Salem Press

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Dallas - Who Shot J.R.?

Cliffhangers Dallas was best known for its seasonending cliffhangers, which caused fans to spend the summer hiatus in suspense, wondering how interrupted plotlines would be resolved. The most famous of these cliffhangers gave rise to a catchphrase that became part of American culture: "Who shot J. R.?" Because of his actions, J. R. had accumulated a number of enemies in the first two years of the show. On March 21, 1980, in the second season's final episode, J. R., working late in his office at Ewing Oil, was shot twice by an unknown assailant.

This became arguably the greatest cliffhanger of all time. Worldwide that summer, everyone seemed to be asking "Who shot J. R.?" The answer was a closely held secret. Hagman was the only cast member who knew, and he was offered $250,000 by a consortium of European newspapers for the answer. Even the queen mother of England asked Hagman to tell, but he would not do so. On November 21, 1980, 300 million people in fifty-seven countries tuned in to discover who shot J. R. Streets emptied as people gathered in front of television sets. In Turkey, the parliament recessed so that representatives could find out who had attempted to murder J. R. (The answer was Kristen, his sister-in-law and mistress.)

The cast of Dallas poses in this publicity shot from 1980. Clockwise from left: Patrick Duffy, Victoria Principal, Jim Davis, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, CharleneTilton, and Barbara Bel Geddes. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)