Thursday, September 10, 2009

Is Gloucester on Route 66?

"No!" And that was about the 15th time my mother responded to our requests to travel to Gloucester where Route 66 would be filming yet another episode. But she finally relented and we climbed into our "beach wagon" and headed off to Gloucester. Let me take the opportunity to clarify the timeframe and our ages. I believe it was the summer of 1961 and I would've been 14 years old and my sister would have been 12. Okay.

We drove uneventfully to Gloucester spending some extra time trying to find the motel where the crew and cast were staying. Finally we spotted it and were a little dismayed; it was not exactly "luxurious". I believe someone from the publicity department was there to chaperone our visit. He led us up some rickety stairs to the second floor of the motel and knocked on the door. There he was, George Maharis... and two women. We were just a tad embarrassed, feeling that we had intruded upon a private moment. However. he took the time to greet us and listen to our fan girl gushing; but we still felt uncomfortable with the situation. After an appropriate amount of time we thanked him for seeing us and left the room, navigating that long and narrow staircase back to earth. We noticed Martin Milner on crutches coming out of what appeared to be a family unit on the motel property. He did not stop to speak with us. Well, we didn't like Martin Milner anyway.

On the drive back home we wondered if our impression of George Maharis had been tarnished by the realization that he had a life separate from Buz. I don't think it really made any difference to us because we kept on watching the show until Maharis left. Although we liked Glenn Corbett as an actor, we didn't appreciate his insertion into the show as a replacement for Buz and eventually stopped tuning in.

As an update, there was a tribute to Route 66 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art sponsored by the Museum of Film and Television in New York. Maharis was there and participated in the question and answer session from the audience after the clip was shown of his powerful scene in the episode Birdcage on My Foot. When the event was over I walked down to the stage and gave Maharis an abridged version of my Route 66 experience. Again he was very receptive and seemed to enjoy my recollections.

When I visited the Museum of Television in New York in 2008, where you can view episodes from its database of TV series, I chose Birdcage on My Foot, a powerfully written and acted drama that still brought tears to my eyes.


  1. My youngest sister, who would have been 5 at the time tells me that she was present on this occasion. However, she remembers Martin Milner walking his dog, not using crutches, but still ignoring us. She also says that Maharis hugged her and signed his autograph on the back of her raincoat.

  2. Saz, what a delightful blog! George Maharis sounds like a wonderful guy. He comes across as very likable as Buz. Martin Milner does, too, so it was interesting to read that he ignored you and your sister. I saw "Birdcage on My Foot" a couple of months ago and agree it was an intense episode and very much a showcase for George (Robert Duvall was superb, too). As I mentioned earlier, George was Emmy-nominated for "Route 66" and I know nominations are based on a single eipsode submitted to the Academy. I wouldn't be surprised if "Birdcage" was the one that earned George his nomination. I also enjoyed hearing about the less-than-plush accomodations. The closing credits often include a note of thanks for wherever they stayed...which probably cut down on the production costs. Can you imagine a show filming around the country like that now?

  3. "Route 66" was one of our favorites back in the day, too...ah, that theme song and the Corvette...and, for the girls, it was all about George Maharis...poor Martin Milner, always a bridesmaid...

  4. I too have a Gloucester/ Route 66 memory.

    We lived in Gloucester in 1961. My mother was friends with a woman named Florence Ciarametaro. Florence had a a lovely, large home which was the site of a cookout attended by some of the cast/crew of Route 66. My mother and her friends attended the cookout and as a result wound up as extras in a few scenes.

    I was 6 at the time but my fascination with movies and TV was already firmly in place. When I got wind of this, I was walked on air for a week to ten days!

    Little did I dream that tragedy would strike and I would lose my beloved mother at age 12. For years after, I had hoped to see a rerun of the episode whose title was Once to Every Man. Finally about 5 years ago, I bought a dvd on ebay and watched the episode.

    My mother is in a dining room scene and I could only see her from the back/side. She was wearing my sister's chiffon prom dress!! Martin Milner was at the head of the table.

    Also, there is a dance scene that clearly shows Bill and Gloria Swett of East Gloucester. Bill was quite a bit taller than Gloria and he appears to be dancing with himself.

    1. Thanks for sharing that lovely ROUTE 66 memory. I need to watch "Once to Every Man" again!

  5. I got Martin Milne's autograph, as I was bravest and asked. Then my "friend" Joan Duganski, took it from my treasure box. He just watched a different episode then you have mentioned here so I will have to see that one.