Case in point: today we were researching who Tomorrow's Birthday Boys and Girls would be; we were frankly a bit disappointed that Susan Saint James was about as fabulous as it got -- but bloggers can't always be choosers. Frankly, SSJ leaves us pretty ambivilant -- and we always mix her up with Kate Jackson, for some reason.
Anyway, as we halfheartedly Googled "Susan Saint James" for a reasonably fabulous photo, we happened upon a striking image which suggested that SSJ's off-screen life, at one time, was at least marginally more exciting than her appearances on McMillan & Wife or Kate & Allie would suggest:
For once, Susan Saint James actually looks like someone we'd strike up a conversation with! The actor by her side is Peter Duel, whom we'd never heard of before; so, of course, we Googled him, as well. Apparently, he was quite a popular television actor in the late 1960's and early 1970's, before depression and alcoholism led him to suicide. We were most intrigued by his first starring gig: on a 1966 sitcom obviously taking its cue from the then-wildly successful Neil Simon play, Barefoot in the Park. Called Love on a Rooftop, it starred Duel and Judy Carne as charming young things in love and in Manhattan.
Despite solid reviews and ratings, Rooftop wasn't picked up for a second season. We're anxious to finally see an episode, so we can only speculate that one reason for its cancellation was that leading lady Judy Carne realized her baby-faced co-star made her look like his grandmother.
See? We start off bitching about Susan Saint James, get detoured being fascinated by the suicide of a minor TV heartthrob, and finish things off with a few snarky comments about Judy Carne's sex appeal. A very simple, logical trip from Point A to Point B.
Very instructive!
ReplyDeleteI know I managed to work my way from Loni Anderson's picture down there to snarky comments about Judy Carne's sex appeal in even fewer, less imaginative leaps myself.
Pete Duel was more than a minor TV heartthrob. He still has a loyal following after being dead for 42 years! Many of us were fans from Gidget right through to Alias Smith and Jones. Plus he was a decent man--involved in politics and the environment at a time when it wasn't cool. He cared too much about the world. We need more people like him.
DeleteAgreed!!! Minor heartthrob??? Whoever wrote that article obviously didn’t do their research! Are you kidding me? Pete Duel had he lived, would’ve positively and refreshingly changed the face of cinema, movies and film. A massive loss for us all. RIP Pete❤️
DeleteI'm old enough to have had quite a little crush on Pete and to actually remember Love on a Rooftop. He seems to be one of those people that stills don't do justice to.
ReplyDeleteAs for SSJ? I also remember her reputation off camera as being a kind of freaky hippy chick
Peter Ellstrom Deuel was unbelievably talented and possessed a male beauty that is rarely seen. Had his life not been tragically lost I belief he would have been a very successful film actor. He had a charisma and a charm that people were drawn to like a moth to a flame. He continues to inspire an entire legion of fans. There are numerous sites dedicated to celebrating his life and his work. To those fans who remain loyal and still completely smitten, he was and still is a MAJOR heartthrob (I know because I am one of them). After 40 years he is still making hearts throb and knees go weak.
ReplyDeleteHere, Here!!
DeleteAgreed!!!
DeleteI really liked Peter Duel in Alias Smith and Jones. I was about fifteen when that show ran and he made a huge impression on me
ReplyDelete