Category: Television

“Route 66” television series marks 50th anniversary

On this day in 1960, the first episode of the  "Route 66" television show aired on CBS. Although the drama would last just four seasons and seldom took place on the Mother Road, you can chalk up "Route 66" as a big reason the real Route 66 became the legend it is today. "Route 66" … Continue reading “Route 66” television series marks 50th anniversary

Endurance athlete talks about his Route 66 accident

British endurance athlete James Cracknell wrote a column for The Telegraph in London about his serious cycling accident on Route 66 in Arizona in July. According to initial reports, Cracknell suffered a fractured skull when a truck hit him when he was trying to go across the United States in 18 days for a Discovery … Continue reading Endurance athlete talks about his Route 66 accident

TV producers looking for a colorful Route 66 cafe

A development team is seeking nominations for a colorful Route 66 diner that will be featured on a reality TV show on a "major cable network," according to a spokesman. Here's a news release about the project: “Diner” will follow the lives of the staff (and of course the locals) of a home-town diner. We’ll face … Continue reading TV producers looking for a colorful Route 66 cafe

Car-restoration TV show coming this spring

Greene HD Productions, which has produced previous programs about Route 66, has shot a reality-television series, "Reality Rides," about restoring a 1955 Buick Special. The program is set to air in spring 2011. Brian Greene says it's a 12-part series shot in high-definition video. A five-man team restored the Buick from the frame up, even … Continue reading Car-restoration TV show coming this spring

Businesses urge cleanup of Amarillo Boulevard

Ordinarily I don't advocate viewing a video over a written story. But in the case of this KFDA-TV report about Amarillo Boulevard, aka Route 66, in Amarillo, Texas, it is an exception. Here's the gist: Business owners along Amarillo Boulevard are complaining about crime, crumbling sidewalks, prostitution and other alleged neglect. They think these things … Continue reading Businesses urge cleanup of Amarillo Boulevard

Notes from the road

The documentary "Route 66: Ten Years Later" will have its debut at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 9 at the Portage Theater in Chicago. Writer Tim Steil and photographer Jim Luning collaborated on their "Route 66" book during a Mother Road trip in 1999. A decade later, they decided to revisit the places they saw and see … Continue reading Notes from the road

Arizona historian wins prestigious award

Arizona historian Marshall Trimble recently won the 2010 Wild West History Association Award for lifetime contributions to the public interest, according to the Arizona Republic. Trimble, 71, was honored for for his "research, writings, speaking and multiple contributions to the history of the characters and events of Wild West History." Trimble has written more than … Continue reading Arizona historian wins prestigious award

Night life

A lot (if any) of this time-lapse footage doesn't take place on Route 66. However, the instrumental by Nelson Riddle & His Orchestra comes directly from the "Route 66" television show of the early 1960s. And the music goes remarkably well with the nighttime pulse of the city.

A closer look at Chandler

Here's a nice and informative video about the Route 66 town of Chandler, Okla. The clip was produced by the good folks of OETA.