Route 66 (TV Series) This Is Going to Hurt Me More Than It Hurts You (1964) User Reviews

Travelogue Lunacy

[AudioFileZ · 6/10 · 6 February 2013]

First, this is an entertaining though not great Route 66 episode. The fact its less than great squarely sits on the lunacy of the story. As light as the story is it still has a great locale and delivers a fair amount of levity. The story is set at the historic Ponce de Leon Hotel in St. Augustine Florida (now a college).The extremely likable, as well as camera-loving, Soupy Sales guest stars as well as the lovely Lee Meriweather.

Tod and Linc are due for a stint working at the ornate and lovely Ponce de Leon Hotel. In route they must pause for a draw bridge under which Tod's Yale classmate Harland Livingston III's yacht passes. Harland III, played by Soupy Sales, is an idle playboy who has taken an unusual approach to finding female companionship by which he convalesces lovely females recuperating from various surgeries/maladies. Harland is literally holding his uncle Dr. Frank Hillman hostage as his medical supervisor for a year after which he will grant Hillman's N.Y.C. foundation a million dollars. Sound reasonable? I know the answer to this question.

In the midst of his work HLIII realizes he can only attract women who may well do him no good, plus they are next to impossible to heal to the point where they will go on their merry way. He hatches a plan to create a persona for Tod where he is even wealthier than himself, Linc is only too glad to participate. Add to this a mother and daughter, the girl who Tod has already set eyes on, are vacationing at the Ponce de Leon with the sole intent of finding the young lady a suitable rich young man. Hi-jinx ensue with a particularly entertaining scene filmed in the main dining room of the hotel involving desert! Light hearted travelogue episodes are always a welcome break from the heavy drama Route 66 routinely tackles. Naturally, some are better than others. "This Is Going To Hurt Me More Than It Hurts You", in spite of the nonsensical storyline succeeds more than fails as it is in the final analysis good fun. The viewer gets the historical Ponce de Leon/St. Augustine back-drop with the marvelous Soupy Sales. Not a must see episode yet a fun romp.

60's screwball comedy movie condensed into a Route 66 episode

[Tanu Tuva · 8/10 · 11 February 2015]

In his review of 1987's Blind Date, Rex Reed said a farce is OK as long as it's logical. This farcical episode is mostly logical, except for the bit about Tod falling for a girl who is not at all his type. I suppose it's OK to step out of character in a comic episode of a dramatic series, and this is the funniest of all the Route 66 comic episodes. It's done in the style of the madcap screwball comedies of the 60's, neatly condensed into a single hour. In fact Blind Date was a throwback to that style, and if this episode was 90 to 120 minutes it would be a pretty good example of that genre. Soupy Sales acquits himself well. He is neither wasted, nor does he overshadow the regulars. I loved the bit where Soupy does something predictable and Glenn Corbett responds with something I didn't expect. Well done.

A Fun Romp With A Lot Of Unexpected Treasures

[ShillingSide · 10/10 · 31 August 2016]

Another absolutely fun romp for Tod and Linc, this time in St. Augustine, Florida.

Tod runs into an old buddy from his past, a buddy that seems to have constantly gotten Tod involved in crazy antics and lots of trouble. Soupy Sales is the friend, and while he plays an eccentric millionaire well, he is (for Soupy) rather understated.

The episode is light as a feather - don't go into it looking for social commentary or soul searching. Look for a lot of smiles and heartfelt laughs.

Martin Milner as Tod shows his comedic timing and sense of humour with gusto. The man could express more with his eyes than most comedians today could with their limited talents and tonnes of special effects. He carries this ep on his able shoulders. One of the funniest parts is him getting a pedicure from a supposedly adoring female (imagine Officer Pete Malloy getting THAT done to him, and you'll laugh for days). I've always been a big Martin Milner fan - but have to say after seeing him in Route 66, my admiration has made me a HUGE fan of his.

Amazingly, it's Glenn Corbett who steals the show. Yes, you read that right, Glenn. He seemed to truly ENJOY this episode, and when he takes on the role of acting as Tod's "bodyguard" you can see the impish delight he took in his performance. And it's a delight to watch his performance. The way he frisks anyone walking past Tod, the way he calls Tod 'Boss'. The twinkle in his eyes lets you know he was having an absolute blast during the filming.

Another gem of a performance comes from Bibi Osterwald, playing a battleaxe with elan & bluster.

So if you need a good time, a bit of cheer - give this ep a shot. You won't be sorry.

...and yes, the pie fight is awesome

2/14/64 "This is Going to Hurt Me More Than it Hurts You" (spoilers)

[schappe1 · 2 March 2016]

As the series wound down, the writers went more and more to comic episodes, probably a sign that they were running out of dramatic ideas. Ironically, after the show went off the air, I remembered it as a light, breezy adventure show with occasional dramatic episodes, so these comic turns must have left an impression. When I started watching the old re-runs on nick at Night in the 80's, I was very surprised by how dark and dramatic so many of the episodes were. But as an adult, I find I like the dramatic episodes more than the comic ones. But then I find I prefer dramas to comedies anyway these days. Perhaps I've seen too much of life to laugh at it beyond an occasional chuckle. I prefer my humor in small doses as part of a balanced life, I guess.

This one is so light it seems ready to blow away in the wind. Soupy Sales, (an acquired taste), is a millionaire playboy who knew Tod back in the day and always seemed to get him in trouble. He has two problems: excessive empathy for sick people, especially if they are beautiful women and a concern that the women might be pretending to be ill to try to snag him as a husband because of his money. He hires Tod to pose as an even wealthier playboy, (with Linc as his bodyguard and manservant) to see if the women suddenly get well and gravitate toward Tod. One of them is played by an utterly wasted Lee Meriwether.

In a side story, there is a mother with an attractive daughter looking for a rich husband. The mother, that is, not the daughter, who would rather marry for love. In the end, after a pie fight in a fancy restaurant, (a Sales specialty: apparently the fancy restaurant feeds their customers shaving cream for dessert), she winds up with Sales, who finally finds true love.