Overview
John Ross "Jock" Ewing Sr. (1909–1982) is a fictional character in the American television series Dallas created by David Jacobs. Jock was played by Jim Davis in the show's first four seasons from 1978 to 1981, and as a young man by Dale Midkiff in the made-for-TV movie prequel The Early Years in 1986. Jock founded Ewing Oil in 1930 and was the patriarch of the Ewing family. Steve Forrest portrayed a character called Wes Parmalee who may or may not have actually been Jock who had survived the helicopter crash in 1982. The chopper crash storyline was necessitated by the death of Davis, but his body was never found, hence this storyline was played out in the prequel.
Character biography
Early life and career
John Ross "Jock" Ewing Sr. was born in 1909, the younger of two sons born to Leander Ewing. Through his older brother, Jason, Jock got his first job in an oil field in Texas. While riding in a train boxcar, Jock met Willard "Digger" Barnes and the two became friends. Jock, Digger, and Jason all became wildcatters and began drilling their own fields. Digger had a unique ability to smell oil underground and with Jock's business skills they began making a fortune. Jason and Digger didn't get on much, while Jock stood up for Digger in those days. Jason eventually left Texas to wildcat in Alaska, marrying a woman named Nancy Shaw, with whom he had a son, Jack, and a daughter, Jamie. Jock and Digger returned to Texas from Alaska, where Jock met Digger's girlfriend, Ellie Southworth. In the long run, Digger's drinking and undependability made Miss Ellie see that Digger would never change and that Digger was not the type of man to marry, and she left Digger for Jock. Digger started to wander across the country after Ellie left him but Jock and Digger continued with their oil business ventures for a few more years. Even as late as 1939, Jock and Digger both signed a deal to share the profits of Ewing 23 between themselves and their heirs in perpetuity. However, when Ewing 6 came in, Jock put the field in his name only, to prevent Digger from gambling and drinking his half away.
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