Daddy wins
In “Check and Mate,” a seventh-season “Dallas” episode, J.R. (Larry Hagman), Bobby (Patrick Duffy), Punk (Morgan Woodward) and Harv (George O. Petrie) are in Harv’s office, listening as Gerber (John Hostetter), the auditor, announces the results of the Ewing Oil contest.
GERBER: All right, that takes care of the breakdown on a section-by-section basis.
J.R.: Now let’s hear the totals.
GERBER: All right. These totals are accurate to the close of business yesterday. Mr. Bobby Ewing has improved the assets he was initially given by the sum of $24,160,000.
J.R.: Well, that’s a pretty good year’s work, Bobby.
PUNK: And Mr. J.R. Ewing?
GERBER: J.R. Ewing has improved the assets he was given by the sum of $40,220,000.
J.R. chuckles, throws up his hands.
PUNK: Well, now, that’s a fair margin. J.R.’s clearly the winner.
HARV: Yes. Congratulations, J.R.
J.R.: Thank you, Harv. Thank you.
PUNK: Now, boys. What about this letter?
HARV: Well, it pleases me to say that even before they knew about the letter, the boys had already agreed to split the company, no matter who won the contest.
PUNK: That’s what Bobby said, and then J.R. confirmed that yesterday. Right, J.R.?
J.R.: [Rises from his seat, goes to the bar] Well, yes. There’s some truth in the idea that were going to share the company —
PUNK: J.R.!
J.R.: But that was in the aftermath of what happened at Southfork. It was very special circumstances. [Fixing himself a drink] Both Bobby and I were, oh, highly emotional at the time.
HARV: [Answering the buzzing intercom] What is it, Janet? I told you I didn’t want to be interrupted.
JANET: There’s a gentleman out here who says it’s urgent he talk to Bobby Ewing.
BOBBY: Would you ask him to come in, please, Harv? [Rises from his seat, goes to the door]
J.R.: Could that wait, Bob?
BOBBY: No, it can’t, J.R. [Bobby opens the door and shakes the hand of his visitor: Thornton (Kenneth Kimmins).] Thornton.
THORNTON: I got here as fast as I could.
BOBBY: You had me a little worried. Everybody, I’d like you to meet Thornton McLeish. He’s my partner in those Canadian frozen fields that I was involved with. [Punk, Harv, Gerber and Thornton exchange hellos.] I asked Thornton to come down here because I — well, Thornton, why don’t you explain it to them?
THORNTON: When Bobby invested with us, we were sure our fields would come in — and come in big. What we couldn’t tell was when they’d come in. And that was crucial to Bobby because of this contest he had with his brother. Hello, J.R. [J.R. nods] Things looked pretty grim there for awhile, but Bobby not only stuck it out, he was instrumental in persuading another company—Barnes-Wentworth—to provide us with a special drill that would solve some of the problems we had.
J.R.: Well, I assume there’s a point to all this?
THORNTON: Oh, I’m sorry, J.R. I’ll cut it short. I just want to give Bobby his check for $26 million. [Reaches into his jacket pocket, pulls out a check and hands it to Bobby]
PUNK: Twenty-six million!
THORNTON: It’s his share of the profits in the Canadian fields. The drill bit worked. The test well came in gushing and we just sold out to the majors. That was the original deal. [Bobby smiles.]
PUNK: Well, this means that you win the contest, Bobby.
J.R.: The hell it does. The contest is over. The winner’s been declared.
BOBBY: Harv, correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the contest doesn’t officially close until the end of business today.
HARV: [Smiles] That’s right.
BOBBY: So I still have time to enter this check into my books. [Harv nods. Bobby hands the check to Gerber.] Mr. Gerber.
PUNK: Congratulations, Bobby. [They shake hands.]
HARV: Good work, Bobby. Good work.
J.R.: [Chuckling] Well, I’ll be damned. I’ve never been a sore loser. [Slaps Bobby on the back] Congratulations on your win, Bobby. Not that it makes any difference. I mean, we had decided to be partners, right? Huh?
BOBBY: Punk, if you don’t mind, I’d like to keep Daddy’s letter for myself.
PUNK: You betcha. [Hands him the letter]
J.R.: Bob, you’ve never gone back on a deal. We are partners, right? Just the way Daddy wanted it.
PUNK: [To Bobby] Jock would be proud of you.
BOBBY: [Pauses] Yeah, J.R. It’s going to be just like Daddy wanted.
PUNK: Good boy.
J.R.: [Chuckles, slaps him on the back again] Good, good. That’s just fine. Now, Harv, since there’s no loose threads hanging around, why don’t you draw up some papers, make this legal. We’ll be in tomorrow, to sign them. Get rid of the old business and on with the new. Now, Bob, like I said, just the way Daddy wanted it, you and me together. Brothers.
J.R. puts his arm around Bobby and smiles. Bobby doesn’t.
