria Principal Vicki Ree Principal (born January 3, 1950),Bobby Ewing Bobby James Ewing is a fictional character in the American television series ''Dallas (TV series), Dallas'' and its Dallas (2012 TV series), 2012 revival. The youngest son of Jock Ewing, Jock and Miss Ellie Ewing, he was portrayed by actor Patri ...

(

Patrick Duffy Patrick Duffy (born March 17, 1949) is an American television actor and director widely known for his role as Bobby Ewing on the CBS primetime soap opera ''Dallas (TV series), Dallas'' (1978–1991). Duffy returned to reprise his role as Bobby ...

) move out of Southfork out of disgust at J.R.'s dealings. In the final scene, J.R. is shot while working late at the office.

Background

J.R. Ewing is a fictional character that William K. Stevens of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' described as "the nastiest man on television, the

Iago Iago () is a fictional character in Shakespeare's '' Othello'' (c. 1601–1604). Iago is the play's main antagonist and Othello's standard-bearer. He is the husband of Emilia who is in turn the attendant of Othello's wife Desdemona. Iago ha ...

of Texas oilmen, the smiling snake of a star of Friday night TV's ''Dallas,'' a man so venal, so low, so mean, so diabolical that he has become an absolute delight to an estimated quarter of a billion viewers around the globe." His ''New York Times'' colleague John J. O'Connor described him as "the eldest son of the oil-rich Ewing family... ho isa sadistic bully and a swindler" that "captured the public's imagination". Season 3 left the viewer with numerous people to suspect for the murder.

(

) is J.R.'s wife. J.R. had threatened to reinstitutionalize her for

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

(

) is J.R.'s ex-mistress and Sue Ellen's sister. J.R. broke his promise to marry Kristin and gave her 24 hours to leave town. J.R. framed Kristin for prostitution in response to business pressure she put on him. Dusty Farlow ( Jared Martin) is Sue Ellen's lover. He was supposedly killed in a plane crash. Vaughn Leland ( Dennis Patrick) is J.R.'s banker and business partner in the now-worthless Asian oil leases. J.R. swindled him out of $20 million (equivalent to $ in ).

Miss Ellie Ewing Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Ewing Farlow (maiden name Southworth) is a fictional character from the primetime CBS television series ''Dallas'', a long-running serial centered on the lives of the wealthy Ewing family of Dallas, Texas. Created by writer ...

(

Barbara Bel Geddes Barbara Bel Geddes (October 31, 1922 – August 8, 2005) was an American stage and screen Actor, actress, artist, and children's author whose career spanned almost 5 decades. She was best known for her starring role as Miss Ellie Ewing in th ...

) is J.R.'s mother. J.R. mortgaged the family ranch, unbeknownst to his parents, and had plans to drill for oil on the property. Cliff Barnes (

) is Bobby's brother-in-law and business rival. His father ( Digger Barnes) was swindled by J.R.'s father (

), leaving Digger penniless except for some oil wells that J.R. had shut down. Alan Beam ( Randolph Powell) is a political fixer. Beam knew too much about J.R.'s dirty dealings, making him expendable after J.R. tried to extinguish him, giving him motive. Marilee Stone ( Fern Fitzgerald) is the widow of Seth Stone, J.R,'s business associate who committed suicide as a result of business dealings with J.R.

Bobby Ewing Bobby James Ewing is a fictional character in the American television series ''Dallas (TV series), Dallas'' and its Dallas (2012 TV series), 2012 revival. The youngest son of Jock Ewing, Jock and Miss Ellie Ewing, he was portrayed by actor Patri ...

(

) is J.R.'s mild-mannered brother. He is the classic sibling rival, who is fed up with J.R.'s handling of family business and slights to Bobby's wife, Pamela Barnes Ewing (

Victoria Principal Vicki Ree Principal (born January 3, 1950),Gary Ewing (

Ted Shackelford Theodore Tillman Shackelford III (born June 23, 1946) is an American actor, known for his roles on television. He played Gary Ewing in the CBS prime time soap operas ''Dallas'' and its spin-off ''Knots Landing'' (1979–1993), and had a recurrin ...

) was not a suspect due to his activity in the related fictional ''

Knots Landing ''Knots Landing'' is an American primetime television soap opera that aired on CBS from December 27, 1979, to May 13, 1993. A spin-off of ''Dallas (TV series), Dallas'', it was set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles and initially cente ...

'' world. Similarly,

Lucy Ewing Lucy Ann Ewing is a fictional character in the popular American television series ''Dallas''. The character is played by Charlene Tilton and first appeared in the series premiere on April 2, 1978. Tilton left the show at the end of season 8 in 1 ...

(

Charlene Tilton Charlene L. Tilton (born December 1, 1958) is an American actress and singer. She is widely known for playing Lucy Ewing on the CBS prime time soap opera ''Dallas''. Career Tilton had early roles on television series such as ''Happy Days'' ...

) had an alibi provided by liaisons with a married college professor.

Plot

J.R. explains to Jock and Bobby that Ewing Oil is doing fine, leaving Bobby suspicious. J.R. had swindled most of the other oilmen that he knows to salvage Ewing Oil by convincing their cartel to buy worthless oil fields in Asia from him just prior to

nationalization Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization contrasts with p ...

. Cartel member, Jordan Lee hounds the Ewings about their underhandedness and makes sure they know Seth Stone committed suicide as a result of the dealings. Soon thereafter, Sue Ellen nurses a hangover while watching the local news to see reports that Ewing Oil sold off most of its holdings just before the nationalization. The report ends with the story of the widowed Marilee Stone, whose husband Seth had bought shares from Ewing Oil. Marilee's calls to J.R. are refused. Banker Vaughn Leland, who lost $20 million (equivalent to $ in ) in the deal, reaches Ewing Oil offices to express his belief that J.R. duped him, but Jock refuses to offer any restitution. All of the cartel members have lost everything they had in the deal and J.R. increased his wealth in the dealings. The Ewings question whether J.R. took advantage of inside information, but J.R. assures his father and brother that such unethical behavior was beneath him. Lucy Ewing spends time with her professor/boyfriend who is only interested in her for one reason. Attorney Alan Beam visits Kristin Shepard for ideas about how J.R. might have swindled everyone. Shepard suggests Hank Johnson may have information. Shepard has been tape recording secrets of the cartel members from between the sheets and learned how J.R. got them all to buy his oil wells. Beam asks her to try to get information from Johnson by pretending to still be J.R.'s secretary. Bobby talks with Miss Ellie about Pam, who has flown to Corpus Christi to find her mother, Rebecca. They both think it is because she is grieving from the recent death of her father Digger. Sue Ellen apologizes for her drunken behavior the prior night and laments that it gave J.R. fodder for his plans to re-institutionalize her. Bobby says he will try to keep J.R. from taking that action. J.R. tells Johnson to ignore Shepard's request for records and to shred them. Sue Ellen sees a psychiatrist, Dr. Elby. She gets a reminder about drinking until you are unconscious and promises to stop. J.R. confronts Kristin about her mischief. He tries to bribe her to leave, but she does not accept the offer. J.R. spends some time with Sue Ellen. She alerts him that Bobby is going to speak up for her. He is not worried. She then inquires about whether he is going to be unfaithful. When he leaves for another woman she gets upset, but finds a gun lying around, which gives her pause. Cliff arrives at Ewing Oil with paperwork proving his (and his sister Pam's) claim to a share of Ewing Oil well No. 23, one of Ewing Oil's most profitable wells. After confirming a monthly output of around 5,000 barrels, which would earn Cliff $500,000 per year (equivalent to $/year in ), J.R. then orders that Ewing 23 be shut down rather than let Cliff earn a dime from it. Bobby expresses his concern to his wife about her obsession that has caused her to quit her fashion buyer job to search for her mother. Lucy spends quality time with her professor. After she leaves he calls his wife. Police officer Harry McSween brings Beam to J.R.'s office to clarify that J.R. wants him to leave town. J.R. demonstrates how he could use his influence to trump up rape charges. J.R. tells Bobby and Jock that he shut down the wells to shut off new claimant Barnes. Bobby is upset, but Jock agrees. Pam and Bobby decide to leave Southfork in disgust. Bobby and Pam depart in the morning after Bobby informs Miss Ellie and Jock. The parents are displeased. Sue Ellen and J.R. enter at the end of the debate with the parents in time to remind J.R. that he has driven them away. This displeases J.R. and he reminds her that his is going to put her away for speaking ill of him. McSween serves Shepard with a warrant for her arrest on charges of prostitution in front of Beam who was visiting her. He offers them a deal. If they leave town within 24 hours, he won't chase them. She threatens to kill J.R. J.R. calls Dr. Rogers to take Sue Ellen away that night. J.R. hangs up on Leland who is continuing to threaten him. Sue Ellen continues to ponder the gun and tucks it in her purse before heading out somewhere. Cliff visits Digger Barnes' grave. He apologizes to his dad that he let J.R. beat him like Jock had beaten the father, and swears on his father's grave that he will kill J.R. J.R. is at the office at night when Rogers arrives at Southfork to cart Sue Ellen away. He steps into the outer office to pour himself a drink. He hears a noise outside his door and as he investigates, he is gunned down by an unknown assailant and collapses.

Production

Regular cast

as Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Southworth Ewing : Jim Davis as John Ross "Jock" Ewing Sr. :

as John Ross "J.R." Ewing Jr. :

Steve Kanaly Steven Francis Kanaly (; born March 14, 1946) is an American actor, best known for his role as Ray Krebbs on the CBS primetime soap opera ''Dallas (TV series), Dallas''. Early life and career Kanaly was born in Burbank, California, and grew up ...

as Ray Krebbs (credit only) :

as Cliff Barnes :

Victoria Principal Vicki Ree Principal (born January 3, 1950),Pamela Barnes Ewing :

Writing

In January 1980, the producers and writers began plotting the culminating episodes for season 3.

Executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

Philip Capice Philip Capice (June 24, 1931 – December 30, 2009) was an American television producer, most notable as the executive producer of the dramedy '' Eight Is Enough'' and the first nine seasons of the soap opera ''Dallas''. Early life Capice graduat ...

says they decided to attempt to work in a ploy to hold interest over the summer.

ordered two extra episodes, which gave them a chance to weave many storylines into the scripts. He noted that "J.R. had developed into a character we felt everyone out there wanted to see get his comeuppance. And we did need that sort of a cliffhanger to carry us over to the new season." He said that there was consensus that a mystery with several suspects was optimal and that it should be a sudden event. Capice denied rumors that the shooting was a ploy to make it easy to write Hagman out of the script if his contract negotiations became too difficult. Producer

Leonard Katzman Leonard Katzman (September 2, 1927 – September 5, 1996) was an American film and television producer, writer, and director. He was most notable for being the showrunner of the CBS prime time oil soap opera ''Dallas''. Early life and career ...

, executive story consultant Arthur Bernard Lewis and story editor Camille Marchetta decided the actual culprit in mid-March by process of logical elimination with the belief that the audience should not be surprised by someone who was not important to the show as the shooter.

Reception

Although it was not the first TV series to employ season-ending

cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious situation, facing a difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction or bef ...

s, "A House Divided" popularized the dramatic device and sparked the beginning of an eight-month international media frenzy " Who shot J.R.?". International oddsmakers created a set of odds for the possible suspects: "Dusty Farlow (J.R.'s wife Sue Ellen's lover, who disappeared after a plane crash) is the 6 to 4 favorite, followed by Vaughn Leland (a banker J.R. swindled) and Kristin Shepard (J.R.'s mistress) at 4 to 1. Sue Ellen herself is a long shot at 25 to 1, as is J.R.'s long- suffering mom, Miss Ellie." After Sue Ellen's

fingerprint A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfa ...

s were found on the gun in subsequent episodes she became the favorite at 3 to 1 according to some oddsmakers, while others listed Shepard and Cliff Barnes as favorites. Even Jimmy The Greek posted odds of various suspects. Tony Schwartz of ''

'' estimates that viewers in 57 countries saw the episode. The script for the subsequent episode that revealed the culprit was stolen from

Lorimar Productions Lorimar Television, formerly Lorimar Productions, Inc. and Lorimar Distribution, was an American production company that was later a subsidiary of Warner Bros., active from 1969

. The ''

Los Angeles Herald Examiner The ''Los Angeles Herald Examiner'' was a major Los Angeles daily newspaper, published in the afternoon from Monday to Friday and in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays. It was part of the Hearst Corporation, Hearst syndicate. It was formed w ...

'' claimed to have received a copy from a "news source". Eventually they returned it to

Los Angeles Police Department The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...

Chief

Daryl Gates Daryl Francis Gates (born Darrel Francis Gates; August 30, 1926 – April 16, 2010) was an American police officer who served as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department from 1978 to 1992. His length of tenure in this position was second only t ...

. Discussion about the mystery took place in a variety of media forms including ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

''. The media publicity was so strong that actor Larry Hagman had a 10-day holdout in which he demanded $100,000 (equivalent to $ in ) per episode, while

Lorimar Productions Lorimar Television, formerly Lorimar Productions, Inc. and Lorimar Distribution, was an American production company that was later a subsidiary of Warner Bros., active from 1969

offered $55,000 (equivalent to $ in ). After 10 days, Hagman agreed to work filming the subsequent season for $75,000 (equivalent to $ in ) per episode. Hagman had been working for $25,000 (equivalent to $ in ) per episode. The episode earned Fred W. Berger an

American Cinema Editors Founded in 1950, American Cinema Editors (ACE) is an honorary society of film editing, film editors who are voted in based on the qualities of professional achievements, their education of others, and their dedication to editing. Members use the ...

Eddie Award for Best Edited Episode from a Television Series and earned Irving J. Moore a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series nomination. The episode finished first in the Nielsen ratings that week and its lead-in ''

The Dukes of Hazzard ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' is an American action comedy television series created by Gy Waldron that aired on CBS from January 26, 1979, to February 8, 1985, with a total of seven seasons consisting of List of The Dukes of Hazzard episodes, 147 ...

'' finished second. Schwartz described the episode as "the most promotable television suspense since

David Janssen David Janssen (born David Harold Meyer; March 27, 1931 – February 13, 1980) was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Richard Kimble in the television series '' The Fugitive'' (1963–1967). Janssen a ...

was vindicated after a four-year run on '' The Fugitive'' in the mid-1960s". In 2011,

Ken Tucker Kenneth Tucker is an American arts, music and television critic, magazine editor, and nonfiction book author. Early life and education Tucker was born in Manhattan, New York City, New York, and raised in Stamford, Connecticut. He earned a ...

of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' named the episode number one of the seven most "Unforgettable Cliff-Hangers" of prime time dramatic television.

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...

was intrigued by the mystery. In 2009,

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

ranked "A House Divided" #69 on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:House Divided Dallas (TV franchise) episodes 1980 American television episodes