Alias ​​Smith and Jones

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Television series
German title Alias ​​Smith and Jones
Original title Alias ​​Smith and Jones
Country of production United States
original language English
Year (s) 1971-1973
Production
company		 Universal Television
length 50 minutes
Episodes 50 in 3 seasons ( list )
genre Western film
production Glen A. Larson
Joe Swerling Jr.
music John Andrew Tartaglia
Pete Rugolo
Robert Prince
Billy Goldenberg
David Shire
First broadcast January 5th, 1971 on ABC
German-language
first broadcast		 April 21, 1973 on ARD
occupation

Alias ​​Smith and Jones (Original title: Alias ​​Smith and Jones ) is an American western series that ran from 1971 to 1973. 50 episodes were produced. The series was developed and directed by Glen A. Larson and Roy Huggins . The leading roles were played by Pete Duel (replaced by Roger Davis during the second season ) and Ben Murphy .

content

Hannibal Heyes and Jed "Kid" Curry are the most successful bank and train robbers in the Wild West. They never killed anyone in their raids, so they are popular everywhere except for banks and train companies. However, they have more and more problems with technical development. They have a “bad day” when a train is robbed - they manage to steal a safe but then cannot open it. At the time of the attack, they are given a note that speaks of an amnesty. To get this, Heyes and Curry seek out a former member of their gang. Meanwhile working as a sheriff, he is ready to negotiate the amnesty for you with the governor. They are accepted, but first they have to prove their good intentions by not committing any crimes for a year. During this time, when they appear under the names Joshua Smith and Thaddeus Jones, only the governor, the negotiator and the two themselves know of the amnesty, so they continue to be wanted and hunted by bounty hunters and detective agencies. The series tells how they asserted themselves during this time.

background

History of origin

Given the great success of the film Two Bandits ( Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ), Glen A. Larson developed the idea for the series. He was particularly interested in an amnesty allegedly offered to Butch Cassidy shortly before he fled to Bolivia, but which was only mentioned briefly in the film. The aliases Smith and Jones had already been used in the film.

After completing the shooting of the pilot, Glen A. Larson did not seem experienced enough as a showrunner , so Roy Huggins was assigned to him . Huggins had previously placed the film The Young Country on ABC, which is also viewed as a forerunner for the series, also because Pete Duel and Roger Davis were involved in essential roles.

The impact of Pete Duel's death on the series

In the early hours of December 31, 1971, Pete Duel committed suicide. As a result, those responsible for the production team, especially Roy Huggins, wanted to stop the series immediately. ABC could not afford this, however, and insisted on continuing the series; There were even threats to sue for compliance if the continuation of Alias ​​Smith and Jones were even delayed.

This raised the question of who should take on the role of Hannibal Heyes. Suitable actors were not so easy to find, and there was not enough time for the usual casting process. That's why they chose Roger Davis, a friend of Pete Duel's, who was the narrator on the series. Ironically, Davis had already played the role of Danny Bilson earlier in the season, the only character on the series to be shot dead by Kid Curry.

Although Pete Duel had been the most popular figure on the show for many, his death had no lasting impact on viewership. Even so, it is often said that the series never recovered from his death. The dismissal a year later has also been linked.

Radiance and success

In the US, Alias ​​Smith and Jones was never really a hit series. However, the series only got air times when it met successful series on the competing channels, namely initially The Flip Wilson Show and later All in the Family and Emergency California ( Emergency! ).

In contrast, it was very successful in English-speaking countries, especially in Great Britain. Sandra K. Sagala and JoAnne M. Bagwell wrote in 2005 that the series was then the most successful American import that the BBC had ever broadcast. And that she stayed that way.

In Germany, Alias ​​Smith and Jones was shown on ARD's evening program in 1973 and 1974. However, only the pilot and 18 other episodes were broadcast; the remaining episodes were not synchronized, so that later performances, some on other stations, were limited to these episodes. Roger Davis did not star in any of these episodes, so none of the third season aired.

End of series

In January 1973, Alias ​​Smith and Jones was canceled by ABC in the middle of the season. This came as a surprise to the producers, which is why the series has no real conclusion. It was discussed whether the BBC could take over, especially in Great Britain, but also in Australia and New Zealand, given the great success. This failed because it would have been too expensive for the station.

occupation

main actor

actor Role name consequences Years
Pete Duel Hannibal Heyes aka Joshua Smith 1-33 1971-1972
Ben Murphy Jed "Kid" Curry aka Thaddeus Jones 1-50 1971-1973
Roger Davis Hannibal Heyes alias Joshua Smith 1 34-50 1972-1973
1Roger Davis also appeared as Danny Bilson in episode 2x04 (19) and was the off-screen narrator until he took on the role of Hannibal Heyes. The role of the narrator went to Ralph Story .

Supporting actors and guest stars

Alias ​​Smith and Jones had an exceptionally large number of prominent guest stars. Here is a selection, where each role name and sequence are given:

Episodes

Season Number of episodes First broadcast in the USA
Season premiere Season finale
1 15th 5th January 1971 April 22, 1971
2 23 16th September 1971 March 2nd 1972
3 12 September 16, 1972 January 13, 1973

season 1

No.
( total ) 		No.
( St. ) 		German title Original title First broadcast in the United States Director script
1 1 One year grace period Alias ​​Smith and Jones 5th January 1971 Gene Levitt Glen A. Larson , Douglas Heyes
2 2 20,000 for Caesar's head The McCreedy Bust January 21, 1971 Gene Levitt Sy Salkowitz
3 3 Weak woman seeks strong men Exit from Wickenburg January 28, 1971 Jeannot Szwarc Robert Hamner
4th 4th Two on the wrong train Wrong Train to Brimstone 4th February 1971 Jeffrey Hayden Stephen Kandel
5 5 The girl from the freight train The Girl in Boxcar # 3 February 11, 1971 Leslie H. Martinson Howard Browne
6th 6th - The Great Shell Game 18th February 1971 Richard Benedict Glen A. Larson
7th 7th - Return to Devil's Hole February 25, 1971 Bruce Kessler Marion Hargrove
8th 8th Confession in the morning paper A Fistful of Diamonds March 4th 1971 Jeffrey Hayden Robert Hamner
9 9 Who collects the premium? Stagecoach Seven March 11, 1971 Richard Benedict Dick Nelson
10 10 - The Man Who Murdered Himself March 18, 1971 Jeffrey Hayden Robert Hamner, Roy Huggins
11 11 A treasure for old age The Root of It All March 25, 1971 Barry Shear Howard Browne
12 12 - The 5th Victim April 1, 1971 Fernando Lamas Glen A. Larson
13 13 Blind cow in San Juan Journey from San Juan April 8, 1971 Jeffrey Hayden Dick Nelson
14th 14th - Never Trust an Honest Man April 15, 1971 Douglas Heyes Philip DeGuere
15th 15th Charlie's golden legacy The Legacy of Charlie O'Rourke April 22, 1971 Jeffrey Hayden Dick Nelson

season 2

No.
( total ) 		No.
( St. ) 		German title Original title First broadcast in the United States Director script
16 1 - The Day They Hanged Kid Curry 16th September 1971 Barry Shear Glen A. Larson
17th 2 - How to Rob a Bank in One Hard Lesson 23rd September 1971 Alexander Singer David Moessinger
18th 3 A trap for the sheriff Jailbreak at Junction City September 30, 1971 Jeffrey Hayden Roy Huggins
19th 4th - Smiler with a gun 7th October 1971 Fernando Lamas Max Hodge
20th 5 When girls play cowboy The Posse That Wouldn't Quit October 14, 1971 Harry Falk Pat Fielder
21st 6th - Something to Get Hung About October 21, 1971 Jack Arnold Nicholas E. Baehr , Roy Huggins
22nd 7th A job for the torture stake Six Strangers at Apache Springs October 28, 1971 Nicholas Colasanto Arnold Somkin , Roy Huggins
23 8th - Night of the Red Dog 4th November 1971 Russ Mayberry Dick Nelson
24 9 The Conversion of Harry Briscoe The Reformation of Harry Briscoe November 11, 1971 Barry Shear BW Sandefur
25th 10 That's a coincidence, Clementine Dreadful Sorry Clementine 18th November 1971 Barry Shear Glen A. Larson
26th 11 The trick with the color Shootout at Diablo Station November 25, 1971 Jeffrey Hayden William D. Gordon
27 12 - The Bounty Hunter December 9, 1971 Barry Shear Nicholas E. Baehr
28 13 - Everything Else You Can Steal December 16, 1971 Alexander Singer Roy Huggins
29 14th - Miracle at Santa Marta December 30, 1971 Vincent Sherman Dick Nelson
30th 15th - 21 Days to Tenstrike January 6, 1972 Mel Ferber Irv Pearlberg
31 16 King or Jack The McCreedy Bust: Going, Going, Gone January 13, 1972 Alexander Singer Nicholas E. Baehr
32 17th Plan B is a clean slate The Man Who Broke the Bank at Red Gap 20th January 1972 Richard Benedict Ric Hardman
33 18th Bribery with a happy ending The Men That Corrupted Hadleyburg January 27, 1972 Jeff Corey Dick Nelson
34 19th - The Biggest Game in the West 3rd February 1972 Alexander Singer Roy Huggins
35 20th - Which Way to the OK Corral? February 10, 1972 Jack Arnold Glen A. Larson
36 21st - Don't get mad, get even 17th February 1972 Bruce Bilson Glen A. Larson
37 22nd - What's in It for Mia? February 24, 1972 John J. Dumas William D. Gordon
38 23 - Bad Night in Big Butte March 2nd 1972 Richard L. Bare Glen A. Larson

season 3

No.
( total ) 		No.
( St. ) 		German title Original title First broadcast in the United States Director script
39 1 - The Long Chase September 16, 1972 Alexander Singer Roy Huggins
40 2 - High Lonesome Country 23rd September 1972 Alexander Singer Dick Nelson
41 3 - The McCreedy Feud September 30, 1972 Alexander Singer Juanita Bartlett
42 4th - The Clementine Ingredient October 7, 1972 Jack Arnold Gloryette Clark
43 5 - Bushwack! October 21, 1972 Jack Arnold Roy Huggins, David Moessinger
44 6th - What Happened at the XST? October 28, 1972 Jack Arnold Roy Huggins
45 7th - The Ten Days That Shook Kid Curry 4th November 1972 Edward M. Abroms Gloryette Clark
46 8th - The Day the Amnesty Came Through November 25, 1972 Jeff Corey Dick Nelson
47 9 - The Strange Fate of Conrad Meyer Zulick 2nd December 1972 Richard C. Bennett Nicholas E. Baehr
48 10 - McGuffin December 9, 1972 Alexander Singer Nicholas E. Baehr
49 11 - Witness to a lynching December 16, 1972 Richard C. Bennett Nicholas E. Baehr
50 12 - Only three to a bed January 13, 1973 Jeffrey Hayden Richard Morris

aftermath

  • The 1971 television film The Gun and the Nun includes the two episodes Two on the Wrong Train (1x04) and The Conversion of Harry Briscoe (2x09). It's not clear if the film actually aired or was withdrawn when the series first went on air.
  • The television film The Long Chase is a compilation of the episodes The Long Chase , High Lonesome Country and The Clementine Ingredient .
  • The television series Alas Smith and Jones by English comedians Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones alluded to Alias ​​Smith and Jones with the title, but otherwise had nothing to do with it.

DVD

Alias ​​Smith and Jones' first season was released on DVD on February 20, 2007. A set with seasons 2 and 3 was released on April 13, 2010. Since October 19, 2010, a set with all three seasons has been available.

In view of the number of episodes dubbed so far, a German-language release of the series on DVD is unlikely.

literature

  • Sandra K. Sagala, JoAnne M. Bagwell: Alias ​​Smith & Jones The Story of Two Pretty Good Bad Men . BearManor Media, Albany 2005, ISBN 978-1-59393-031-8 (English).

Web links

Commons : Alias ​​Smith and Jones  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Glen A. Larson in the audio commentary on episode 1x01.
  2. ^ Sandra K. Sagala, JoAnne M. Bagwell: Alias ​​Smith & Jones The Story of Two Pretty Good Bad Men . BearManor Media, Albany 2005, ISBN 978-1-59393-031-8 , pp. 12 (English).
  3. ↑ a b Alex J. Geairns: Complete Alias ​​Smith & Jones DVD. In: Cult TV. August 31, 2015, accessed on August 16, 2016 .
  4. ^ Sandra K. Sagala, JoAnne M. Bagwell: Alias ​​Smith & Jones The Story of Two Pretty Good Bad Men . BearManor Media, Albany 2005, ISBN 978-1-59393-031-8 , pp. 22 (English).
  5. ^ A b Sandra K. Sagala, JoAnne M. Bagwell: Alias ​​Smith & Jones The Story of Two Pretty Good Bad Men . BearManor Media, Albany 2005, ISBN 978-1-59393-031-8 , December 31, 1971 (Chapter 6), pp. 225-240 (English).
  6. ^ A b c Sandra K. Sagala, JoAnne M. Bagwell: Alias ​​Smith & Jones The Story of Two Pretty Good Bad Men . BearManor Media, Albany 2005, ISBN 978-1-59393-031-8 , pp. 349 (English).
  7. ^ Sandra K. Sagala, JoAnne M. Bagwell: Alias ​​Smith & Jones The Story of Two Pretty Good Bad Men . BearManor Media, Albany 2005, ISBN 978-1-59393-031-8 , pp. 350 (English).
  8. ↑ Alias ​​Smith & Jones USA 1971–1973. In: Fernsehserien.de. Retrieved August 16, 2016 .
  9. ^ Sandra K. Sagala, JoAnne M. Bagwell: Alias ​​Smith & Jones The Story of Two Pretty Good Bad Men . BearManor Media, Albany 2005, ISBN 978-1-59393-031-8 , pp. 352-353 (English).
  10. ^ Sandra K. Sagala, JoAnne M. Bagwell: Alias ​​Smith & Jones The Story of Two Pretty Good Bad Men . BearManor Media, Albany 2005, ISBN 978-1-59393-031-8 , pp. 351 (English).
  11. ↑ Boyd Magers: Do You Remember? ... “Alias ​​Smith and Jones”. In: Western Clippings. Accessed August 16, 2016 .
  12. ↑ a b alias Smith and Jones (1971-73). In: The Classic TV Archive. Accessed August 16, 2016 .
  13. ↑ Alias ​​Smith and Jones (TV Series) Wrong Train to Brimstone (1971) Trivia. In: IMDb. Retrieved August 16, 2016 .
  14. ↑ Hal Erickson : The Gun and the Nun (1971). In: AllMovie. Accessed August 16, 2016 .
  15. ^ Paul Mavis: Alias ​​Smith and Jones - Season One. In: DVD Talk. February 20, 2007, accessed August 16, 2016 .
  16. ↑ Alias ​​Smith and Jones - All 3 Seasons Come Together for The Complete Series 10-DVD Set. (No longer available online.) In: TV Shows on DVD. Archived from the original on September 3, 2010 ; accessed on August 16, 2016 .
  17. ^ Alias ​​Smith and Jones: The Complete Series. In: Amazon.com. Accessed August 16, 2016 .