On November 21, 1980, over 350 million people worldwide tuned in to find out: Who shot J.R.’ In portraying the scheming, ruthless J.R. in Dallas during its entire run, from 1978 to 1991, Larry Hagman reached a level of fame and recognition that is rare, if not unique. Now the man behind J.R. tells his own story in an autobiography that is at once rowdy and moving, self-searching and scandalous, … self-searching and scandalous, juicy and a “recovery story” — and often outrageously funny.
Though Larry Hagman is best known for his starring roles in two hugely successful — and very different — television series, I Dream of Jeannie and Dallas, his life has been a star act from birth.
Born to the theatrical purple as the son of the legendary Mary Martin, Larry Hagman received his first exposure to the heady world of show business through her — as well as experiencing a childhood that was lavish and glamorous and full of problems. His father was a tough, smart, wealthy Texas lawyer (sound familiar?), his mother Broadway’s most beloved leading lady, and the young Larry Hagman was torn between their two very different worlds. After his parents’ marriage ended, he was shunted from one boarding school to another, trying to satisfy his father’s expectations by working as a cowboy, hunting, and raising hell and still to live up to his mother’s expectations in the world of the theater.
In the end, theater won out, and, following his mother’s example, he began to pursue a career as an actor. Following a stint in a soap opera, he got his big break with I Dream of Jeannie, and from that came instant fame and celebrity, from which he never looked back. Weaving hilarious (and often scandalous) stories about his early years in show business into a personal story that is breathlessly engaging, Larry Hagman shares his behind-the-scenes life with the reader, his star-studded cast of characters including Linda Gray, Victoria Principal, Barbara Eden, Jean Arthur, and Joan Collins, not to mention George C. Scott, Burgess Meredith, Joshua Logan, Jack Nicholson, Sidney Lumet, and Valerie Perrine, to name only a few.
But with the success came many temptations, a few of which Larry Hagman succumbed to, and about which he writes candidly and unsparingly in this memoir, including his battle with drugs and alcohol and his subsequent recovery.
It was as J.R., however, in the phenomenally successful series Dallas (the second longest-running TV drama in history), that Hagman earned his greatest fame. Taking the reader behind the scenes, he shares many stories of ego clashes, offscreen relationships, and flamboyant behavior durning his work on that series — and the pain he experienced as drugs and alcohol began to take their toll. In fact the greatest drama in Larry Hagman’s life — after his long, loving, and successful marriage to his wife, Maj — came when he was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver and entered into a race against time to find a liver donor.
The “recovery” side of his story is not something he takes for granted, having overcome two addictions as well as undergoing a liver transplant in 1995 and a subsequent near-fatal motorcycle accident. His account of these difficulties is at once unflinchingly courageous and matter-of-fact and will be a source of inspiration to many readers. Despite problems that would have stopped most people, Larry Hagman continues to work on television and in film (he m
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I have been looking forward to reading Larry Hagman’s memoir from the moment I first discovered it existed. I was a very small girl when he appeared as the infamous JR Ewing in “Dallas,” tucked between my Gram and Gramp on their couch when I slept over their house on Friday nights. The theme music to that show is ingrained in the soundtrack of my life, though I was far too naive to understand the content of the show’s story lines. (I did, however, jump on the reboot and watch every last episode of it.) That didn’t stop JR Ewing from being in my personal top five best television characters of all time.
What I liked about “Hello Darlin’: Tall (and Absolutely True) Tales about My Life”:
His personality – Forthcoming, honest, self-deprecating, likable, funny. He wasn’t afraid to tell it like it was. I never wondered what he wasn’t sharing. Obviously, he couldn’t have shared every moment of his life (who could?), but he was quick to show his flaws in such a way that I never doubted that what you read was an accurate reflection of who he was. More than once, I laughed right out loud.
The stories that were shared – There was a ton of name-dropping but not in a pretentious way. These were merely the circles in which he traveled. And while he didn’t sugarcoat or hold back on the tales, not a single one crossed a line or was mean-spirited.
The content that he chose – I truly enjoyed learning about his life and career, even beyond the parts about “Dallas.” A perfect bled between the personal and the professional, his memoir felt completely balanced.
Tidbits I learned that particularly touched me – The love he had for his wife. He doesn’t come out and directly say so, but despite the propensity for straying among the Hollywood set, he leaves the impression he was faithful to Maj for their entire relationship. Given how honestly he revealed his misadventures and addictions, I tend to believe he would own it if he’d had any indiscretions. Instead, his deep and abiding love for her was evident in the way he spoke of her. I also thought his philosophy on signing autographs was particularly lovely.
What I didn’t care for:
It was missing one thing I wish had been addressed – How was there not one mention about those iconic eyebrows, second only to Andy Rooney’s?!
If I were to sum up one illustration for the type of person Mr Hagman was, it would be when he speaks about his contract negotiations while he was on “Dallas.” It would be easy to criticize him as being greedy, but he was underpaid compared to lesser actors, considering the notoriety and draw his character brought. The timing was an enormous risk following the world-famous “Who Shot JR?” cliffhanger, as he could have easily been written off the show, the stage set perfectly for his exit. However, his personal thoughts on the matter show a much different interpretation on his part: “Even as the studio played hardball by floating rumors about possible new JR’s, I believed everything would work out. In a way, it already had. I had a house, a wife I loved, great children. Everything I’d ever wanted.”
Mr. Hagman, through his memoir, was every bit as charming and charismatic as I would have expected. Occasionally eccentric and with rather different spiritual practices than my own, reading it was a delight, and he (and his magnificent eyebrows) have claimed a permanent spot on my list of “people with whom you wish you could share a meal.”