Inspired by the success of the movie, "Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid", Writer-producer Roy Huggins (the brains behind Maverick and others) and producer Glen A. Larsen developed Alias Smith & Jones, which was another series spun from the ABC Movie of the Week when it debuted as a mid-season replacement in January 1971.
The TV-movie, narrated by Ralph Story, told the tale of Hannibal Heyes (Pete Duel, ex-Love on a Rooftop) & "Kid" Curry (Ben Murphy), members of the Devil's Hole Gang, a gang of outlaws whose claim to infamy--or fame, depending on who you asked---was that they never shot anyone. Inevitably, however, there is a falling out between Heyes and the rest of the gang, with Curry, his cousin, leaving with him to strike out on their own, hoping to go straight. They're captured, but are told by Sheriff Travers (James Drury, The Virginian) that the governor would be willing to grant them amnesty because they hadn't killed anyone. However, for political reasons, this needs to remain a secret.
That allows the cousins to adopt new identities as Joshua Smith (Heyes) & Thaddeus Jones (Curry). Over the course of 2 full years---encompassing 2 1/2 seasons---Smith & Jones ride the dangerous trail, hoping to win their freedom.
So what went wrong? Well, for one thing, there was one big cast change halfway through season 2. Pete Duel, dealing with depression via alcohol, committed suicide in December 1971. Roger Davis, who had taken over as narrator when the series began, took over as Heyes/Smith, and Story returned to resume as narrator. Sheriff Travers would return, but played by two different actors, due to Drury's commitments to The Virginian, including Mike Road, better known at the time as a pitchman for Fireman's Fund insurance, and before that, as a voice actor for Hanna-Barbera (Jonny Quest, The Herculoids). Sally Field (ex-The Flying Nun) appeared in 2 episodes as Clementine Hale, and there were also appearances by Burl Ives (The Bold Ones), Earl Holliman (later of Police Woman), & Walter Brennan (ex-The Guns of Will Sonnett).
Dailymotion presents "The Root of it All":
The series was last seen on Retro a couple of years back. Where it is now, I'm not sure.
Rating: B.
4 comments:
This used to be a good show and Pete Duel's tragic death will forever haunt it.
My dad and I used to watch the show in syndication - then Duel was suddenly replaced and he had to explain it to me. I think the Network suits were just plain cold doing what they did! While I can understand replacing the actor, rather than stopping production completely, they could have handled it better.
On the old "Jumping The Shark" site, a woman posted that her mother remembered the incident first hand and claimed Duel's girlfriend killed him during an argument and made it appear to be a suicide. She claimed Duel had never had suicidal thoughts and had no reason to kill himself. Whether or not that's the truth remains to be seen.
Ben Murphy stated in an interview years later that their chemistry was unbeatable - truly lightning in a bottle. They were friends in real life as well and you could see the tears welling up in Murphy's eyes when talking about him.
Roger Davis said in an interview that he felt guilty about taking Duel's place and didn't agree with the way the studio handled things. They were matter of fact about it ("Davis you're in as Hannibal Heyes, starting Monday!").
I think there was an episode of the old cable series, "Mysteries & Scandals" that addressed this, I'm not sure.
Granted, Duel left us waaaay too soon, and his passing, sad to say, was where the show had, in fact, jumped the shark, long before the phrase was coined.
I had the pleasure of meeting the late Monty Laird who worked on A&S and Jones. He led me to believe Pete did not die of suicide. Things ,were hushed up quickly by the studio. They rushed back in to production. A big mystery here. Pete was fantastic as Hayes. Roger Davis had some big boots to fill here. He did a very admirable job. The show was given a poor time slot. It did very well in the UK after it was canceled in the states. One of my all time favorites! RIP Pete!
Don't know where you heard this story from your source, but this requires a little investigation.
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