Saturday, June 02, 2012

Quote of the Day

"One night, when they were in Las Vegas to attend a performance by their mutual friend Joel Grey, [Larry] Hagman and his mother [Mary Martin] and her traveling companion left their hotel to go to the theater.  There was only one cab at the taxi stand, so Hagman offered to let her and her friend take it.  Martin demurred, and the cabbie settled the debate by proclaiming "I don't want the lady. I want J.R."  As the taxi pulled away, Hagman rolled down the window and grinned.  "That's show business, Mom."

Midway through his performance, Grey informed the audience that there were two special guests in attendance.  First he introduced 'my dear friend Larry Hagman, who plays J.R. Ewing on the number-one-rated show Dallas.'  The crowd cheered enthusiastically.  Then Grey introduced [Mary] Martin  as 'a woman who's better known as Peter Pan.'

'People went completely nuts,' Hagman recalls. 'They all stood up, with some of them climbing on their chairs for a better look, and clapped so long the house lights went up.  It was literally a showstopper.'  When the crowd finally quieted, Martin leaned over, tapping her son on the knee and said, 'That's show business too baby!'"


From "Larry Hagman's Curtain Call,"  by Harry Hurt III for June Issue of Texas Monthly.

Larry Hagman will be back as "J.R." in DALLAS will be back on tv, this time beginning on June 13th on TNT.   I can't wait!   The original series began in 1978, the year my dad retired from the Marine Corps and moved our family home to Texas.  We never missed a Friday night episode, unless of course we had Friday Night Lights to attend.  And thanks to my own Mom, I knew from that young age that Mary Martin was J.R.'s real mom.  I think the thing I'm most excited about is that the theme song is still the same....I spent many a happy hour in our backyard making up my own baton routine to that song!   Guess I'll be breaking out the baton again....








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