PETE & BEN--DO YOU DARE DATE THEM?
SPEC 16 Magazine, October 1971

But what would happen if your fantasies turned into the real thing? What would you do if either Pete or Ben turned up on your doorstep, ready to take you out on a date?! Would you dare go out with the stuff your dreams are made of? Would you dare date Pete or Ben--two guys who have captured your heart from afar? Read on end see if you are the kind of girl who can meet the challenge--and take the dare--of dating Pete or Ben!!

Dating Pete Duel would be a challenge to any girl who loves him just because he's "Pete Duel, TV star". If you're the kind of girl who's fallen in love with his dimpled image on the tube and who doesn't care what he may really be like--then forget it, you're not up to the dare of dating this guy! But if you feel there's more to Pete than meets the eye--you just might be able to handle the challenge of going out with him--for here's a fellow who's a whole lot more than what he seems to be!

As a matter of fact, the playful, almost impish character Pete portrays on his TV series bears very little resemblance to the real thing! Pete can be playful, of course, but--first and fore-most--he's a very ambitious guy who's dedicated to becoming an accomplished actor. He's a perfectionist, constantly striving to improve his craft. Pete probably wouldn't be able to spend all of his time with you, because his work is so important to him. So if you want to date him regularly, you have to be pretty understanding of his time. He'd also want you to be interested in his career. That doesn't mean his work would be the only thing you two ever talked about--Pete couldn't stand that! But it does mean getting excited for him if he's pleased with how a scene went or if he just landed a plum guest role.

Pete is also a perfectionist in the sense that he is deeply committed to making the world a more perfect place in which to live. He works hard in the ecology movement, doing his utmost for the preservation of wildlife. He's very much involved in learning and in living. Pete reads a lot--all kinds of books from art books to political essays. He's an interested and an interesting person--and the girl he dates should be too. Does all this sound a bit too much for you to handle? Are you ready and able to keep up with Pete's ambition and perfectionism, his commitments? If you are, then you don't have to fear the challenge of dating Pete! And if you dare--be prepared for a fascinating and a fun romance!!

Ben Murphy is a guy who attended and then left eight colleges before settling down at the University of Illinois long enough to earn his degree. He's a guy who loves to travel and he's been all over the U.S. and Mexico. He loves to read--any kind of book. Most important, Ben Murphy is a guy who gets bored easily. His mind is quick, his attention span short! Could you meet the challenge of catching his interest and keeping it?

The reason why he's traveled so much, why he reads a lot, why, he tested so many schools is because he's restless! He likes to sample lots of things before deciding on what to swallow! The same goes for girls--and that's where one of the biggest challenges in dating Ben comes in. A girl has to be interesting to Ben to keep him calling her again and again. That doesn't mean you have to be a raving beauty or have a brilliant mind. Being an interesting person is much more than that. It means being aware--of the world and what's happening in it, of people, of yourself. It means being good company for another person, because you have ideas on things, you have goals and ambitions--in other words, you're an individual! Are you that kind of girl? You should be if you dare date Ben! Otherwise, you won't understand him and his need to "get away from it all" every now and then--or why he doesn't see you because he'd rather paint one evening. If you're his kind of girl, you'll understand Ben's needs--because you'll probably have similar ones.

Ben's restless nature and his short attention span accounts for the other big challenge in dating him. Ben's a flirt! He can't help it--he loves girls! Lots of girls! All kinds of girls! Ben goes out with many girls and he plans to keep doing this until--like the schools--he finds the one girl he's most comfortable with. Now this is quite a challenge for any girl who digs Ben, cos it means sharing him with others! If you dare to date Ben, then you have to dare to share him--and dare to be interesting enough to keep him coming back to you!!