Post by Daisy Jacqueline Crane on Dec 9, 2009 21:27:28 GMT -5
Here are some comments from Peter Duel himself on his 1970s television western, "Alias Smith and Jones"
But all things considered it's a fun show to do and he gets along just fine, he insists, with his co-star, Ben Murphy.
I still haven't found my way in playing Hannibal Heyes," he says thoughtfully. "I know what Heyes should be, at least I did in the pilot. He favors sweet talking, card playing and safe cracking and needs situations to display those attributes. But when you put a series together in a hurry, it's hard to get scrappy dialogue for such occasions. That's difficult to do even with plenty of time. I make it a point never to criticize writers--they have the hardest job going--so I often work around the situation and dialogue, trying to have fun."
"There is nothing funny about being a fugitive," Pete explains, "I find it very hard to smile about. In many ways, well, I force myself to be Hannabal. You figure this man has to be the greatest in the world, hunted by every posse and still able to joke and laugh. I love that about him. He's happy all the time, or at least most of the time. The more I get to be like Hannabal, the happier I will be. I'm not just doing a role. This is a crash course in psychiatry! I am, frankly, more melancholy than merry. There may be comedy in me in the future, but not now.
"I didn't want to do the series at first," says Duel. "I was fighting with myself. I didn't want millions of people to see me do a poor job in a silly western. Then I accepted it and committed myself to it. And I've had a ball."
"I'm not so sure I'd want it to fold. You develop an affection for the crew and the show. I have affection for the character of Hannibal Heyes. I enjoy the little time trip I take every time I'm on the back lot. I can sit on a porch with a horse tied up at the rail and relax and take a trip back to a time when it was dangerous, but there was a lot of peace."
But all things considered it's a fun show to do and he gets along just fine, he insists, with his co-star, Ben Murphy.
I still haven't found my way in playing Hannibal Heyes," he says thoughtfully. "I know what Heyes should be, at least I did in the pilot. He favors sweet talking, card playing and safe cracking and needs situations to display those attributes. But when you put a series together in a hurry, it's hard to get scrappy dialogue for such occasions. That's difficult to do even with plenty of time. I make it a point never to criticize writers--they have the hardest job going--so I often work around the situation and dialogue, trying to have fun."
"There is nothing funny about being a fugitive," Pete explains, "I find it very hard to smile about. In many ways, well, I force myself to be Hannabal. You figure this man has to be the greatest in the world, hunted by every posse and still able to joke and laugh. I love that about him. He's happy all the time, or at least most of the time. The more I get to be like Hannabal, the happier I will be. I'm not just doing a role. This is a crash course in psychiatry! I am, frankly, more melancholy than merry. There may be comedy in me in the future, but not now.
"I didn't want to do the series at first," says Duel. "I was fighting with myself. I didn't want millions of people to see me do a poor job in a silly western. Then I accepted it and committed myself to it. And I've had a ball."
"I'm not so sure I'd want it to fold. You develop an affection for the crew and the show. I have affection for the character of Hannibal Heyes. I enjoy the little time trip I take every time I'm on the back lot. I can sit on a porch with a horse tied up at the rail and relax and take a trip back to a time when it was dangerous, but there was a lot of peace."