16 Magazine, August 1971
“Hannibal Heyes” and “Jed ‘Kid’ Curry” are sidekicks, partners on the path of reformation from criminal derring-do on ABC’s hit series Alias Smith And Jones. They laugh a lot together, escape misadventures together, and charm the ladies together. Their great comraderie, the spirit of real friendship that comes across on the show, is one of the ingredients that’s made it a smash.
But what happens when “Heyes” and the “Kid” get off their horses and take off their hats? What happens when the film isn’t rolling and they’re not acting? How friendly are they then? Is that spirit of togetherness all an act? What do they really have to say about each other when they’re in their real-life roles of Pete Duel and Ben Murphy? Let’s find out the answers right now — as Peter and Ben squeal on each other!!
BEN SQUEALS ON PETE
First and foremost, Pete is a terrific talent. He’s great at comedy, drama, action, playing a romantic guy or a heavy villain — anything. He can really do anything and do it well, too.
We’re different enough to get along well off-screen and on! We bring different interests to each other, so we’re always learning from one another — and that’s built up a great friendship between us. In other words, what you see on TV is real!
Pete’s got an enviable way with girls! Man — all he has to do is flash that smile of his and a girl forgets her own name! It’s wild!
He’s very ambitious. Acting and being good at it and respected in the profession is his goal and I’m confident he’ll reach it. He’s too good not to.
Pete’s his own man. He’s not really a loner in the sense that he’d rather be by himself than with people. It’s just that he’s not a conformist. He doesn’t hang out with the “in” crowd or go to the “in” places, unless he likes the person or the place. He likes individuals — not stereotypes.
Pete’s a nature nut. I mean, you gotta really dig nature to camp out on a desert — like Pete does. Because he loves being outdoors so much, filming for hours at a time in the hot sun doesn’t bother him — and it bothers me that it doesn’t bother him! I get hot filming in the sun — and to Pete it’s perfect shooting conditions!
Pete’s a pioneer. He likes to discover relics from the past, or hidden retreats to go to or be the first to tell some little known bit of trivia. I guess this is all part of his adventurous nature. He likes to be out there in the world, doing new things.
He’s got a very dry sense of humor. One of his hobbies is collecting old-time, movie stories, and jokes. I can be taking a little siesta during a break from filming, and Pete will come by and I’ll break up over one of his funny anecdotes — and he’ll just stand there with a perfect poker face!
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