Alias Smith and Jones

Lever action style comedy. I must of been 6 or so when this aired. I knew these dudes are the heroes. Noble cowboys liven fancy free. A true American Western with TV cult status. I grew up thinking how cool would that be riding in the west saving the day. It hit a mark with the young people because of the style. My oldest sister was in high school and we both could watch it. While Gunsmoke was mom and dad's show this was ours. A fun hour of action, humor, and villains. The only show since then to capture what Kid Curry and Hannibal Heyes had is another cult favorite Firefly. The feel of it is the same. Briscoe County Jr is good but not like Smith and Jones. I can't wait for DVD set to come out on this TV classic. Worth watching any chance you get.

"Alias Smith And Jones" is actually a reworking of an earlier pilot/movie, called "The Young Country," about con artists in the Old West. It starred Roger Davis AND Pete Duel and was quite good. If it has ever been shown anywhere since its original ABC network airings (I assume they reran it once) it got by me. Apparently an ABC executive said "Not bad, but make it more like 'Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid'" and a Universal studio exec added, "Here's a sort of Paul Newman look-a-like we've got under contract you can use, so lose one of those guys." So Ben Murphy replaced Davis in the second pilot and the rest is history. If you doubt me, note that in "Country" Joan Hackett plays a character called Clementine Hale, the same name given to Sally Field's two-time guest role in the "AS&J" series. It is a shame that Roger Davis is thought of as the guy that flopped as Duel's replacement, because he was very effective in the original.

This series came about on the coat-tails of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and offers that same flavor of camaraderie and larceny in the old West. With just enough humor and angst throw in to make it a cult classic. I say cult because its not what you'd call a "straight" Western. It has drama, adventure, humor, and a bit of good ole fashion crime. It's well written and the two leads are perfect in their respective roles. I think the show would have lasted longer if not for the sudden death of one of its stars. No disrespect to Roger Smith but the chemistry was lost when Pete was replaced. Alas its not available on DVD (YET!) but you can find VHS eps on ebay and other sites. It's well worth a look!

This 1970 ABC movie was very well received and done in the Butch Cassidy/Sundance Kid vein. The Pete Duel/Ben Murphy chemistry was excellent as they built strong scenes together. Their characters, Hannibal Heyes (Duel) and Jed Curry (Murphy) were trying to go crime free. The governor would grant them amnesty if they could do it for one year. The bad deal is they would still be wanted by the law. They could be killed, but could not kill. It was interesting to see how they would talk their way out of numerous situations (some which were very funny). This was so well received that they made it into a series which featured frequent guest star Sally Field as Clementine Hale. Sally Field and Pete Duel had starred in "Gidget" together.

Around New Years 1972, midway through their second season, Pete Duel lost his long time battle with depression and took his own life. ABC promptly replaced him with the show's narrator, Roger Davis. Even though Davis did an excellent job as Heyes, viewers had a hard time making the mental switch without thinking about the Pete Duel tragedy. ABC renewed the series for a Third Season (1972-73), however it was canceled in February of 1973.

When TNT or TVLand air the reruns of Alias Smith & Jones, whether it is the Duel/Murphy or Davis/Murphy chemistry, it is worth watching.

The story of Hannibal Hayes and Kid Curry, 2 fictional outlaws who robbed many banks and trains but, famously, never actually hurt anyone. They're finally captured, but offered an amnesty if they can.... No, I'm not giving the plot away to anyone who hasn't seen it. Let's just say the "amnesty" has quite a few strings attached to it. I watched this series as a kid in the early 70s and really enjoyed it. Every episode. Quality scripts, well directed and a real chemistry between the 2 stars, Pete Duel (Hayes) and ben Murphy (Curry). I never much liked many other "western" tv shows (The Virginian etc) but Alias Smith & Jones always kept me glued to the tv. I guess it was the good humour of the show, and that the action had no real violence. I remember how sad I was in December '71 when we heard Pete Duel had taken his own life. I couldn't understand how someone so handsome and successful could be unhappy; still can't. Anyway. I haven't seen the show for over 30 years but now it's being shown again on British Channel 5. It hasn't "aged" at all and I'm glad to see a whole new audience is seeing it, as well as oldies like me who saw it the first time round.