In the past few days, dozens of five-minute video clips from episodes of the original “route 66″ television drama have shown up on YouTube.

It’s a shame the entire episode can’t be viewed on YouTube in one click, but copyright laws and a general policy of keeping YouTube video clips brief prevent that.

Still, even with short excerpts, they provide a “route 66″ novice a decent idea what a well-written and socially progressive series it was.

Here’s an excerpt from one of the best-known episodes, “Good Night, Sweet Blues,” in 1961. It stars Ethel Waters as a dying blues singer:

The person responsible for posting these clips is ZacharyTheThird. I asked him what his motivation was for doing this:

I’m doing this because I loved the show, and it’s not available to my knowledge. I was fortunate enough to get the entire series on ebay, but even then it was because the individual had recorded each episode from Nick-At-Nite (1985 or so).

ZacharyTheThird, at last count, has nearly 40 clips from the “route 66″ series posted, and I’m sure more are coming. You can pick and chose from the segments here.

I think the overall excellence of “route 66,” the strong interest in the Mother Road, and the fact two books about the series are being released about the same time, tell me that a proper, official DVD release of the television series is long overdue. I’ve been told that there are other DVDs out there of the series available, but their quality is erratic.

Jason Zasky of Failure magazine has updated us about Arizona’s program of cleaning up leaking underground fuel tanks at abandoned gas stations along Route 66.

Not only has the program rectified toxic “brownfields” along the Mother Road, but it has given local economies a shot in the arm.

“A lot of businesses are starting to reopen again [in Kingman], and we are starting to restore some of the landmarks,” notes Davis, who describes Kingman as “the place to live now,” thanks to its small town atmosphere and improving economy.

Meanwhile, Lila Atkins, museum director at the Winslow Historical Society’s Old Trails Museum, reports that Winslow, Arizona — immortalized in The Eagles’ hit song “Take It Easy” — is also experiencing a “resurgence,” noting that “many old buildings are being restored and utilized,” including famous Earl’s Motor Lodge, which recently restored its original neon lights.

Most importantly, however, the momentum created by the Route 66 Initiative has fostered a new spirit of cooperation among government agencies, business owners and private industry, who are now working together to tackle the economic challenges faced by Route 66 communities.

As they say in the blog world, go read the whole thing.

A new trailer for the thriller movie, “Devil Girl,” has been posted on YouTube. The movie, its producer told me, was shot on Route 66 primarily in Amboy, Calif., with other footage in Groom, Texas, and St. Louis.

The film is in post-production now, and won’t be finished until March. Until it’s released in theaters, you can get a taste of it here:

While doing a search for Route 66 news items, it was a jolt to find this New York Times book review of Charlie LeDuff’s new book, “US Guys: The True and Twisted Mind of the American Man.”

In this nonfiction book “about folks who claw and hang on by their fingernails,” the review says:

Things are not going so well for the trapeze jockeys and race-track hangers-out, the outcasts and outraced rats, the “have somewhats” or “the self-defeated, the people who fell off the table and are never getting up to the supper plate.” They are living in places like the Shady Rest Court on Route 66 in Tulsa, Okla., for $65 a week, and a flophouse on the Bowery where, deep into a partying night, when the beds run out, you sleep in the bathtub. They are horny-handed, hornswoggled and just plain horny.

Ah, the Shady Rest. If there ever such thing as the quintessential flophouse, the Shady Rest in west Tulsa was it. Even so, I’m shocked it was just $65 a week. The notorious Towerview Apartments in downtown Tulsa, known for rats, cockroaches, fleas, criminals and other vermin before it was torn down a few days ago, had rented rooms for $125 a week.

The Shady Rest, shown above, exuded seediness. On the way home on Southwest Boulevard, aka Route 66, I often saw an assortment of old pickups and barely running 1970s cars parked between the humongous, water-filled potholes. Maintenance on the old motel was so ramshackle that you often saw light streaming from beneath and the sides of closed doors.

Locals at a nearby bar said it was little more than a flophouse. Newspaper archives essentially confirmed it — the old motel was a refuge for addicts and criminals who had nowhere else to go. Even then, it was not much of a sanctuary — a homicide occurred there about 10 years ago.

Even so, the Shady Rest was historic. It had been on Route 66 since at least the 1940s. It still had carports and other interesting architectural details. The Southwest Tulsa Chamber of Commerce knew this and tried to prevail upon the owner to hang in there, as the property could be eligible for assistance for much-needed improvements. Maybe it could eventually be known as more than a flophouse.

In October 2005, city inspectors slapped the Shady Rest with fire, sewer and plumbing code violations, and issued an emergency order to vacate the premises. A few days after the property was emptied, one of its cabins burned down. Knowing that time probably was short, we sneaked under the police tape, snapped a few photos and entered one of the rooms, which was unlocked. The stench of soiled diapers and rotting food greeted us.

The landlord leveled the place before Thanksgiving. The Shady Rest was such a haven for losers, it became a loser itself.

I’m sorry the Shady Rest is gone, even though its fate was nearly inevitable. No one should have lived in such obviously substandard conditions.

Still, there were days, when a handmade “Rooms for Rent” sign was out, that I was tempted to stay there overnight, just to see what it was like. Such is the curiosity of the Route 66 aficionado.

There’s a new book about that windy, dusty Route 66 town on the Plains that is Amarillo, Texas. The Mexia (Texas) Daily News reports that Texas Tech University has published “Amarillo — The Story of a Western Town” by professor Paul H. Carlson.

The newspaper says:

Amarillo is the first comprehensive history of the “Queen City of the Texas Panhandle.” But the city’s influence doesn’t stop at the Texas borders; Amarillo is the trading and cultural center for several other states. The famous highway, Route 66, brought millions of travelers thru Amarillo ones that might not have ever come to that part of the world. Some stayed and put down roots. Emmylou Harris lamented the town’s attraction when she sang, “Oh, Amarillo, what’d you want my baby for? Oh, Amarillo, now he won’t come home no more?” Even George Strait tried to make it to “Amarillo by Morning.” Many songs have mentioned the city, even Bobby Troup’ s “Get Your Kicks on Route 66.” Today, more than 176,000 people call Amarillo, home.

The book lists for $28.95, and can be ordered from Texas Tech by calling 800-832-4042. The university says that online ordering is “coming soon.” You can also order it from Amazon.com here.