The acclaimed “route 66” television series has been off the air for more than 40 years. Suddenly, within weeks of each other, two books have been released on the CBS-TV drama about Buzz and Tod driving across the country in a Corvette, looking for adventure.
The first book out is Robin Fletcher’s “The Route 66 TV Series” (64 pages, $14.95), published by Route 66 Magazine. The second is James Rosin’s “Route 66: The Television Series, 1960-64” (174 pages, $19.95), published by the Autumn Road Co. Both books have their merits.
Full disclosure: Save for a few clips on YouTube, I’ve never seen the “route 66” series. (I don’t anticipate that changing until someone puts out a proper DVD release.) I can’t vouch for both books’ accuracy of the descriptions of all 116 episodes of “route 66.”
Rosin’s descriptions of each episode’s plot are full and detailed. Fletcher’s plot descriptions are written compactly, but also contain additional nuggets. For one, Fletcher tells where each episode was filmed. Here, we learn that “route 66” was filmed in Route 66 towns just a handful of times — Los Angeles, St. Louis, Chicago, Santa Monica, Santa Fe and Needles, Calif.
Also, Fletcher provides information about each episode’s co-stars and where they found fame later, including Robert Redford, Walter Matthau, Leslie Nielsen, Lee Marvin, Jack Lord, Jack Warden, Martin Sheen, Ed Asner, Burt Reynolds, William Shatner, Robert Duvall and James Coburn.
Fletcher’s book also adds something that Rosin’s book does not: several pages about the ill-fated NBC-TV series “Route 66” starring Dan Cortese and James Wilder in 1993. Released in mid-summer, the show was canceled after just four episodes. But Fletcher gives the show its due with data about the episodes and production — including Route 66 author Michael Wallis and his wife Suzanne helping lead a Route 66 Corvette tour from Santa Monica to Chicago to promote the show.
Fletcher’s book takes up just a few pages about the genesis and production of the original “route 66” series. Rosin’s book devotes more than 30 pages to “route 66’s” back story, including interviews with producers, writers and directors, co-stars George Maharis and Martin Milner, and executive producer Herbert B. Leonard. Here, we learn that the series — especially with its on-location shoots — always faced intense deadline pressures, and script re-writes on the fly were common. Given the logistical challenges, it’s amazing how strong the show was. It’s terrific reading, and this is where Rosin’s book shines.
Rosin’s book contains about 20 pages of photographs from “route 66’s” production. About a half-dozen pages of photos occupy Fletcher’s book.
The back of Rosin’s book also contains biographies of the major “route 66” principals, including their entertainment credits after the show ran its course.
A few minor typographical errors mar Fletcher’s book. Rosin’s writing seems to have been proof-read more thoroughly.
Some may quibble about the $14.95 price of Fletcher’s book for 64 pages. However, it’s a compact, informative book with little fat. Rosin’s book, at $19.95, is 174 pages, but its additional photos and bigger type take up more space.
Overall, I give Rosin’s book an edge over Fletcher’s. But each has something to offer. If you want a book with more photos and back story on “route 66,” buy Rosin’s. If you want more information on the episodes and the short-lived 1993 series, buy Fletcher’s.
I think that the version printed by the magazine was compiled from the articles they ran a few years ago on the show. They were of interest then and still are.
The new book that Jim has done comes more from an insiders view. He has ties to the old show and knew a lot of the folks that made the show a hit.
Just as there is room for many books on a subject and as long as each of them adds something of value, then the road wins again.
A question that I get asked quite often is ‘Aren’t there enough books about Route 66 already?’ the answer is of course, NO. As long as they are well researched, written and presented there will never be enough. I hope there are many more out there right now being worked on. I can always built a bigger bookcase.
Look at all the photo books over the years and yet a new one came out last year and is still selling.
The importance of these two books are equal to what the TV show meant to our cause.
I had a very enjoyable conversation with Jim Rosin today. He lived in the LA area for eleven years, so we had a lot of stories to swap. Jim will be at the festival in Clinton and I’m really looking forward to continuing our La La Land reunion.
I have not had the chance yet to see either book, but I had a secondhand report on the Fletcher book from a poster on the Route 66 mailing list which indicates that it is full of errors (inaccurate plot summaries and guest star information) and does not appear to have been researched at more than the most superficial of levels. The poster questioned whether the author had even seen the TV series.
The Rosin book sounds interesting, though. There is a very good and thorough book on the series which as yet remains unpublished by a Mr. Douglas Dawson.
This was arguably the finest dramatic television series in the history of the medium, and hopefully it will be given its due with a DVD release.
When the book division of Route 66 magazine first made available a guidebook to route 66 last December, I was overjoyed that at last there would be a book on my favorite show.
My receipt of Robin Fletcher’s book coincided with my acquiring on DVD the entire run of the series.
I have now viewed some 60 episodes and can say with confidence that not only is Mr. Fletcher’s
guide to the episodes riddled with errors, the nature of the errors suggest he has not viewed the episodes in question. Which is rather odd for someone who presumes to write a guide to a television series.
A few examples should suffice.
Episode 3 – Fletcher states that both Tod and Buz ask a young girl for a date. In fact only Tod asks.
Episode 4 – Fletcher says the character played by Lou Ayers is a Nazi. In fact he is a Nazi hunter!
Episode 50 – Fletcher says Tod is chosen to be trained to be a VP. Actually it was Buz.
Episode 75 – Fletcher can’t even get the episode title correct. He wrote that it is “Where is Chick Lorimer, Where Has He Gone?” The title should read “Where Has She Gone?” The title is from a Frost poem.
Episode 81 – Fletcher claims that the young white actor in this episode, Roger Mobley, grew up to be Tom Selleck’s sidekick TC on Magnum PI. However, that role was played by the black actor Roger E. Mosley.
Episode 91 – Fletcher says that guest star Rip Torn later on was the host of the infamously bad The $1.98 Beauty Show, but regardless has had a busy career. It was Rip Taylor who hosted that debacle, not Torn.
Fletcher then fails to mention that Hollywood legend Gene Hackman also appeared in this episode.
It is also rather curious that Fletcher didn’t quote one line from a series chock full of golden dialogue that ranks as perhaps the best in tv history.
By the way Mr. Fletcher is employed as a researcher/writer for a magazine and teaches journalism classes!
The route 66 TV Series book is a big disappointment. It is useful as a overall organizer, to understand the sequence of episodes, but that’s it. Both the publisher and the author did their jobs in a very shoddy manner.
Mike from Jersey
does anyone know any email address for author robin fletcher or james rosin ,I would like to contact them about route 66 tv show Daniel w miller dwmiller100@yahoo.com (408) 799-5478
I could not agree with you more about the lack of detail/ mistakes in Fletcher’s book. You just have to watch a few episodes then look at what he wrote and wonder if he ever bothered to watch the show before he decided to “write” a book about it.