Route 66 

The adventures of two young drifters across America.

Creators:

Stirling Silliphant, Herbert B. Leonard

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	...	Linc 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:

road trip | superstition mountains arizona | arizona | superstition mountains | arizona territory | 

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Taglines:

Two soldiers of fortune ride the highway to adventure in this thrilling new series (season 1)

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Genres:

Adventure

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 October 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Searchers

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lancer Productions Limited,Edling Productions,Screen Gems Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 51 min (116 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

The series was designed as essentially an anthology that had the main two characters of the series in all the stories.

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Connections

Referenced in Leave It to Beaver: Summer in Alaska (1963)

User Reviews

Tod and Buz together again

The romance of the road is alive and well as Tod (Martin Milner) and Buz (George Maharis) cruise the country in their snazzy corvette convertible and get involved in the lives of the people they meet. The series opens by explaining that the boys are lost and a "long way from Route 66," when they find themselves in a backwater Mississippi town that harbors a grim secret. From there, they're on to Louisiana where they get involved with a lady shrimp boat captain and find trouble at the New Orleans waterfront before befriending a Nazi-hunter on an off-shore oil rig.

This was the first drama to be filmed entirely on location (in 40 states and Canada) and the locations were really the key to the unique excitement of each show. The boys were mainly observers, albeit defenders of the underdog and good with their fists if need be. Each show featured many famous stars and well-known character actors; the quality of the acting and the scripts (most by Stirling Silliphant) were first-rate.

Clean-cut and twenty-something Tod and Buz bear no resemblance to the leering sex, drug, and rock and roll-crazed young men we often see on the screen today. Dressed in their button-down shirts and freshly-creased slacks, they were upstanding good guys who solved a town's problems in strictly G Rated style. It's fun to remember the old days through this wonderful series. And who could ever forget that cool theme music?