Clippings: An Informative Article During Season One from the Hartford Courant (01/29/1961)

Have a look at this article about Route 66 from the January 29, 1961 issue of the Hartford Courant. It's a fascinating piece on the challenges of filming the series on the road, in different parts of the United States. Cast and crew members from Route 66 often spoke of the logistical challenges involved in traveling from location to location. Lots of people and lots of equipment had to be moved each time filming began on a new episode. Some of the shows fans have speculated that the gruelling demands of the show took a tremendous toll on George Maharis.

Writes the article's author, Steven H Scheuer: "Since there are different rules among the states as to union jobs, the crews will vary. In the Chicago area, Illinois crews will be used; in Oregon, Portland crews will come in. The only people from Hollywood will be the actors, directors, grips and electricians...."

There is a fascinating discussion in the article about the filming of the pilot episode, "Black November." Have a look at the article by clicking on it, then click it again to enlarge it. Martin Milner and Herbert B. Leonard were interviewed at length for the piece. Not surprisingly, all-American Milner plays up the fact that Buz and Tod aren't "bums," and that he is really a family man. This was to offset some of the mumblings and grumblings of older viewers who thought Buz and Tod were just a bunch of spoiled Beatnik kids looking for kicks.