LARRY HAGMAN, "JR EWING" OF TV'S "DALLAS" DEAD AT 81............

Larry Hagman, the North Texas native, son of Broadway, Film, Television, actress Mary Martin, who catapulted a role in the daytime drama, "The Edge Of Night", into prime television roles in, "I Dream Of Jeannie"; and as the iconic, manipulating, oil man, womanizer, JR Ewing from 1978-1991, on CBS Television, and again this year in a reprised "Dallas", tv series on cable's TNT;  that became one of the most popular shows in television history, died of cancer Friday, at age 81.  "Dallas", the story of the fictional Ewing Family and the intrigues of the Texas oil business, became a national and global sensation when at the last episode of its second season in 1980, ended in the cliffhanger, "Who Shot JR ?".  Number one in the ratings internationally for much of its initial 356 episode run, the final episode of the first series finished second place in the ratings in May 1991.   This summer Turner Network Television on cable, revived "Dallas", focusing on the younger generation of Ewings, but featuring the original stars, Larry Hagman, as JR; along with Patrick Duffy, as his younger brother Bobby; and Linda Gray, as his former wife, Sue Ellen.  The ten episodes comprising the first season of the new "Dallas", were successfully received, so that a second season is in production and will begin on January 28th 2013, on TNT.  Hagman had already begun filming season two, thus his character and real life death, will factor as the new season unfolds.  Larry Hagman was married for 58 years to his wife who he met when acting together on stage in the early 1950's, with whom he has two children, a daughter and a son.  A hard drinker and heavy smoker for many decades, resulted in his receiving a liver transplant in 1995; and treatment for throat cancer in recent years. As a boy in the 1960's,  the detective drama, "Burke's Law", starring Gene Barry; and the espionage drama, "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.", starring Ronert Vaughn; were my favorite tv programs.  As a college student, seminarian, and in my early years a priest, fifteen to twenty five years later, it was "Dallas", as I argued in the seminary that it is, "a modern day morality play",  everything we should strive not to be, as persons of honesty and integrity".  Whatever one's view of "Dallas", the role of JR Ewing as portrayed by the now deceased actor Larry Hagman, will remembered and acclaimed always as one of television's impactful villanouos
 performances............Fr.  Troy