Jock Ewing beside Miss Ellie's headstone and grave. In a storyline during the 1986–87 season of the show, a man named Wes Parmalee (portrayed by Steve Forrest) came to Dallas, where Clayton and Ray hired him as ranch foreman on Southfork. One day, Miss Ellie found Jock's belt buckle, knife, letters, and photo of a young Miss Ellie in Parmalee's room. Wes then claimed to be Jock Ewing, and that he had survived the helicopter accident, which necessitated plastic surgery and rehab in a South American hospital. After passing a series of tests set by J.R. and Bobby, including X-ray tests, a
Dallas: The Early Years Dallas: The Early Years Dallas: The Early Years is a 1986 made-for-television drama film and a prequel to the television series "Dallas". The three-hour film aired on CBS on March 23, 1986 between the 26th and 27th episodes of the 1985–1986 ninth season of "Dallas". Written by series creator David Jacobs, the movie chronicles the exploits of John Ross "Jock" Ewing (Dale Midkiff), Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Southworth Ewing (Molly Hagan), and Willard "Digger" Barnes (David Grant) from 1933 to 1951, and firmly established the background story of TV's "Dallas" with the long and ongoing feud between Jock and Digger started.