To the Baby Boomer generation, Buz and Tod were the cool guys on the hit TV series “Route 66” as they traveled across America in a Corvette convertible in search of adventure.
Martin “Tod Stiles” Milner died back in 2015, and now George Maharis, the actor behind “Buz Murdock,” passed away Wednesday at age 94.
Maharis played Buz, an orphan who had worked with Tod’s father as a laborer on one of his ships in New York City. After the senior Mr. Stiles died, and the ensuing failure of his business, Tod and his friend Buz decided to drive across America in search of work, adventure, and themselves – all the while enjoying time in a C1 or C2 Corvette convertible, the only legacy left to Tod after the shipping company’s demise.
George Maharis (L) and Martin Milner (R)
Maharis, the hip swaggering sidekick to Milner, would go on to earn an Emmy for his performance in 1962 but near the end of that season, Maharis was absent from several episodes because of a bout of infectious hepatitis. He was back for the start of the third season but was again missing for several episodes before leaving the series halfway through that season, with no explanation on air for his departure.
“I have to protect my future,” Maharis explained in a 1963 interview. “If I keep going at the present pace, I’m a fool. Even if you have $4,000,000 in the bank, you can’t buy another liver.”
At the time, the show’s producers blamed Maharis’ exit on his desire to be a movie star, but his biographer Karen Blocher cited homophobia, saying: “The producers felt betrayed and duped when they learned of Maharis’s sexual orientation, and never trusted him again. In a less homophobic era, they might have communicated better, and worked things out.”
Regardless, after leaving Route 66, Maharis did go on to star in a series of movies in the 1960s, from comedies (Quick, Before It Melts in 1964) to science fiction (The Satan Bug in 1965) before briefly returning to TV for The Most Deadly Game series. He also enjoyed secondary careers as a musician and an impressionist painter.
But it was obviously his work on Route 66 that endeared him to a generation of Corvette enthusiasts. The main characters first drove around in a 1960 Corvette, then upgraded to a new model each season before finally concluding the series in a 1964 model. The cars used light colors like Horizon Blue, Cascade Green, and Fawn Beige.
What do you remember about watching this series, filmed in black and white on location around the country, with little actual connection to the real Route 66 as the show was actually shot in 25 American states and even once in Canada?
Full episodes of Route 66 can be found on YouTube.
Source:
Daily Mail
Related:
Route 66 TV Star Martin Milner Passed Away
Classic TV’s Route 66 Planning a Modern Reboot of the Series
[VIDEO] Route 66 Corvette Mural Returns to Joplin After Receiving a Refresh
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Route 66 was filmed entirely “on location”, so when you watch the show, that’s what America looked like back in the day. Interesting, thoughtful show. But Todd was always getting the snot beat out of him and tough-guy Buz always came to save Tod’s sorry butt. Buz should have showed Todd how to fight! LOL!
I remember when I was a small kid back in the early sixties and they filmed an episode in my hometown of Tampa. There were scenes of them cruising down iconic Bayshore Boulevard right down the street from me. Pretty cool!
These were cool guys, much like the Lone Ranger and Tonto, doing good things to help people while running off the bad guys. The best part was great cars, especially their fawn beige Vette that was beyond gorgeous. We need shows like this now!
I remember Route 66 had a great theme song written by Gordon Jenkens.
This series reflected “the perfect life” to me. At 13 years old freedom in a Corvette with a friend could not be beaten.
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