Route 66 (TV series)

Route 66 was an American TV series in which two young men travelled across America. The show ran weekly on CBS from 1960 to 1964. The show starred Martin Milner as Tod Stiles and, for its first three seasons, George Maharis as Buz Murdock. Maharis was ill for much of the third season, during which time Tod was shown travelling on his own. In the fourth and final season, Tod travelled with a friend named Linc Case, played by Glenn Corbett.

Related Topics:
American - TV series - CBS - 1960 - 1964 - Martin Milner - George Maharis - Glenn Corbett

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Like Richard Kimble from The Fugitive, the wanderers would move from place to place and get caught up in the struggles of the people there. Unlike Kimble, nothing was forcing them to stay on the move except their own sense of adventure, thus making it thematically more similar to Then Came Bronson.

Related Topics:
The Fugitive - Then Came Bronson

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Route 66 was devised by Stirling Silliphant, who wrote the majority of the episodes. It was notable for its quite dark storylines and exceptional realism. Tod and Buz would frequently become involved with individuals whose almost nihilistic worldview made for occasionally frightening television. While some episodes were congenially lighthearted (such as a memorable episode featuring Richard Basehart as a folklorist trying to record the local music of an isolated Appalachian community, and a Halloween episode featuring Lon Chaney, Jr., Peter Lorre and Boris Karloff as themselves, with Karloff donning his famous Frankenstein monster make-up for the first time in 25 years), others dealt with the mentally ill, drug addicts or gang violence, and, at their best, did so in a realistic way, devoid of melodrama. Memorable guest stars from the series included Robert Duvall, David Janssen, Lee Marvin, Robert Redford and Rod Steiger.

Related Topics:
Stirling Silliphant - Nihilistic - Richard Basehart - Lon Chaney, Jr. - Peter Lorre - Boris Karloff - Frankenstein monster - Robert Duvall - David Janssen - Lee Marvin - Robert Redford - Rod Steiger

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Route 66 is well-remembered for its cinematography and location filming, and its instrumental theme song (composed and performed by Nelson Riddle) became a major pop hit.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~