20180226

DALLAS

The return of Patrick Duffy created enough interest to become the most watched 'Dallas' episode of the 1985-86 season, attracting a 42% share and 24.9% rating (of the 85.9 million households with TV sets at the time). "We've got at least another 3 or 4 or 5 more years and could even become another of those strange phenomena like 'Gunsmoke' that goes on and on," Patrick made the observation. 

In the 1986-87 season, NBC decided to move 'Miami Vice' up an hour from Fridays at 10:00pm to 9:00pm to compete directly against 'Dallas'. Of the head-to-head, Leonard Katzman told the press, "I do think that we appeal to different audiences. Secondly, I would think the move to 9 o'clock might not be totally beneficial to 'Miami Vice', not only because they're up against 'Dallas' but because they might suffer the same thing when we moved from 10 to 9 (to make way for 'Falcon Crest'). The people who go out to dinner or whatever and return expecting to see the show won't be able to do so. We found our ratings dropped a little when we moved to 9." 

In 1986, 'Dallas' made the headlines on all tabloids with the resurrection of Bobby Ewing. As reported, "Not since the glorious summer of 'Who Shot J.R.?' in 1980 which has created worldwide attention, has 'Dallas' been all the rage at supermarket checkout counters." The 'Dallas' 2-hour season premiere episode revealing the previous season as Pam's dream attracted a 44% share and 26.5% rating. At the same time, 'Miami Vice' attracted 28% share and 17.4% rating. 

Leonard Katzman reminded, "I'm not quite sure if anything will ever be quite as big as 'Who Shot J.R.?' but I do believe the return of Patrick will cause a tremendous amount of discussion and interest. As for the ratings, I don't think anybody's going to beat 'Cosby', but I think this (the dream season resolution) will get us a huge tune-in. After that, it's up to us to give people the 'Dallas' they had come to know and love and keep them there. We expect this to have an impact similar to 'Who Shot J.R.?'" 

To explain dreams, Dr Charles P. Pollak from the Institute of Chronobiology at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in White Plains spoke to 'Gannett News Service' in January 1987, "We begin with NREM, shorthand for non-rapid eye movement, and descend into REM activity, or rapid eye movement, at alternating intervals of approximately 90 minutes throughout the night." 

Dr Pollak disclosed dreams during NREM sleep were often characterized as thoughts or feelings and were not necessarily visual. The visual occurred during REM sleep when the body underwent biological changes, which could cause irregularity of breathing and heartbeat and changes in blood pressure and blood volume. The muscular-skeletal system was also affected, going into a suspended state of immobility. The dreamer's images were vivid, often in color; and the dreamer often could remember elements of touch and smell. The dreams could be filled with intense emotions, both positive and negative. 

Sigmund Freud's 'The Interpretation of Dreams' was first published in 1900. Dr Myron Lawrence Glucksman from Yale University elaborated, "Since dreams reflect how we think, feel and behave with people, they also reflect how we change. People in analysis are interested in change. He (Freud) said that the purpose of dreams was ...to control primitive, unacceptable or painful impulses trying to be expressed." 

Dr Don Kalsched from the Institute for the Study of Depth Psychology at Wainwright House in Rye, New York, pointed out, "He (Carl Gustav Jung) believed it was absurd to try to trace all dreams merely back to wishes and conflicts within us. The dream elements and characters are aspects of the dreamer's own personality, and the content should be used to see what it might reveal rather than hide. Many of the symbols of dreams harken back not just to sexual material but to a more archaic domain, a historical explanation for the behaviors of mankind." 

Dr Montague Ullman from Albert Einstein College of Medicine stated, "Dreaming is a universal occurrence and should be universally accessible. If we have remembered a dream of fragment of one, then at some level the dreamer is ready to be confronted with the information the dream contains. The dreamer is the authority on his dream." 

Back in 1978, J. Everett Irion from the Association for Research and Enlightment Inc. (A.R.E.) told the 'St. Petersburg Times', "Every dream that you have is a healing dream be it mental, physical or spiritual … everything is holistic." Mark Thurston also from A.R.E. added, "I just don't think Freud went far enough. Freud was saying the best we can hope to do is cope. Will is stronger than any other influence. God has a plan for us and through dreams we can get a glimpse of what that is." 

On the hot seat in 1974, Eleanor Smock discussed dreams with the 'Daily Times' panel Marlene Fazio and Andrew J. Reynolds. 

Marlene Fazio: Do you believe dreams can predict the future? 

Eleanor Smock: Yes. However, there are predictive dreams and precognitive dreams. Predictive dreams happen in a very short time, probably within a week. Precognitive dreams sometimes take a great deal longer. There doesn't seem to be any time limit. 

Marlene Fazio: If dreams occur through the subconscious, how can they be predictive? 

Eleanor Smock: I don't know. These would be people perhaps who have psychic ability or a higher grade of ESP. It is very rare that a dream can be taken literally. Most of the times you dream in symbols. I would like to mention that it's more important that you interpret the dreamer rather than the dream because the same symbol can be used in two people's dreams which would have entirely different meanings. 

I use, when I lecture, the example of a barn. Now two people can dream of a barn. If you dream of a barn and have had a very happy childhood experience – perhaps visiting your grandparents' farm – it would recall happy memories. But if another person had been trapped in a burning barn as a child it would have been a terrifying experience, so that same symbol of the barn would have a very different meaning. 

Andrew J. Reynolds: Why do people have recurring dreams? 

Eleanor Smock: They are very important dreams and the subconscious mind is really trying to get a message through. Interestingly enough, once they get that message and work it out whatever it is, they won't have that dream again. 

Marlene Fazio: Is there any relationship between ESP and dreams? 

Eleanor Smock: Yes. Dreams fall into three main categories – physical, mental and spiritual. As you work with your dreams you begin to ask yourself is it a mental dream, physical dream or spiritual dream? If it doesn't fall into any of those three categories, then the more rare type of dream are ESP dreams which are precognitive, clairvoyant and telepathic. 

There had been work in the dream laboratories working with people to see if they can be influenced telepathically. They use the brain wave to monitor the people's brain waves and they wake them in the dream state and report their dreams. They have had a lot of success. Even without electronic equipment you can tell when someone is dreaming by REM. 

If you see someone sleeping and their eyes are moving back and forth as if they're watching a television, you can be sure they're in the dream state. Interestingly enough, when they keep people from dreaming they will wake them up everytime they go into this REM period. They will allow them to go back to sleep but not to dream. They can only do this for a very short time because great psychological changes take place. They become irritable, nervous. They're afraid they would eventually become psychotic. We know from this; dreaming is important for our bodies.

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