PETE DUEL

Actor Pete Duel was arrested in June 1971 for DUI when he was involved in a car accident that injured two people. He received 2 years probabion. In late 1971, he ran for the board of governors of SAG, and lost because of his liberal politics. One night in a drunken rage, he shot the telegram informing him of his election loss, which he had tacked to a wall in his house. On December30, 1971, Duel invited his on again/off again girlfriend, Dianne Ray, to spend the night at his little house at 2552 Glen Green in Hollywood. That night they watched "Alias Smith and Jones" on TV. Duel was drunk and became upset by the poor quality of the show. Ray went to bed and Duel watched a basketball game and continued to drink. At 1 in the morning of December 31, he went into the bedroom to retrieve his revolver told his girlfriend, "I'll see you later". He went into the living room and shot himself in the head. Pete Duel was 31 years old. His alcohol level was .32. His co-star, Ben Murphy, said that he was shocked, "but not surprised".