@edgarblythe,
There is going to be a reunion barbecue at Southfork, for fans of Dallas. Larry Hagman and other cast members will be there. Fans can attend by buying tickets.
Here are a few facts about the real Larry Hagman:
But those close to Hagman say he's the antithesis of the scheming, arrogant head of the wealthy but dysfunctional Ewing clan.
Hagman, a former vegetarian and outspoken nonsmoker who gave up alcohol after his 1995 liver transplant, is now a gentleman avocado farmer. He and Maj (pronounced MY), his wife of nearly 54 years, rise with the sun and are often asleep by 7:30 p.m.
Their 44-acre spread in Ojai, Calif., is all-organic. Their home runs on solar power, which he said knocked their electric bill from $40,000 a year down to $13.
He remains close to a few Dallas cast members, hunting and fishing with Duffy, aka brother Bobby, each month. And he and Maj often dine with Gray, who played his trophy wife on the show.
Maj Hagman recalled that when her husband first got the Dallas script, he was out of work. The couple were in New York, where Hagman's mom, actress Mary Martin was doing a show with Ethel Merman.
He was busy reading a script for a half-hour comedy while Maj reviewed the Dallas proposal.
"Woo! Larry, this is it!" she shouted. "There's not one redeeming character in the whole show."
She said it was right down his alley.
"But Maj," he replied. "The money is terrible."
She said: "We'll renegotiate."
After the "Who shot J.R.?" cliffhanger that concluded the 1980 season, when it was unclear whether J.R. would live, Hagman bargained hard with producers and landed a huge raise.
"That's chutzpah," Hagman said, explaining that the writers could have easily killed off his character. "But I made millions and they made billions. Everybody did well."
Today, Hagman said the question people most often ask him as a conversation opener is "Who shot you, J.R.?"
When he tells them it was Bing Crosby's daughter, Mary, who played his sister-in-law and pregnant mistress on the show, they say, who is Bing Crosby?
"It's a different generation," Hagman said.
