Jenna Wade

Jenna Krebbs (maiden name Wade; formerly Marchetta) is a fictional character on the popular American television series Dallas, played, most notably, by Priscilla Presley from 1983 to 1988. Jenna was also briefly played by Morgan Fairchild in 1978 and Francine Tacker in 1980.

Casting

The character of Jenna was originally played by Morgan Fairchild for one episode in 1978 and then played by Francine Tacker for two episodes in 1980. When Jenna was brought back in 1983, the part was recast for second time, this time played by Priscilla Presley. Before her debut, Priscilla described the character, "Jenna is her own woman. She's extremely self-reliant, she's lived in Europe and has a child. Just like me. Except that she's a bit more sophisticated than me. She has a lot of integrity, she's totally honest. I like her. How could I help but identify with her?".^[1]

Background

Jenna was Bobby Ewing's first true love. Jenna's father, Lucas Wade, was an oilman and associate of Jock Ewing. Jenna lived on her father's ranch, which was about three miles from Southfork. Bobby would often ride over to visit her as a kid. Years before Bobby met Pam, Jenna was engaged to Bobby but ditched him at the altar when she ran off to Italy and married Italian count Renaldo Marchetta. Jenna subsequently gave birth to a daughter, Charlotte (nicknamed "Charlie") and, for years, she never revealed who was Charlie's biological father.

Storylines

Jenna (played by Morgan Fairchild) reappeared in Bobby's life in 1978 when her affair with Maynard Anderson, a married politician and business associate of Jock and J.R. Ewing, ended and she needed a friend to turn to. Jenna introduced Bobby to her daughter Charlie and he believed he was the father, however Jenna denied this when confronted by Pam.^[2] In 1980, Jenna, still in Dallas (now played by Francine Tacker), has an unexpected encounter with Bobby and renews their friendship while Pam is away in Paris. During this brief time, Bobby was tempted to sleep with Jenna.^[3] Bobby and Jenna (Priscilla Beaulieu Presley) reconnected in 1983 and they began seeing each other after Bobby's marriage to Pam ended. Bobby's brother, J.R. always liked Jenna and was very supportive of her relationship with Bobby. Once again, Bobby wanted to know who was the father of Charlie. After seeing Charlie's birth certificate, which had Bobby named as Charlie's legal father, Jenna confessed that Renaldo Marchetta was Charlie's biological father and that she listed Bobby as the legal father in order to protect her legal interests in future disputes with Marchetta over Charlie. Nonetheless, Jenna and Bobby got engaged in 1984, but she once again jilted him on the wedding day to remarry Marchetta, but this time against her will and under threat. The pair were tracked down to a hotel where Marchetta was found shot dead, with Jenna holding the gun. She was accused of Marchetta's murder, but this was eventually resolved, and she once again became engaged to Bobby. Bobby broke off this engagement with Jenna after deciding that he wanted to marry his ex-wife, Pam.

During the "Dream Season", after Bobby had died, Jenna had a brief relationship with Bobby's cousin Jack but this was cut short as Jenna became mentally unstable due to Bobby's death. Later, Jenna received counseling to help her accept Bobby's death and she also ended her differences with Pam.

After the end of the "Dream Season", Jenna discovered that she was pregnant with Bobby's child; however, Bobby was engaged to Pam. During Bobby and Pam's second wedding, Ray mentioned that Jenna was pregnant with Bobby's child. This caused problems between Ray and Bobby, especially after Jenna and Charlie moved in with Ray. In 1987, Jenna gave birth to Bobby's son, Lucas, named after her father. Jenna later married Bobby's half-brother Ray Krebbs. Ray adopted Lucas and raised him with Jenna despite Bobby being the father. The next year, after problems with the now-teenage Charlie, Jenna escorted Charlie to Europe to attend boarding school. After returning to Dallas, she and Ray decided to relocate permanently to Switzerland to be away from the drama of the Ewings.

Dallas (2012 TV series)

Since Ray's return to the show, there has been no mention of Jenna, Charlie or Bobby's biological son, Lucas.

Notes

References

• Curran, Barbara A. (2005). Dallas: The Complete Story of the World's Favorite Prime-Time Soap. Cumberland House Publishing. ISBN 978-1581824728. 

External links

• Jenna Wade at the Internet Movie Database

Dallas
Original series (1978–1991) Revival series (2012–2014)
Characters	Original series regulars Liz Adams Cliff Barnes Pamela Barnes Ewing James Beaumont Donna Culver Krebbs Bobby Ewing Miss Ellie Farlow Jack Ewing Jock Ewing J. R. Ewing Lucy Ewing Sue Ellen Ewing Clayton Farlow Cally Harper Ewing Ray Krebbs Carter McKay Stephanie Rogers April Stevens Ewing Michelle Stevens Jenna Wade Krebbs Revival series regulars Pamela Rebecca Barnes Ann Ewing Bobby Ewing Christopher Ewing John Ross Ewing J. R. Ewing Sue Ellen Ewing Drew Ramos Elena Ramos Emma Judith Ryland Harris Ryland Nicolas Treviño Supporting Rebecca Barnes Wentworth Digger Barnes Afton Cooper Marta Del Sol Gary Ewing Jamie Ewing Valene Ewing Bum Jones Judith Brown-Ryland Kristin Shepard Katherine Wentworth Families Ewing family Barnes family Listings Original series (characters and cast) Revival series (characters and cast)
Seasons	Original series: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Revival series: 1 2 3
TV movies	Dallas: The Early Years (1986) Dallas: J.R. Returns (1996) Dallas: War of the Ewings (1998) Dallas Reunion: The Return to Southfork (2004)
Related articles	Original series crew David Jacobs Cynthia Cidre Lorimar Television Southfork Ranch (Cloyce Box Ranch) Dallas in popular culture Who shot J.R.? Dallas Quest Knots Landing
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