Dallas Actors The introduction of Priscilla Presley

I think there were probably a group of viewers who thought "Wow, now we're going to get to see the woman Elvis married on Dallas! No we have even more reason to watch Dallas"!

I think there were probably another, very different group of Dallas fans who had an extremely different reaction to Priscilla Presley becoming next in a long line of actresses playing the character. I imagine their reaction to be something along these lines: "Who is she? What did that (c word) ever do except screw Elvis? Elvis could've fucked lots of women. AND DID! Who is she"?

Personally my reaction was "Wow, Elvis had a beautiful wife! Elvis married her a long time ago and she's still gorgeous! She seems to be a pretty fair actress as well. Wow, the girl they cast as her daughter looks just like her! What an amazing casting job. The resemblance between Jenna and Charlie is so cool!

 

When Priscilla joined Dallas I thought her acting was terrible, wooden and totally unconvincing, and it was clear to me that she only got the part because of the Elvis connection rather than her abilities as an actor.

Until she appeared in Dallas she was always know as "Priscilla Presley" so it was surprising to me that she was billed as "Priscilla Beaulieu Presley". If she chose to use her maiden name as part of her surname then she should have been listed "Beaulieu Presley" and be first in the cast list, before Barbara Bel Geddes, when placed in alphabetical order in the opening credits. However, the show instead chose to list her as Presley, as if Beaulieu was a forename rather than a surname. I suspect this was to avoid the newcomer from heading the cast list.

 

Elvis' ex-wife or no, this is all the reason I needed to watch for her.

 

Priscilla Presley was very pretty and I have nothing against her personally, but Jenna was like my all time most hated character. She just irked me. I feel she must have brainwashed poor Ray - otherwise what the hell was he thinking?? He could have done sooooo much better.

But ya, I'm sure the network thought Elvis' wife would add some glamour and headlines.

Just wish they would have given her some acting lessons. So painful to watch her on Dallas, truly out of her depth. Especially playing against Patrick Duffy and Steve Kanaly who are so natural in front of the camera.

 

PBP got the part mainly because she was the former Mrs. Elvis Presley and she was pretty it sure wasn't for her acting talents because she had none!!!

 

This helped.

 

Yes, she was. In all three of them....which tells us the potential was there.

 

I liked Priscilla's addition to Dallas. It may have helped I knew nothing of her since I had no knowledge she had been married to Elvis Presley. I also had no concern about her acting skills, in fact I think her lack of acting chops may have assisted the rebirth of Jenna. She had returned to Dallas and was quietly going about her business working at Billy Bob's and supporting her daughter Charlie. I could see Jenna's hesitation returning to Southfork and that Ewing family. Priscilla showed a certain shyness (after-all she was stepping onto the set of the most popular TV show of its day) which played well. I also believe she was a good fit opposite Victoria and her role of Pam. I'll never forget that look they shared as a fight broke out at the Oil Baron's Ball.

It was only after the death of Bobby I don't think the writers knew what to do with the character and then after the dream season it appeared to go from bad to worse. I don't fault Priscilla at all in this circumstance, I blame the writers. Pairing her up with Ray was an odd fit also.

 

I honestly had no problem with Priscilla Presley's acting and character in her first season. But once we reached season 8 (dvd), the dam broke, and she turned into a weepy, whiny disaster! It felt like it was always time to save Jenna or feel sorry for her! At that point, I would have welcomed her being killed off!