“Catoosa Blue: A Love Story” February 8, 2012
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, History, Movies.1 comment so far
This is a short documentary film about the Blue Whale of Catoosa, Okla., created by high-schooler Alexander Knight.
The film premiered during the deadCENTER Film Festival in Oklahoma City last summer.
Knight donated the film to the Catoosa Arts & Tourism Society/Fins of the Blue Whale volunteer group, which is working to preserve the Route 66 landmark.
The Motels of Route 66 project will spawn a book and film February 7, 2012
Posted by Ron Warnick in Books, History, Motels, Movies.5 comments
Simon Cantlon, an Emmy-nominated producer of digital media for the entertainment industry, has launched The Motels of Route 66 project that will spawn a documentary film and a book.
Cantlon created this video that explains his project:
According to his website:
The Motels of Route 66 project will capture the spirit of these motels, both the thriving and the forgotten, in film, photographs and oral histories. We will document the motel owners stories, the iconic neon signs, the mid-century architecture and the travelers who stayed there then and now.
From the Greenway Motel in Mitchell, Illinois with the billboard-sized arrow showing travelers where to turn, and the Blue Swallow Inn in Tucumcari, New Mexico with its blue and pink neon sign adorned with a sweet, simple blue bird select iconic motels and their owners along the Route will be documented on film. Every single vintage motel sign still standing along the mother road will also be captured in film and photograph.
Another major component of the project will be compiling existing photographs and stories from people around the world. We will use social media networks, mobile phone apps and online ad campaigns to cull photographs and stories from those who have been inspired by Route 66. We will form partnerships with Route 66 associations to get the word out about the project and help gather pre-existing source material. We want to form a digital and physical archive of these places, of visuals and narratives already found, and those we have yet to unearth.
The project will culminate with the release of a coffee table book, publishing the best photographs of the accumulated images, as well as stories about a select number of the motels. We will also put together a short documentary film, giving further context to and expanded stories from these classic motels.
In 2009, Route 66 motels were named one of the most endangered historic sites in America by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. So Cantlon’s book and film probably will have historic value.
UPDATE 2/10/2012: Cantlon, in an email, said he’d do a scouting trip in May and start actual shooting in July.
He also said this about the project:
The plan is to highlight the stories of a select number of the vintage motels (12 to 16 or so) in the documentary. Visually I plan to represent all of them in the film and the book but only the expanded stories of a select amount in the documentary. The book will expand on the documentary and include many more stories of the motels.
The project will also be seeking submissions from travellers, fans, motel owners and experts in the form of video and photos to be included in the documentary and book.
The heap behind Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree February 3, 2012
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Movies, People.add a comment
The Disney Parks Blog took a behind-the-scenes look at Larry the Cable Guy, aka Mater from the 2006 Disney-Pixar film “Cars,” recording a voice-over.
Disney needed Larry’s pipes for Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, one of the rides featured in Cars Land at Disney’s California Adventure:
Cars Land is based on the fictional Route 66 town of Radiator Springs from “Cars.” Cars Land is set to open sometime this summer.
“Route 66: Return to the Road” January 29, 2012
Posted by Ron Warnick in Movies, Road trips, Television.add a comment
Here’s something I haven’t seen in a few years … the first few minutes of “Route 66: Return to the Road with Martin Milner.” Someone posted this segment on Vimeo in recent days; you’ll have to click on the screen shot to see the clip:
The 1998 film, which was more than 2 1/2 hours long, was released on DVD 10 years ago this week. It featured a vintage Corvette and Martin Milner, both whom starred with George Maharis in the “Route 66″ television drama of the early 1960s. Plus there were all the real-world attractions of the Mother Road itself at that time.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen “Return to the Road,” and undoubtedly changes have occurred in the nearly 15 years since. That includes Milner, who was regularly attending Route 66 gatherings for a few years after that, but reportedly now is in poor health and has gone into seclusion.
“Return to the Road” was skillfully directed by John Paget, who also helmed “Route 66: An American Odyssey.” Both are terrific films that I recommend unequivocally.
Shout! Factory releases details about “Route 66″ DVD re-release January 15, 2012
Posted by Ron Warnick in Movies, Television.8 comments
A few weeks ago, Shout! Factory, a respected DVD and music label, announced it had acquired the rights to the “Route 66″ television series of the early 1960s, and would re-release it on DVD and broadcast it on varying formats.
Kathy Callahan, senior director of sales at Shout! Factory, provided a few more details about the upcoming DVD re-release:
- It will be a 21-disc collection, featuring all 116 episodes of the show’s run. That includes “Route 66″ fourth and final season, which has never been released to DVD.
- Packaging will include “collectible,” newly drawn artwork.
- “Route 66 DVD set will include a bonus disc, “Great Cars — Corvette,” a 2007 documentary about the legendary sports car that was used in the show. That DVD will come with its own collection of extras.
- Special features for the “Route 66″ set are “still being fleshed out.”
- Shout! Factory will strive to use the original 4:3 screen ratio for all of “Route 66′s” episodes. Erratic formatting had been an issue with previous DVD releases.
- Callahan wouldn’t give a release date of the DVDs, only that it would be “in time to promote for Father’s Day.”
As previously reported, Shout! also will provide episodes of “Route 66″ for North American broadcasts and video-on-demand.
Roxbury Entertainment, which issued the previous one-season DVD sets of “Route 66,” retained trademark, television remake, and film rights. Roxbury also is developing a “Route 66″ TV series remake with Shout!.
“Route 66,” an Emmy-nominated drama, co-starred Martin Milner, George Maharis and a Corvette convertible. My story about an interview with Maharis in 2007 can be read here. Maharis left the show after the third season, and was replaced by Glenn Corbett for the rest of its run.
Interview with Michael Wallis January 14, 2012
Posted by Ron Warnick in Movies, People, Television.add a comment
KTUL-TV in Tulsa conducted an interview with “Route 66: The Mother Road” author Michael Wallis before his recent a href=”http://tulsatownhall.com”>Tulsa Town Hall speech.
The station deserves credit for this wide-ranging and surpringingly long (seven minutes) segment.
Refresh the page or head to the KTUL link above if the video embedding doesn’t work.
A closer look at Ramone’s Body Art in Cars Land January 14, 2012
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Businesses, Gas stations, Movies, Signs.add a comment
The Disney Parks Blog posted this construction time-lapse of Ramone’s Body Art inside Cars Land at Disney’s California Adventure park.
Ramone’s resembles the historic U-Drop Inn along Route 66 in Shamrock, Texas. Disney says Ramone’s eventually will have neon lighting.
Cars Land was inspired by the fictional Route 66 town of Radiator Springs, depicted in the 2006 Disney-Pixar animated film “Cars.” Cars Land will open this summer; a more specific date will be announced later.
The blog post also contains a photo of the “Here It Is!” billboard, directly inspired by a similar billboard near the Jackrabbit Trading Post near Joseph City, Ariz. It also contains an image of the signs atop Lizzie’s store, the Radiator Springs Curios shop.