Forgive me as this was supposed to be a lengthy entry about the ROUTE 66 episodes I have been watching but due to some time constraints this week I have been unable to finish editing the raw thoughts I have jotted down. So, what I will do is add some MORE raw thoughts and publish them right on this blog. Hey, it is better than doing nothing at all isn't it?

Seriously, when I watch ROUTE 66 nothing strikes me more than the fact that the series is one of the best of the anthology series of the 1960's. Yes, most people will point to THE FUGITIVE as the prototypical program that created the concept of the hero who wanders from town to town, adventure to adventure but it was ROUTE 66 that really developed this concept. Of course, THE FUGITIVE added the unique dramatic dimension of the hero being falsely accused of a crime and being pursued by someone. (We saw this plot device employed time and time again in KUNG FU, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, WEREWOLF and the long forgotten 1980's series HOT PURSUIT.) What makes ROUTE 66 engaging, however, is not just this weekly anthology concept as much as it was the originality of the scripts, the brilliance of the acting and the tightness of the direction….much of which is lacking in prime time television programming today. That will be the subject of our next entry.