Tod and Buz 30 Years Later
For Martin Milner and George Maharis, the memories of "Route 66" are still vivid.
Sam Manners was the production manager for "Route 66," charged with getting the show on the road and keeping it on schedule. Manners also handled production for the television shows "Wild, Wild West," "Petrocelli", "Rin Tin Tin" and "Breaking Away." He was interviewed at his Hollywood, Calif., home in January 1990 by Kermit D. Park.
CQ: What do you remember most about the show?
Manners: Doing it on the road, the changing conditions, the changing weather, the people we met, the areas we worked in, the different climates we worked in. It was a very challenging show from day one.
CQ: Didn't the unpredictable conditions hamper your ability to function?
Manners: Not really. We had a fabulous crew. In four years, I think we got rid of three men and lost two by death. So our cast and crew were like a family. George (Maharis) and Marty (Milner) were a delight to work with until George got sick, unfortunately, and then it became a problem and that was the demise of the series.
CQ: "Route 66" is the only show in television history produced completely on location. Why haven't more shows tried this?
Manners: They're afraid to do it. They're afraid of the challenge. Today, there are a lot of people who just aren't qualified to be in the business, and therefore could not cope with this type of situation. It takes a cast and crew who are well-versed in the industry to make a show on the road. You don't have to push a button. You can't call the studio every five minutes requesting another grip, or more equipment. On the road, you have to be able to improvise and we did.
CQ: What were some unusual things that occurred while filming?
Manners: Well, there was the time we were filming an episode in Chicago called "Lizard's Leg and Owlet's Wing" with Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney and Peter Lorre. We were shooting a scene with caskets in the lobby of the O'Hare Inn, much to the consternation of the hotel guests. Then Boris Karloff, who was dressed as Frankenstein, walked into the men's room and scared the daylights out of a couple of unsuspecting hotel patrons.
There was the time that Marty Milner accidentally splattered Lee Marvin's nose wide open. It wasn't funny for Lee, but at the time it was funny for us. Unfortunately, Lee zigged instead of zagged and Marty hit him flush on the nose with his right hand. The doctor had to put 20 stitches in Marvin's nose to patch him up and then we couldn't shoot anything but long shots until his nose healed. Later, we went back and got some close-ups that we needed.
Then there was the time we were in a St. Augustine, Fla., hotel shooting a pie fight with Soupy Sales. Once again the guests didn't know we were filming and thought it was for real. Some starting ducking while others grabbed pies, which were all over the place. It quickly became a hysterical situation.
CQ: Some of your best shows seem to have been done with children. Any particular reason?
Manners: If there was any reason at all, perhaps it was that Maharis loved kids. George could absolutely hypnotize kids. Kids all loved George, including my three kids. George was a big kid himself. They would have water fights, dropping water bags from hotel rooms. That's how into it George was.
CQ: Was there any reason why so many shows' storylines included boats or water?
Manners: Only that Stirling Silliphant used to say, "I'm going to write a script that you can't shoot, Sam." That was his challenge. Everything he ever wrote we were able to do. No matter what it was, we would find a way to do it.
CQ: Did you ever think in the early days that "Route 66" would eventually have a cult following?
Manners: No, although I thought it would last a lot longer than it did, and it would have, if George hadn't left the show. I think it would have stayed on 20 years.
CQ: What accounts for all the renewed interest in "Route 66"?
Manners: I think it was bound to happen. "Route 66" was one of the best shows on the air and it still holds up today. I have had so many people tell me that it's a great show. People who hadn't seen the show before. Everything about it holds up. I think it's far and away much better than 99 percent of the stuff that's on television today. I think had it been in color it would have had a better effect.
CQ: Would the original premise of the show hold up today, or has the country become so homogenous that it wouldn't be interesting?
Manners: I think the biggest problem today would be whether people would accept the idea that two young men were traveling on the road to find roots and to find themselves. I think we always set it up very well. Tod and Buz weren't bums. They were always ready to work, they were always ready to help somebody. But I don't know whether you could get away with that today. I really don't.
Corvette Quarterly
Summer 1990
By Kermit D. Park
Transcribed by L.A. Christie
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