Flashback Friday: Ten things to know about Pamela Rebecca’s mother Afton Cooper

March 22, 2013

On March 25, longtime fans of a certain curvy songbird will get their wish granted when Audrey Landers guest stars on Dallas as Pamela Rebecca’s mother Afton Cooper. Since we found out that Pamela is Cliff’s daughter with Afton, we’ve had plenty of chances to see her rapport with her father but have had to wait until now to see how she interacts with her mom. According to this week’s edition of Keck’s Exclusives on TVGuide.com, Afton shows up in Dallas to check in on Pamela in the hospital after the explosion on the Ewing methane rig that Cliff set up with Harris Ryland. In William Keck’s interview with Audrey, we learn that Afton has married and is in contact with Cliff. Whether Audrey appears on the show beyond Monday’s guest shot is to be determined, but one person who is understandably excited to see her on screen is Robert Coppola, founder of the popular Bring Audrey Landers Back to Dallas on TNT fan page on Facebook. A veritable history of Afton, the page is a must for any Audrey Landers fan and surely played a role in getting Dallas producers to bring Afton back. Audrey’s charm inspired Robert to create his fan page, which is the source of most of the great Afton screen captures featured in this post.

“It is rare for someone in the industry to come along and be both beautiful inside and out,” Robert says. “I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Audrey and her genuine humility is incomparable with other performers. She retains a down-to-earth personality and carries the virtues of a family girl. I love that about her! And her career in music is tremendous! So many wonderful songs that make her fans smile. When the new Dallas was in production, I knew she had to come back. And I’m pleased to see that so many other fans joined me in my effort to make this happen. We love Audrey!”

Having interviewed Audrey myself, I can confirm how nice she is and she is very grateful for the fans’ support. That said, I thought it appropriate to revisit Afton’s colorful past on Dallas so new fans can appreciate her contributions to the Dallas history and see how it shaped the woman Pamela Rebecca is today.

1. Afton began her tenure on Dallas as an ambitious minx who succeeded the infamous Kristin Shepard as J.R.’s mistress.

2. She was wearing a sexy pleated dress that showed off her petite yet curvy body when J.R. first laid eyes on her … to Sue Ellen’s obvious disdain.

3. Afton adores her protective brother Mitch, a physician whose marriage to Lucy Ewing brought her to Dallas from Biloxi, Mississippi.

4. She’s a talented singer. From Steal Me Away to It Takes Two to Fly, Afton regaled Dallas fans with soft pop tunes, usually at the Stardrift Lounge.

5. Afton was a throwback to movie pin-ups like Lana Turner and Rita Hayworth with her side-parted tumble of wavy blonde locks, which often featured flowers.

6. She channeled Rita Hayworth when she made her first return to the show as a redhead in 1989.

7. She could smell a rattlesnake from a mile away and was the first to alert Pam about her half-sister Katherine’s intent to steal Bobby for herself.

8. Afton proved her love for self-centered Cliff by sleeping with sleazy refinery owner Gil Thurman to give Cliff an edge in his competition with J.R. for Thurman’s refinery.