I had a (late) buddy who was in a crowd scene in a “Route 66” episode filmed in Austin. He was real excited when I was able to lend him a videotape of the episode, in which he spotted himself.
He said Milner was very nice and friendly to everybody, meeting and signing pictures and taking photos with people. Maharis kept to himself, stayed in his trailer. The producer, Herbert Leonard, who ‘found’ Maharis and intended to make him a star, was pretty miffed when he later learned Maharis was a tempermental homo, eventually leading to his exit and replacement by Glenn Corbett.
What was so great about the series, is how it filmed all across the country, always trying to capture the individual cultural niches of the various locales.
Show was never as good without Maharis IMO .
“Herbert Leonard, who ‘found’ Maharis and intended to make him a star, was pretty miffed when he later learned Maharis was a tempermental homo, eventually leading to his exit and replacement by Glenn Corbett.”
He left due to health problems , including hepatitis .