OK, I get it now.
For years, I had heard many older roadies wax enthusiastic about the “Route 66” series that aired on CBS-TV from 1960 to 1964. I’d missed the reruns of Buz and Tod’s cross-country adventures in a Corvette convertible. Save for haphazardly made bootlegs, the TV show hadn’t made its way to DVD.
But now that I’ve watched the first 15 episodes of “Route 66” on DVD, courtesy of Roxbury Entertainment and Infinity
Entertainment, it’s easy to see what all the fuss was about. The four-disc set of “Route 66, Season One, Volume One” proved to be entertaining and provided a snapshot of post-1950s America. “Route 66, Season One, Volume One,” which hits the streets today, encompasses episodes that aired from October 1960 to January 1961.
Many of you know the premise — Tod Stiles (played by Martin Milner) is left with a Corvette but little else after his father dies. Tod and the street-tough Buz Murdock (by George Maharis) hit the road to look for adventure and themselves.
Milner’s sideways grin and easy-going nature proved quietly effective on “Route 66.” But even 47 years later, it’s easy to see why Maharis was considered to be the true star of the show. His smoldering intensity made him compelling, and the camera loved him. It’s no surprise that his departure in 1962 because of hepatitis crippled the show.
The scenery became a third star of “Route 66.” It was the only television show of its time to shoot on location, and it gave an air of authenticity to where Buz and Tod landed. In those first 15 episodes, you see the two working on an offshore oil rig, hanging out on the beaches of Malibu, chasing bad guys on a boat in New Orleans, cruising through Zion National Park in Utah, driving logging trucks through Oregon timberlands, piloting a shrimp boat in the Gulf of Mexico, punching cattle in Texas, and harvesting dates in the California high desert.
The episodes also serve as a sort of a time capsule of America — where neon signs in front of businesses were more common, where guys wore suits on a night out, and where standard vehicles now look so cool.
The 15 episodes in the DVD set include guests who would become bigger stars — Jack Warden, E.G. Marshall, Suzanne Pleshette, Leslie Nielsen, Jack Lord, Joey Heatherton and Lee Marvin. Noted director Arthur Hiller also guided two of the episodes in this set.
One of the keys to “Route 66’s” excellence was Stirling Silliphant, who wrote scripts for 13 of the 15 episodes here. He produced snappy dialogue, and his storylines often unfolded gradually. The first episode, “Black November,” is a good example of Silliphant’s skills. Its tale about a small Southern town holding a terrible secret had me sitting upright, wondering what would happen.
Roxbury Entertainment reportedly used duplicates of “Route 66’s” original film stock during the remastering process. The result is a sharp picture — certainly miles sharper than what you would have seen when the show first aired. And you’ll hear Nelson Riddle’s memorable “Route 66” musical theme and its variations with more clarity.
Of course, the DVD also exposes limitations of the original medium. Film degradation is seen in a few spots, and a low hum lurks on the soundtrack on portions of two episodes. Still, “Route 66” aficionadoes will be thrilled with how good these programs look.
On the fourth disc is 10 minutes of original commercials that aired during “Route 66.” That included Bayer (“Instant Flaking Action”) Aspirin, Phillips’ Milk of Magnesia tablets, and spots about the new Corvair, Biscayne and Impala by Chevrolet, which touted itself “The Greatest Show on Worth.” Those ads are a hoot, and provide another snapshot in time.
That disc also contains an overview of still photos and text about the Corvette from model years 1953 to 1962. Two interesting factoids: Chevy nearly discontinued the Corvette in 1955, and it once offered a six-cylinder model.
About halfway through the set, you got the sense that the “Route 66” was starting to hit its stride, which makes future DVD releases a promising prospect.
Also, “Route 66” slyly conveyed the growing restlessness in young people at the time. World War II veterans, grateful to be home and alive, hunkered down to raise families and didn’t make waves. “Route 66” touched on themes such as bigotry and domestic violence, and the next generation was ready to address those issues that had been long ignored.
The Fifties were over. And “Route 66” knew it.
Recommended.
nice you have discovered what a true gem this show was. i watch episodes now and am reminded of how different our country was in 1960.
i’ve always felt that route 66 was, perhaps, the most underappreciated televison program of its time. maybe, we didn’t notice it over 40 years ago. however, given the decline of the television serial today, we notice it now.
and yes, those of us who love, understand and appreciate this show for its contribution to americana, are very happy to have a bona fide dvd set. bring on the rest.
I purchased the DVD last night and was shocked to see that the quality was so poor and I don’t understand what happened. From the description and cover photo in your review it sounds like we are talking about the same set, but why does mine not have “a sharp picture — certainly miles sharper than what you would have seen when the show first aired?” To the contrary, mine is very dark and grainy – and the black ring around the outside indicates to me that it is a kinescope recording. The quality is so bad that it is virtually unwatchable.
Is it possible that I got a bootleg? All of the packaging and labels on the disks look legitimate so someone would have gone through a lot of trouble for a product that won’t sell in the millions.
I can return the set to the retailer for a refund but that’s not my preference. I really want the quality set that you reviewed. What do you suggest?
Take it back, Rick, and swap it for another.
I saw no black ring around the episodes I watched.
There are two possibilities: That manufacturing errors were made, or that your DVD player is old and it’s not picking up data as well as it once did. I had the latter problem.
The DVD player is new. I bought it just recently to transfer VHS tapes to computer and I don’t think that I have played more than one or two DVDs – and no problems with them.
The dark ring around the perimeter is very typical of the spherical aberration effect of kinescope recordings of old television shows. In addition, the picture is so dark and grainy – even in daylight scenes – that it’s sometimes difficult to recognize the characters’ faces.
I can get a refund for the DVD but I can’t exchange it because they only had one copy in stock when I bought it. My next thought was to buy another copy at another retailer but I’m concerned that they all are the same. It really doesn’t look like a manufacturing error at all. I’m an engineer who has experience with high-quality audio and video editing and from a technical standpoint I can’t even imagine how this could be a manufacturing defect. My assessment is that it’s either a bootleg with excellent packaging reproduction or that all of the copies are like this – and I suspect the latter.
Is it possible that your review copy is of better quality than the released version?
I doubt my copy is better than others’, because some other reviewers (professional and nonprofessional) saw some of the same flaws on certain episodes that I did on my copy. Even so, I considered the flaws to be decidedly minor.
The problems you’re describing, however, are bizarre and unique. I never had trouble seeing things and faces on ANY of the episodes, even with the lesser-quality ones. Nor have I seen that ring that you’ve described. Your type of problem is the only one I’ve heard described.
Here’s a site where many of the technical issues regarding this DVD release are discussed by other audio/visual experts and people knowledgeable about the transfer process. Consensus seems to be these were not struck from the negative masters and not up to the snuff of other 60’s TV releases. But check out the thread on this site for a good discussion. https://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/showthread.php?t=256967&page=7
Thanks for posting that link, Wayne.
I’ve been reading that discussion for the past week or so, and have found the comments to be fascinating. I’ve noted that enthusiasm for the “Route 66” set still seems to be high, though.
I have to admit I’m not one of those super-picky home theater people. I freely admit that my tastes probably lean to John Q. Public’s. I’m a music buff, but I can’t tell the difference between songs from Mp3s and compact discs. But people I know in the recording industry say they can.
Check out the DVD quality of the recent TV Set “The Fugitive” (excellent) to see why the standards for what fans expect from these shows has been set so high. I also just picked up “Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Season 3” (from 1957!) and the quality of the shows is excellent. Probably because the came direct from the company that first produced them – Universal.
But you’re right that it’s gratifying to see such interest and support for this great series (“Route 66”) coming out. And a high sales rank at Amazon and other sites.
Wayne, thanks for providing the link to those reviews that confirm my assessment that this release by Roxbury/Infinity is simply so bad that all fans of the series should be warned in advance not to waste their money – and I am one of those fans who, unfortunately, found out too late. Route 66 was possibly my favorite television series of all time and that is why I am especially annoyed that this supposed legitimate, quality release should turn out to be such a travesty.
Ron, since you obviously have a connection with Roxbury/Infinity you should contact whomever it is that you know and ask why they gave you an advance copy (possibly a Nick At Nite transfer?) that was so superior to the released version that it caused you to give such a glowing review of a video product that is sorely lacking in quality. Sounds like a devious marketing trick to me.
Rick, now you’re being just silly.
Calling the “Route 66” DVD release as a “travesty” is laying it on thick. I’ve read multiple forums and reviews about the set all week, and most of them are positive.
I doubt very much my copy of “Route 66” was a Nick at Night transfer or some other super-duper review copy. Other reviewers noted the same minor flaws that I observed.
And it pays to remember that the general public probably won’t concur with your exacting engineer’s standards.
Since the extreme graininess and darkness you’ve described in the DVDs seem to be unique, stop with the conspiracy theories, take the set back, request a refund, or get another set. It’s apparent you received a defective product. It happens.
i just got my set today and have watched the first 2 episodes. obviously, the sound quality is questionable, even by early 1960 standards.
i can’t complain about the picture quality. i haven’t found either episode to be so dark that the actors faces aren’t recognizeable. while a lance of straw is grainy in spots, it also isn’t horrible. my dvd player is 3 years old and i’m watching on a 42 inch phillips ambilight flat panel hd television.
i use to be very critical about quality. that’s when i could afford really, really nice stuff. but i haven’t declared it unwatchable yet, either!
My previous comments may have been a little over the top so I will try to be a bit more objective with this one. I have not yet seen any positive comments about the video and audio quality of this set other than yours and a few that look suspiciously like they were lifted from pre-release promo material. I insist that even though I am an engineer with audio and video experience I am looking at this set through the eyes of a regular viewer – one who has seen remasterings of old television shows that are far superior to Route 66.
So let me present some evidence to support my criticism. There are currently 15 reviews posted on Amazon.com. Seven of those reviews were posted before the release date and obviously contain no negative comments about the video and audio quality. Of the other eight reviews posted after the release date – every single one of them has negative comments of varying degree. Additionally, one of the pre-release reviews has a post-script update concurring with the rest of the negative reviews.
Although some of the comments in these reviews echo mine from an earlier post here, all of these reviews appeared on Amazon.com after mine appeared here.
Here are some excerpts from the Amazon.com reviews:
(3) “POST-SCRIPT (31 Oct. 2007): I concur with subsequent reviewers, regarding the audio-video transfer quality to this DVD set. It could be better.”
(8) “Unfortunately, the audio/visual quality of this release is simply not up to the standards set by some of the major studios for classic/vintage TV-on-DVD releases.”
(9) “Very shoddy technical quality: Some episodes seem to have been duped from bad syndication tapes or maybe even bottom-of-barrel 16 mm prints. Opening episode, much of which takes place at night, is so murky that actors’ faces are frequently bathed in such dark shadows (even during some daytime sequences) that facial expressions are rendered meaningless. Other early episodes are similarly murky, have numerous scratches and print debris, and feature wobbly and/or uneven sound.”
(10) “I’ve watched the first 3 of 4 CDs (hence, 12 episodes) and have to echo the previous commenter about the technical quality. My main complaint is that episodes are “dark” to such an extent it’s often hard to make out details – something which black and white tends to emphasize in any case. In short, even though the source tapes might have deteriorated, the supposed “remastering” should have dealt better with this contrast problem. While the worst cases appear in the first half dozen episodes, it’s still regrettable.”
(11) “…excellent series but finding fault with the technical quality of the product.”
(12) “…poor remastering (if any was done) brings the ratings down.”
(13) “Picture quality was a little contrasty but not bad. Audio was not perfect, but again not bad.”
(14) “Great show but the copy is very dark and contrast is very bad… such poor quality.”
(15) “The picture quality looks just like our old RCA black and white from 1960. Where did they get the video for the transfer? Someone dropped the ball on this. Too bad, such a great show.”
I really don’t mean to be so negative about the quality of this DVD set but having stated already that Route 66 is possibly my favorite television show ever, it can’t help but be a bit personal for me. With such general agreement about the quality out there I can’t imagine that I have a defective copy that needs to be replaced. It’s the same copy that everyone else is seeing.
Rick, I’m glad you’ve toned down the overheated rhetoric. And even among those people you cited on Amazon.com, I still see a slew of four-star reviews for “Route 66,” and the set overall average is four stars. That’s hardly what I call disastrous reviews.
And though you try to look at the series “through the eyes of a regular reviewer,” I think you’ll agree that your experience as an audio and sound engineer do color your opinions. That’s unavoidable.
The Home Theater Forum and the Route 66 TV yahoogroup has a more positive range of reactions to the set, and are more in line with what the public thinks, I think.
However, I have put in an e-mail to Roxbury’s P.R. firm, asking them to forward the quality concerns about the “Route 66” set’s quality to its producer. Maybe we’ll get some answers on what happened.
Without any evidence other than an educated hunch, I strongly suspect that one of the problems is film degradation. People who wax nostalgic about the excellent quality of the “Route 66” series when it was aired on “Nick at Nite” forget it was more than 20 years ago. A lot of bad things can happen to film in that time if it’s not stored properly.
I also fear that some original stock was thrown out by accident, which happens distressingly often.
But we’ll see what I can find out. Stay tuned.
Ron, there’s no question that the ratings on amazon.com are generally four or five stars. But many of the reviewers explicitly state that they are giving high marks for the content alone – and I have no complaint with that. My concern is strictly with the technical quality and I simply pointed out that every last one of those post-release reviews agreed that the quality was a real sore point.
I don’t know what thread you are looking at Home Theater Forum, but I searched for “Route 66” and found the same one that Wayne posted above. Note that the thread is titled “Best of Route 66” and was started in May to discuss a different DVD release. Only the last page in that thread has posts since the release of the Roxbury discs and I find that those reviews are once again unanimous in agreement about the poor quality. The comments there may be a bit more civil than those on amazon.com but I find them to be saying essentially the same thing. And again, don’t confuse content with technical quality. Many of the HTF reviewers, like those on amazon.com, also mention that the shows are watchable despite the technical deficiencies because of the strong content.
I have looked at the Yahoo group postings and although I only see a few complaints about the quality (in line with amazon and HTF) I don’t see any praise. The problem with the Yahoo group is that there is quite a bit of off-topic discussion and related discussions (such as George Maharis movies and when the series ran on Nick at Nite) that simply don’t address the quality issues.
Regarding your hunch about film degradation: I am familiar with it first hand as I have many audio tapes from the 1970s that are now unplayable. If stored properly (as mine weren’t) film and tape can last quite a long time. And there is evidence that the original 35MM masters have been stored properly by Sony. From what I can tell, the “Best Of Route 66” is the only release that was sanctioned by Sony and did use the originals as a source and the reviews do indicate that the quality is quite exceptional. I don’t have this disc but I think that I will look for a copy. My guess is that Sony released this 11 episode disc as a result of “Route 66” being the second most requested series in a poll on its web site. There are also indications that Sony has sold the rights to Route 66 (to Roxbury?) but it’s important to note that rights are completely separate from the physical medium. The sale may or may not have included the 35MM originals (it would be interesting to know) and it is entirely possible that Roxbury obtained the rights but did not use the best source material.