Sulphur Springs News-Telegram (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), Vol. 102, No. 217, Ed. 1 Friday, September 12, 1980 Page: 25 of 26
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THE NEWS-TELEGRAM, Sulphur Spring*,|tx«, Friday, Sept. 12,1*0—11
Cult figure
Larry Hagman invites press to his home
By DAN LEWIS
Before the actors' strike.
Mai Hagman. wearing a T-
shirt inscribed with “J.R
Lives!,” welcomed nearly 150
journalists to her cozy Malibu
Beach house.
A few feet away was her
husband. Larry Hagman, J.R.
Ewing to CBS’s 'Dallas"
viewers, the most despicable
man on TV.
By his side was his mother.
Mary Martin, once the darling
of Broadway musicals, still
beautiful and charming. For
our benefit, her songs are
playing on Hagman's stereo.
We all wanted to know the
answer to the most important
question of the day: “Who shot
J.R?”
It has become as important
an issue as the presidential
election. In England, the legal
bookmakers have listed the
odds on the various suspects.
In Los Angeles, someone
(believed an inside person)
broke into the production off-
ice several weeks ago and
made off with three scripts
and several revisions.
Several days later, a nation-
al fan publication claimed
they had been offered the
scripts for a price. Both said
they refused.
A Los Angeles newspaper,
the Hearst-owned Herald-
Examiner called a press con-
ference to reveal it had mys-
teriously received one of the
missing scripts, which it pub-
licly turned over to the Los
Angeles Police Department.
Meanwhile, Hagman's
newspaper guests were
behaving like kids on a trea-
sure hunt. We pump him for
an answer, until he backs into
a corner of his own house.
Then we converged on Lin-
da Gray, who plays J R.’s
harassed wife, Sue Ellen,
when she arrives, and sur-
round the very beautiful Vic-
toria Principal, who plays
Pam.
Even Hagman's agent, Jack
Grossbart, finds himself the
center of attention (he negoti-
ated Hagman's new contract
and Miss Gray’s as well).
Phil Capice, executive pro-
ducer of "Dallas." is one of six
or seven people who knows
the mystery perpetrator. But
beyond saying they’re going to
shoot three different versions,
he’s not talking, either.
Hagman says he thinks he
knows who shot J.R., but he
ain’t telling.
’Tve read the scripts, and I
know the show well enough to
figure it out from what I’ve
read,” Hagman declares.
But, he cautions, there
could be last-minute changes,
especially if the secret is
leaked.
All this guessing only
inflates the hype. Lorimar
Productions has hired a major
Hollywood publicity firm to
make sure the hype continues
right up to the moment the
would-be assassin is exposed
Hagman is basking in the
stupendous attention he’s
received as a result of his
character's assault.
A motorcycle in the drive-
way of his home carries a
bumper sticker proclaiming,
"J.R for president."
He wears a 10-gallon hat
and is often photographed in
it.
He hands out $100 bills —
play money — with his pic-
ture on it (the currency is
labled The United States of
Texas). He also has a new
contract, which gives him an
estimated $100,000 per epi-
sode and other perks, such as
movie deals (two of them for
CBS). It could add up to a $3
million deal, or more.
Not bad for an actor experi-
encing lean days just three
years ago. He had to test for
the role despite his years of
television experience and
accepted the first offer of
$7,500 a week when the role
was offered. Last season, he
got a raise, up to nearly
$20,000 an episode
Does it bother him that
super-stardom has made it
almost impossible for him to
venture into public without
being mobbed?
“I love it,” he says quickly.
"Do I look like I’m bothered’’
I feel wonderful I got the luck
of the draw.
“I consider myself a really
nice person." he says, resum-
ing his reaction to the new-
life. “I deserve everything I
get "
He's been around the busi-
ness long enough to take these
things in stride. Hagman
observes. If his terms had not
been met and the producers
had decided to kill off J R., or
replace him (Capice, the exec-
utive producer, confirmed one
plan was to put Robert Culp
into the role if Hagman didn't
return), Hagman contends it
would not have upset him so
terribly.
“I’m almost 50," he says. “I
simply would have gone on to
something else. As you get
older, you think of things you
would like to do. As of now,
I’ve got my toy.”
His wife seems to be enjoy-
ing it also.
"I love it,” she exclaims.
“It’s like a circus. I can now
afford to do the things I want
to do and not be called kooky.
I can live in a tent, and
nobody will say I'm
eccentric.”
She’s a former designer
who met Hagman in London
in the early 1950s after she
had left her native Sweden to
pursue her career. They have
been married nearly 25 years
and have lived in their charm-
ing beachfront house for 15
years. Hagman calls it “the
house that Jeannie built,”
recalling his co-starring role
in the series, “I Dream of
Jeannie.”
Entrance to the house deco-
rated by Mrs. Hagman. is
from the rear (which faces the
road) through a carefully
planned garden and flower
pool. It is a two-level house,
every -room seemingly
comfortable, designed for
relaxed living. There’s a
beachfront patio and an out-
door balcony also on the sec-
ond level.
Their next-door neighbor is
actor Burgess Meredith, who
opens his doors to the crowd,
making his bathroom facili-
ties available when the septic
tank backs up in Hagman's
house during the party. We
joke about the second of two
mysteries: Who has clogged
J.R.’s septic tank?
One member of the visiting
press asks Mary Martin how
she feels about her son
"becoming this superstar, this
legend?”
Miss Martin smiles
graciously, put her hand on
the reporter’s shoulder and
replies, “My dear. I'm the
legend. Larry is a cult-
figure”
Ralph Nadar, outspoken consumer advocate, boat*
“Ralph Nadar For the People," a lively public affairs
forum, siring Thursday, Sept 1», on Showtime.
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Keys, Clarke. Sulphur Springs News-Telegram (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), Vol. 102, No. 217, Ed. 1 Friday, September 12, 1980, newspaper, September 12, 1980; Sulphur Springs, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth823917/m1/25/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Hopkins County Genealogical Society.