SPEC 16 Magazine, February 1972
By now, all you SPEC-ers know all the fax about two of your fav raves — Pete Duel and Ben Murphy — the dream dolls you watch every Thursday night at 7:30 on ABC’s Alias Smith and Jones. You’ve been sending loads of mail to SPEC asking kooky questions about these two guys. We compiled a list of the 20 questions asked most frequently and had Pete and Ben answer you! Now, imagine you’re a reporter for SPEC and this is your assignment! Get out your pen and paper and fire away — cos this is how … Read More
by Funky Duke Lewis; Tigerbeat, July 1971
Smith and Jones may be a pair of saddlesore drifters on ABC Channel 7, but fans of Old West action love the bums! It’s a toss-up which of the two pards is the most popular with female addicts of the little flickering box. Both are young, handsome, splendid physical types with arresting personalities. Even more important, both are unmarried. Let’s make a quick word-sketch of each to help you decide which one to concentrate your love powers on.
Pete Duel, alias Joshua Smith, alias Hannibal Heyes, is a lean, brown-eyed six-footer [he was actually five-feet-ten], … Read More
I’ve added new videos in the Video Gallery in all areas: Television Series, Guest Appearances, Memorial Videos, Movies & Plays, and Fan Videos. Check out the Video Gallery to enjoy our special man in his various acting performances — with more to come. I’ve also begun the development of the Picture Gallery.
Letter sent to fans who had written to or about Pete, 1972, by John Napier
Peter Ellstrom Deuel was a brilliant earthly star. You could easily spot him in a mass of people on a crowded boulevard because he sparkled when he walked. You felt the gentleness of his soul when you looked into his penetrating eyes. When he spoke, you listened and watched intently as his hands made diagrams in the air punctuating the flow of speech that came so easily. And, his smile!!!!
I shall never forget one early morning, about 4 a.m., this past summer when Pete stood in … Read More
by Elizabeth Laurence; Photoplay (UK), 1972
Pete Duel, popular for his work in the hit television series Alias Smith and Jones, died on New Year’s Eve. [Editor’s Note: Peter died the morning of New Year’s Eve Day, not New Year’s Eve night.] The young American actor found that life at the top wasn’t worth the effort. [That isn’t necessarily Peter’s reasons for ending his life; new evidence suggests that his anti-convulsion medication for his epilepsy may have played a role, as did a number of other demoralizing issues during his life at that time.] He shot himself. It was a bitter … Read More
Hello all,
I’ve added Peter’s performance in The Hell With Heroes to the MOVIES page (which now has one movie on it!). Enjoy. More to come…
Life’s Work, Living Free
by Janey Milstead, from Hollywood; FAB 208, May 6, 1972
We can’t forget, and we don’t want to. Now the awful shock has worn off, we understand that Pete has really gone from this world. But he hasn’t left our thoughts, and never will. As a last, simple tribute to him, FAB remembers the things that were important while he was here — his life, his career, and the beliefs that made him a warm, committed human being. As long as these things live on in people’s minds, they will be important always.
FEBRUARY 24, 1940
Born Peter Ellstrom … Read More