'Early Career' 1 In the end, Peter’s family played a key role in his decision to go west. His brother Jim Arness, who had dropped the ‘U’ from his surname because it was difficult to pronounce, had moved to Los Angeles after the war and was starting his acting career. One summer while still at university, Peter visited Jim and was very impressed. But, in 1949, a few months before he was due to graduate, the pull of Hollywood was too strong to ignore any longer, and Peter with his good friend Jack Smight finally made it to Los Angeles. A concerned James met Peter at the Los Angeles Union Station, but told him, “My advice to you, is to get on that train and go right back. Things are terrible here.” But Peter, still using the family name ‘Aurness’ didn’t go back, and after a while, things got better. Joan followed them a few months later and with their finances on a knifes edge, she found work as a dentist’s receptionist. With Joan's father keep...