Dallas Dilemma: Where to Reshoot JR

Dallas has tried for years to disassociate itself from 'Dallas,' the cheesy '80s soap opera that's so iconic that the fictional scheming oil baron JR Ewing is still the city's biggest celebrity—16 years after the show was canceled. So it's with considerable cringing that officials find themselves wooing the producers of the upcoming movie version to film in their city, instead of competitors Florida, Louisiana, and Saudi Arabia.

"How can it be 'Dallas' if it's not in Dallas?" demanded a spokeswoman for Southfork, the ranch where much of the series was set, which still draws 300,000 pilgrims a year. "It's sacrilege," she added. The movie, which may turn out to be a spoof, the Chicago Tribune reports, has been through several rewrites and directors; John Travolta was recently replaced by Ben Stiller in the JR role. (More movies stories.)