as told to Marco Amedeo; Movieland and TV Time, February 1967 What makes one letter more appealing to a star than the next? This month Peter Deuel tells what catches his eye. "I can't skip being honest when I reply to a fan letter I particularly like," Peter points out. "If a person treats me with the sincerity I want, I respect it and respond as frankly. I've always felt I deserve the truth. I remember how I was sidetracked and disillusioned if I didn't get it, so I'm not going to inflict a lie on anyone who could be my ... Read More

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, June 17, 1968 "I don't see why I can't function like anyone else, if I want to, as a political activist, or as an individual who is concerned about the way things are going." That is how Peter Deuel, a Penfield boy who made good on television and in Hollywood, expressed his views on actors in politics. Resting below a large poster of Sen. Eugene McCarthy, D-Minn., on the walls of the 37th district McCarthy headquarters, 321 Genesee St., Deuel said, "Actors are people who just happen to go into acting and are as conscientious or unconscientious as ... Read More

Gidget's Brotherly Brother-in-Law by Brenda Marshall; TV Radio Mirror, May 1966 Pete Deuel is very different from the serious image he projects as the stuffy, psychology-spouting brother-in-law on ABC-TV's Gidget. He's tall, dark, and handsome. He has enchanting dimples when he smiles. He's a carefree, very eligible bachelor who enjoys sports, discotheque dancing, beer, exploring the rough countryside in his land cruiser—and going around barefoot! Pete was barefoot, wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, when he greeted me on the flight of wooden stairs leading to his modest garage apartment in Hollywood. "Going barefoot isn't just a gimmick," he explained. "I've been going barefoot ... Read More

by Felicia Lawrence; Movie World, February 1970 They thought her too big for her britches, and impossible to work with—except one man! The sleek limousine approached the curb and stopped, and quickly the guard, dressed in a dark blue suit, tailored with braided shoulders, hurried to open the door and let the passengers out. A tiny dark-haired girl, who looked like she was twelve, stepped out. Right behind her a nice looking, thin young man, about twenty, came out of the car and smiled at the crowd, waving around as he did. Yes, there they were—the stars of the new movie, Generation, ... Read More

by M. Pinto; Movie Stars, February 1972 Leap Year means that men start thinking about marriage—if the right girl asks! Happily for single girls, Hollywood has it share of heartthrobs this season. The eligible bachelors that we see in the movies and on the television screen this year might not be Clark Gables and Cary Grants, but in many ways they are their contemporary equals. We've picked out the eight young men most girls want to hear about, see and date, and we're going to give you all the pertinent facts on each of them. PETER DUEL Pete Duel, Hannibal Heyes on Alias Smith ... Read More

by Percy Shain, Globe Staff; Boston Globe TV Week, February 14, 1971 There is something symptomatic in the name change of actor Peter Deuel to Pete Duel. The co-star of the new ABC mid-season series, Alias Smith and Jones, seems constantly in a duel with himself. One would have thought he would be in 7th Heaven with this third crack at series stardom (after the one-year flops of Gidget and Love on a Rooftop). Instead, he says, "I have had happier periods in my life." Is he glad he was chosen for it? "I had no choice," he replied. "As a player under ... Read More

Letter to Tiger Talk, Tiger Beat, February 1972 I just had to write and tell you the marvelous thing Pete Duel did for this city and its people. Our local TV station had a telethon for the March of Dimes and Pete worked very hard and unselfishly for many hours to raise money for those who need it so badly. He signed autograph after autograph, and you could see how happy he was to be doing everything. Before he left, he kissed me and signed autographs for me and other lucky people. Not many stars would do something as wonderful as ... Read More

Flip, February 1972 Whether you think of them as Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry or Smith and Jones or Peter Duel and Ben Murphy, on TV, these two characters may tend to look a little alike at times. But off-screen they are two very distinct people! There are a great many differences between Pete and Ben. For example, their homes: Pete lives in a funky old house in the Hollywood Hills, while Ben lives in an apartment with a pool in the San Fernando Valley. For Ben, it only takes about five minutes to get to Universal Studios where Alias Smith and ... Read More

by Bridget Byrne; Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, February 27, 1970 Pete Duel wanted to talk about the problems of population and pollution, but the crowded gossip-filled atmosphere of the Hollywood Brown Derby was not the ideal place for such a discussion. Throughout the interview, Duel, the star of that nice young movie Generation, who revealed that he was 30 that day, was restless. He looked as though he should have been sprawled out on some sea cliff kicking up the earth with the heel of his boots rather than crammed in a booth, unable to stretch. In town to do some looping on his ... Read More

by Judy Hugg; Dallas Morning News, February 11, 1971 "I'm not really an ecology nut or a fanatic on preserving the environment," said Pete Duel, "but I grew up in a beautiful country and I'd like it to stay that way." Pete, who co-stars with Ben Murphy on ABC's Alias Smith and Jones series, was born in Penfield, NY. His interest in the out-of-doors started as soon as he was old enough to walk. "My father started taking me camping in the woods when I was just a little fellow," he recalled. "In those days, Penfield was a real country town with ... Read More