- Excerpt from "Country Party Line"
Column
- by Bonnie Bucy
- TV Radio Mirror, April 1972
Remember the left-handed card dealer you saw
in the final episode of Alias Smith & Jones that starred
the late Pete Duel? In case he looked familiar to you
country music fans, it was Bill Anderson, making his first
attempt at legit acting. He had filmed the scene with Duel only
a few days before Duel died of a reportedly self-inflicted gunshot
wound. Anderson said he was shocked to learn of the TV actor's
death only a few days later. "I worked closely with Pete.
It was my first effort at straight acting and he couldn't have
been nicer," Anderson said. "He helped me an awful
lot and I got the feeling if we had time, we could have really
become good friends. We talked about the recording industry and
the Nashville Sound and he said he hoped to visit Nashville some
day. I'll remember Pete Duel as a real pro, although I only knew
him one day. He gave me confidence and helped me to relax, when
in truth, I don't guess he even had to give me the time of day."
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