I was truly saddened with the passing of Larry Hagman recently. I liked him on I Dream of Jeannie, but thought he was truly brilliant on Dallas and was so enjoying his return in the TNT Dallas reboot. He took a a character who could of just been another despicable villain and injected hims with a wry sense of humor also making you feel empathy for him despite his many misdeeds. In between, his two iconic series most fans may not knew but he directed a sequel to the popular 1958 sci-fi classic, The Blob. His Beware! The Blob aka Son of Blob was a total misfire and today is a camp classic due to its dated hippie culture portrayed.
Hagman was the king of Malibu where he resided and was able to sweet talk some of his neighbors at the time including Carol Lynley, Godfrey Cambridge and Burgess Meredith to make guest appearances as Blob food. The movie disappeared quickly from theaters, even drive-ins, but resurfaced in the summer of 1981 during the Dallas break that left viewers asking “Who shot JR?” The movie was promoted as “The movie that JR shot.” That was more amusing than anything in the film.
Carol Lynley and Hagman should have been reunited on Dallas. She was the producers first choice to play Valene Ewing, mother of Lucy and sister-in-law of JR in the second season’s debut episode. But due to a prior commitment, Lynley had to pass on the offer. DOH! Joan Van Ark replaced her and she should kiss Lynley’s ring every time they run into each other.
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