The funeral of Larry Hagman’s “Dallas” character, J.R. Ewing, took place on

The funeral of Larry Hagman’s “Dallas” character, J.R. Ewing, took place on Monday’s episode of TNT’s reboot of the ’80s prime-time soap. But 33 years ago, the original series’ cliff-hanging season finale in which J.R. was shot (for the first time) by an unseen assailant triggered a media frenzy (“Who shot J.R.?”) that continued until Nov. 21, 1980, when the killer was revealed in an episode that became the most-watched prime-time show in U.S. TV history. Here are five things to know about “Who Shot J.R.?”-mania:

v More money: As a result of the frenzy, Hagman staged a walkout, demanding a bigger salary. The show resumed production in June, but Hagman stayed away. Ten days later, he returned, garnering a raise ($100,000 per episode) plus a share of profits from J.R. merchandise.

v Wouldn’t talk: Hagman was offered $100,000 during a vacation in England to reveal the shooter’s identity. He refused, admitting that neither he nor anyone in the cast knew.

v Odds: Bookmakers made Dusty Farlow (J.R.’s wife Sue Ellen’s lover, who disappeared after a plane crash) the favorite, followed by Vaughn Leland (a banker J.R. swindled) and Kristin Shepard (J.R.’s mistress). The latter was the shooter.

v Politics: During the 1980 presidential election, Republicans distributed campaign buttons that claimed “A Democrat shot J.R.”

v Presidential plea: Former President Gerald Ford was playing in a golf tournament in Las Vegas with actor Jim Davis, who played J.R.’s father, Jock Ewing. “You’ve got to tell me who shot J.R. or Betty’s going to kill me,” Ford pleaded.

“hell’s kitchen” (8 p.m., fox): We figure that, sooner or later, viewers are going to get tired watching Gordon Ramsay yell at people. Until then, there’s Season 11 of “Hell’s Kitchen.” Enjoy, and let us know how it turns out.

“face off” (9 p.m., syfy): We’ve waited decades for someone to teach us how to create an Egyptian god mummy. Finally, the reality series “Face off” does just that in an episode called “Mummy Mayhem.” We are so there.

tv listings, b6

entertainment news

Polish social event at St. George center

YOUNGSTOWN

Polish Happy Hour, the monthly gathering of PolishYoungstown, will be at St. George Croatian Center, 3200 Vestal Road, from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday. It will feature Croatian food, including cevapcici sausages, and Croatian beer and liquor. The Happy Hearts Junior Tamburitzans will dance at 7 p.m. For information, call 330-799-2339.

The Croatian-flavored event is a tribute to the tradition of Poles vacationing on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia, which has its roots in the Eastern Bloc era.

Movie screening

Niles

“Running,” written and directed by Niles resident David L. Walker of Harvestime Apostolic Temple in Hartville, will be screened at 3:15 p.m. Sunday at Encore Cinema.

The 90-minute movie focuses on domestic violence and features members of the Mighty Golden Wonders, a Gospel group.