Route 66 (TV Show)

[KNS]

This show originally aired a few years before I was born but about 25 years ago I was able to catch it for the first time on Nick at Nite. I fell in love with the show, especially the first two seasons. Some of the scripts were very well written (and ground breaking for the time). Lots of young, future stars as well.

I have since found it again on Amazon Prime (and Roku). What a great show. Because it was filmed all over the country it's pretty neat to see cities and states how they looked 60 years ago. No matter where you grew up you're bound to find some area familiar to you. And some of the highways were deserted!

Seeing Glen Canyon dam under construction was cool. I've landed at Page airport and in that particular episode it's little more than a runway. Lots of other famous landmarks, some now long gone. Another good episode with Joanna Cassidy on Catalina Island.

Trivia: Very little of the show was filmed on the actual Route 66. If you check out the seasons/episodes list on IMDB you can usually find out where many of the shows were filmed beforehand.

[flatbutt]

Those guys were the coolest on TV. That's how I fell in love with that Corvette. Good find, thanks!

[KNS]

For some reason the print quality on the first couple of episodes is not very good but looks fine after that.

What's also strange to see nowadays is how clean cut Tod and Buz were. No man-buns.

[Steve Carlton]

Based on your recommendation, Kurt, I will try it.

[ossiblue]

Yep, I'm a bit older than the OP and watched the whole series when it originally aired. Loved it. I remember clearly when George Maharis left and was replaced by Glen Corbett. I liked Corbett, but it changed the dynamic of the show a bit and it was a like losing a friend.

Great show for its time and fun to rewatch today.

[GH85Carrera]

There are still parts of Rt66 that is fairly traffic free. A few miles of R-66 west of El Reno to Highway 81 is very original. One lane each way, and they are narrow lanes, with a hard curb on each side. I can't imagine how tow Semis went opposite directions.

At Hwy 81 R-66 becomes I-40 for several miles before it splits back to a separate road. I-40 actually runs on top of the old highway there.

It takes a really strange path through Oklahoma City. The old R-66 really winds a strange path north and south, and goes to areas that will make you scratch your head and wonder what they were thinking. Not the direct way through the city.

[KNS]

Gen,

A couple of years ago I drove the old Rt 66 from OKC all the way to Weatherford. It's almost all there you just have to look for it. Stay on it where it crosses the Canadian River, it continues to parallel I40 past 281. I'm sure it extends beyond Weatherford as well. Very narrow and some crumbling old bridges. It does make you wonder about trucks going opposite direction!

I've also driven parts of it through Arizona and SoCal too.

[GH85Carrera]

R-66 in the city is often just a local road, with very few if any signs to let you know it is "the mother road" at all. One part that goes past the old round barn in Arcadia, OK and goes to the middle of Edmond, OK then south down Broadway, that turns into Kelley, is just a low volume street in areas. There is one section that the pavement has worn off, and the original bricks of Rt-66 were exposed.

I have traveled a lot of miles east on I-44 which runs along side the old road for much of the way. Going west it is I-40. I have been to the end of I-40 in California.

[Steve Carlton]

Alton Brown did a series "Feasting on Asphalt" from 2006-2009. Great show- at least one episode covered the food along Route 66. I don't see the episodes streaming anywhere, unfortunately...

[pwd72s]

I like to think that Todd & Buzz are still out there...living in all of us who watched the show. Nice to know younger people picking up on it...

[GH85Carrera]

One of the drives our local club takes is actually a R-66 tour up to the Rock Cafe, in Stroud, OK

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Caf%C3%A9

The owner there was the inspiration for Sally Carrera in the movie Cars. It is a super easy drive for us, and fun to go as a group.

[flatbutt]

A great theme song as well.

[Evans, Marv]

It was one of my favorite shows back then - in black & white of course.

[flatbutt]

Watched the first three episodes. Interesting how in each someone mentions virus or epidemic. Also reminds me of some of the shacks people lived in when I was a kid. Yes even in Paterson NJ in the 50's.

[pwd72s]

Here's season 1, episode 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rrhdye3wmE

[KNS]

Episode four from the first season features Tod and Buzz flying out to an offshore oil rig in the Gulf. The company was Petroleum Helicopters. They're still very much around - I flew for them in 2006-2010.

[RWebb]

I'd like to see a good remake of this show - add 911s...

[Racerbvd]

I too enjoy Route 66

[jcommin]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

A great theme song as well.

Nelson Riddle wrote the song. The story goes the producers did not want to pay Bobby Troup royalties for his version of Route 66 (Get your kicks).

[tabs]

How could those 2 vagabonds afford to buy a new Corvette ever year? Didja ever think that they were selling dope?