Route 66 (TV Series) I Wouldn't Start from Here (1963) User Reviews

What Route 66 Does Best

[AudioFileZ · 10/10 · 11 July 2012]

What made Route 66 imminently popular was the way it examined the human condition in a travelogue of the USA, many times taking the road less traveled and being richer for it. "I Wouldn't Start from Here" possesses that exact formula and with an interesting central character from a lovely unique place. Long time TV character actor Parker Fennelley plays Vermont farmer Arthur Perham. Fennelley is almost too realistic in playing the part of the isolated widower who in his twilight years is being forced from the the only life he's known as a rugged poor iconoclast farmer. A senior Jimmy Stewart comes to mind as Fennelley is every bit that good here. Perham has managed to eschew much of society's progress in his life, but the changing times are catching up in the form of a bank note that is being called in, so his friendly banker tells him "for his own good". Tod & Linc happen on him as they are taking one of their famous "alternate routes" where he blocks their progress, literally, with his horse-drawn wagon. Tod asks for directions and gets a frustrating humorous response that only makes him more determined to hurry up. Fate in the way of an empty gas tank in a torrential rain storm intervenes and soon Tod & Linc are working side by side with Perham on his farm. A touching story of the old man being forced to sell out ensues in no small part due to the persona of Perham brought to the screen by Fennelley.

Oh, but if this episode was only in color. Vermont is wonderfully quaint and scenic and we are told repeatedly that it is the beginning of fall; one longs to see the changing foliage. It's all here: the yin & yang of Tod's & Linc's differences, a lovable compelling curmudgeon central character in a dilemma, the added spice of a young beautiful sophisticate's family upstate vacation home nearby, and, of course, Vermont! As good as the best early episodes with the wonderful Maharris, "I Wouldn't Start from Here" is highly recommended.

One of the Best

[robwoodford-83390 · 10/10 · 22 June 2019]

The finest acting performance by any guest star in any episode of Route 66 takes place in "I Wouldn't Start from Here." The role of crusty New Englander Arthur Perham, played perfectly by Parker Fennelly, is performed so well that at certain points during the episode viewers will forget they're watching an actor on a television show. This leads to honest moments of real emotion as Perham is forced to deal with the realities of aging and the slow decline of his ability to manage his affairs; unless a person is heartless, the stoic look on his face during an estate auction in the middle of the show might bring tears. Linc, as a boy who grew up with livestock - in his case, a team of mules owned by his grandfather - immediately and intuitively understands and acknowledges the greater intellect of Perham, and the relationship that develops between the two gives Linc a chance to correct what he sees as a failure from his early life. Tod, incapable of escaping his natural sense of superiority due to his education, takes awhile to appreciate the strength and wisdom of Perham's knowledge of a higher reality - the simple, country life. The show's ending is surprising; viewers expect one thing but get something different, just like real life. This is one of the top three episodes of Route 66 and maybe, thanks to Parker Fennelly, the best.

11/15/63 "I Wouldn't Start From Here"

[schappe1 · 29 January 2016]

Zoom! We're back in New England where the boys encounter an elderly farmer who, like the one in Minnesota, they will later, (or had earlier?) encountered in ""And Make Thunder His Tribute", is trying to save a farm that's been in his family for generations. They try to help him out but it's no good: the local bank is calling in his note and he can't pay it. Everything on the place has to be auctioned off.

There's a long, sad sequence in which one, by one, the old man's possessions are bought by his neighbors, including a portrait of his grandmother. Linc starts bidding on his team of horses, which drives Tod crazy until he finds out Linc is bidding on behalf of the old man, who wants to preserve something from his life. He'd like one last hurrah: using the horses to win a pulling completion at the country fair. They finish second. But instead of breaking the old man's heart, it brings him back into touch with reality and he finally agrees to sell the horses, too. It's not clear where he's going next, probably to some kind of retirement home. The boys drive off with adventures still to be had in their life before they meet the same fate.

It's not as sad and depressing as it sounds. There's a lot of "Down East" humor and Rosemary Forsyth offers some attractive window dressing as a Manhattanite who has fled the city for the country only to find out that everybody has their problems. It's a low key, gently paced, very human episode.