Roger and Pete had been friends despite what some people tried to infer when Pete got the series and Roger didn't. It was a result of their joint acting in "Young Country." They were both in that wonderful show. Pete was spotted for "Smith and Jones." But they were very fond of one another, Roy reminded me.
For Ben, it was even more difficult. He and Pete had lived together on the set, they had argued about the series, the value of the show to their careers, and talked of life in general. Now, Ben found he was doing scenes with Roger--scenes that he had done the week before with Pete. It was a test of more than acting on Ben's part, believe me.
Adding to the tragedy of Pete's frustration with himself and his life, was the fact he thought his acting was being prostituted in the series. And in show number 19, the one that had to be redone, Roy said, "Pete was never better. As a matter of fact, my last words to him that night before he went home were to tell him that he was never better. I had just seen the 'dailies' and was impressed, I'm going to save those dailies for everyone to know what a fine actor he was."
Everyone in town knew Pete as a quiet (maybe too much so), warm guy. Particularly Ben. The whole company pulled for Ben in those days after the suicide, to help get him and Roger thru their super-acting. From all I could find from those I spoke to, Pete just never planned to do it. Sure, he was depressed, but the tragic part was-- he had a gun. Guns kill.
I spoke to someone else who was in tears
when we talked about Pete--Shirley Jones.
"We thought they were going to get married,'' she said sadly
to me when we talked about Pete and his girl Diane Ray.
Pete's romance with Diane was no different in many ways from others,
on-again, off-again, stormy, beautiful, etc. As a matter of fact,
Shirley revealed to me on many occasions when he was having problems
with his romance, he'd come over to talk with Shirley and Jack,
who, let's face it, have had plenty of their own.
"He'd been going with Diane a long time and then he broke
up with her. He was more broken up about the breakup, I think.
So he'd come over and we'd talk it out. He'd just pop over without
any special invitations needed, and we'd have a long, pleasant
talk. He was a very dear person. This whole year seemed ruined
when it started this way."
During the long "talks" at the Cassidy house, I wondered
it there was any indication of Pete having a drinking problem.
Shirley has been around actors who drink--even drunks. And husband
Jack is not a teetotaler, but she said to me about Pete. "I
knew he drank, but I never saw him drunk. And I never knew he
had a problem because there never was any report of it at work
and you can't drink and do a series, believe me! We did several
game shows together, and I can tell you there was never any indication
that he had been drinking when we worked together."
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