Smith & Jones

The cable channel, WESTERN, is re-broadcasting all the episodes of this series. My husband, a Jones, and myself, formerly a Smith(!), have been enjoying watching these shows again. We saw them when they originally aired when we were kids. We think they have aged well and are still fun. We like seeing Smith & Jones getting into trouble and always finding a way out. And spotting guest actors who have gone on to become famous is a fun game to play. We had guessed that Roger Davis was the narrator for the first two seasons but weren't sure until we saw the credit listed on this site. We also like the fact it's a show we can watch with our 9 year old who has become a fan too!

I was 11 when I found out Pete Duel had shot himself and I was heartbroken like so many others. I watched the show from the pilot on and looked forward to Alias Smith and Jones every week. I really loved the show. Pete Duel and Ben Murphy just went so well together. I find it interesting that Pete has been gone for 36 years at this time and so many people still miss him. Little did he know that past the days of black and white TV there would be an internet someday and people commenting about him. I thought I was the only one devastated by his death. I am almost 48 now and have a 6 year old son who has watched the Alias Smith and Jones DVD with me. I was so happy to see it was released. When I watched it fond memories came back to me. I realized that ASAJ was as good as I remembered it. It was timeless. Even though ASAJ was not on very long, it had made a big impression on people. I still feel bad about Pete's death and believe that he was a great actor and had so much to offer. I don't think he had a clue how many people would be affected by his death. I hope he is resting in peace.

I'm watching reruns on the Western E&W digital channels. The story lines were very good and interesting, as well as the great color and scenery. It seemed that the popularity began to fade when Pete Duel died (I heard it was suicide around the Christmas Holidays). Roger Davis was not as well accepted as the replacement of Hayes, but I think it was only because he had appeared in the series a few times before as a baddie. I just saw one this evening "The smiling man with a gun". Since they are not shown in any sequence each evening, you never know which will be Hannibal Hayes. Since the show first aired, I have retired and visited different areas of the west each summer for the past six years. I've tried to figure where that beautiful scenery was. My guess would have to be Moab UT and the Arches NP. That is how the rock formations looked out there, and also Sedona, AZ. No tall cactus so it was not in southern Arizona. Thanks.

I saw every episode of this show until the tragic suicide of Pete Duel. Pete Duel and Ben Murphy had the chemistry that makes a very good "buddy" show. They were Hannibal Heyes (Pete Duel) and Kid Curry (Ben Murphy), outlaws trying to go straight under the aliases Smith and Jones. Heyes had the brains and Curry had the fast draw, but they used brains more than guns. Many of the shows were elaborate scams the boys set up to get friends of theirs out of trouble - while trying to keep out of trouble themselves. It was funny and charming and it was one of the most enjoyable shows I ever saw on television. After the death of Pete Duel, they replaced him with Roger Davis playing Hannibal Heyes. I watched a few, but it was never the same.

In the world of "Smith and Jones" nothing and no one can be trusted. Heyes and the Kid are wanted outlaws, but compared to the respectable citizens - lawyer, sheriff, banker, nun - who swindle, lie, betray and try to kill them, they are new-born innocents. No matter how brilliant Heyes' latest scheme, it's bound to end in disaster, and even if they DO make a little money, someone will steal it. Not that WE are any better at knowing what will happen next:

"Everything's under CONTROL!" cries the harassed deputy, and the Bank explodes.

Heyes and the Kid are not great romantic rebels like Butch Cassidy and Sundance; they are just, like the rest of us, trying to earn an honest living in a treacherous world. But they ARE inspiring nonetheless in the depth of their friendship - at a crisis, they never have to confer -and in their empathy with other outcasts:

"We like to think there's a little bad in everyone," says Heyes, enjoying the joke.

While earlier Western series may have tended to sermonize, "Smith and Jones" never takes itself too seriously, but charms us with its modesty into acceptance of the values it recommends.