Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Pam & Sue-Ellen

Just added the television show 'Dallas' to the list of shows with a Barren Babe. The first year of the show focused on the characters of Sue-Ellen and JR and their 'lack of children' after 7 years of marriage. I rewatched the first three years of the show a few years ago on the Soap Network and was surprised by that storyline.

Another 'Dallas' character with fertility issues was Pam who suffered from a couple of miscarriages. But then -- and I can't remember the specifics -- she was either told that she could not carry a baby to term, and/or she was the carrier of a genetic disease.

If you do happen to catch these episodes from the 70s, please note the way that infertility is portrayed as a type of 'hysteria' that affects the mental health of the 'afflicted' character. I wonder if this was really how society viewed the plight of Barren Babes just 30 years ago.

1 comment:

loribeth said...

Oh my, you're bringing back memories!! I watched "Dallas" faithfully for years & years, even though it got pretty silly toward the end (the whole season that was a dream, etc.). My whole dorm floor gathered around one TV set in the lounge to watch "Who Shot JR," lol. And now that you mention it, yes, I do remember the infertility & miscarriages, etc. If I remember, Christopher, Bobby & Pam's son, was adopted.