User Reviews

Sports car racing was very fashionable among youth of the time. So I expect this episode featuring Formula 1 racing at Riverside Raceway was a real crowd gatherer for the series. The story's nothing special—a star driver (Conroy) is having to face retirement despite his daughter's (Kohner) objections. At the same time, Tod gets to show his driver's skills. As a result, he's encouraged by the aging driver's wife (Moreland) to drive in her husband's place in the big race. Meanwhile, Buzz has to cool his heels with a ditzy beauty queen. Tough life.

The boys show a lot of spirit and chemistry in this early entry, while Kohner gets to emote as the conflicted daughter. Good to see movie vet Toomey (Jeff) pick up a payday as the loyal mechanic. Then there's Harvey Korman (the whistle guy) in a rather silly role as the beauty queen's keeper. In fact, I kept expecting Carol Burnett to pop up at any moment. Anyway, the 60-minutes is mainly for racing enthusiasts, along with a look at Buzz and Tod at their lively best.

From the beginning of this episode everything is already predictable. Oh that Todd! He pulls over at a racetrack with a ridiculous dreamy expression on his face . Oh he must race and fulfill a dream that Buz never knew about. With new spark plugs he jumps in for the stock class and of course is noticed by a racing team family and is asked to drive their Skankalini in the formula one race. Of course our hero Todd gets to mug for the camera, make prophetic statements and wear his stale sport coat. I'm glad he doesn't win, that would have been too much. Todd is a dork who looks and acts like someone who would have been better suited driving a Corvair and touting it's superior balance, precision handling and state of the art construction.....Clunk. An excellent guest cast wasted on another old story, different theme. And where did they find that combo playing in the bar? Okay Todd, do your best Elvis and jump up and sing "I've gotta be me".

You knew with a corvette as one of the main "characters" in the show there had to be an episode devoted to auto racing. They are at Riverside, California where, apparently, it's no trick to get into a race if you've got a sports car. Buz is dubious and stays on the sidelines. In James Rosin's book on the series, George Maharais says the scene where they discuss whether Tod should race the car originally had an argument between them but George felt that Buz would be supportive of his friend's dream and so they changed it to where he offers a guarded encouragement. Tod does so well that a family racing team spots him and, since the father, (Frank Overton, who already appeared on the show as the foreman in "the Man on the Monkey Board") is getting to be a bit old to be racing cars and his wife, (Betsy Jones Moreland) wants him to quit, they offer him a ride in their full scale race car for the big race. The hero- worshiping daughter, (Natalie Wood look-alike Susan Kohner), doesn't want him to quit. Jones- Moreland is the father's second wife, which strains relations with the hero-worshiping daughter all the more: they've never accepted each other. Kohner attempts to seduce Tod and get him to drive her to Mexico to get him away for the race. Buz sees what's happening and intervenes. Tod is behind the wheel for the race and survives a fire but finishes 3rd. He's had his fill of racing and he and Buz hit the open road again. It's an O.K. episode, nothing more.

This episode by Stirling Silliphant presents a logical extension of the series' main theme: Milner is given the opportunity at a Grand Prix racetrack in Riverside, California to not only let his beloved Corvette get loose but offered the chance to actually compete in the $10,000 (to the winner) main contest.

With Harvey Korman providing a vintage demonstration of his comedy style, the serious nature of the show is heavily masked by a light-hearted tone, with Maharis even getting to romance the race's beauty queen Roxy Dozy (played by Pamela Searle). B movie great Betsy Jones-Moreland (see: Robert Towne's classic "Last Woman on Earth") is very fine as the real racer's wife, and Susan Kohner is stuck as her stepdaughter as Milner's romantic interest. The real race footage is a treat, including a chance to see the Corvette let loose in time trials action.

Oddly, thrusting Milner center stage against an overly familiar story line of an aging racer facing his mortality is not up to the show's usual dramatic caliber. It takes Maharis to put his partner back on track in "nothing to tie us down" freedom mode.

"Route 66" works best with our two heroes as observers of some part of American culture, intervening when necessary but not dominating the story or completely disrupting the local society. This episode violates that Prime Directive. And it's way too far-fetched to have Tod Stiles competing in a Formula 1 car with champions in the big race, with no real experience.