MEET THE WOMAN WHO WROTE ‘WHO SHOT J.R.?’

MEET THE WOMAN WHO WROTE ‘WHO SHOT J.R.?’



LOS ANGELES (Wireless Flash) – It was 21 years ago Wednesday that America found out it was “Kristin” was shot J.R. Ewing on Dallas. On November 21, 1980, a record 83 million viewers tuned in to the “Who Shot J.R.?” episode, which was penned by writer Loraine Despres. Despres says some folks were so desperate to find out the identity of J.R.’s killer that one acquaintance offered her $20,000 to fess up and another offered to place a wager for her with London oddsmakers. When she refused to tell, both men stopped talking to her. These days, Despres has left TV writing behind and has just published her first novel, The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc (William Morrow/Harper Collins). She says she’s enjoyed writing the novel because, unlike TV, she could write what she wanted and no one cut out all her best lines.

Tue 11-20-01