I Dream of Larry Hagman

Larry Hagman just passed away, and most of the headlines refer to him as the actor who played J. R. Ewing on "Dallas." It seems that was the role for which he was most famous. I saw that TV show a few times, but I never did watch it much mostly because I just hated seeing Major Nelson from "I Dream of Jeannie" being such a villain.

"Dallas" was on primetime when I was an adult, but "Jeannie" was a show from my childhood. Having one's childhood illusions shattered is not a fun thing. Do you remember "My Three Sons" with Fred MacMurray as the wonderful dad? A few years ago, I saw for my first time the classic film "Double Jeopardy" starring MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck. Great movie, and the bad guy MacMurray played years before he became Rob, Chip and Ernie's dad is an amazing performance. But I'll take Steve Douglas any day of the week, thank you very much.

Coincidentally, Larry Hagman's mother is the great actress Mary Martin. She charmed us in Peter Pan, The Sound of Music and South Pacific. Young Larry was raised by his grandparents and was estranged from his mother for many years, for she was one of those women whose career came first, and her child came second. They reconciled later in Martin's life, so I guess somehow he came to terms with who his mother was.

Heroes and villains. It's the stuff that entertainment is made of. And we often play out our own inner dramas by watching men such as Major Nelson and J. R. Ewing on the screen.

Of course, Larry Hagman the person was not the roles he played. He was a father and a grandfather, and had been married to the same woman for 58 years. A heavy drinker and smoker at one time, he cautioned others not to ruin their health in the same way. His co-star from "Jeannie" Barbara Eden wrote a lovely tribute to him, and said what an influence he had been in her life.

Heroes and villains. Reality is not that simple. We human beings are complicated. But maybe that is precisely why so many people loved watching J. R. Ewing. And that is definitely why I liked Major Nelson way better than Mr. Ewing. I'll still take a hero any day of the week.

Susan