Category: Television

“Independent America” airs Tuesday

The excellent documentary, "Independent America: The Two-Lane Search for Mom & Pop," is airing at 7 p.m. Tuesday on the Sundance Channel. That happens to be Election Day in some areas across the country. Also, Sundance is airing the film at 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9; 10:05 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 22; and 8 p.m. Monday, … Continue reading “Independent America” airs Tuesday

Review: “Route 66, Season One, Volume One” DVD

OK, I get it now. For years, I had heard many older roadies wax enthusiastic about the "Route 66" series that aired on CBS-TV from 1960 to 1964. I'd missed the reruns of Buz and Tod's cross-country adventures in a Corvette convertible. Save for haphazardly made bootlegs, the TV show hadn't made its way to … Continue reading Review: “Route 66, Season One, Volume One” DVD

Food Network show checks out Route 66 restaurants

The "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" show on the Food Network visited several Route 66 restaurants in its latest installment. The show included Cafe on the Route in Baxter Springs, Kan.; the Rock Cafe in Stroud, Okla.; and Emma Jean's Holland Burger Cafe in Victorville, Calif. If you missed it, you can see the "Route 66" … Continue reading Food Network show checks out Route 66 restaurants

Accept no substitutes

In recent weeks, it's come to our attention that a few online companies have been offering all four seasons of the original "Route 66" television series on DVD. Those are unofficial releases, because Roxbury Entertainment owns the rights to "Route 66" and is releasing the first half-season on a four-DVD set in a matter of … Continue reading Accept no substitutes

A chat with George Maharis

Early in a phone interview with "Route 66" television series co-star George Maharis, I acknowledged to him that I had never seen episodes of the early 1960s drama until I received an advance copy of the upcoming re-release on DVD. Maharis made a startling admission: Neither had he. "It was the first time I'd seen … Continue reading A chat with George Maharis

One from the archives

This is a news-station story from 2004 about Irv's Burgers on Santa Monica Boulevard (aka Route 66) in West Hollywood, Calif. At the time, Irv's was endangered by development. But customers and preservationists banded together to give it historic landmark status and protection. Irv's Burgers has its own Web site here.

The Green Parrot Tavern comes down

The historic Green Parrot tavern, on old Route 66 in Galena, Kan., was torn down after collapsing underground mines severely compromised the integrity of the structure. KSN/KODE in nearby Joplin, Mo., has a report, including video of the demolition. The good news is that cleanup crews are sorting through the wreckage by hand and seek … Continue reading The Green Parrot Tavern comes down

Aussie reporter checks out Oklahoma’s 66

Washington correspondent Michael Rowland of the Australian Broadcasting Corp. took time off from the Beltway and checked out old Route 66 and some Harley riders on it in northeastern Oklahoma. You can view the eight-minute video here in both Windows Media Player and RealPlayer in both broadband and dialup speeds. It's a well-done, well-edited segment. … Continue reading Aussie reporter checks out Oklahoma’s 66

An evening at Boot Hill Saloon and Grill

The exterior of the Boot Hill Saloon & Grill, at the intersection of U.S. 385 and old Route 66 in Vega, Texas, looks like something from the 1880s Old West. But don't expect it to be a rough-and-tumble joint where fistfights between cowboys outnumber the bottles of red-eye whiskey. Sure, Boot Hill contains a lounge … Continue reading An evening at Boot Hill Saloon and Grill