Friday, 5 April 2019
Dallas, Texas, USA
Urban sprawl soon gives way to plush housing ‘estates’ on the north side of Dallas as I drive towards Murphy and Parker.
Why, you might wonder, would I be doing that?
Well, dear reader, located between the two is a very well known ranch. That you may have heard of.
Southfork.
Yep.
The house where they filmed THE television soap of the 1970s/80s still stands. That famous TV show is, of course…
DALLAS
Started in 1978 and ran on into the very late 1980s before a re-booted version with many of the old cast started in the 2010s.
Actually quite excited about visiting as it played such a large part of my childhood. Can still remember various scenes and episodes even now. This was prime time viewing for half the nation with the famous ‘Who shot JR?’ episode in 1980 (yes, that long ago!) still being one of the most watched TV programmes in the world.
But can you remember who did indeed shoot JR?
Welcome given by a true Texan. Big and wearing a Texan hat. Southfork continues to be a working ranch and has a number of longhorn cattle and also a stud farm. Texan guide starts off by saying, “We have Longhorn Cattle. So called, ‘cos they got horns and they’re long.”
The first few episodes were actually filmed at another ranch a few miles away but the owners soon realised how disruptive filming would be and so cancelled the filming at their ranch. The location scouts then found Southfork but the then owners didn’t want to allow filming as they had a young family to raise. A week later, the location scouts returned and, as they say, money talks. There were two conditions. Firstly, they could only film outdoors and secondly only in June, July and August.
It gets hot in the summer and during the first week of filming the women’s stilettos actually got stuck in the tarmac.
It only became a popular tourist spot when an advert for Dallas was played during the interval of the Superbowl one year and the commentator inadvertently told millions of viewers the address of Southfork. The next day was bedlam, apparently, and tourists flocked to this then private house taking photos from afar with some cheeky ones taking photos through the windows whilst the family were at home.
It’s now owned by a businessman with the sole purpose of marketing it as a ‘Dallas’ tourist attraction and no one now lives in the house.
The interior is nothing like the TV set. The set was apparently modelled on another house near the centre of Dallas. However, it’s been kept in the 1970s/80s by the original fixtures and fittings, in the bathrooms in particular, and kitted out with Dallas memorabilia. The lounge has a copy of a painting of Jock Ewing hanging over the mantelpiece along with JR Ewing’s bar with his own branded bourbon on sale (which you can obviously buy in the gift shop).
Lucy and Bobby’s bedrooms are on the ground floor as is the Mexican hotel room where JR was shot again in the rebooted series a few years ago (to frame Cliff Barnes). They actually filmed the Mexican hotel scenes in Southfork and one of the corridors has been painted to look all grimy with hotel room numbers on the doors.
Upstairs is one single bedroom suite with a large bathroom, still in 1970s décor. Lovely. This is JR and Sue Ellen’s room and their large portraits hang on the wall.
The first floor balcony looks out over the swimming pool where they all used to congregate. The swimming pool was made to look bigger by placing a mirror at one end.
Tell the guide that I’m reliving my childhood. “Oh that’s what everyone says!”, she says chuckling.
The outdoor glass table where they all had breakfast is still there and am told that James Martin, the British TV chef, came and cooked here on his tour. Ladies of Britain, you will be pleased to hear that he was very nice.
Outside of the house is the banqueting hall where the Oil Baron’s Ball was held, Jock Ewing’s Lincoln Continental car, at 19ft long it was actually owned by the actor who played Jock. The Ewing family headstones are set under a tree and fenced off. Jock, Miss Ellie, and JR Ewing and it’s a moment before I remember that these aren’t real graves with bodies. It’s just a TV prop!
Across the garden in the Ewing’s office and Elena’s cottage from the reboot series, exactly as it was during the TV show as it was actually used for filming the internal scenes.
Thought this was only going to be a quick 45min tour but find that I’ve been there about 3hrs. Have to hotfoot it over to Fort Worth to see the longhorn cattle drive at 1600hrs. Yep. A 60mile trip along the interstate in Friday rush hour traffic. Keen. That’s me. It’s like thinking at 1500hrs on a Friday afternoon in Nottingham, yep, must go visit Birmingham city centre for an hour right now. You just wouldn’t do it. But I do. Just to show you something else, dear reader.
Only just make it and I can confirm that I did have to run a few hundred metres. Don’t do running. Recovered now though. So don’t worry.
The Fort Worth Stockyards is a hotchpotch of things. Think of it as a recreation of 19th century Main Street USA with a load of tourist restaurants and attractions. The longhorn cattle are ‘driven’ along Main Street by cowboys for no other reason than it’s a tourist attraction. A large building dating back to 1908 is the Coliseum. It’s a rodeo stadium. Think of the old 1930s Nottingham Ice Stadium and you’ll get the picture. Except, instead of ice, there’s a deep sand filled ring.
Manage to sneak in following an old codger going through a door that says, ‘No entry – Employees Only’. No one stops me. Inside, below the rodeo ring, there’s obviously a private function with buffet and beer on offer. All the men are wearing big Texan hats and all the walls are covered in the Rodeo Hall of Fame photographs dating back decades. Fascinating insight.
Inside the stadium is a massive old fashioned spotlight which still appears to be in use. It’s actually a ‘Super Trouper’ branded follow spot. Might have started humming the ABBA song as I had a nosey about.
At the back of the rodeo stadium is yet another massive building. This is apparently the world’s largest honky tonk.
I know what you’re thinking.
What’s a honky tonk.
Well.
It’s simply a bar that plays live country music.
Not only that but inside the world’s largest honky tonk is the world’s largest belt buckle. It’s about 2m-ish high and 3m wide. Quite who could wear such a thing, I know not.
But this is Texas.
As I’m discovering. Everything is big in Texas. Food portions. Cars. Buildings.
At dinner last night the waiter said that they have large, extra large and Texas large.
