Pete Duel: A Biography (Paperback)

~ (Author), Pamela Deuel Johnson (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Actor Pete Duel, most widely known for his starring role as outlaw Hannibal Heyes in television's Alias Smith and Jones, led an unpredictable and often tumultuous life, a fact best characterized by his highly publicized 1971 suicide at the height of his television celebrity. This extensive biography delves beyond such familiar events as Duel's career and death to reveal more personal aspects, including his political involvement and environmental activism. Organized chronologically, the biography features extensive personal interviews with Duel's closest family and friends, including sister Pamela Deuel Johnson and former girlfriends Jill Andre, Beth Griswold, Kim Darby and Dianne Ray. Plus exclusive interviews with close personal friends, actors, producers, directors and writers who worked with Pete Duel.

Includes complete episode guides for his work on TV's Gidget, Love on a Rooftop and Alias Smith and Jones and an extensive filmography. Includes over 60 previously unpublished photographs.

About the Author

Writer and artist Paul Green is also the author of A History of Television's The Virginian, 1962-1971 (2006). He lives in Rustburg, Virginia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 229 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (May 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786430621
• ISBN-13: 978-0786430628
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #113,481 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable for any Pete Duel fan, June 17, 2007

By	moonface - See all my reviews

When I was 11 year old, Alias Smith & Jones was my favorite tv show and Hannibal Heyes, played by actor Pete Duel, was my hero. I was devastated and confused when it was reported that he'd died from a self-inflicted gunshot. Years later I tried to find out who the man was behind the happy-go-lucky ex-outlaw I knew and loved, and what could have driven him to end his own life. I discovered little more than a multitude of old tabloid-style and teen fan magazine articles, whose reliability was questionable at best. At last, more than 35 years after the actor's untimely death, Paul Green presents us with a collection of firsthand memories of Pete Duel from the people who knew him best--family, close friends, lovers, and co-workers. Most of this book consists of direct quotes and personal anecdotes, which adds immediacy and life to this unique portrait of the very talented, troubled actor whose life ended so tragically. The numerous photos from the personal collections of friends and family provide never-before seen glimpses of the actor's private life from his childhood beginnings in Penfield, New York through his last years of life as a successful actor in Hollywood. Also included is quite possibly the most complete filmography of Pete Duel available. It's an excellent guide for those seeking out Pete Duel's many impressive performances, which are available through internet fandom but are also becoming more available as old series are re-released on DVD. For fans of Pete Duel, this book is indispensable, period. But it is also fascinating reading for anyone interested in following the development of an extraordinary creative talent, and witnessing the various forces that came to play in extinguishing it far too soon, against the backdrop of the tumultuous 60's and early 70's.

28 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pete Duel: A Biography by Paul Green, June 17, 2007

By	Brannon Walker (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

Highly recommended. In this clear eyed, objective, and intelligently written biography author Paul Green, through interviews with Deuel's sister, Pamela Deuel Johnson and lovers, friends and colleagues cleverly tells a sometimes funny, sometimes wrenching story of the short, troubled and frustrating life of the preternaturally talented actor who arguably could have become one of the best of his generation. Green and his contributors pull no punches about Deuel's being a walking contradiction, more demanding of himself than he was of others, possessive, argumentative, rebellious, alcoholic, drug-addicted and depressed. But he was also generous, idealistic, outspoken and protective. As one friend comments, "he was a mad creative genius." As somebody who lived through the turmoil, desperation and hope of the 1960's and early 1970's I recognize Green's skill in pulling the reader back in time, particularly in the chapter Safe in the Park, which provides a riveting account of the 1968 Democratic National Convention in 1968 at which time Deuel participated as a volunteer for Senator Eugene McCarthy. In spite of an often misspent life and premature death, I finished the book respecting Peter Deuel for prevailing despite problems and serious health concerns, eventually reinventing himself as "Pete Duel" who would create the indelible character Hannibal Heyes in the last great Western Alias Smith and Jones. I would have preferred seeing Deuel as Hamlet but today when watching his work on DVD which is available through various fan sites I realize that yes, he really was as good as I remember and I find myself speculating on what might have been if Deuel hadn't been involved in a car accident at the age of sixteen which irrevocably changed his life.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Details of a Former Acquaintance, August 13, 2008

By	WS - See all my reviews

The book has many interesting details of Peter's life that were new to me. Having known Peter in high school and briefly thereafter, I'd always assumed his untimely death was just a trajic accident. I thought maybe he was just too drunk to know the gun was loaded, or some such thing, but after reading this book I'm not so sure. To his credit, Peter was one of the very few high school "upper classmen" to befriend younger students. He stopped for me when I was hitch-hiking a couple of times when most kids his age wouldn't be bothered, and he even came to one of my birthday parties when it was almost unheard of for different classes to mix socially. It's interesting that a possible cause of Peter's auto accident was apparently never made public. Those of us that knew were all sworn to secrecy, which shows that friendship was more inportant than gossip in those days. I'm grateful that this book allows us all to know more about this talented actor and warm personality.