Excerpt from TV SCOOPS & SECRETS
by Cleo
TV Radio Show, May 1972
ROGER DAVIS, the actor who took over PETE DUEL'S role on Alias Smith and Jones was ironically set to do the series before Duel or BEN MURPHY. Universal had made a western pilot starring Roger and Duel played a villain in the first segment.

When the powers-that-be saw it they decided they wanted Duel as a regular, so it would have been Duel and Davis. Then someone spotted Ben Murphy and decided his resemblance to Paul Newman would attract a lot of attention from feminine viewers, so Roger was left out altogether and it became Duel and Murphy. Considering the fact that Peter absolutely hated working in a series, he'd probably be very happy to know Roger has his original job back.


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