"Alias Smith and Jones" (1971) TV series 1971-1973

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Creator:

Glen A. Larson

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Release Date:

21 January 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Western

Plot:

Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry, two of the most wanted outlaws in the history of the West, are popular...

Plot Keywords:

Wild West | Star Died During Filming | Satire | Character Name In Title

Cast

Ben Murphy	...	Jed 'Kid' Curry (Thaddeus Jones) (50 episodes, 1971-1973)
Roger Davis	...	Narrator / ... (49 episodes, 1971-1973)
Pete Duel	...	Hannibal Heyes (Joshua Smith) / ... (33 episodes, 1971-1972)

Runtime:

60 min (50 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

Universal TV

Trivia:

Following co-star Pete Duel's sudden death on December 31, 1971, production on the series came to a halt for only half a day. Filming resumed on the afternoon of January 1, 1972 with Roger Davis re-filming Duel's scenes for the episode in production at the time of his death.

Quotes:

[first lines for first season's episodes]
[narrator speaks over scenes of Heyes and Curry committing various robberies]
Narrator: Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry - the two most successful outlaws in the history of the West. And in all the trains and banks they robbed, they never shot anyone. This made our two latter-day Robin Hoods very popular - with everyone but the railroads and the banks.
[cut to scene of posse in hot pursuit of Heyes and Curry]
Jed 'Kid' Curry: There's one we thing we gotta get, Heyes.
Hannibal Heyes: What's that?
Jed 'Kid' Curry: Out of this business!
[cut to meeting between Heyes, Curry and Sheriff Trevors]
Sheriff Lom Trevors: The governor can't come flat out and give you amnesty now. First you have to prove you deserve it.
Hannibal Heyes: Ah. So all we have to do is just stay out of trouble till the governor figures we deserve amnesty.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Doctor Who Confidential: Alter Ego (#3.8)" (2007)

Gentle-Hearted Gem

In the UK this gentle, unassuming western series stormed straight into viewers' hearts; garnered enormous audiences, and generated many fond memories... how many among us still recall the 'five pat-hand' poker trick? Lots and lots, I'd wager.

What made it so successful, in retrospect, was the thoroughness of the script preparation and the subsequent chemistry between the two leads. Roy Huggins' (aka John Thomas James) thoughtful and professional approach was everywhere. Many of the most memorable moments within the series were based upon fact and/or documented historical incidents e.g. soap selling dodges, poker escapades, safe-cracking attempts, and - although I was unaware of this as a child - it explains why so much of the series' background 'hung true'. Toss in the amiable, laconic tit-tat verbal interplay between Hannibal Heyes (Pete Duel) and Kid Curry (Ben Murphy)... and you ended up with small-screen magic.

Heyes followed the silver-tongued, 'I can talk us out of this calamity' approach, with endless undinted confidence and zest, but varying success; Curry, meanwhile, was content to watch him 'wing-it', then stepped in when catastrophe threatened - as it often did.

It was the 'little things' that made this series soar, the consistency of character, the fallibility, the kicks of fate that tweaked Heyes and Curry into two magnetically likable 'pretty good bad men'. The delicate interplays between two men who would 'do to ride the river'.

It was often the smallest stories that were the most successful, the ones where technically 'not a lot was happening'. For example, in one episode they got snowed-in, for the whole winter, in a remote mountain cabin... all very static? nope, just the opposite... what you got, was a heck of a lot of Heyes and Curry getting on with the business of making the best of a bad deal. Fantastic.

This is the 'less is more' approach; so often lauded - but oh so rarely allowed onto the screen. The actors gelled with their characters; the characters enthralled; the writing created an environment within which the ensemble could thrive.

So okay... some episodes were better than others, a couple were great, and a couple were not-so great; but through it all Smith & Jones bantered and bickered, won, lost, and kept on trying. It was joyous entertainment. Joyous.

What's that, you said? Naw... can't be... d'you mean, you really don't know the 'five pat-hand' poker trick?!

Watch and Enjoy!