Why is Ben Murphy so happy? Because for once in his life, he's on time. He beat Roger Davis, Steve Kanaly and the moderator to the panel discussion room Friday morning.
Although Ben still auditions and acts, he's able to devote most of his life to playing tennis. I was told (on good authority) that he exercises three hours each day. Pretty impressive for a 64-year-old.
At 67, Roger Davis' passions are architecture and real estate. While Ben's typical response to an Alias Smith and Jones fan's question about an episode was "I can't remember!", Roger could tell you which guest star sold him which properties and how many millions of dollars profit he eventually made on each property.
Ben and Roger listen to a story told by Russ Tamblyn after the banquet Saturday night.
Photo op at the autograph table Friday afternoon.
See the hand on Ben's shoulder? It belongs to a librarian from Rochester. This was supposed to be a The Secret Life of Librarians shot, but J.'s mouth was open and she asked that I destroy the evidence.
Not to worry, though, because Ben was on hand at the Alias Smith and Jones fan club party Friday night and willing to pose for another round of photos.
Sigh.
Some actual book content to follow later today.
Ben is still a handsome guy! Those are great pics. Oh, but to be in your shoes. I did some quick calculating, and Ben was the same age my oldest daughter is now when he did Alias Smith & Jones. Scary thought! Thanks for sharing :) Sharon (still a teenager at heart)
ReplyDeleteOh, being around Ben Murphy will definitely make you feel young again! Although he did say he apologized to one of the last actresses who served as a love interest for him--he said he was so much older than her that it was just embarrassing. He's a lot more self-deprecating than I would have imagined he'd turn out to be considering what I'd read about him when he was younger.
ReplyDeleteHe and Roger seem to finally be patching up their difficulties after all these years. I get the impression that Roger has been trying for some time, but that Ben would only reciprocate to a certain extent. (I can't imagine why Roger would come to an event like this otherwise--he certainly doesn't need the money.) Ben told him from the podium at the banquet Saturday night that he'd grown to love him. Closure! Closure! It's about damned time!
What else did Ben Murphy do? He looks so familiar, and I didn't watch Alias Smith and Jones (although I've certainly heard of it). Nice pictures.
ReplyDeleteJill
Ah, but you could. It's currently playing on Encore/Western Channel.
ReplyDeleteJAG, Judging Amy, Navy NCIS, Dr. Quinn, Dirty Dozen the series, Gemini Man, the Winds of War. . . lots of guest star stuff. I've only spotted him a couple of times since Smith and Jones, but I don't watch much TV.
Ben looks just as good today as he did when we were all much younger.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, most of Ben's series seem to bite the dust early. He also starred in Lottery!, The Berrengers, Griff, and as someone else mentioned, tons and tons of guest starring roles.