On this day, December 31, 1971, Pete Duel of "Alias Smith and Jones" died by suicide.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

I caught an episode earlier this evening [in 2022]. It was the episode that provided the still in the Wiki article about him.

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It's still showing on MeTV Plus, every Saturday and Sunday at 5:00 p.m. on the Washington DC affiliate. Here's today's episode:

https://www.tvtv.us/dc/washington/20500/luUSA-OTA20500/search/show/EP000001870021

Alias Smith and Jones

Alias Smith and Jones is an American Western series that originally aired on ABC from January 1971 to January 1973. The show initially starred Pete Duel as Hannibal Heyes and Ben Murphy as Jedediah "Kid" Curry, outlaw cousins who are trying to reform. The governor offers them a clemency deal on two conditions: that they keep the agreement a secret, and that they will remain wanted fugitives until the governor decides that they should receive a formal amnesty.

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Pete Duel



Alias Smith and Jones, 1971

Born: Peter Ellstrom Deuel; February 24, 1940; Rochester, New York, U.S.
Died: December 31, 1971 (aged 31); Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place: Oakwood Cemetery; Penfield, New York, U.S.
Alma mater: St. Lawrence University



Alias Smith and Jones (1971)
L-R: Duel, William Windom, Ben Murphy

Peter Ellstrom Deuel (February 24, 1940 – December 31, 1971), known professionally as Pete Duel, was an American stage, television, and film actor, best known for his starring role as outlaw Hannibal Heyes (alias Joshua Smith) in the television series Alias Smith and Jones.

Early life



Duel's childhood home

Duel was born in Rochester, New York, the eldest of three children born to Dr. Ellsworth and Lillian Deuel (née Ellstrom). His brother Geoffrey Deuel was also an actor, best known for his role in Chisum (1970) and numerous episodic television appearances of the 1960s and 1970s; their sister's name was Pamela.

He attended Penfield High School, where he worked on the yearbook staff, campaigned for student government, and was a member of the National Thespians Society. He graduated in 1957 and attended St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, where he majored in English. He was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. He preferred performing in the drama department's productions to studying for his classes during his two years there. When his father came to see him in The Rose Tattoo, he realized that his son was only wasting time and money at the university, and told him to follow a career in acting.

Moving to New York City, Duel landed a role in a touring production of the comedy Take Her, She's Mine. To find work in the movies, Duel and his mother drove across the country to Hollywood, California, in 1963, with only a tent to house them each night.

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Career

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According to Quentin Tarantino, Duel was one of the inspirations for the character of Rick Dalton in the film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. In Tarantino's novelization of the movie, Duel and Dalton worked together, "enjoyed ... each other's company" and were both "undiagnosed bipolar."

Personal life

Duel became involved in politics during the primaries for the 1968 presidential election, campaigning for Eugene McCarthy, in opposition to the Vietnam War. He attended the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and witnessed the violence that erupted.

Death

In the early hours of Friday, New Years Eve 1971, Duel died at his Hollywood Hills home of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Duel's girlfriend Dianne Ray was at his home at the time of his death and discovered his body. Ray later told police the couple had watched Duel's series Alias Smith and Jones the previous evening. She later went to sleep in another room while Duel stayed up. Sometime after midnight, Duel entered the bedroom, retrieved his revolver and told Ray "I'll see you later." Ray then said she heard a gunshot from another room and discovered Duel's body.

According to police, Duel's friends and family said he was depressed about his drinking problem. He had been arrested and pleaded guilty to a driving under the influence accident that injured two people the previous June. Duel's death was later ruled a suicide.

Duel's funeral was held at the Self-Realization Fellowship Temple on January 2, 1972, in Pacific Palisades. At the service, his girlfriend Dianne Ray read a poem he wrote, titled "Love". An estimated 1,000 friends and fans attended. His body was flown to Penfield, New York, where he was buried in Oakwood Cemetery.

After his death, his role in Alias Smith and Jones was taken over by Roger Davis, who was previously the narrator over the opening theme of the show. The loss of Duel proved too great for the series to sustain and it was canceled in early 1973.

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Sun Feb 26, 2023: On this day, February 24, 1940, actor Pete Duel of "Alias Smith & Jones" was born.

Sat Dec 31, 2022: On this day, December 31, 1971, Pete Duel of "Alias Smith and Jones" died by suicide.

[Lunabell]

1. I had such a crush on him when I was a kid.

RIP.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

2. The show aied in the UK in 1973

I recall the BBC would have announcers for their programs and this one particular announcement:

"And now we return to the old west where men were men, horses were horses and Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry were Alias Smith and Jones."

RIP Pete

[PJMcK]

3. Sad story

It was a fun show when it aired. At the time, I didn't know Duel had died. Pity.

The show was kind of a take off on Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid in that it depicted likable bandits which had been released a couple of years earlier, (not much in Hollywood is original!).

The Wild, Wild West was also a pretty good show in its time.

[Ferrets are Cool]

4. This was my favorite show at the time.

[LaMouffette]

5. Thank you for posting this. Pete Duel was one of my earliest crushes, and I was crushed when he died.

I didn't know that he had had a drinking problem. Alcohol is here to stay. But we're not doing enough as a country to combat its tragic impacts, especially on people suffering from depression. Anthony Bourdain (another crush of mine!) also had a drinking problem, which undoubtedly contributed to his act of suicide, too.

[murielm99]

6. I knew someone who

went to school with him at Lawrence. She said he was a born actor.