BEN & PETE "WE REVEAL OUR DEEPEST THOUGHTS!"
Teen World, April 1972

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PETE DUEL and Ben Murphy lead action-packed, adventurous lives on "Alias Smith and Jones." And their personal lives are also quite busy and exciting. But they have quiet moments, too-moments of deep, serious thought, times when they ponder their pasts, think about what they're doing right now and wonder what the future will bring. Want to share them?

THE TRAVEL BUG

Pete gets wanderlust often. Eventually he hopes to get to travel all over the world, but right now he satisfies himself by hopping into his four wheel drive camper and driving off into the country, mountains, plains, desert, seaside-wherever he feels like going.

Pete's enjoyed camping ever since he "was a little boy growing up in Penfield, New York. To him, camping was always a way to get close to nature, to be by himself, alone with the wind and the sky and the trees. It was a time when he could really settle down and think, make plans, set goals and be completely himself.

Most of the time, his camping trips have been relaxing and rewarding. But there were a few experiences that were almost more trouble than they were worth--like his visit to the Rocky Mountains during a cross-country trip to California.

Pete has to laugh at himself when he thinks of it now. "When I reached the mountains it was raining," he says. "I set up the tent, dug trenches around it in the approved fashion and decided to wait the rain out. After ten days everything I owned was so soggy--including myself--I had to give up and start on to California. I didn't even see the Rockies because it was so overcast!"

As far as Ben's concerned, he shares Pete's great love of travel, and has spent a lot of time seeing the United States, Canada and Mexico. In fact, he has several scrapbooks filled with his travel experiences, and someday hopes to put them into book form so all his friends all over the world can share some of the wonderful memories of his travels with him.

Writing a book should come naturally to Ben since he's already a bit of a bookworm. At least, he's seldom caught without something to read. Among his favorite writers are modern philosophers such as Jean-Paul Sartre, but he also enjoys reading the "classics." Ben doesn't read simply for entertainment, either. He believes that books help people gain more knowledge and understanding of others.

Pete, too, spends hours reading. Among the works that fill his bookshelves are those of Shakespeare, Dylan Thomas and Thoreau. But what Pete seems to think and talk about most are the political journals he reads.

Pete's been interested in politics for a long time. "My first experience as a real political activist," he says, "was in the presidential campaign of 1968." Pete worked for Eugene McCarthy's campaign, talking to people, giving out leaflets, even attending the convention in Chicago.

Although he hasn't been terribly active politically in the recent past, the problems of this country and of the world are among the things he ponders most deeply.

One of the most serious problems is the state of the environment. Even before the ecology movement became popular, Pete was aware that the environment was being changed for the worse.

"When I was a kid," he says, "the area I lived in was like a real country town with woods and fields to play in. It was a great place to grow up. But then somebody started building subdivisions. And everything changed."

Today Pete thinks frequently about ways in which he can contribute to the preservation of the environment-even if it's only recycling his own newspapers and bottles.

Ben, too, is aware that in the name of progress, man sometimes goes a little too far. One modern invention Ben's wary of is the car. Living in spread-out Los Angeles, he realizes that having a car--in his case a convertible-- is a real necessity. There's just no other quick means for getting from one place to another. But he also realizes that a car can be a very dangerous instrument. "So many people get killed on the highway, it really frightens me," he says honestly. As a result, he's an extremely careful driver.

THE PURSUIT OF HEALTH

Both Pete and Ben are concerned about keeping their health up. One way they try to keep fit is to watch what they eat, which means they try to eat only wholesome natural foods. Ben keeps vegetable juices in the fridge, and Pete mixes up his own health food drinks. When they go out, they stick with restaurants that specialize in natural foods, too. Not that they're fanatics about it--they just agree that eating natural foods makes them feel a lot better, and gives them lots of energy, too.

What do Pete and Ben think of themselves? That's not easy to talk about, they'll both tell you.

Ben characterizes himself as quiet and somewhat shy, almost aloof. That is he holds himself back from people until he really gets to know them.

But he's a person who believes in being honest with himself, in facing his problems and dealing with them. If he does things wrong, he's always ready to admit it and to try to do better next time.

Ben feels that one of the most important things a person can do is "to accept yourself for what you are." You can't really love other people unless you feel good about yourself. And Ben, without being arrogant or conceited, has that kind of self-confidence. Like Ben, Pete's very honest--both with others and about his own feelings. Intense and emotional, he believes in saying what's on his mind, but doesn't expect others to agree with him necessarily.

Although he enjoys having fans who appreciate his work, he realizes that "fame in show business doesn't have much to do with actual achievement." He's an actor first of all-not a public personality.

Pete's the kind of guy who tries his best to keep his private life private. Right now he's dating a special girl, but all he'll say about their relationship is that he isn't ready for marriage--yet.

Ben, too, says he's not ready for marriage. He enjoys having girls, who are good friends, and insists he's not yet serious about any one person.

Someday he expects he'll find someone he wants to spend the rest of his life with, but that day isn't anywhere in the immediate future.

What does he think she'll be like? Ben doesn't have many definite answers, but he knows she'd have to be an independent person who wouldn't make demands on him and who would share his love of travel. (It would be nice if she liked to wear short skirts, too!)