Route 66 (1960–1964)

Only fiction series written & shot all over North America. Two young adventurers in a Corvette explore early 60's social problems and changing mores, looking for the right place to settle ... See full summary »

Creators:

Herbert B. Leonard, Stirling Silliphant

Stars:

Martin Milner, George Maharis, Glenn Corbett

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Martin Milner	...	Tod Stiles (116 episodes, 1960-1964)
George Maharis	...	Buz Murdock (82 episodes, 1960-1963)
Glenn Corbett	...	Lincoln Case (32 episodes, 1963-1964)

Storyline

Only fiction series written & shot all over North America. Two young adventurers in a Corvette explore early 60's social problems and changing mores, looking for the right place to settle down while seeking themselves. Debuting 3 years after "On the Road" transformed modern literature, while such newly available fast cars dominated the new teenage culture, Tod, an Ivy Leaguer, and Buz, an orphan from Hell's Kitchen, cruise the U.S.A. coping with shifting relationships and lifestyles. The FCC's Newton Minow characterized U.S. TV as a "vast wasteland," in 1961, but "Route 66" found important, compelling stories all over. Sterling Silliphant who won an Oscar for writing "In the Heat of the Night," traveled around the U.S. and Canada scouting locales, while writing ¾ of the very dark, literate show's episodes - a feat only Rod Serling matched with The Twilight Zone. Soon, a crew of 50 arrived at the location. Shows were filmed in 40 States. Tod, from a once-wealthy family, inherited only ...

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Plot Keywords:

route 66 | corvette | highway | traveling | number in title

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Genres:

Adventure

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 October 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ruta 66

Filming Locations:

Corriganville, Ray Corrigan Ranch, Simi Valley, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lancer-Edling Productions, Screen Gems Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min (116 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

Three future movie stars nearly became regulars on this series. When the show was first getting off the ground, a young unknown named Robert Redford auditioned for the role of Tod Stiles, but was beaten out by Martin Milner. When George Maharis left the show in late 1962, the producers searched for a replacement. Burt Reynolds was approached, but turned down the role as he was focusing on a film career and was not interested in a weekly series. Another actor who did want to do the series was future Academy Award winner Robert Duvall, who was even auditioned in one episode. The producers felt that Duvall was not handsome enough, however, and went with Glenn Corbett instead.

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Connections

Featured in Wolfman Chronicles (1991)

User Reviews

As good as most theatrical movies

Rt 66 was such a breath of fresh air. I have been a movie buff all my life and after seeing all the backlot tv shows from the mid fifties to 1960, this show had my eyes wide open. Everything was on location and the production values were as good as any theatrical movie. Some of the story lines toward the end of the run were stupid but the values were always there. Most of the time I would watch the show to see how good location filming done quickly could be done so good. I think the producer owned or had owned Republic Studios who were the best at making movie serials and that would explain a lot. In watching reruns it is surprising how little the Corvette was actually seen in some episodes. After this, I found backlot shows to be very cheap, boring entertainment.