Car-restoration TV show coming this spring August 16, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Preservation, Television, Vehicles.21 comments
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 the bolts. Because of contractual restrictions, Greene said he’s not allowed to say on which network the series will air, but added that it’s “one of the mainstream sat/cable channels everyone gets.”
Here’s the three-minute trailer for “Reality Rides.” Greene made sure to get a few Route 66 landmarks in the footage:
As for a previous Greene TV production, “Rhythms of the Road,” he said he’s been unable to find a network to air it. “With the downturn in the television business, broadcasters just don’t have the budgets they once did,” Greene said in an e-mail, “so we are still trying to figure that series out.”
Frets and fingers August 16, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music.add a comment
Classical guitarist Jane Rosenbohm shows some mighty impressive skills with her fingering and fretwork on this version of Bobby Troup’s “Route 66.”
“Interstate” August 15, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Movies.add a comment
Here’s a movie made a few years ago that took Route 66 elements as bits of inspiration. It’s about 80 minutes, and a few breaks for advertising are sprinkled in. It’s an early YouTube effort to stream movies.
Fair warning: It’s got a bit of adult language and adult situations, so it’s probably not appropriate for small children. When I saw it, I didn’t think the violence or anything else was egregious … it was more of a suspense film.
The basic idea for the film is good, “Interstate’s” ending is enough of a surprise, and the best parts are its art-production (you’ll know it when you see it). But the dialogue is weak, the acting seems iffy, and it becomes tedious at times — like a real-life interstate. Yahoo! Movies users give it a C+ grade, which seems about right.
Businesses urge cleanup of Amarillo Boulevard August 14, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Television, Towns.5 comments
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 give Amarillo a bad impression when thousands of Route 66 tourists come through town.
A chamber of commerce official says Amarillo Boulevard’s old look doesn’t dissuade travelers because it offers a glimpse of America’s yesteryear.
The TV station’s video added more detail and nuance than the written report. Still, it seemed from the clip that businesspeople and the chamber aren’t quite understanding each other.
Let me help clear this muddle. I’m fairly sure Amarillo Boulevard business owners aren’t advocating dozens of historic buildings being torn down in their area.
They’re just asking the city to put a few more cop patrols in the area, crack down on the prostitution, fix the sidewalks, and lean on neglectful property owners to spruce up buildings a little.
I’m fairly certain such things would make a better impression on travelers. Having driven Amarillo Boulevard a number of times, I know it would make a better impression on me. Instead, I get an impression that the city treats Amarillo Boulevard as a red-headed stepchild, hoping it will go away.
Am I wrong, or am I missing something here?
Route 66 photo exhibit on display near Detroit August 14, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Events, Photographs, Road trips.add a comment
If you live or pass through the Detroit area in the next week, you ought to go see Michael Campanelli‘s Rotue 66 photography exhibit in Royal Oak, Mich.
According to the Detroit News, Campanelli’s photos will be on display at the Shrine of the Little Flower Conference Center in Royal Oak (map here) through Aug. 22.
But for Campanelli, and uncounted others, Route 66 is homey motor courts, desolate stretches of desert, Tee Pee motels, leaning water towers, Meteor Crater, dusty, dried-up drive-in movie theaters, cowboys, coyotes and diners offering 72-ounce steaks.
“And the people you meet are incredibly friendly all along the route,” Campanelli said.
“If you see someone leaning up against their pickup in Oklahoma and ask them how they’re doing, you’d better be ready for a 45-minute conversation.” [...]
“This isn’t about me, it’s about Route 66 and what it represents,” Campanelli said. “Small-town mom-and-pop America is still out there: make sure you go and visit it.”
Campanelli gets it.
Notes from the road August 13, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Books, Events, Gas stations, Motels, Movies, Museums, Restaurants, Road trips, Television, Theaters, Vehicles, Web sites.add a comment
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 some new things. This time, Luning brought a video camera. The final cuts on the film have been made; it’s now a 55-minute movie.
Steil and Luning have rented out the entire theater for the event. According to their Facebook page, the event is open for everyone; ticket prices will be the same as in 1966. Here’s a trailer for the movie:
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TUCUMCARI MUSEUM?: It’s in the very early stages, but a number of Tucumcari, N.M., leaders are exploring the idea of converting the long-abandoned Tucumcari Truck Terminal on the west end of town into a Route 66 and auto museum, welcome center, and a new home for the town’s chamber of commerce. A number of issues remain with the property, including environmental remediation. But since New Mexico remains the only state without a Route 66 museum, this is an idea that might have legs. Tucumcari may have to hurry, though — Albuquerque is considering the same thing with its El Vado Motel.
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FROM DOWN UNDER: KOLR-TV in Springfield, Mo., caught up with a television crew from Australia following some Aussie road-trippers in the Ozarks. The link includes a video, which will show Gary Turner’s Gay Parita gas station near Halltown, Mo. The TV crew is shooting footage for Australia’s “Classic Restos” program.
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FESTIVE TIME: It’s a rather eventual weekend for Route 66. The Vettes in the Midwest III event started Friday in Joplin, Mo., and the inaugural Route 66 Classic Car Cruise in the St. Louis suburbs of Crestwood and Sunset Hills begins Saturday. A story about the Corvette event is here; a preview of the Crestwood cruise is here.
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MOTHER ROAD ENVOY: You’re advised to surf over to the blog of Matthew Comer, the British citizen who is the new Illinois Route 66 Ambassador. He’s barely been at his Mother Road duties for a month, and he logged nearly 30 entries on the website.
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TV TIME: The Travel Channel and on-air personality Henry Cole came to Cuba, Mo., last week to shoot Route 66 footage, including at the newly refurbished Wagon Wheel Motel and the World’s Largest Rocker at the Fanning Outpost.
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ROAD TO INSPIRE: Disney Imagineers who are working on the Cars Land complex traveled on the Mother Road in New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma a few days ago to “get some inspiration,” reported several roadies in that vicinity. Cars Land, based on the 2006 hit movie “Cars,” is expected to be open in 2012.
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“Cars” movie launches online community August 12, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Movies, Web sites.5 comments
Disney has started an online community, World of Cars Online, for fans of the hit 2006 Disney-Pixar animated movie “Cars,” reported the Los Angeles Times.
The reason for launching the site seems obvious. But in case you’re out of the loop:
The Burbank entertainment giant plans to begin revving its marketing engine for the virtual world this month, with promotions appearing on Disney Channel and elsewhere. World of Cars is Disney’s fifth online community — one that’s designed to keep children interacting with Lightning McQueen, Mater and other characters from the movie until “Cars 2″ is released in 2011.
Also, Disney is scheduled to debut its Cars Land complex at its resort in Anaheim, Calif., in 2012.
The article includes an interview with Rachel DiPaola, who is overseeing the World of Cars site and has developed dozens of games.
Above is a screen shot of the main page. The site contains a lot of cool stuff, including games, image downloads of “Cars” characters, a lot of interactive stuff, and site management tools for parents. You could spend an hour or two just exploring the site.
(Hat tip: Kevin Hansel)
Sooners football owes a debt to John Steinbeck August 11, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Books, Sports.1 comment so far
A report by J. Robert Byrom at Bleacher Report makes a fairly compelling case of why John Steinbeck’s famous Depression-era novel “The Grapes of Wrath” paved the way to the University of Oklahoma becoming a college football powerhouse, even to this day.
The story is too long and multifaceted to summarize briefly here. Just go read it.
So the next time you cheer — or jeer — the Sooners when they score a touchdown or win a big game, it may be because of a certain book that takes place on Route 66.
County seeks grant to restore wooden Route 66 bridges August 11, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Bridges, Highways, History, Preservation.8 comments
The Desert Dispatch reports that San Bernardino County in California is seeking a federal grant to restore old bridges on the National Old Trails Road — an early alignment of Route 66.
The county applied for a $52 million stimulus grant to replace 130 bridges that were built between 1929 and 1931 on the old highway between Daggett and Needles. The bridges would be replaced by wooden kits that are designed to look similar to the original.
The kits the county expects to use for to replace these bridges are approved by the California Department of Transportation, are easy to put together and are historically accurate.
“The attraction of Route 66 is its history,” he said. “You don’t want it to look like any other roadway.”
The county should know by September whether it will receive the grant.
Bridges tend to wear out eventually. San Bernardino County’s quest to replace the bridges with ones that look like the original should be commended — and imitated in other Route 66 states.
Long trip for little cars August 11, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Road trips, Vehicles.5 comments
The 2010 Route 66 Microcar Rally departed from Santa Monica Pier a few days ago.
Here’s a video as the group of tiny-car enthusiasts makes its way through the Los Angeles metro area:
I noted that one of the itty-bitty cars bore a strong resemblance to Luigi in the movie “Cars.” Some of these cars have engines as small as 500 cc.
You can follow the Route 66 rally here on its Facebook page. At last check, they’d passed Kingman, Ariz., and had already experienced a breakdown or two. The desert’s gotta be tough on those cars.
The group is hoping to make the Microcar Minicar World Meet in the Chicago suburb of Crystal Lake, Ill., on Aug. 21-22.