TV and Movies

[twinsister]

@Oznell  - I did a google search on why Maharis left the show and found some interesting articles.  One was an interview with GM from the LA Times arouond 2012 (sorry, I don't know how to do links).  He said the rumors about him and Milner not getting along were not true. I had read that in another article too - he thought Milner was a nice guy and they got along.   To your point about filming being difficult he said they were told it would be five days a week, but turned into seven days a week at sixteen or seventeen hours a day.  Some of those rural towns they filmed in, had no motels or hotels, so they were put up in houses of the town residents.   Imagine having a TV star stay in your home - LOL!

As for the reason he left, he became ill after filming at night for many hours in freezing water.  The producers had a doctor give him a B-12 shot and he contracted hepatitis from that shot.    While recovering he was told the show would be cancelled if he didn't return to filming.  He did, but after a few episodes was still too ill to continue, so he left.

The episode you mentioned - A Month of Sundays, was very good.   There is another good one on Wednesday at 5PM starring Ed Asner.  I won't say anything else about it, but definitely worth watching or taping,

[Oznell]

Wow, what a good job of research you did, @twinsister.  The poor guy-- talk about "hazard duty".  He's probably lucky nothing even worse came out of that experience-- remember Katharine Hepburn got some kind of life long eye condition after her fall in a canal...

You dug up some juicy stuff, @twinsister, very enhancing to our enjoyment of the show!   Will keep an eye out for the Ed Asner episode. 

[Highlands72]

As a pre-teen, my mother was a huge fan of Route 66, although she admits the show was not a show for 11-year-olds. She just loved George Maharis. Still a child, she got to meet him once at a convention for Columbia Records. My grandfather, her father, worked for more than twenty years for Columbia in the business side of the music industry. He arranged for the brief meeting.

George Maharis had tried a singing career in the early 1960s, recording an album or two for Epic (a division of Columbia). Mom still has his first album in her vinyl collection. If I were to rummage through her attic, I might even find the issue of Playgirl magazine in which Maharis was the centerfold, mid-1970s.

There were many "stories" at the time of Maharis'  (apparently not amicable) departure from Route 66, some true, some rumor.

[Judaline]

This is all very interesting. Slight change of pace. I heard the song in my car last month. I just put the pedal to the metal and took off, radio blaring. (luckily I was on the highway) I felt free as a bird.

[Witchy Woman]

@Oznell 

And all other's who enjoy (or will enjoy) this show.

Born in 1950, I was old enough to watch the orginal and enjoy it.  Had terrible crushes on both characters.  Used to dream of driving Route 66 in a Corvette convertible.

I lived in the midwest and dated a guy who worked the Corvette line in a car plant in St. Louis, I think.  That's as close as I ever got to any of my dreams!

The song is sublime....one of the best driving songs and just perfect in every way a song can be.  Nelson Riddle....ahhh, yes.  I will have to check to see whatever wonderful music he did.

Glad to know George M. is still around....Never saw him in much else, and sorry to hear he got ill from filming.  

The show, the music, the actors....a lovely memory.  I will watch it on Amazon and see if it is as good as I remember.

[Oznell]

You were so right, @twinsister --  the Ed Asner one was one special episode....

[twinsister]

@Oznell  - glad you liked it.   I watched again and enjoyed it, even though I knew what would happen.  There are two more good episodes involving GM (in my opinion) coming up - tonight at 9PM and Saturday at 7PM.  My DVR is set - LOL!!

[twinsister]

@Oznell  - FETV has changed their schedule effective July 1.  Route 66 is no longer on during the weekdays, but it will still air two episodes on Saturday and Sunday.

You are always giving us alerts - so I thought I would return the favor in case you are still watching it - LOL!!

[Oznell]

Oh, thanks so much, @twinsister!  I'll miss having the luxury of so many episodes to record during the week, but glad they'll still be on weekends...

I just saw the one with John Larch about the hush-hush speedboat motor research and development thing on the Colorado river.  Tod having to tear around on the water, and comfort John Larch's estranged daughter who comes to visit...  Kind of a mish-mash of an episode, but for some reason I really liked it!

[mousiegirl]

@Oznell   "Why did George Maharis leave “Route 66”? ... In short, she reports that Maharisasked for a scaled-back shooting schedule that season because he was recovering from two bouts of hepatitis. Executive producer Herbert B. Leonard said Maharis was exaggerating his illness so he could break his contract and go into movies."