Route 66

Route 66 was a well written show with a constantly changing cast of guest roles played by veteran stars or newcomers on their way up. Martin Milner and George Maharis plus there beloved corvettes were the stars of the show and the anchor that supported the wonderful guest appearances. The success of the show was primarily for three reasons:





1. Martin Milner and George Maharis were both very likeable in their roles as Tod and Buz.Tod was my favorite character; I have always liked Martin Milner, and got a chance to meet him once at a Route 66 car show in San Bernardino.





2. The great writing that featured differenct locales and good offbeat story lines.





3. The symbolism of the open road and a carefree lifestyle have a special place in the phyche of America. It\\\'s amazing that few other shows captured it like Route 66.





I have been looking for videos of the shows for years but haven\\\'t








found any yet. I wonder why the series hasn\\\'t come out on DVD yet? Maybe they haven\\\'t aged well. The Route 66 produced in the early 90\\\'s was not nearly as good as the original show and thus didn\\\'t last long.

Although this show began in 1960, it really is still part of what I would call the Golden Age of Television. Stirling Silliphant wrote most of the scripts. They were always thought provoking. In 1960, I was 9. Oh, how I wanted to be a boy, driving around America in a Corvette, just like Buz and Tod!! I was so totally addicted to this show. Unfortunately, VCRs for the average home were just a dream in those days. Videos are available only through Columbia House...you CAN sometimes find them available on Ebay. My favortie episode was called Even Stones Have Eyes...where Buz goes blind. They tried to remake the show in the 90s but without decent scripts it fizzled quickly.

I liked the variety of famous locations and now historic value of the locations they chose to shoot the episodes. The writing was excellent, especially those written by Stirling Silliphant. Who also helped to create the show and another hit series, "The Baked City". Silliphant also received notable recognition for his writing involvements with "The Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and 'Perry Mason" series'. Route 66 is one tf the classic shows of the early sixties and a documentary of this country during that period before so much had been lost forever due to population growth and development. Route 66 is a work of art in the medium of television.