1980s TV Shows: A Trip Down Memory Lane With… Randy Powell (Alan Beam in “Dallas”)

Exclusive Interview by Karen Beishuizen

“Dallas” was a prime time soap opera that aired on CBS from April, 1978, to May, 1991. The show ran for 14 seasons and 357 episodes. The story told the tales of The Ewing Family whose wealth came from oil and cattle ranching. They lived on South Fork with their own set of problems and with JR Ewing as the main character and all his corrupt illegal stuff. Randy Powell appeared on the show for 18 episodes as Alan Beam, JR’s bad guy, who did all the dirty work for him.

KB: “Dallas”: What was the show about?

“Dallas” was a nighttime 1-hour drama about a rich Texas oil business family and all the shenanigans each family member goes through. Larry Hagman played J.R. Ewing, the brother in control of the family and much of the show was about his (mis)deeds.

KB: How did you get the part as Alan Beam?

I’d played the villain (Francis 7) on “Logan’s Run” and Leonard Katzman was our producer. He also produced “Dallas” so when I auditioned for Alan Beam I had some history with Leonard Katzman and that helped me get the part on “Dallas.”

KB: What did you like about the character and how did you make it your own?

I don’t really remember much about Alan Beam except he would do any of J.R.’s bad deeds for him. I do remember the “Who Shot J.R.” episode where all the main cast members were suspects in the shooting. “Dallas” really exploded when this episode aired and made the show popular. We had been getting good ratings that season so the producers got more money to make 2 additional episodes and the “Who Shot J.R.” was one of them.

KB: What was it like working with Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy?

Larry was always fun to work with – and he was about as different from J.R. (kind, honest, etc.) as he could be. Patrick Duffy I remember as being a jokester and always a lot of fun on the set – which was very different than his straight-laced character Bobby Ewing.

KB: How did a week on the set looked like from getting the script to filming?

It was different for each episode. We took 7 days to shoot an episode. If I had good sized part that episode I’d probably go into MGM (now Sony Studios) in Culver City 3 or 4 of the 7 days. There were sets for the Ewing house and other commonly used locations built on MGM sound stages.

KB: Where was the show filmed?

We went to Dallas, TX to shoot the exteriors of the first half of the season. Then we came back to Culver City and shot the interiors of all the episodes on MGM sound stages and the 2nd half of the season’s exterior locations we shot around Los Angeles & Culver City. They of course would have to change all the California signs and everything to Texas signs, etc.

KB: Do you have a favorite episode where you starred in and why this one?

The “Who Shot J.R.?” episode. After this episode aired, “Dallas” exploded in popularity and I couldn’t go to the grocery store without getting mobbed by folks.

KB: Dallas has reunions. Were and are you part of these and what are they like?

I remember going to a Dallas reunion just a year or two after I appeared on the show and it was great fun to spend time with Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy and the rest of the gang. The show went on for 10 more years after my appearance in 1979-1980.

KB: Looking back now would you have played Alan differently?

No, I don’t think so – Alan Beam the baddie…

KB: How do you explain that this show is still beloved after 40+ years?

“Dallas” was one of the first nighttime soap opera type dramas to appear. I guess people see it as the beginning in a trend of these shows.