Jock Ewing
Encyclopedia
John Ross Ewing, Sr., better known as Jock Ewing, (August 26, 1909 - December 10, 1981) is a character in the popular American television series Dallas
, played by Jim Davis
(1978–1981) and Dale Midkiff
in Dallas: The Early Years
. Jock Ewing was the founder of Ewing Oil in 1930 and the patriarch of the Ewing family.
By now Jock and Miss Ellie were dating and she was desperate to save Southfork but Jock was reluctant to marry because unknown to Miss Ellie he was already married to a woman named Amanda Lewis. Amanda had suffered a mental breakdown shortly after she and Jock were married and Jock put her in a mental hospital. The doctor told Jock that Amanda would never recovery from her illness and advised Jock to divorce her. Miss Ellie came to Jock and told him that she was pregnant with J.R.
and demanded that he marry her. Jock and Miss Ellie married on the day her family was to lose Southfork and it was well known that Jock was the only man in Dallas with the money to save the ranch. Jock had a fragile and stormy relationship with Miss Ellie's father Aaron Southworth and her brother Garrison Southworth, who was a close friend of Digger Barnes, because both Aaron and Garrison hated oilmen. On his deathbed Aaron accepted Jock as part of his family by giving him his favorite gun.
Jock and Miss Ellie had three sons together. Jock served in World War II
where he and an old army buddy, Tom Mallory, were shot down in a mission in Holland. They later returned to save the families who took them shelter. During his term in England
he had an affair with an Army nurse from Emporia, Kansas
named Margaret Hunter. Jock was shipped off to France
and Margaret returned to the United States
. She married her finace Ames Krebbs and soon thereafter gave birth to Jock's illegitimate son Ray Krebbs
.
After the war Jock returned to Southfork and confessed to Miss Ellie about the affair. She forgave him and they moved on but one day a 15 year old Ray Krebbs
showed up to Southfork with a note from his mother asking for Jock to help Ray. Jock made Ray a hand on Southfork and told Miss Ellie Ray was the son of the woman he had an affair with during the war, but neither knew Jock was Ray's father.
As years passed Jock built Ewing Oil into one of the most powerful independent oil companies in Texas and became a very successful rancher. Jock "took over raising" his eldest son J.R.
showing him "tough love" and made him one of the most powerful oil barons in the oil business. Jock for the most part ignored his second son Gary
who he considered weak and spoiled his youngest Bobby. In 1977 Jock retired as president of Ewing Oil and made J.R.
his successor and took a more active role in running Southfork with foreman Ray Krebbs
.
. Returning to the United States from their second honeymoon, Jock and Miss Ellie arrived in Washington. D.C., where they were met by the U.S. State Department, with a request for Jock to go to South America to lead a drilling operation. Ellie returned to Southfork alone, while Jock had conferences in Washington. Later, he returned to Southfork, just for a few hours, to get his gear together before leaving for South America. While flying back from Venezuela
to Texas
the helicopter he was in collided with a small plane, and landed in a lake. Jock's body was never found, but he was declared dead in the fall of 1982. The storyline involving Jock's death was necessitated by the death of actor Jim Davis. A tribute to Davis was shown at the end of the episode 'The Search', and the credits rolled silently in respect.
test and knowledge about the Ewing family including Jock's first wife Amanda and Ray being Jock's son, Parmalee convinced many in Dallas in addition to Miss Ellie, Ray, Lucy and several other members of the Ewing family that he was Jock but Clayton, Bobby and J.R. refused to believe he was Jock. Bobby flew down and talked with the doctor that treated Jock for a severe fever while he was in South America. Bobby returned to Southfork and revealed the information at a Ewing barbacue where Jock's best friend Punk Anderson said that while he had the fever Jock was telling the history of the Ewing family. Meanwhile Parmalee confessed he wasn't Jock to Miss Ellie. Parmalee said that he met Jock while working in South America and was on the helicopter with Jock where he took Jock's things and learned about the Ewings and wanted to have such a wonderful family since he had had lost his wife and children years ago. Parmalee apologized for the pain he'd caused and left Dallas for good.
After Jim Davis' death, artist Ro Kim painted a portrait of the actor in his role as Jock Ewing. The portrait became a focal point of the Dallas set and was featured in a number of episodes. The painting now hangs in the home of Larry Hagman
, who played protagonist J.R. Ewing
. The Southfork Ranch
in Parker, Texas
, where Dallas exteriors were shot, features a different Jock Ewing portrait as a focal point of its "Jock's Living Room."
Jock drove a 1977 Lincoln Mark V with the license plate EWING 1, which is still on the grounds of Southfork, although it is parked in one of the gift shops.
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
, played by Jim Davis
Jim Davis (actor)
Jim Davis was an American actor, best known for his role as Jock Ewing in the CBS prime-time soap Dallas, a role which he held up until his death in April 1981.-Biography:...
(1978–1981) and Dale Midkiff
Dale Midkiff
Dale Alan Midkiff is an American actor.-Early life:Midkiff was born in Chance, Maryland, the son of Joyce and Thomas Midkiff. He attended Edgewood High School near Baltimore. His first acting experience came playing Jack in a production of Jack and the Beanstalk for a local children's theater. His...
in Dallas: The Early Years
Dallas: The Early Years
Dallas: The Early Years was a made for television movie that first aired on March 23, 1986 on CBS during the eighth season of the TV series Dallas...
. Jock Ewing was the founder of Ewing Oil in 1930 and the patriarch of the Ewing family.
Biography
Jock was born in 1909 the younger of two sons. Through his older brother Jason, Jock got a job in an oil field in east Texas and while riding in a train boxcar he met Willard "Digger" Barnes and the two became friends. Jock, Digger, and Jason all became wildcatters and began drilling their own fields. Digger had a unique ability to smell oil underground and with Jock's business skills they began making a fortune. Jason married and soon left Texas for wildcatting in Alaska where he fathered a son Jack and a daughter Jamie. Jock and Digger returned to Dallas and Southfork where Jock met Eleanor "Ellie" Southworth. Digger and Miss Ellie were dating but Digger's drinking and undependability made Miss Ellie see that Digger would never change and was not the type of man to marry. Jock and Digger continued with their oil ventures but when Ewing 6 came in Jock put the field in his name only to prevent Digger from gambling and drinking his half away but Digger was furious and claimed Jock had stolen the wells for himself and their friendship ended.By now Jock and Miss Ellie were dating and she was desperate to save Southfork but Jock was reluctant to marry because unknown to Miss Ellie he was already married to a woman named Amanda Lewis. Amanda had suffered a mental breakdown shortly after she and Jock were married and Jock put her in a mental hospital. The doctor told Jock that Amanda would never recovery from her illness and advised Jock to divorce her. Miss Ellie came to Jock and told him that she was pregnant with J.R.
J.R. Ewing
John Ross Ewing, Jr., more commonly known as J. R. Ewing, played by Larry Hagman, was a central, nefarious figure on the hit CBS television series Dallas . J. R...
and demanded that he marry her. Jock and Miss Ellie married on the day her family was to lose Southfork and it was well known that Jock was the only man in Dallas with the money to save the ranch. Jock had a fragile and stormy relationship with Miss Ellie's father Aaron Southworth and her brother Garrison Southworth, who was a close friend of Digger Barnes, because both Aaron and Garrison hated oilmen. On his deathbed Aaron accepted Jock as part of his family by giving him his favorite gun.
Jock and Miss Ellie had three sons together. Jock served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
where he and an old army buddy, Tom Mallory, were shot down in a mission in Holland. They later returned to save the families who took them shelter. During his term in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
he had an affair with an Army nurse from Emporia, Kansas
Emporia, Kansas
Emporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 24,916. Emporia lies between Topeka and Wichita at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 with Interstates 335 and 35 on the Kansas Turnpike...
named Margaret Hunter. Jock was shipped off to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Margaret returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She married her finace Ames Krebbs and soon thereafter gave birth to Jock's illegitimate son Ray Krebbs
Ray Krebbs
Raymond "Ray" Krebbs, was a character in the popular American television series Dallas, played by Steve Kanaly . Ray Krebbs is the illegitimate son of Texas oil baron Jock Ewing and U.S. Army nurse Margaret Hunter....
.
After the war Jock returned to Southfork and confessed to Miss Ellie about the affair. She forgave him and they moved on but one day a 15 year old Ray Krebbs
Ray Krebbs
Raymond "Ray" Krebbs, was a character in the popular American television series Dallas, played by Steve Kanaly . Ray Krebbs is the illegitimate son of Texas oil baron Jock Ewing and U.S. Army nurse Margaret Hunter....
showed up to Southfork with a note from his mother asking for Jock to help Ray. Jock made Ray a hand on Southfork and told Miss Ellie Ray was the son of the woman he had an affair with during the war, but neither knew Jock was Ray's father.
As years passed Jock built Ewing Oil into one of the most powerful independent oil companies in Texas and became a very successful rancher. Jock "took over raising" his eldest son J.R.
J.R. Ewing
John Ross Ewing, Jr., more commonly known as J. R. Ewing, played by Larry Hagman, was a central, nefarious figure on the hit CBS television series Dallas . J. R...
showing him "tough love" and made him one of the most powerful oil barons in the oil business. Jock for the most part ignored his second son Gary
Gary Ewing
Garrison Arthur Ewing was a character in the CBS television series Knots Landing and Dallas. The character of Gary Ewing was played most notably by Ted Shackelford and briefly played by David Ackroyd .-Dallas:...
who he considered weak and spoiled his youngest Bobby. In 1977 Jock retired as president of Ewing Oil and made J.R.
J.R. Ewing
John Ross Ewing, Jr., more commonly known as J. R. Ewing, played by Larry Hagman, was a central, nefarious figure on the hit CBS television series Dallas . J. R...
his successor and took a more active role in running Southfork with foreman Ray Krebbs
Ray Krebbs
Raymond "Ray" Krebbs, was a character in the popular American television series Dallas, played by Steve Kanaly . Ray Krebbs is the illegitimate son of Texas oil baron Jock Ewing and U.S. Army nurse Margaret Hunter....
.
Death
Jock and Ellie briefly separated in 1981 but reconciled and went on a second honeymoon to ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Returning to the United States from their second honeymoon, Jock and Miss Ellie arrived in Washington. D.C., where they were met by the U.S. State Department, with a request for Jock to go to South America to lead a drilling operation. Ellie returned to Southfork alone, while Jock had conferences in Washington. Later, he returned to Southfork, just for a few hours, to get his gear together before leaving for South America. While flying back from Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
the helicopter he was in collided with a small plane, and landed in a lake. Jock's body was never found, but he was declared dead in the fall of 1982. The storyline involving Jock's death was necessitated by the death of actor Jim Davis. A tribute to Davis was shown at the end of the episode 'The Search', and the credits rolled silently in respect.
Impostor
In a storyline years later on the show, a man named Wes Parmalee (portrayed by Steve Forrest) came to Dallas where Clayton and Ray hired him as ranch foreman on Southfork. One day Miss Ellie found Jock's belt buckle, knife, letters, and photo of a young Miss Ellie in Parmalee's room. Parmalee said he had survived the accident, which necessitated plastic surgery and years of rehab in a South American hospital. After passing a series of tests set by J.R. and Bobby, including a polygraphPolygraph
A polygraph measures and records several physiological indices such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while the subject is asked and answers a series of questions...
test and knowledge about the Ewing family including Jock's first wife Amanda and Ray being Jock's son, Parmalee convinced many in Dallas in addition to Miss Ellie, Ray, Lucy and several other members of the Ewing family that he was Jock but Clayton, Bobby and J.R. refused to believe he was Jock. Bobby flew down and talked with the doctor that treated Jock for a severe fever while he was in South America. Bobby returned to Southfork and revealed the information at a Ewing barbacue where Jock's best friend Punk Anderson said that while he had the fever Jock was telling the history of the Ewing family. Meanwhile Parmalee confessed he wasn't Jock to Miss Ellie. Parmalee said that he met Jock while working in South America and was on the helicopter with Jock where he took Jock's things and learned about the Ewings and wanted to have such a wonderful family since he had had lost his wife and children years ago. Parmalee apologized for the pain he'd caused and left Dallas for good.
Legacy
Larry Hagman
Larry Martin Hagman is an American film and television actor, producer and director known for playing J.R. Ewing in the 1980s primetime television soap opera Dallas and Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson in the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.-Early life and career:Hagman was born in Fort Worth, Texas...
, who played protagonist J.R. Ewing
J.R. Ewing
John Ross Ewing, Jr., more commonly known as J. R. Ewing, played by Larry Hagman, was a central, nefarious figure on the hit CBS television series Dallas . J. R...
. The Southfork Ranch
Southfork Ranch
Southfork Ranch is a conference and event center located near Plano, Texas; it contains the Ewing Mansion, which was the setting for the 1978 - 1991 television series Dallas. The ranch is located at 3700 Hogge Drive in Parker, Texas.-History:...
in Parker, Texas
Parker, Texas
Parker is a city in Collin County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,379 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Parker is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land...
, where Dallas exteriors were shot, features a different Jock Ewing portrait as a focal point of its "Jock's Living Room."
Jock drove a 1977 Lincoln Mark V with the license plate EWING 1, which is still on the grounds of Southfork, although it is parked in one of the gift shops.