A chat with George Maharis October 15, 2007
Posted by Ron in People, Television.trackback
Early in a phone interview with “Route 66″ television series co-star George Maharis, I acknowledged to him that I had never seen episodes of the early 1960s drama until I received an advance copy of the upcoming re-release on DVD.
Maharis made a startling admission: Neither had he.
“It was the first time I’d seen them in 47 years,” he said.
Maharis explained that “Route 66″ aired Friday nights, when he and co-star Martin Milner were still busy on the set. He’d never seen the TV show he starred in until Kirk Hallam, president of Roxbury Entertainment and producer of the DVD re-release, gave him a compilation of the best “Route 66″ episodes several weeks ago.
His reaction?
“They still work,” Maharis said. “I was really surprised how strong they were. I enjoyed watching them, and for the first time, I could see what other people had seen. I was so far removed from it after 47 years that I could see it very, very clearly.
“And, of course, I kept saying, ‘Who’s the dark guy?’” he chuckled, referring to himself on the show. “You just don’t relate to that far back.”
Maharis, now 79, has been retired for nearly 15 years. He spends time at his homes in Beverly Hills, Calif., and New York City overseeing his investments or creating impressionistic oil paintings — many which can be seen at the Elizabeth Collection in Rochester, N.Y. He says he’s in good health, and his quick and clear answers provide no reason to doubt that. His voice, containing a soft New York accent, has deepened with age but remains recognizable.
Maharis’ career totals more than 70 film and television credits. But it’s his “Route 66″ role as Buz Murdock, a street-smart heartthrob from Hell’s Kitchen, that earned him an Emmy nomination and his most enduring fame. Murdock and Tod Stiles (played by Milner) drifted from town to town in a Chevrolet Corvette convertible, looking for adventure. The show aired on CBS from 1960 to 1964 and inspired at least two generations to travel the real Route 66.
One unique aspect about “Route 66″ was it was shot on location all over America.
“Nobody else ever did that, to my knowledge,” Maharis said. “We worked six days a week, sometimes seven, because we were always behind schedule. You got up at 5 in the morning and you get back to your motel at 7 or 9 at night, sometimes even later.
“And when we’d move the company from one location to another, sometimes we’d lose two or three days of shooting.”
Scripts often didn’t arrive until the day before a shoot. Occasionally, production on a “Route 66″ episode would begin with only half a script, with the remainder arriving later in the week. Directors and actors often were on the phone with producers in California, working out story problems as they arose.
He admitted that such conditions were exhausting, but exhilarating.
“It was kind of like a challenge, and I always did like challenges,” he said. “I always did like things that seemed impossible to do. In those days, we did 32 to 35 shows a year. Now, they do 20 to 22, at most.”
During one shoot in Grand Isle, La., Maharis, Milner and two other crew members rented a house to sleep in because the town had no motels. One morning, they found there was no water in the house for showers.
“I went to the guy who owned the house and said there’s no water,” Maharis recalled.
“He said, ‘Yeah, that’s right.’
“I said, ‘What do you mean?’
“He said, ‘When it rains, it goes off the roof and goes into that barrel. That’s when you get the water.’
“It was very, very interesting,” Maharis continued, “because no matter where you went, every town had its own personality. It was totally different from the other town you went to, even if it was only 50 to 60 miles away. That’s not true anymore. You can go a thousand miles now, and everyone’s wearing the same clothes, singing the same songs, eating the same food.”
Maharis revealed a few interesting tidbits about the show:
- The original title was “The Searchers,” and it was going to be a half-hour.
- It was going to star him and Bobby Morris. But before “Route 66″ began production, Morris died. “From the way I got it, he was in his girlfriend’s apartment, had an epileptic fit, and he died,” Maharis said.
- The name of Morris’ character was Linc. When Glenn Corbett replaced Maharis late in “Route 66’s” run, his character’s name was Linc.
- Many viewers thought the color of the Corvette was red, even though “Route 66″ was shot in black-and-white. Maharis said in part of the first season, the Corvette was light blue. “But … the cameraman said, ‘It reflects too much light. He had trouble lighting us against the sky because the light blue was reflecting too much light. So, toward the end of the year, they gave us a brown one.”
- Milner wasn’t the trim-looking fellow you saw on “Route 66″ when he was initially cast. “When they found Marty, he was about 40 pounds heavier, and they told him he had to lose weight. I think he gained some of it back after the show. But he was very good about holding the weight down during the show’s run.”
- Maharis acquired a Corvette himself. Putting on his best poker face, he told “Route 66″ sponsor Chevrolet that “we may have a little problem” because he had a Ford Thunderbird he would be driving to the set. Chevrolet quickly gave Maharis a Corvette. Of course, there was no problem, because “I didn’t have a car” at the time, Maharis said.
- Maharis confirmed that his Buz character was inspired by his background, fleshed out by “Route 66″ screenwriter Stirling Silliphant. “He wrote a lot of the character from the conversations we had. Marty … came from more of upper-middle-class family. I came from more of a street background.”
- Between “Route 66″ shoots, Maharis flew to New York City for a four-hour session to record his first album. Months later, while in the hospital recovering from hepatitis, he learned the album had been released while watching “American Bandstand” on television and seeing host Dick Clark announce Maharis’ first single, “Teach Me Tonight.”
A few tabloids reported that Maharis and Milner clashed on the set because of their contrasting personalities.
“Not true,” Maharis said. “We got along very well. We’re different; that’s very true. But we never had any problem. You could see on the screen there was no problem. We were opposites in many ways, but there was respect for each other.”
Maharis said his favorite episodes included “Birdcage on My Foot,” where Buz admits he was a former drug addict. He also cited “A Thin White Line,” in which Tod was given an LSD-like drug at a party.
One episode that stood out for Maharis was “Even Stones Have Eyes,” where Buz is temporarily blinded in an accident. For that shoot, Maharis wore special contact lenses that reduced his vision.
“I had the contact lenses made because it’s tough to fake blindness in such a short time,” he explained. “We didn’t have enough time (in the production schedule) to do it. So I figured the best thing to do was have a pair of lenses put into my eyes so you don’t have to fake it. I went to (a doctor) and said, ‘I want contact lenses that are opaque. I need to see something, but not a lot.’”
Maharis credited the show’s quality to executive producer Herbert B. Leonard and Silliphant. “Stirling was a very talented writer,” he said. “In many cases, if you had to cut a scene, it wasn’t a problem because there was a lot of meat left.”
As for why he left “Route 66,” Maharis emphatically said it wasn’t because of demands for more money, or that he was trying to break his contract so he could get into movies. It was, he said, because of hepatitis problems starting in 1962.
Maharis was hospitalized for a month and missed several episodes because of the disease. He returned to the set and its 12- to 15-hour days. A few weeks after a grueling scene where he rescued a woman from a near-freezing creek, Maharis suffered a relapse.
“The doctor said, ‘If you don’t get out now, you’re either going to be dead, or you’re going to have permanent liver damage,’” Maharis recalled.
“I wasn’t interested in leaving the show. I enjoyed it; I was having a good time. It probably could have gone two or three more years, and I think they even had plans of taking the show to Europe. That’s what they talked about, anyway, and I would have looked forward to that.
“I was trying to recuperate, and there was all the crap going on about how I wanted more money. It was all garbage. Some people even tried to make it like I never had hepatitis at all. But it’s all in the doctor’s reports.
“I was just ill. It took me 2 1/2, three years to recuperate before I started working again. What should have happened, I guess, was that I should have worked only a couple of hours a day.”
Watching the compilation of “Route 66,” Maharis saw a couple of episodes co-starring Corbett, his replacement. Those episodes confirmed to him what others had long reported — that the chemistry had suffered.
“Glenn was more like Marty than he was like me,” Maharis said. “There wasn’t that balance there. There were no opposites, so to speak.”
Maharis said he was unaware of “Route 66’s” impact on Mother Road tourism. But he was well aware of the real Route 66, even though the show rarely took place on it.
“It’s a great old road,” he said. “It’s too bad what (the interstates) did to it. But now they realize the impact that it’s had, and they’re trying to preserve it now. That’s good; it’s part of our history.”
Maharis was asked whether he’d would make an appearance at one of the Route 66 festivals, if asked.
“No, I don’t think so,” he said. “I would have 10, 15 years ago. But I’ve just entered my 80th year. I don’t know if people want to say, ‘Oh … he’s an old guy.’ I’ve gotten very shy about that.
“But you can keep trying.”
Hey Ron:
That is a really nice interview, straight from the horse’s mouth as it were.
Just like I told you when you started this site, it is THE premier site for current news and views on Route 66. No one else is out there doing as hard a job as you.
Plus you are doing for nothing. Dumb*ss.
tim
Thank you for the kind words, Tim
But make sure you use a smiley emoticon the next time you call me a dummkopf, podner.
Actually, it is merely [and I use this word with caution and respect] a labor of love.
Been there, done that and doing it again.
I was just a seven year old Michigan boy when the show started but I watched it most of the time. I wanted to be most like Buz Murdock when I grew up. Nothing against Glenn Corbett, but I was disappointed when George Maharis left the show. I saw other shows he was in, sometimes as the bad guy and they disappointed me too. He will always be the dashing young co-hero that he was in the Route 66 series. Just the idea of traveling without a destination, helping people in need and working for gas, lodging and food to get to the next place seems so American and adventuresome I just want to get in my car and go..
Thank you for doing the interview so we know how he is and how he is getting along.
Great job Ron, Thanks a heap. These guys and their show was the reason I purchased a new 1961 red Corvette, 283V8 w/dual 4 barrels & a 4spd stick. Dallas, Texas was never the same. We traveled a lot before Uncle Sam invited me for a visit and on $87 a month I couldn’t afford the $100 car payments so I traded her off.
croc
With all the cable channels out there reaching for programming it would be nice if someone could air the reruns. Heck, if American Movie Classics can run original series and MTV and VH1 run shows with nothing to do with music, maybe The Travel Channel could pick it up. With the right promotion it could certainly create some Buz(z).
Enjoyed reading the interview and especially those savory “tidbits”.
There’s a complete list of the Route 66 television series 116 episodes at
http://tinyurl.com/275wx3
thanks
That was the most enjoyable article I’ve read in a very long time. Thank you for sharing that with us!
He needn’t be shy about coming to see the roadies. We don’t care how old he is. He’s one of ours. If he’s willing to sit around telling stories, he’ll have us eating out of his hand in a matter of seconds.
Besides … men with gorgeous eyes are always devastating WAY longer than they’ve got any right to be, so I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if Mr. Maharis were still fully capable of reducing at least a few of us girls to incoherent puddles of mindless estrogen.
Very nicely done. Thanks a bunch.
Thanks for posting this. I now know more about the Maharis-Milner chemistry than I ever did.
I liked this quote best, and it best describes why we all liked to travel on 66:
It was very, very interesting,” Maharis continued, “because no matter where you went, every town had its own personality. It was totally different from the other town you went to, even if it was only 50 to 60 miles away. That’s not true anymore. You can go a thousand miles now, and everyone’s wearing the same clothes, singing the same songs, eating the same food.”
Thanks for letting us in on the wonderful intereview.
Thanks Ron. The interview was great. I’m placing an order for my Route 66 DVD’s today.
It was great to hear George is well. Thanks for the interview.
I’d like to invite all fans of the show to join our discussion group at Route_66tv@yahoogroups.com. We have over 100 members and we’ve been talking about the Route for eight years.
Excellent interview. I very much enjoyed reading this article, and especially happy to hear George Maharis is doing well himself. I purchased the DVD “Best of” collection a year ago and get a kick every time I put an episode on. This DVD set does not, however, have “Black November”, so I am still looking for it. You would also think that with hundreds of cable and satellite channels, somebody would have a “60s channel” showing Route 66 on Friday nights.
Thank you so much. I was so in love with George Maharis back then! I was a teenager and had pictures of him all over and got every magazine that had interviews! My girlfriend and I watched it every week (even tho my father would make spurious remarks about Buzz’s “soliloquies!”) And for my 21st birthday my husband took me to a play in Dayton in which George Maharis was starring. I got a kiss and an autograph from him!! He has the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen!
Just recently I bought a CD of his songs. Turns out it was the same record I had way back when. And I have been wondering where and how he is.
Thank you so much for supplying information!
[...] a special feature, “Route 66″ co-star George Maharis will provide audio commentary on select episodes. That will happen with the May release. Commentary [...]
Looking forward to hearing his commentaries. This is a terrific interview!
Hi Ron:
Just happened to come across this interview. Very informative and I’m happy to get updated on George. Thanks! I’ve always wondered what happened to him. I watched the first 4 episodes of Season 1 this past weekend, and it brought back so many memories. I was a big fan of Route 66 and watched it religiously in Manila where I grew up. George Maharis was one of my idols during my teenage years, and really identified with Buz Murdock. I kept hoping he’d come to Manila to shoot a film, but he finally did (Escape to Mindanao, with Vera Miles, made for TV), I had already moved to the US to study at Northwestern. Is there a recent photo of him somewhere? Just wondered what he looks like now. Thanks again.
Here’s a link to a photo of Maharis, taken in November 2006:
http://www.viewimages.com/Search.aspx?mid=72371315&epmid=3&partner=Google
[...] It’s a good, wide-ranging interview, including a few details about Maharis’ Playgirl shoot and his other non-”Route 66″ work. If you want to check out the phone interview I did with Maharis a few months ago, go here. [...]
I remember route 66 when I was a small kid in grammar school. I liked the theme song at the time and enjoyed the show. I even turned into a person who got bit by the travel bug. This interview was interesting. Thanks for posting it. Sorry to hear George feels sensitive about being old. I for one wish I was at his stage. This world has gone wacko and I”m ready to leave! Back then, people treated each other well in most cases. Today, young people all seem to follow the ‘new’ hollywood mantra…. poubt, express unhappiness, look uninterested and look bored. Back then, we knew how to enjoy life even without money. Life was fun.
Is there a way to contact Mr. Maharis directly? I ‘d like to let him know what kind of raw deal he got on that show. I believe the negative publicity affected his career. Just liked his work and he was a surprisingly good singer, that’s all.
I cannot give out the contact information for him. He’s a very private person. Sorry.
Ron – I have seen ads on-line for the complete set of DVD’s for Route 66, but have not seen them for sale anywhere else. Any inside info on these and if they are worth purchasing?
I was a friend of Jon legere a young up and comming Artist from Maine . We both attended the Art Students League In NYC in 1962 . We stayed at the old Martinique Hotel at 32nd St. and Broadway. He had become friendly with George Maharis while they filmed a RT 66 series at Poland Springs Maine ( thats right ,Maine ,nowhere near rt66 ) He apparently had painted a watercolor portrait that became part of the story line. Maharis had told him he would give him a call whenever he came to NYC. Anyhow , one night while he was about to leave our hotel room he told me Maharis might call and would I take his message while he was away . Sure enough later the phone rang and the person asked for Jon and said he was George Maharis. To this day I still dont know for sure if it was him and I have tried to find that particular sequel of RT66 . I do know it was filmed because it was in all the local papers. Curious if any of you hardcore RT66 fans might know what particular sequel that might have been. thanks
Kent, the Poland Springs episode of “route 66″ was entitled “Same Picture, Different Frame. It is episode 95. However, it was a Glenn Corbett episode, not a George Maharis episode. It was filmed in 1964, I believe, and co-starred Joan Crawford.
[...] initial half-season releases of the original “Route 66″ television series, co-starring George Maharis and Martin [...]
Great article Ron. I was a huge fan of Route 66 and George. I corresponded with him briefly in the early 80’s when the series aired on, Nick at Nite. George did promos for the shows back then and I loved being able to see him. I used to send him photos to autograph and even sent him one of his record album covers to autograph. He was kind enough to autograph everything I sent to him and send it back to me. If anyone knows his email address it would be wonderful to correspond with him. George, if you read these posts, no one cares about your age. The fans would love to see you again at any festivals. Everyone gets older and they change. Thank you for all the wonderful hours of enjoyment you have given your fans, with your televison shows. movies and music.
Best Wishes,
Anita
George I hope you are healthy and doing well. I was also a hugh Route 66 fan and a even bigger fan of yours.(my sister still has your first record) As a young lad growing up in NC I never missed one show. I was crushed when you were replaced, it never was the same! hugh mistake. You and Marty Milner made me a corvette fan also and I have a restored 61 in my garage that I still hear the song playing in my head everytime I take it out. You mean alot to us George, all us babyboomers that grew up with you. I would love to have a auto/pic, just need and address to write. Hope to hear from you on the address. Aloha and Mahalo for all the style! From Hawaii a big fan! .
added email address: billybalut@aol.com. Aloha
My Mom, Dad and I just watched the Even the Stones Have Eyes. We were amazed. My Mom and Dad worked at the Texas Lions Camp as a newly married couple and brought me home as a baby to the camp where we lived while they worked – just before this episode was filmed. My Mom and Dad knew all of the persons in the episode personally with the exception of the 2 main characters and the young lady who was the instructor to one of the main characters. They introduced me to the folks on the screen with names I’d heard about all my life. It was a very powerful experience for my Dad and Mom who knew these wonderful people so well. It was a special walk down memory lane where they were transported back to that special time in their lives with those very special people who meant so much to them. As the episode played, my Mom and Dad reminisced about each of the people pictured and indicated that most had passed away. It was a bittersweet moment. What an amazing coincidence it was to come across this episode with no knowledge of where it was filmed or who it portrayed. One of God’s little miracles!
My wife and I are about to embark on our first Route 66 trip together, and we bought Season 1 of Route 66 just to get us in the right mood for the trip. Both of us were born years after the show went off the air, and we’d never seen it before. We both really dig it, and it’s clear that the chemistry between Milner and Maharis is what made the show special. Maharis seems to be the more interesting of the two, but that may not have been the case if someone other than Milner was the co-lead. I liked Maharis’ attitude in the interview; he respects the legacy of the show, but he’s too busy with life to get caught up in the nostalgia. Buzz would approve.
When I was in highschool, during the 60’s, I watched ROUTE 66 every week. I was so enamored of George, that my friend’s started calling me THE BUZ GIRL. I liked it so much, I took the moniker as my own. Such a long ago program, and it affected my whole life… Even now, the Buz Girl is a full-time RVer and has traveled parts of the Mother Road… I just ordered the DVDs of the first season and can’t wait to see them again. And a photo I saw of George, at age 76, STILL looks great to me… Thanks George.
I’ve been in love with George Maharis since the first episode of Route 66 hit the air. I was only 11 or 12, but I had it bad! Then in 1984 I think, he was appearing in Atlantic City where my friend had seen him in the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and when she told me, I was so green with envy. I took a wild chance and wrote to him at the Claridge Hotel where he was performing, and a few months later got a personal reply! I was blown away! I’ve been conversing with him on and off ever since, and he actually emailed me a few times using his friend’s computer because he said he doesn’t own one, but I haven’t heard from him in a couple of years.
It was always my dream to meet him, but haven’t yet and I’m still hoping. It’s harder now to make that a reality because he’s retired, but I never stop dreaming. He STILL manages to make my heart skip a beat. I saw the recent picture of him taken last year and he looks gorgeous as ever, just a little older now, but he never lost his good looks. I wish him well. It’s so good to see how many fans he still has after all these years.
[...] The complete second season of the original “Route 66″ television drama, co-starring George Maharis and Martin Milner, will be released on DVD on Oct. 21 by [...]
I have to echo a previous comment: between his rather ’storied’ past, the fact he’s never even seen his Route 66 episodes, his not owning a computer today etc, somehow Maharis manages to be even cooler than Buz Murdoch.
I was lucky enough to live a real “Route 66″ for about eight years, with my best bud during the late 60’s/early 70’s, and it was by far the happiest/most interesting period of my life. Although Maharis is right: things did change in America after the 60’s. Every city turned into the same set of strip malls and fast food joints.
I remember it as being April or May of 1962 when George’s record “Teach Me Tonight” came out. I bought the 45rpm and then the album as well. My guy friends were into r’n'r music and gave me a hard time about buying a pretty mellow song like “Teach Me Tonigh” but the girls said I has class for doing so! That made me feel real good. I was so sad when George left “Route ‘66″ What a treat when CBS ran a lot of Geore’s shows during the spring and summer of 1964. What a great actor!
Like so many other female fans I adored George Maharis. Back then I cut out every article published I could find and believe I still have them stored away. I even started writing my “G’s” like George.
I also collected his record albums and never missed an episode of Rt. 66. I recently lost my records due to water in the basement, but glad to know I can get them now. I loved the old songs he sang such as, “Teach Me Tonight” and more.
Believe there was a Rt 66 episode with his real life brother, does my memory serve me correctly?
Thank you for the wonderful article. I so enjoyed reading it and knowing he is alive and well. Must admit I never realized he was so much older than me – how could that be? I am 61 to his 79, but guess age doesn’t mean anything when you are a teenager and think you are in love.
Again, many thanks.
Yes, George’s brother was in the episode “The Mudd Ness” season #2. George had another record hit the charts as well back in 62 – was not as big as “Teach Me Tonight” anyone remember “Baby Has Gone Bye Bye?
Excellent interview!!! Route 66 was one of my favorite shows growing up. It was on Friday nights right after Rawhide. It was followed by the Twilight Zone. It was a great lineup and my older brother was always there watching it with me. We even got models of Corvettes because we loved the show so much. I’m glad the color of the Corvette was mentioned in your interview. I always thought it was red too. This conversation with Maharis cleared up a lot of misinformation I’d heard after he left the show. I’m glad he and Milner got along well and that he didn’t leave because he wanted more money. That rumor had taken some of the shine off my admiration for him. They were perfectly cast and I remember how upset I was when he left the show. I continued to watch it with his replacement Glenn Corbett, but it wasn’t the same. Corbett was a talented actor and did some great work after the series was cancelled, but Maharis is right. The characters needed that little tension, that interplay between the boy raised in “Hell’s Kitchen” (Maharis) and the one brought up under more affluent conditions (Milner) to make the storylines work. Being opposites resulted in their conflicting reactions to some of the people and situations they encountered. That was one of the key elements that made the show so interesting. When conflict did arise, I remember at least on one episode, it led to a fistfight between them. The verbal exchanges they had during those disagreements brought out deep scars and meaningul emotions related to their own experiences and how it shaped their perception of society. Many of the nuances were based upon the opposite environment they came from. Buz was tough but intelligent. He had a relatively short fuse and preferred to literally grab the bull by the horns if someone got out of line. Todd was more of a diplomat, preferring to reason his way through conflict, although he wasn’t afraid to mix it up either if he had to. The end of each episode always had a moral lesson. That lesson was often delivered in shades of gray. Just like life, the answers don’t always come in black and white.
Hi Ron: Bravo for a wonderful interview! I was a big fan of Route 66 when I was a young boy. Every episode brought you face to face with compelling characters that were as American as the varied locations in which the episodes were filmed. This was drama at its best and you were drawn into it by Maharis’ and Milner’s superb acting. For me the corvette was also a character that was inextricably intertwined with the plot of every episode.
It’s great to know that Mr. Maharis is doing well after all these years, and I will always consider him a great American actor. And, George, if you read this: “Thank you so much for your contribution to TV drama and sharing the rest of America with us.”
[...] publicist some time ago that the company hoped to have “Route 66″ co-star George Maharis provide some audio commentary on a few episodes. However, Maharis was unavailable for that because [...]
Thanks for this wonderful blog. I have been a big fan of George Maharis since Route 66 first appeared in 1960 when I was fourteen years old. I really had a crush on him. Once when I was eighteen and he was already off of the Route 66 show, I got a chance to see him in person. He came to a local department store in nearby New Orleans (I lived in a suburb called St. Bernard Parish) to promote his latest album, “Where Can You Go for a Broken Heart?” and to sign autographs. I bought his album and then lined up with the hundreds of other fans to get him to sign the album cover. I was barely able to get the words out, but I nervously asked him to write “To Mickey” before he signed his name. He was very nice and did it. That night, he made an appearance at the Pontchartrain Beach Amusement Park in New Orleans and got up on the beach stage in front of hundreds of screaming teenagers, including me. I was eighteen and I guess I was a little old to be acting like that. I always thought other teenagers were so stupid to scream when they saw Elvis or some other movie star, but I just couldn’t help it. He sang his hit “Teach Me Tonight,” and I almost fainted. That was in 1963, and I only got to play that album for two years because Hurricane Betsy hit in 1965, and my house got flooded with five feet of dirty water. The album disappeared along with all the movie magzines I had collected with articles about George. As time went on, I went to college and majored in drama. I was always interested in acting and performed in a lot of school plays as well as community theater stuff. I taught speech and drama at a local high school for thirty-eight years and directed many plays in that time. In the mid-1980’s I got to see George Maharis in the play “I Ought to be in Pictures” at the Beverly Dinner Playhouse in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie. I kept the program for that play up to the time that Hurricane Katrina paid us a visit in 2005. This time the dirty water went over the roof-top of my house in St. Bernard Parish, drowned my six cats, and even ruined all the stuff in the attic. My 91 year old father and I barely made it out alive. My career as a teacher ended at that time too, because all the schools in St. Bernard were flooded with about eight feet of the water for over three weeks. I was able to retire because I had taught for over thirty years, so I did. I have since returned to part-time tutoring because St. Bernard Parish was able to rebuild several of the schools and many of the die-hard residents aare rebuilding. My father and I did not. We have moved to the suburb where the dinner theater was where George Maharis performed in “I Ought to be in Pictures” in the 1980’s. This suburb is supposed to be on higher ground. My father is now handicapped and we need this security. I frequent ebay often in hopes that I can acquire some of my lost memorabilia. Well, now the dinner theater is gone; it burned to the ground several years ago. The amusement park where George sang “Teach Me Tonight” is no longer there. The department store where he signed my album is now a hotel. My albums, magazines, and playbills are all gone, but thanks to this blog, I can still rekindle my memories. I clicked on the site in your blog that had some recent photos of him, and he looks really good. I have now found out that my favorite actor is still around and hopefully, enjoying his own retirement. It’s good to know that he has so many other fans too. Thanks again for the blog.
George you’re the all time super great actor.I”m always using one of your lines from Black November when you and Tod were trying to get the Corvettes steering fixed. You told the ferry operator “Don’t let the new car fool you we’re poor POUR poor. Every time someone askes me for money I tell them “I’m poor, POUR poor” Because of you and Tod I’ve got an old 1959 Corvette sitting in my garage. Thanks for the great memories.
# 25 (Ron), Thanks for the reply.
Ron, what a great interview with one of television’s great actors, George Maharis! I rarely missed an episode even though it was on date night. I liked everything about Route 66 and have never tired of the theme music. It brings back great memories.
I especially appreciated learning about the real reason that George left the show, and he is correct, it was never the same after his departure.
Like others, I purchased a Corvette convertible last year when I retired at age 67 and the wife and I traveled down Highway 101 from Seattle into California and out on the famed Route 66. We had a blast and a childhood dream was realized.
I agree with George, let us remember the youthful dark haired guy who is a legend in television productions.
[...] that those episodes are well-loved. For those who want to see choice cuts of the drama, starring George Maharis and Martin Milner, without having to slog through entire seasons, “Producer’s [...]
I was born the year after “Route 66″ premiered. My husband recently found a “Route 66″ sampler at a garage sale, and I was hooked. I’ve now bought Seasons 1 and 2 and eagerly await Season Three’s release in February. Though Buz and Tod are a bit sexist (it was a different era), the show, on the whole, is great. I love all the location shoots and the mix of drama and comedy. Too bad they don’t make shows like this today.
I am very happy to hear that George Maharis is in good health. He brings a smile to my face and a few tears whenever I hear his voice.
If I could tell him one thing it would be “Thank you for all the enjoyable times I listened to your music and watched your movies”.Route 66 was one of the best TV shows in the 1960. Without George Maharis the show lost it’s appeal.
Wow! I just discovered this site because I google George Maharis occasionally. I used to have a drink with George everytime he was in Dallas at the Dinner theater. He used to visit friends at Cedar Creek Lake. Had his address on Mulholland Drive but lost contact. Are his paintings available on the internet?
NEVER missed an episode of ‘Route 66′ and wonder why it has no reruns on Turner or some network. I think it would still be a hit.
Tell George I said Hi. I would be great to see him again sometime here in Dallas.
We love you George,
from Peru
Musayon Family
Just got a computer and this was SO great to read such a wonderful interview with my favorite actor from my favorite show of the 60’s. My sister and I fought back then over our favorite actors – mine was George and hers was Michael Landon. My movie star scrapbook starred every picture and article I could find of George, who I had a major crush on. Of course, now my sister and I agree they were both great actors in their own different ways. I’m not a big fan of technology or how things have changed (totally agree with George about how towns look alike now with the same big box stores with no character and the same fast food chains), but the one GOOD thing about the new technology is being able to once again view all the Route 66 episodes! If George reads this, I’d like to say thanks for making a young teenage girl in the 60’s so happy. And thanks to Ron for a wonderful, wonderful interview.
the best episode ” A thin white line” – I watched it hundreads of times !!!
it is amazing !!! What a performance !!!
I was in love with George Maharis at age 10. I would pretend he was my husband and take him to work on my bike (my car). We carried on converstions, fairly one sided I would guess- ha ha . I had a plastic play telephone I would call him on. Later we had a baby and I play faked childbirth to give birth to George Jr. George if you read this I hope it makes you smile. Visit me and leave a note.
I am 62 years old now. I enjoyed Route 66 very much as a teenager. I joined the Marine Corps because George was a Marine. I have owned two new Corvettes and driven Route 66. I invited George to my wedding years ago, he sent me a card that read “I’m flattered” but cannot attend, Thank You.
I started watching Route 66 in the mid-to-late eighties during my high school years. It was such a good show – strong writing, progressive themes – that I would stay up until 4 a.m. to watch it on Nick at Nite. I loved doing it – but I hated school the next day! It provided such good, moral guidance for me at that impressionable age, as my parents had divorced many years earlier so I’m so thankful I discovered it.
I just ordered the DVDs tonight and I can’t wait to watch them. Also, I just read that George is still alive and kicking (I hope the site is current). ‘Can’t believe I’m asking this – but does anyone know where I could write him a fan/thank you letter?
Thanks for any help anyone can provide me.
I have the 1st season on dvd and the most surprising thing is that the 1st 3 (or is it 4?) episodes take place nowhere near route 66!
I recently retired after spending 40 years as a therapist for delinquent teenage boys. So many of the boys I worked with came from backgrounds like the Buz Murdock character. I just recently acquired the DVD’s of Seasons 1 and 2 and because of the work I did can relate to George’s portrayal of “Buz” with a different perspective than I had when I first watched the series in the 60’s. I realize now that George was not only a great actor, but was actually a role model for boys who were struggling for their identities during that time if they came from backgrounds like the character of Buz. Since my retirement I have watched these episodes again and again and have “surfed the net” to find out anything and everything I could about my all time favorite actor. I am very glad to know that he has enjoyed a long retirement and was doing well in 2007. I haven’t heard anything recently and can’t seem to find any current information as to his health and how he is doing. George if you view this please know that you are still remembered by many as a great actor even though you did not get the recognition or film opportunities you should have. I am a big movie viewer and have many actors that I think are great (Pachino, DeNiro, Hanks, etc., etc., )but none of them are any more deserving of recognition than you. I know, if given the opportunity, you could have achieved Oscar status. In my book you did. Don’t be shy about your age and making appearances. We all get older on the outside, but we remain young on the inside. You will always be “Buz” in my mind. I will continue to search for copies of the movies you did and purchase as many episodes of my favorite T.V. series (Route 66) as become available.
Best wishes always from an old, old fan. If any of you have information as to where I can get current information or view a recent picture, please let me know. Also wondering, was there ever a biography done on George’s life? Is there a reliable source for purchasing all of the episodes George was in? Thanks in advance for any help.
they just dont write shows like that anymore..too much sex and violence and miraculous explosions..todays producers could learn alot from Leonard and Silliphant. i bought the first two full seasons and i dont watch television anymore nothing but garbage on especially the reality shows what crap. long live Maharis and Milner you were the best and take a back seat to noone..
I’ve got the DVD set of seasons 1 and 2. I watched the show when it was first on, but was too young to appreciate much more than that it was two guys in a cool car getting into trouble each week.
Now… wow! What powerful stories and great acting. “Legacy for Lucia”, with Arlene Martel (best known for her gust starring role on Star Trek) was amazing. But George’s character was consistently honest, straight forward, and a heck of a role model for standing up for other people in need. (Martin’s character too.)
Thanks for the great interview. I’m happy to hear he’s still doing so well. But I wish he and Martin Milner would hit the autograph show circuit… just for a year or two… so us fans could show them our appreciation in person.
Hi,
THE BEST episode was HERE I AM, HERE I ALWAYS AM.
Does anyone remember this truly moving, George
was TREMENDOUS, saga. about a girl wedged between beach
rocks, as the tide was ever so slowly moving in ?
Thanks.
Yes, Maureen, I remember the episode well. It was called Where I Am, There I Always Am. I have seen it several times as it served as the episode which pretty much wiped Maharis out of Route 66. In an interview conducted years ago, George Maharis said that the weather on Avalon was unseasonably cold and caused the hepatitis flareups which sidelined him the final four episodes of Season 2. You could tell how physically demanding it was for George as well as guest star Joanna Moore, who had to stand stationary in the ocean water. He only appeared in 13 of the next 21 shows before leaving the series for good.
Personally, my 2 favorite Buzz episodes were Even Stones Have Eyes And A Birdcage On My Foot. They were 2 powerful, well acted and well written dramas dealing with issues which we still have problems with today. Highly recommended episodes for anyone looking to capture the true essence of Route 66.
Mark Gaston
Oxnard, CA
We are very best people because we has seen TV Shos as Route 66 in the chilhood of us.
Those was a good time.
I will never tire of saying to the four winds, that our generation (I am 50 years) are better people because during our childhood and our teenage years, look like Route 66 series.
At present, both the film and television leads people to be worse before, the message was to make us better.
George where can we get an autographed picture of you? I grew up with you in 60’s we never missed a show, in fact someone from Scotia HS was in one of the episodes filmed in Watkins Glen, we were so jealous. Oh what I wouldn’t give to me you or talk to you. Your still a doll to me. Do you ever come to Saratoga NY for the races??
PS: You can rent Route 66 from Neflix now….
Ron:
You made one of my dreams come true. I wanted so much to know what had happened to George Maharis after many years. I loved him. Back in the 60″s we had no way to know about our idols except by buying movie star magazines. I would buy them to seek for his pictures. A friend of mine gave me one of his records: George Maharis in Portrait, I still have it.
I saw the picture where he’s 80y/o and he still looks great.
I want to send him my greetings and let him know he was very important in my life and how I grew to become the woman I’m today.
Thank you Ron.
I can’t recall the plot line, but I remember the title — and that when the story was done I had chills down my then 10-year old spine.
Kiss the Maiden All Forlorn. Route 66, 1956.
Isn’t it interesting that the viewing public has now been conditioned to short bursts of visual entertainment — scenes so visually fast paced (4-5 secs max between scene cuts), for fear we may grow bored.
Route 66 was in a better time. When we weren’t taken for easily distracted boobs. Oh how I miss just savoring a good story line like the ones on that show.
Thank you, George Maharis, for the wonderful memories.
Oh…and I’m reminded of one more thing.
What do George Maharis…Tony Bennett…and little ole’ me have in common??
We are all born in Astoria, Queens, NYC.
(I was always proud of that coincidence in my younger years. My neighborhood was in the shadow of the Hellgate Bridge and Astoria Park. I often wondered whether George Maharis played on the those same streets 20 years before me. Astoria — once the largest Greek community outside of Greece.)
Hello Mr. Maharis,
Hope this note finds you well. Like you, I am very proud of my Greek heritage. Actors like yourself come around once in a lifetime and I am priviledged to have be able to view your remarkable career over these many years. Im not quite sure of the exact year (1960)? Route 66 was being filmed in Pittsburgh Pa and the surrounding area. My wonderful father Jim, whom by the way was VERY proud that a Greek American was starring on a Mega-Hit TV show, was working for a Pepsi Cola manufacturing plant in Franklin Pa, just a short distance North/East of Pittsburgh. This manufacturing plant was also owned by Greek Americans. He remember’s one of the family’s son’s, Connie arriving to work one day in a new Corvette. When asked by his parents who owed the vehicle and where did it come from Connie stated “Can you believe it, this is George Maharis’s car”. He drove that car up and down every street in Franklin for hours telling everyone within ear-shot that he knew you and the Corvette was yours. My understanding is that the two of you met on the set of the TV series and became fast friends. My dad also mentioned that you may have met the entire family at some point and received a tour of the Bottling Plant. After my dad shared this story with me I was hooked. I have followed your career over the years and what a WONDERFUL and REWARDING career it has been. I truly admire you Mr. Maharis. You stood up for who you are and what you believed in. You didn’t cower and hide. You didn’t take SHIT from anyone. Your a Mans-Man.
Sincerely;
Peter Kaikis
thanks for the great article. i like many other young girls was in love with george maharis. i was able to get his autograph when he was in paramus,n.j. promoting ” where can you go” i could barely stand much less speek when i met him.he asked if i was okay and kissed my cheek. i still have his albums and play them. i am so happy to hear that he is doing well. my then boyfriend ( later husband ) was jealous of him. thanks again george your music helped me thhrough tough times. carmen
At present the films and TV series
are worse …….. moreover, the world we live in and
people who live there are much worse than those
time Route 66 was our favorite program of the
night.
Is there any way I can send a fan letter to probably my favorite actor, George Maharis… because I’m a sentimental slob?
Also, where would I go to purchase an original George Maharis painting?
George, if you are reading this post, thank you for the years of entertainment.
What a heartbreaker to learn the love of our teenage dreams was gay. As they say what a waste. The gay lifestyle is accepted now but was not then. Perhaps that is why George became a recluse after the bathroom incident years ago? He was a living doll and regardless we fans still love him and always will.
George,
I, too, am happy to learn you are doing well. I was in love with you, too. Wouldn’t miss a show.
Every Friday night; you were fantastic! Thank you so much for the wonderful shows. I am so sorry that you had to leave the show because of the long grueling hours you had to work. Thank goodness you saved your life I guess. Glad to still have you around!
You’ll never be old to your fans. Love, Sue
I was seven when Route 66 began, and from the start I was in love with him, not just because of his looks (!) but because of his virtuous character and New York accent. I wanted him to ditch Tod and take me along on his adventures. Because of George Maharis/Buz I couldn’t wait to grow up and have my own steady, handsome friend, which took some of the sting out of being “different” (the word “gay” was not in my vocabulary, nor, I think, in many others’).
Very nice to know George remains a gentleman, intelligent, considerate, and doing well at 80. Best wishes.
And don’t forget the Playgirl centerfold!