Posted on 01/29/2014 9:40:48 PM PST by lee martell
One of the first television theme songs that caught my attention as a kid in Catholic School, was Route 66, written and conducted by Nelson Riddle. Route 66 was on Friday nights on CBS from Oct. 7 1960 to March 20 1964. It was shot on location, and though the show got it's name from that famous highway, very few episodes were shot on that actual highway. The program starred Martin Milner as Tod Stiles, and for the first two seasons George Maharis as Buz Murdock. The show centered around the adventures of two young men who traveled across America in a Chevrolet Corvette sports car. Route 66 was a hybrid between episodic TV drama, which has continuing characters and situations, and the anthology format (i.e. Twilight Zone) in which each week's show has a completely different cast and story.
Route 66 had just three continuing characters, and no more than two of whom appeared in the same episode. Like Richard Kimble from The Fugitive, the wanderers would move from place to place, becoming entwined in the struggles and routines of the people in that town. Unlike Kimble, nothing was forcing the Route 66 guys to stay on the move except their own sense of adventure. This series helped set the tone of what an open ended format could be. Virtually any story could be incorporated. The original idea was said to involve two ex-army men who had left the service, and were looking to re-establish themselves in American life. Tod (Milner) was portrayed as clean cut, plainspoken, well educated and All American. Buz (Marharis) was based on a working class, loose, hip personality, close to the concept of the Beat Generation. Route 66 seems the epitome of perfect driving music, for when you're not in a hurry, but want to drive fast anyway, with all the windows down, and breezes blowing in. With this theme song, Nelson Riddle made the music speak. The song sounds like something I would think of and experience privately, from beginning to the end with it's splashy cresendoes, not like a bunch of noises coming out of some radio.
“The program starred Martin Milner as Tod Stiles...”
IMHO, Martin Milner is one of the more underrated actors of his era. He was excellent in both Route 66 and Adam-12, but he was also quite good in his early movie career. He turned in very solid performances in Sweet Smell of Success and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, among others. Very talented guy.
OK,
While I am listening...
The Yardbirds - For Your Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn6cxaKRwtk
96 TEARS-— ? and The MYSTERIANS !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeolH-kzx4c
Woolly Bully-Sam The Sham & Pharaohs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6P7g_qz2OU
It is the Bobby Troupe "Route 66". Arrangement and orchestra conducted by Nelson Riddle -- who was pretty good at what he did, too. Frank, for example, would know...
I purchased the set about 5-6 years ago. Still pop one in every once in a while. Also picked up the complete DVD sets of 77 Sunset Strip, The Hawaiian Eye, (Oh Connie!!!!), Sea Hunt, M Squad and Surf Side 6 along the way. Great stuff!!
Mother Road ping.
Agree, Lee. She has a right to be a liberal if she wants to be, but to her credit Linda never (or seldom, at least) let her opinions interfere with her music, which appeals to all. Why any entertainer would intentionally alienate half or more of their potential audience is a mystery to me. I thought the book was very well written (by herself) and it’s clear that she recognized the contributions of a wide array of musicians and music professionals, including Nelson Riddle who would rank among the top tier. Given the selfish narcissism of the industry in general, it was refreshing to hear her praise and respect people of quality with superb talent.
Of course, a singer probably couldn’t go wrong by following the lead of the Chairman of the Board ;-)
Actually, I still even have my 20 off-air VHS videotape recordings of all the “Route 66” episodes from back when the series aired on Nick-at-Night in 1985-87! I was glad to retire them, when the official dvd-set was released.
“Route 66’s” sister series, “Naked City” has also recently come out (complete, including the single half-hour season from 1958-59) in a big dvd-set.
Thank you for the info on Bobby Troup, the actual writer. I’ll bet a lot of people make that mistake. So the composition has been around for quite a while, available for artistic interpretation.
Both Julie and Husband Bobby have that crisp, prim (and restrained) look of many British actors of that time.
Nurse Dixie was all the reason I needed to watch Emergency!
From Wikipedia:
Nelson Riddle was commissioned to write the instrumental theme when CBS decided to have a new song, rather than pay royalties for the Bobby Troup song “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66.” Riddle’s theme, however, offers an unmistakable homage to the latter’s piano solo (as originally recorded by Nat King Cole) throughout the number.
Bobby Troup hizzelf...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQwb4SpNuKo
Manhattan Transfer, my personal favorite.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5O0_g-aBZI
Asleep At The Wheel, a close second.
I caught the show in reruns as a teenager in the late ‘80s when it was on Nick at Nite. Haven’t seen it anywhere else since.
Link at #2 above, is the theme from the TV series “Route 66” (1960-1964). . .
from Wikipedia
“Route 66 Theme” - by Nelson Riddle
Nelson Riddle was commissioned to write the instrumental theme when CBS decided to have a new song, rather than pay royalties for the Bobby Troup song “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66.” Riddle’s theme, however, offers an unmistakable homage to the latter’s piano solo (as originally recorded by Nat King Cole) throughout the number.
Riddle’s “Route 66 Theme” instrumental was one of the first television themes to make Billboard magazine’s Top 30, following Ray Anthony’s “Dragnet Theme” (in 1953) and Henry Mancini’s “Mr. Lucky Theme” (in 1960). The song earned two Grammy nominations in 1962.
http://www.metvnetwork.com/
Thanx Robwin :-)
(by the way, if you were using the <p> code for line spaces, it would have prevented the links from being clickable...if you just use the return key for line spaces and eliminate any HTML code, then the FR software should make the URLs clickable automatically)
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