Teen Scene, April 1972

Pete Duel and Ben Murphy are bachelors, but they could give up the single scene — for the right kind of a girl.

“Sure I plan to get married,” says Ben Murphy. “When I find the right girl.” And Pete agrees. “I’m in no hurry to be married,” he says thoughtfully, “but if that certain girl came along tomorrow, well…”

[M]aybe you’re turned on by Pete Duel, the other star of Alias Smith and Jones. You’ve been wondering exactly what it would take to make him happy. Could you be “that certain girl” who’d make him give up his bachelor status forever?

It wouldn’t be easy because Pete’s not the kind of guy who falls in love easily. To begin with, it would take a long time, and a lot of patience on your part, before you could break down his reserve.

He’s not the kind to hand a girl a line or flirt with her just for fun. If Pete told you he loved you, he’d mean it and he’d expect you to mean it, too.

It you ever did go steady with Pete and he caught you making eyes at another guy, even once — that would be it, as far as he was concerned.

But once he told you he loved you, he wouldn’t run around with other girls, either. He’d be yours and only yours from then on.

Pete’s girl, like Ben’s, would have to love nature and the outdoors. Whenever he has the time, he gets into his camper truck and takes off for California’s High Sierras.

He doesn’t tote a lot of fancy equipment either — he likes nature in the rough, and if you were his girl, he’d want you to like it that way, too.

Could you learn to cook over an open fire and sleep in a tent? Because, if you were Pete’s wife, you’d have to do just that — and love it.

You’d have to share his joy in sitting out late under the stars with only the sound of the night wind for your music. You’d have to like getting up at dawn to watch the sun rise over the rugged mountain peaks.

Pete’s girl, like Ben’s, would have to understand his involvement in his career.

Pete’s been studying and working for years to become as good an actor as possible and his studies haven’t stopped even now that his TV series is such a big success.

Although he comes from a family of doctors, Pete always wanted to be an actor and never really considered medicine as his career.

He studied at the American Theater Wing in New York City and, after two years there, he was assistant stage manager and performer with the Shakespeare Wrights Repertory Company. He also toured with the Family Service Group, which produced shows for schools, service clubs, and PTA groups.

So, no matter how close you were to Pete, you would have to understand those times when he drew away from you and into his own private world, when he was brooding about his work and wasn’t in the mood to share his thoughts with you.

And there’d be those times when you wanted to go to a party and have lots of people around. But maybe Pete would ask you if you’d mind just staying home with him. He’d tell you that he’d had a rough day and he wanted to unwind with only you for company.

Would you accuse him of being too temperamental and insist on going to the party with or without him? We wouldn’t advise that, not if you wanted to keep him yours for life.

No, Pete’s not the easiest guy to win, but if he were your special guy, you’d probably be willing to make whatever sacrifices were necessary.

Because, once he gives you his love, you will always have him right there when you need him. He’ll listen to your deepest, most intimate thoughts, and share them. He’d never laugh at you, or do anything to hurt you.

So there you have it — two wonderful and very special guys, Ben and Pete. Each is looking for the right kind of girl for him and each has a lot to offer when he finds his own special girl.