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"Route 66" was one of the finest dramatic series in television history. It came at the tail end of The Golden Age of Television, and was produced on film, rather than live, as its greatest anthologies had been. However, despite the fact that the program used two regular characters (Martin Milner and George Maharis) to guide their stories, the weekly CBS series had some of the finest dramatic writing and performances of the period, and pioneered the concept of location filming. It's cast and crew found themselves in a different American town or city virtually every week of its four year run, and transported its entourage across the vast panorama of the route 66 corridor. Nelson Riddle wrote new themes for every episode of the dramatic anthology, while Stirling Silliphant both produced and wrote the vast majority of episodes. Stars like Robert Redford and Robert Duvall honed their craft with early appearances on the program, and George Maharis exploded onto the small screen like a tornado, recalling a young Brando or Montgomery Clift. This newly published article focuses on a particular episode of the popular series entitled "The Thin White Line," a powerful teleplay filmed in Philadelphia in 1961 and considered by many the finest episode of the series.
Steve
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Posted: |
Jan 13, 2015 - 2:00 PM
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By: |
Howard L
(Member)
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Let me offer a little more to what's already been posted.
I was around 5 years old when this show began airing and it is a scary thing when you remember details from such a young viewing age that stay with you for the rest of your life: Buster Keaton and Joe E. Brown and a dog named “Shaggy”; Buz going blind, falling into a lake and regaining eyesight; Buz getting punched out by a kid; an episode ending with Soupy Sales’ eyes bulging as the ether mask closes in.
Well, I recently saw that one where the kid punched out Buz (Shoulder the Sky, My Lad) and discovered Buz let him do it for a specific purpose. And the kid was played by Michael McGreevey, whose face I instantly recognized from viewing days when we were both much older.
That’s one of the neat things about going back and watching this show, the history and roster of actors and actresses and character actors/actresses unfolding before your eyes. I mean one night you’re seeing a young and brilliant Steven Hill in a veterans hospital (City of Wheels) and next night you’re watching an older and equally brilliant Steven Hill in that beyond-incredible heart-wrenching scene with Christine Lahti in Running On Empty.
He's still around. But so many of them are gone now. Some long gone.
Nelson Riddle. Huh, we graduated from the same high school.
Gone indeed, too, is the character of so many towns and places Buz and Tod touched. It's something else to look back at growing up in that era with those towns and places. It is fun to see how they worked in locals of all kinds, even giving them lines. And poignant; a couple eps were shot in Dallas at Love Field and the Trade Mart only a year before you-know-what.
I could go on and on. Suffice it to say, George and Marty need to meet up and hit the circuit before they’re gone. There’s just too much appreciation to share–for them and their chronicles–and it would be a shame for that opportunity to pass unfulfilled.
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My brother Erwin and I began watching "Route 66" from its inception on Friday nights on CBS, and fell in love with the program from its stunning premiere until its final episode. As quiet, introverted kids, we rode the highways of America vicariously along with Todd and Buzz, and were forever moved by its main characters. They were us, or so we wished. When we learned that the cast and crew would be visiting Philadelphia to film two episodes of the program in 1961, we cut school and visited the local sets and locations, meeting both George Maharis and Marty Milner, as well as guest star Murray Hamilton. Marty Milner, a fine dramatic actor, was understandably lost in the intensity of his performance. George Maharis was delightful to spend time with, and very generous and cordial. Murray Hamilton spent a half hour with Erwin and I recounting his experiences with Jimmy Stewart in "The FBI Story," and "The Spirit of St. Louis. The experience of interacting with these wonderful performers, and witnessing the filming of "The Thin White Line" was among the most impactful experiences of my life, and helped to shape the course of the rest of my life. This newly published article in "Mad About Movies" Magazine is my affectionate remembrance of that magical afternoon so long ago.
Steve
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My brother Erwin and I began watching "Route 66" from its inception on Friday nights on CBS, and fell in love with the program from its stunning premiere until its final episode. As quiet, introverted kids, we rode the highways of America vicariously along with Todd and Buzz, and were forever moved by its main characters. They were us, or so we wished. When we learned that the cast and crew would be visiting Philadelphia to film two episodes of the program in 1961, we cut school and visited the local sets and locations, meeting both George Maharis and Marty Milner, as well as guest star Murray Hamilton. Marty Milner, a fine dramatic actor, was understandably lost in the intensity of his performance. George Maharis was delightful to spend time with, and very generous and cordial. Murray Hamilton spent a half hour with Erwin and I recounting his experiences with Jimmy Stewart in "The FBI Story," and "The Spirit of St. Louis. The experience of interacting with these wonderful performers, and witnessing the filming of "The Thin White Line" was among the most impactful experiences of my life, and helped to shape the course of the rest of my life. This newly published article in "Mad About Movies" Magazine is my affectionate remembrance of that magical afternoon so long ago.
Steve
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I can't tell you how gratified and delighted I am by your response to this post. The "Route 66" television series has meant a great deal to both my brother Erwin and I for more than half a century, and truly altered the course of my life. Spending time with the cast and crew here in Philly in the Fall of 1961 was, perhaps, the true beginning of my life long fascination with the production aspects of films and film making, and I never forgot the gracious kindness of both George Maharis and Murray Hamilton so many decades ago. I'm grateful for having an opportunity at last to acknowledge, if you will, their positive influence on my life with this published remembrance of the series and its enduring cultural legacy and significance on the American landscape. I hope that some of you may find an opportunity to secure and read the article in this newly published issue of "Mad About Movies" Magazine.
http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/56854/MAD-ABOUT-MOVIES-9#.VLQsPlqBunY
Steve
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