Just wondering ....

Does anybody remember these two programs from the Golden Age of Television?
:happyface

If you do, and you are a fan of either one (or both!) please tell why these shows were/are so special to you. It doesn't matter if you were a fan of these shows when they originally ran on CBS ("Route 66") and ABC ("77 Sunset Strip") or, like me, discovered them thanks to the wonders of syndication and Columbia House video collections.

For me, having the opportunity to see actors Martin Milner ("Adam-12") in his role of Tod Stiles on "Route 66," Efrem Zimbalist Jr. ("The FBI") in his role of Stu Bailey, and Edd Byrnes as the adorable "Kookie" on "77 Sunset Strip" for the first time was an absolute thrill -- particularly after years of reading and hearing about these wonderful shows, but never being able to actually see them. (I started watching "Route 66" in 1999 (via video) and "77 Sunset Strip" just a few months ago, thanks to GoodLife TV network. )

"Route 66" and "77 Sunset Strip," along with "Leave it to Beaver," represent to me the hallmarks of well written and well acted programs from an era of TV that I am too young to have any first-hand knowledge of. Through them (and many "Twilight Zone" marathons), I have a deep fondness for these classic programs from the 1950's and 1960's. I hope there are others out there that feel the same way.

P.S. - If you liked both of these shows when they were originally airing on network TV, how did you make the fateful Friday night decision of which one to watch? For a few years there, "Route 66" and "77 Sunset Strip" aired opposite each other.





http://martin-milner.tripod.com/route1.jpg http://www.fiftiesweb.com/fashion/kookie-1.jpg

I remember watching Route 66 when Nickelodeon aired it in the 80's & I have never seen 77 Sunset Strip because Goodlife discontinued their C-Band feed on satellite. An interesting piece of trivia is that Edd Byrnes was the original host of Wheel Of Fortune & not Chuck Woolery as most people would have you believe. Twilight Zone is my all time fave & has been for over 30 years. I saw my first episode at age 9 and was hooked.

It's really too bad that someone like you, who can appreciate the great, well-written shows of the late 50s-early 60s era is deprived by the networks refusal to air 99% of the shows. I didn't watch these things in their original airings as I was a little too young but I saw them when I got into tape collecting in the 80s. If you like shows of that type, look for Naked City (24 episodes are out on DVD from Image), Combat, The Fugitive, Hawaiian Eye, Surfside Six, Hong Kong, Bourbon Street Beat, East Side, West Side and just about any other early 60s black and white 1 hour show.

I remeber Friday nights when I was a little kid, and my parents would watch 77 Sunset strip. I loved the theme song and the cars they drove.
I think that episode on Leave It To Beaver about Wally and Beaver combing their slicked back hair can be traced to the Kookie phenom that was going on at the same time.

Heck yeah I know Route 66. It's one of my favorite shows. They really don't make shows that complex and deep anymore.

I never saw it when it was on Nick at Nite, and I wasn't born until 79, so obviously I missed it's original run. :lol: But I had to see it because I'm a huge Adam-12 fan and wanted to see Martin Milner's other show. Thanks to ebay I got some episodes and really love the show. I don't see it coming to DVD anytime soon though...no one seems to remember it. :(

And everyone can forget the 1993 version. That was so awful. Shame on NBC and whoever wrote the script. They obviously never saw the original enough to make an impression. Awful.

Oh, why it's special. Hmm. I love the relationship between Tod and Buz. Love the scripts (especially Sterling Silliphant's), love the cars. :D It's a good character-driven show about raw human emotion. Nowadays, dramas are so plot-driven. And heck, Linc is even growing on me. He's no Buz and Glenn Corbett was not George Maharis, but Linc wasn't quite as wooden as I had originally thought.

Unfortunately I haven't seen either show. I didn't get N@N when Route 66 was on and I've never seen 77 Sunset Strip although from what I read it sounds like a great show. Networks rarely telecast dramas from the 50's and 60's and thats to bad..