Miss Ellie Ewing

Miss Ellie Ewing
Barbara Bel Geddes as Miss Ellie Ewing Farlow, the matriarch of the Ewing family.
DALLAS character
Portrayed by	Barbara Bel Geddes (1978–84, 1985–90) Donna Reed (1984–85)
Duration	1978–90
First appearance	April 2, 1978 Digger's Daughter
Last appearance	April 27, 1990 The Southfork Wedding Jinx
Created by	David Jacobs
Spin-off appearances	Dallas: The Early Years
Profile
Occupation	Socialite Shareholder in Ewing Oil Southfork Ranch Co-Owner (1938-82, 1988-91) Southfork Ranch Owner (1982-88
Donna Reed as Miss Ellie Farlow, a sharp contrast to Bel Geddes' portrayal of the character.
Father Aaron Southworth Mother Barbara Southworth Brothers Garrison Southworth Husband Jock Ewing (1936–82) Clayton Farlow (1984–99) Sons J.R. Ewing Gary Ewing Bobby Ewing Grandsons James Beaumont John Ross Ewing III Christopher Ewing (adoptive) Bobby Ewing II Lucas Krebbs unnamed grandson (JR's child with Cally) Granddaughters Lucy Ewing Betsy Ewing Molly Whittaker unnamed granddaughter (JR's daughter with an unknown woman) Grandfathers Enoch Southworth

Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Farlow (maiden name Southworth; formerly Ewing) is a fictional character, from the CBS soap opera Dallas, a long running serial centered on the lives of the wealthy Ewing family in Dallas, Texas. Throughout her run, the character remains an important part of the show's structure. Created by writer David Jacobs, the role was originated by screen actress Barbara Bel Geddes in the series pilot episode until her departure in 1984. After Bel Geddes left, she was replaced by movie and television actress Donna Reed, who would only play the part for one season. Bel Geddes returned at the start of Dallas's next season and remained in the show until season thirteen, when she wanted to retire from acting. The character of Miss Ellie was written out following Bel Geddes' departure. Bel Geddes appeared in all but two of the Dallas episodes for six seasons, and missed one third of the episodes at the beginning of the 1983-84 season, due to her recovery from her heart surgery.

Miss Ellie's storylines focus on her family's troubles. As the matriarch of the Ewing family, she is portrayed as a strong and loving mother. Miss Ellie's marriage to oil baron Jock Ewing was central to the character for the first few years she appeared in the show, until his death in an episode in 1981, following the real life death of actor Jim Davis.

Miss Ellie Ewing Farlow is one of the original characters invented by the creator of Dallas, David Jacobs. Before the creation of the show, Jacobs originally had quite a different idea of what he envisioned the show to be. He wanted to create a television show based on "family issues and examining relationships at the middle class level". The Production Company, CBS, initially turned down his original idea, as they wanted something more "glitzy" to put on the air, with wealthier characters. After the success of Dallas, Jacobs' initial idea would later become the Dallas spin-off Knots Landing. Bel Geddes was the first actress to sign on to star in the series. In Dallas: The Complete Story of the World's Favorite Prime-Time Soap by Barbara A. Curran, producer Leonard Katzman said that "at the time no one was looking for big-name actors". When asked what attracted her to the young serial, the actress said: "I needed a job and I needed to make some money."