Whether due to increased variety or jaded apathy, current research reveals that the public’s love affair with network television has hit the skids. Is it that quality dramatic shows can no longer find an audience in sufficient numbers to justify their existence, or is this miasmic media microcosm due in part to the perpetual cloning of success, or simply the sweeter economics of Reality TV?

CSI Kalamazoo?

This is not to say that the days of Big Three network domination were Shakespearean in scope. Aside from The Fugitive, the announcer-uttered words “A Quinn Martin Production” usually signaled mediocrity of the highest order - a race run with the same effluent-covered baton later handed-off to Aaron Spelling. It is a well-proven fact that we humans, when disenchanted with the present, have a tendency to revert to the pre-stress fetal positions of our youth - an internal safety-valve where the good is amplified and the bad erased.

Newton Minow - Where are you?

In the 46 years that have passed since the FCC chairman gave his famous “Vast Wasteland” speech in regard to the state of network television, not much has changed. What gives our current technology-rich existence renewed hope is our ability to pick and choose among the almost 60 years of televised excellence (or excrement, if so inclined) with the freedom to view at our leisure.

The route 66 TV Series

There is good news to report from the front lines of quality TV. Aside from the fact that the bloggers have taken a shine to my recent route 66 ramblings (with a subsequent increase in Epinions Income Share :>), two recently published guidebooks have generated renewed interest in this quality series from television’s post-golden age. Another major breakthrough is the recent listing for a route 66 - Season 1, Volume 1 DVD - due for release October 23, 2007 (details at criticschoice.com).

Having recently reviewed "Route 66" The Television Series 1960 - 1964 by James Rosin, I will attempt to inform with regard to the similarly-titled The route 66 TV Series, written by University of North Texas researcher Robin Fletcher and published by the book division of Route 66 Magazine.

The Specifics

The scenario of route 66 (the title was presented on-screen in complete lower case) was one unique to series television. Filmed completely on location in the US (and Canada), each episode would present an anthology-style story in the action/adventure genre - with a dose of well-written human interest. Tod Stiles and Buz Murdock, with no families or responsibilities and a restless need to “fit in”, embark on a journey in a new Corvette to wherever the road may take them. Four seasons of small-screen travel took them to and through some of the best hours of weekly entertainment ever presented by an American television network.

Both of these books serve primarily as guides to the 116 episodes produced during the series’ four-season run which began in October, 1960 on the CBS television network. In Fletcher’s book, publisher Paul Taylor provides a rather standard foreword (incorrectly labeled Forward), followed by a half-page bio (with head-shots) of the series’ three principal players: Martin Milner (Tod Stiles), George Maharis (Buz Murdock) and his post-episode 79 replacement Glenn Corbett (Lincoln Case).

A three page introduction gives a basic overview of the series, its producers (writer Stirling Silliphant and executive producer Herbert B. Leonard) and some of the legendary players who passed through the various episodes on their way to stardom. An inaccuracy here involves Fletcher’s claim of an 8:00 pm starting time. In the days before the FCC declared a three-hour prime-time schedule, network programming began at 7:30 pm. According to CBS scheduling data, their Friday night lineup at this time consisted of Rawhide at 7:30, followed by route 66 and The Twilight Zone at 8:30 and 9:30; respectively.

But this is the only inaccuracy to be found in the entire book, right?

Wrong, Corvette Breath . . .

Despite having a superior episode outline structure with fewer spoilers than James Rosin’s book, this is one of the most slipshod publications you’re likely to see released by a competent publishing house. Having discovered the series by way of the recently released 11 episode DVD, I am by no means an authority on route 66.

However, listed below are a few of the inaccuracies I encountered on my initial read-through. The author’s assertions appear in italics, countered by information obtained from the Internet Movie Database.

Cover: "A guide to all 116 episodes that aired on CBS from 1961 to 1964".

The series premiered on October 7, 1960, with the first 11 episodes airing in calendar year 1960. (Even Fletcher’s editor got this correct in the foreword.)

Page 9 (introduction): "During the first season, in fact, the only Route 66 towns selected for a location shoot were Needles, California and Santa Fe, New Mexico..."

Episode 14 of season 1 (Play It Glissando) was filmed in Santa Monica, California - the westernmost town on Route 66. Maharis confirms this by way of voice-over narration early in the episode.

Page 15: "Lee Marvin starred in TV’s M Squad before filming this episode [Sheba] and, in the 1970s starred in Cat Ballou for which he won an Oscar..."

The movie Cat Ballou was released in 1965.

Page 23: ..."becoming the first black person [Ethel Waters] to have her own national radio show and the first to be nominated for and to win an Emmy for this episode [Goodnight, Sweet Blues] of route 66"...

While Ethel Waters was deserving of and received Emmy consideration in the category Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in 1962, she was in fact bested that year by fellow nominee Julie Harris for her performance in Victoria Regina. As to her status as first to be nominated, Sammy Davis, Jr. has a 1956 Emmy nomination in the Best Specialty Act category. In 1960, actor/singer Harry Belafonte was nominated for and won an Emmy in the category Outstanding Musical Performance in a Variety Series or Special.

Page 23: "He [Buz] thus reveals a secret from his sordid past to Tod: Buz was himself a former drug addict back in Hell’s Kitchen..."

Anyone who has seen the episode Birdcage On My Foot knows that Buz was never a drug abuser or addict. The guilt Buz feels relates to his drug-abusing surrogate father who died of an overdose when Buz was "out of touch". Fletcher also makes this same mistake on page 26 in reference to the drug-themed episode The Thin White Line.

Page 42: "Swedish actor [Lars] Passgard passed away in March of 1963. In 1964, his death was covered in a special tribute to route 66 guest stars who had passed..."

21 year-old Passgaard (both Fletcher and Rosin misspell his last name) received an introductory credit in the episode A Gift for a Warrior, which was also the last episode of the series to include George Maharis. Imdb.com has an extensive filmography listed for Passgaard, who died March 16, 2003 at the age of 62. A "special tribute" to route 66 guest stars who had passed held in 1964 when the show was still on the air would not have drawn much of a crowd.

Page 43: "[Roger] Mobley went on to be a sidekick of Tom Selleck in Magnum, P.I."

The last entry in Roger Mobley’s filmography is dated 1980 - the year Magnum, P.I. premiered, though he never performed with Tom Selleck. However, Roger E. Mosley did appear with Selleck in a total of 180 episodes from the show’s 8 season run.

"We don’t need no stinkin’ proof(readers) . . ."

Add to the mix countless typographical errors: (page 46) "...and is now dependent upon his parents, living in a child-lake state."; interesting examples of discombobulated syntax and incorrect air dates (episode 49 Aren’t You Surprised to See Me? is off by a year); incorrect locations (episode 50 You Never Had it So Good was filmed in Tucson, not Dallas). And last but not least - from the introduction (page 9): "In fact, every season Chevrolet replaced the two shiny Baby Blue Corvettes with the year’s newer model..."

Only the pilot episode used Powder Blue Corvettes. The color reflected too much light, so the switch was made to Fawn Beige when series production commenced in the summer of 1960. Regardless of model year, the cars were replaced every 3,000 miles (according to production executive Sam Manners) and several different cars were available at any given time.

Good Golly - No Galleys?

Most publishers have fact-checkers and proofreaders on staff. My mother’s best friend Betty made a comfortable living reading galley-proofs for a major publisher. The galleys for a 64 page book such as this could be read and examined in the space between breakfast and lunch.

I have nothing but respect for anyone who can write a book, pitch it and get it published. I just wish this book had been scrutinized more closely before being shipped-off to the printer. This has the look of a rush-job; certainly not the work of a dedicated fan of the series - much less someone employed by an American university as a "researcher and writer" as Fletcher’s bio states.

The book concludes with a profile of the NBC remake that ran in the summer of 1993. Starring James Wilder and MTV’s Dan Cortese, this insult to the original legacy was cancelled after only four episodes and hardly deserves a footnote; much less four pages of analysis. To James Rosin’s credit, his superior work gives the remake no coverage whatsoever.

The Silver Lining

Robin Fletcher’s thin 64 page book The route 66 TV Series doesn’t offer much to recommend it - with the exception of one detail. The few enclosed photographs are rare and exceptional - including the one of Maharis and Milner in the Corvette that appears on the book’s cover (for a look, click on the "View Details" link above if this review’s graphic didn’t appear upon posting).

A full-page photo at the beginning of the book consists of an overhead shot that shows the entire cast and crew - complete with multiple trucks used to haul equipment to locations along with camera and sound equipment in the background. Two Powder Blue Corvettes assume an ‘L’ configuration in the foreground, occupied by the two series leads as Black November (the pilot) guest star Patty McCormack strikes a pose beside the Maharis Corvette. This is a great photograph - one no doubt arranged by the Screen Gems publicity department for promotional reasons unknown.

I would love to be able to recommend this book. While it could be considered a must have for die-hard fans of the show, the level of inaccuracy, lack of proofreading and a $14.95 (US) cover price make it a no-go. Surprisingly, neither of the recently-published route 66 books contains an index. With the amount of information made available, both would be improved by the inclusion of same.

Unless you can find The route 66 TV Series in the bargain book bin, you’ll be better-off sticking to the Internet. A half hour on-line with your favorite search-engine will yield more information about the show than either of these recently-published books.

My sincere thanks go out to Ariane for adding this book to the database.

The route 66 TV Series (2007)
Author: Robin Fletcher
Route 66 Magazine Books
P.O. Box 66
Laughlin, NV 89029
ISBN: 0970142390

route 66 was an American series with a truly international cast and crew. A few more Canadians I’ve discovered among the credits...

Oscar-Nominated director Arthur Hiller (Edmonton, Alberta - 12 episodes)
...not to be confused with...
Tony Award-winning actor Arthur Hill (Melfort, Saskatchewan - 1 episode)
The lovely actress Rosemary Forsyth (Montreal, Quebec - 1 episode)
The even lovelier actress Anne Helm (Toronto, Ontario - 3 episodes)

...making this review eligible for the Canadiana Write-Off, hosted by elvisdo.

The British (and French Canadians) Are Coming!...

Director Philip Leacock (London, England - 7 episodes)
Director Lewis Allen (Telford, Stropshire, England - 1 episode)
Actor Boris Karloff (London, England - 1 episode)
Actor Michael Rennie (Bradford, Yorkshire, England - 2 episodes)
Actress Veronica Cartwright (Bristol, England - 1 episode)
French-Canadian actor Emil Genest (Quebec City, Quebec - 1 episode)

...making this review also eligible for the Fabulous French (Canadian?) and English Finds Write-Off hosted by ifif1938.

If only Buz and Tod had done a Christmas episode!


Recommended: No