Godspeed Spencer Davis

Spencer Davis, founding member of The Spencer Davis Group, died on October 19 at the age of 81. The cause was pneumonia.

Spencer Davis was born Spencer Davies in Swansea, South Wales on July 17 1939. He changed the spelling of his last name from "Davies" to "Davis" when he began performing ("Davies" and "Davis" are pronounced the same in Wales). He was interested in music from a young age, learning to play harmonica and accordion when he was six years old. He later switched to playing guitar. He was influenced by such diverse music artists as Long John Baldry, Huddy Ledbetter, Buddy Holly, and Alexis Korner. He began playing in bands as a teen. He played in a band called The Saints with a bassist named Bill Perks, who later changed his name to Bill Wyman. After having moved to London when he was 16 to work as a clerical officer at the Post Office Savings Bank in Hammersmith and later the HM Customs and Excise, Spencer Davis moved to Birmingham to resume his studies. He continued to play on stage after school. He sometimes performed with Christine Perfect, later known as Christine McVie.

It was in 1963 that Spencer Davis went to the pub the Golden Eagle to watch the the Muff Woody Jazz band perform. Two  of the members of the band were Muff Winwood and his brother, a young teen named Steve Winwood. Mr. Davis asked the Winwoods to form a band with him and drummer Peter York. The band was named the Rhythm and Blues Quartet, but was soon renamed The Spencer Davis Group, as Spencer Davis was the only one comfortable doing interviews.

The Spencer Davis Group proved popular performing around London and signed to Fontana Records. Their first single, "Dimples," failed to chart, but their second single, "I Can't Stand It," went to 47 on the UK singles chart. Their first major hit would be their fifth single, "Keep On Running," which hit no. 1 on the UK singles chart. It was also their first single to hit the Billboard Hot 100, reaching no. 76 on the chart. They followed "Keep  on Running Up" with "Somebody Help Me," which also hit no.1. They would have further hits with "Gimme Some Lovin'" and "I'm a Man." "Gimme Some Lovin'" proved to be their first major hit in the United States, reaching 7 on the chart. It reached no. 2 on the UK singles chart. "I'm a Man" reached no. 9 on the UK singles chart and no. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Unfortunately, "I'm a Man" was their last major hit on either side of the Pond.

The Spencer Davis Group released four albums in the Sixties. Their First LP went to no. 6 in the UK. Their Second Album went to no. 3 in the UK. Autumn '66 went to no. 4 in the UK. It was in 1967 that Steve Winwood left to form Traffic in 1967. Muff Winwood left to work in the record industry. The Winwood brother were replaced by guitarist Phil Sawyer and keyboardist/vocalist Eddie Hardin. With their performance on the charts in decline, The Spencer Davis Group disbanded in 1969.

After The Spencer Davis Group broke up, Spencer Davis moved to California. He recorded an acoustic solo album, It's Been So Long, in 1971. It was followed by a second solo album, Mousetrap. Afterwards he retuned to the UK and formed a new incarnation of The Spencer Davis Group. They released two albums: Gluggo (1973) and Living in a Back Street (1974).

In the mid-Seventies Spencer Davis went to work as an executive at Island Records. At Island Records he worked with both Bob Marley and Robert Palmer, as well as his old Spencer Davis Group bandmate Steve Winwood. In the Nineties he formed two supergroups. The first, Class Rock All-Stars, was formed in 1993. In 1995 he left the group to form World Class Rockers, which also featured guitarist Denny Laine. In 2006 another new incarnation of The Spencer Davis Group was formed, although only Spencer Davis and Eddie Hardin were the only two who were members of the band in the Sixties. With changes in their line-up, this new incarnation of The Spencer Davis Group continued to perform until 2016.

The Spencer Davis Group would prove to be one of the most influential groups of the Sixties. Their influence could be seen in such acts as The Blues Brothers, The Jam, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, and others. Steve Windwood credited Spencer Davis with influencing his tastes in music and said that "he became like a big brother to me at the time." As a executive at Island Records, he helped develop such artists as Bob Marley and Robert Palmer. He was a remarkable musician who was instrumental in creating British blues.

The Late Great Rhonda Fleming

Rhonda Fleming was known as "the Queen of Technicolor," a title she shared with Maureen O'Hara. And there should be little wonder why. With red hair, big blue eyes, and a pale complexion, she was certainly striking in colour. That having been said, many classic movie fans might best remember her in black-and-white. She known for her appearances in such classic film noirs as Out of the Past (1947), Cry Danger (1951), The Killer is Loose (1956), Slightly Scarlet (1956), and While the City Sleeps (1956). She was a remarkable actress who played films made in a number of genres in addition to film noir, including Westerns, adventure movies, and swashbucklers. Sadly, Rhonda Fleming died on October 14 2020 at the age of 97.

Rhonda Fleming was born Marilyn Louis in Los Angeles on August 10 1923. Her father was an insurance salesman, Harold Louis. Her mother was a stage actress, Effie Graham. While still in high school she was discovered by legendary agent Henry Wilson. It was Mr. Wilson who gave her the stage name, "Rhonda Fleming."

Miss Fleming appeared in an uncredited part in In Old Oklahoma (1943) before she was put under contract to David O. Selznick. She appeared in a bit part in his film Since You Went Away (1944) before receiving her first screen credit in Selznick's film Spellbound (1945). Selznick loaned her out for the Western Abilene Town (1946) before she appeared in another Selznick movie, The Spiral Staircase (1946). Rhonda Fleming received her first leading role in the low-budget adventure film Adventure Island (1947). That same year she appeared in the classic film noir Out of the Past. For the remainder of the Forties she appeared in the Bing Crosby musical A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949), the Bob Hope comedy The Great Lover (1949), and the Western The Eagle and the Hawk (1950).

In the Fifties Rhonda Fleming appeared in such films as Cry Danger (1951), The Redhead and the Cowboy (1951), The Last Outpost (1951), Little Egypt (1951), Crosswinds (1951), Hong Kong (1952), The Gold Hawk (1952), Tropic Zone (1953), Serpent of the Nile (1953), Pony Express (1953), Those Redheads from Seattle (1953), Jivaro (1954), Tennessee's Partner (1955),  The Killer is Loose (1956), Slightly Scarlet (1956), While the City Sleeps (1956), The Buster Keaton Story (1957), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), Gun Glory (1957), Home Before Dark (1958), Alias Jesse James (1959), and The Crowded Sky (1960). Miss Fleming made her television debut in an episode of The Best of Broadway in 1955. In the late Fifties she guest starred on the shows The Ford Television Theatre and Wagon Train.

In the Sixties she appeared in the films The Patsy (1964), Pão de Açúcar (1964), and Una moglie americana (1965). She guest starred on the TV shows Hong Kong, The Investigators, The Dick Powell Show, Follow the Sun, Death Valley Days, The Red Skelton show, Wagon Train, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, Burke's Law, and The Virginian.

In the Seventies Rhonda Fleming appeared on the TV shows Search, Needles and Pins, McMillan & Wife, Police Woman, Kung Fu, Ellery Queen, and The Love Boat. She appeared in the movies Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976) and The Nude Bomb (1980).

Rhonda Fleming was known as a screen beauty, but she was also a very talented actress. She played hypersexual mental patient Mary Carmichael in Spellbound, displayed her singing talent as Alisande in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, and the femme fatale secretary in Slight Scarlet.In the Wagon Train episode "The Jennifer Churchill Story," she played the spoiled, young daughter of a railroad executive convincingly, despite being 35 at the time. Miss Fleming played a number of different roles in a number of different genres and she did all of the quite well.

In addition to being a talented actress, Rhonda Fleming was also a genuinely nice person. She was a guest at the 2012 TCM Classic Movies Film Festival and everyone who met her described her as gracious. She was a generous woman who always had time for her fans. Rhonda Fleming was certainly physically lovely, but she was lovely inside as well.

The More the Merrier (1943)

 (This post is part of the The 120 "Screwball" Years of Jean Arthur Blogathon hosted by The Wonderful World of Cinema)

While Jean Arthur played a variety of roles in her career, she was perhaps best known for her work in comedy. She starred in three Frank Capra comedies,  Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), You Can't Take It with You (1938), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). She appeared in films directed by others as well, including The Whole Town's Talking (1935), The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (1936), Easy Living (1937), and The Talk of the Town (1942). Among her most popular comedies is The More the Merrier (1943). What makes The More the Merrier unique among her comedies is that it actually originated with her.

The More the Merrier is set during World War II when there was a housing shortage in Washington, D.C. Millionaire Benjamin Dingle (played by Charles Coburn) is a millionaire working as what was called "a dollar-a-day man," an individual doing volunteer work for the Federal government. Since Federal law required such individuals be paid something, they were paid a dollar day, hence the origin of the term. Unfortunately, Mr. Dingle finds himself with any place to stay when he arrives in Washington. Fortunately, he manages to convince Connie Milligan (played by Jean Arthur) to rent him a room. Complications arise when Mr. Dingle sublets his room to Sergeant Joe Carter (played by Joel McCrea), who also had no place to stay.

While Jean Arthur had been one of Columbia's top stars for years, her relationship with the studio was often tumultuous. Columbia suspended her multiple times for refusing various projects, It was during one of her suspensions that Miss Arthur and her husband Frank Ross met their friend Garson Kanin, the playwright and screenwriter who was then serving in the U.S. Army and stationed in New Jersey. Mr. Kanin was short on money and so he offered to write a script for Miss Arthur. Jean Arthur and Frank Ross then agreed to pay Garson Kanin $25,000 for the script. To assuage any of Columbia head Harry Cohn's unpleasant feelings regarding Miss Arthur, they would offer it to him for free. It was after a visit to Washington, D.C. that Garson Kanin and up and coming screenwriter Robert W. Russell came up with the concept a story called Two's a Crowd.

Fortunately for Jean Athur, Frank Ross, Garson Kanin, and Robert W. Russell, Harry Cohn liked Two's a Crowd and accepted it. He assigned George Stevens to direct the film. Mr. Stevens had a three-film contract with Columbia. He had directed Penny Serenade (1941) and Talk of the Town (1942) for the studio. The More the Merrier would be the third film on that contract. It would also be the last film Mr. Stevens would direct before joining the U.S. Army Signal Corps and heading the U.S. Army film unit from 1943 to 1946.

As might be expected given its premise, the Production Code Administration (PCA) had concerns about The More the Merrier. Strangely enough, one of those concerns was that "nothing suggestive of homosexuality," referencing Mr. Dingle and Sgt. Carter sharing a room and a bathroom together. Among the PCA's many other suggestions were that Mr. Dingle should not be seen entering the bathroom "when Connie is in it," Sgt. Carter should be seen "strictly in his B.V.Ds., and Connie should never be seen in a nightgown. The PCA also objected to the line, "Damn the torpedoes," even though it was a quote from Admiral David Farragut, a hero of the American Civil War. Fortunately, George Stevens was able to get around many of PCA's objections.

While Garson Kanin and Robert W Russell had titled their story, Two's a Crowd, a number of titles were considered, including Washington Story, Love is Patriotic, Full Steam Ahead, and Come One, Come All. Eventually Merry-Go-Round was settled upon. The title was changed to The More the Merrier after an interoffice memo informed director George Stevens that "certain quarters in Washington" found the title Merry-Go-Round objectionable.

The More the Merrier received overwhelmingly positive reviews upon its release. The film also did well at the box office. Ultimately, Charles Coburn would win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Dingle in the movie. The More the Merrier also picked up several Academy Award nominations, including Best Actress in a Leading Role for Jean Arthur; Best Picture; Best Director for George Stevens; Best Writing, Original Story; and Best Writing, Screenplay.

Since its initial release, The More the Merrier has remained one of Jean Arthur's most popular and well-regarded movies. At the review-aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, the movie maintains a 94% rating. While some of her other movies might be better known (namely Mr. Deeds Goes to Town and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington), for many classic movie fans The More the Merrier remains their favourite Jean Arthur film.  

The Latino Vote '92 and Latina Vote '94 PSAs

Julie Carmen

This is an election year, and there has been a concerted effort to encourage Latinos to vote. Some of you might remember similar campaigns that have taken place in previous years, particularly two public service announcements that aired on television in 1992 and 1994. "Latino Vote '92" and "Latina Vote '94" won Clio Awards and, more importantly, motivated many Latinos to vote.

Both PSAs were produced by Julie Carmen on behalf of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project. If the name "Julie Carmen" sounds familiar, it is because she is an actress who appeared in Gloria (1980), The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), and Fright Night Part 2 (1988), and would later appear in the classic John Carpenter movie In the Mouth of Madness (1995). In 1992 Ms. Carmen realized a need to encourage Latinos to vote. She approached the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project to raise money for a PSA that would motivate Latinos to take part in that year's election.

To direct the PSA, Julie Carmen turned to video director Luis Aira. Among other things he had directed the videos for The Cars' "Heartbeat City" and the Martika song "Martika's Kitchen." Not only would Luis Aira's company produce "Latino Vote '92" and "Latina Vote '94," but they would produce an entire 10 years worth of PSAs for the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project. The script for "Latino Vote '92" was written by Mr. Aira with Jesus Ramirez and Mark Gonzalez of the advertising agency Sosa, Bromley, Aguilar & Associates. Featured in "Latino Vote '94" were such well known Latinos as Tony Plana, Edward James Olmos, Ms. Carmen herself, Hector Elizondo, the comedy troupe Culture Clash, and others.

Although the organization Rock the Vote was not involved in the production of "Latino Vote '92," the PSA was added to their PSA reel that was offered to television stations around the country. "Latino Vote '92" would later win a Clio Award, which are given for creative excellence in advertising.

Julie Carmen would follow "Latino Vote '92" with another PSA, "Latina Vote '94." While "Latino Vote '92" was directed by Luis Aira, "Latina Vote '94" would be directed by Ms. Carmen with Mr. Aira acting as her mentor. It was Julie Carmen's directorial debut. For the PSA Ms. Carmen gathered 108 famous Latinas, including Raquel Welch, Gloria Molina, Daphne Zuniga, Jennifer Lopez, Liz Torres, Carmen Zapata, Ms. Carmen herself, Lupe Ontiveros, Vanessa Marquez, Dyana Ortelli, and yet others. The PSA debuted at the 20th Anniversary Southwest Voter Registration Education Project Banquet in 1994, at which Julie Carmen was the Mistress of Ceremonies and Al Gore gave the keynote address.

Like "Latino Vote '92," "Latina Vote '94" was added to Rock the Vote's reel of PSAs offered to local television stations. And like  "Latino Vote '92," it also won a Clio Award.

"Latino Vote '92" and "Latina Vote '94" would not be the last PSAs devoted to motivating Latinos to vote, as there have been many produced since then. That having been said, both PSAs, remain well remembered, not simply because they were among the earliest such PSAs to be produced, but because both were very well done. Below is a reel from the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project's YouTube Channel that includes both "Latino Vote '92" and "Latina Vote '94," as well as later PSAs.

John Lennon's 80th Birthday

It was 80 years ago today that John Lennon was born in Liverpool. He would go onto become one of the most influential people of the 20th Century. As one of The Beatles, he was part of the most successful pop group of all time. Mojo named his song "In My Life" as the best song of all time, while Rolling Stone ranked it at no. 23 in in their list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. His song "Imagine" was named by BMI as one of the 100 most performed songs of the 20th Century. So great was John Lennon's influence that he ranked no. 8 in the BBC poll of the 100 Greatest Britons in 2002. He was the highest ranking musician in the poll.

John Lennon certainly had an impact on people, and I number among those people. I was only a little less than a year old when The Beatles arrived in the United States, and I cannot remember a time when I was not a Beatles fan. The first album I ever bought with my own money was even a Beatles album. I will not pretend John Lennon was perfect. He was not always the best husband to either of his wives. He could have been a better father to his son Julian. He could often be difficult with his friends. In the end, however, he truly cared about for people, and it was often the friends on whom he was the hardest that he cared the most about. He certainly cared about his fans. Even given the level of his fame, he remained approachable. He was known to graciously talk with his fans and sign autographs for them. He would even express concern for them. Sadly, it was this very openness that led to his death on December 8 1980. I was 17 years old when John was murdered, and I cried on and off for the next three days. Since then there has only been one celebrity over whom I have cried more than John Lennon, and I knew her intimately. Because she loved the song, I asked that John's song "In My Life" be played at her first memorial.

I wrote extensively of John Lennon's influence on my life on the occasion of his 70th birthday, so I will not revisit the subject in depth here. I will instead leave you with some of my favourite songs John Lennon wrote, along with my gratitude for way his work has enriched my life.

The 60th Anniversary of the TV Show Route 66

It was sixty years ago tonight, on October 7 1960, that Route 66 debuted on CBS. The show centred on Tod Stiles (played by Martin Milner), a young man who had recently graduated from college and was unsure what he wanted to do with his life, and Buz Murdock (played by George Maharis), a friend who had been employed by Tod's father. The two young men travelled about the United States (with two trips to Canada) in a Chevrolet Corvette. After George Maharis left the show, Tod's new travelling companion was Lincoln "Linc" Case (played by Glen Corbett), a Vietnam veteran recently discharged from the military. The show had a semi-anthology format, with many episodes focusing more on the people that Tod and Buz or Tod and Linc met in their travels.

Route 66 was created by writer Stirling Silliphant and producer Herbert B. Leonard. Stirling Silliphant had earlier developed the critically acclaimed TV series Naked City, based on the classic film noir police procedural The Naked City (1948). Herbert B. Leonard served as the executive producer on that show. As originally conceived, Route 66 would have centred on two Army veterans trying to adjust to civilian life.  The name for the prospective series was The Searchers.

George Maharis, who had guest starred on episodes of Naked City, was signed to play the character of Johnny Gary and Robert Morris was chosen to play the role of Lincoln Ridgeway.  A backdoor pilot for Route 66 aired as the Naked City episode "Four Sweet Corners" on April 28 1959. In the episode Johnny Gary, fresh from a sting in the military, returns home to New York City to find that his baby sister has become part of a shoplifting ring. Ultimately, Herbert B. Leonard was unable to find a network interested in the concept. In the meantime, the concept then called The Searchers would undergo a number of changes before becoming the TV show we know as Route 66. Among other things, the title was changed from The Searchers to Route 66, as it was feared The Searchers would create confusion with the 1956 movie of the same name. While George Maharis would remain one of the two young men travelling the United States, Robert Morris was replaced by the better known Martin Milner,who had already appeared in such movies as Sweet Smell of Success (1957) and Marjorie Morningstar (1958). It is difficult today to say why Robert Morris was not tapped for Route 66. It is possible Herbert B. Leonard wanted a better known actor to draw attention to the series (at the time neither George Maharis nor Robert Morris were well known). It is also possible that Robert Morris turned down the series. He had recently married and then he and his new wife had lost all their belongings in a fire. Regardless, Robert Morris died on May 22 1960 following a severe epileptic seizure. The two young men were also renamed Tod Stiles and Buz Murdock. They were also no longer ex-servicemen.

While Route 66 must have seemed to be a startlingly original creation to viewers when it debuted, author Jack Kerouac suspected Stirling Silliphant and Herbert B. Leonard of having plagiarized his book On the Road. Jack Kerouac considered filling a lawsuit, but dropped it when his lawyers informed him that there was insufficient evidence to form a case. As to Herbert B. Leonard, while he admitted to reading On the Road, he also said, "... I don't think that was what I had in mind. I visualized these guys as positive, young--little knights in shining armour. They weren't beatniks, in the sense that they had some kind of sense of feeling of social injustice." There certainly are some superficial resemblances between On the Road and Route 66, there were also some major differences as well. While Tod and Buz could be considered part of the counterculture insofar as they travelled the country rather than working nine-to-five jobs, they were also much more straight-laced than Jack Kerouac's protagonists.

One thing that set Route 66 apart from other shows of the time is that it was shot primarily on location. In the course of the show, the characters travelled through 25 states and twice travelled to Canada. Of course, this meant that, despite the show's title, the majority of its episodes took place away from U.S. Route 66. Because Route 66 was shot across the United States, it serves a time capsule of the country in the early to mid-Sixties. Among the cities the characters visited were Dallas, Los Angeles, Reno, St. Louis, Tuscon, and many others.

Route 66 was not without controversy when it first aired. The show was mentioned more than once in the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Deliquency's hearings on television violence.  Among the scenes brought up before the subcommittee were one in which a young man was whipped with a chain. An accusation was also made that more "sex" had been injected into the series under the orders of James T. Aubrey. This was the source of the notorious "Aubrey dictum," which called for the producers of Route 66 to include more "broads, bosoms, and fun" in Route 66. That Aubrey ever issued such a memo was denied by Frank Stanton of CBS.

As mentioned earlier, George Maharis eventually left Route 66. He missed several episodes late in the show's second season due to a bout with hepatitis. Tod is then shown as travelling alone, with Buz's absence being explained as the character being hospitalized due to the "echovirus." George Maharis departed the series entirely in its third season. According to Mr. Maharis, he left the show because of his health. Route 66 required him to work long hours under often arduous conditions. Stirling Silliphant and Herbert B. Leonard claimed that George Maharis wanted to leave the show in order to make movies. Regardless of the reason, Tod Stiles was in need of a new travelling companion. No explanation was ever offered as to what happened to Buz. He last appeared in the episode "A Gift for a Warrior," which aired on January 18 1963.

The next several episodes would see Tod travelling alone, with the exception of the episode "Suppose I Said I Was the Queen of Spain," which aired on Feburary 8 1963. In this episode Tod is seen travelling with Lee Winters (played by Robert Duvall). Fans of the show have observed that Lee Winters's lines could have easily been said by Buz, leading many to believe that the episode was made when it was thought George Maharis would return to the show. It was with the March 22 1963 episode, "Fifty Miles from Home," that Tod's new travelling companion was introduced. He met Lincoln "Linc" Case outside a Houston bus station. Linc offered a sharp contrast to Buz. He was both introspective and introverted. He was also a Vietnam veteran, the first to ever be a regular character on an American television show. Linc would travel with Buz until the end of the show.

As mentioned earlier, the characters would twice visit Canada. Unfortunately, the first episode in which they visited Canada would not air until Route 66 entered syndication. "I'm Here to Kill a King" was scheduled to air on November 29 1963. Sadly, it was on November 22 1963 that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and the subject matter of "I'm Here to Kill a King" was just a bit too close to the actual assassination of the president. The episode was one of the many "evil twin" episodes so popular on television shows in the Sixties. Martin Milner played the dual role of Tod Stiles and Paul Kades, an assassin who is in Niagara Falls to kill a visiting Middle Eastern king. "I'm Here to Kill a King" has some uncomfortable parallels to the JFK assassination. The king's motorcade through Niagara Falls resembles President Kennedy's motorcade through Dallas. And at one point in the episode Paul Kades comments that he is shooting the king in the head. CBS removed "I'm Here to Kill a King" from the schedule and never aired it during its initial network run. The episode would not be seen until reruns of Route 66 entered syndication.

There are claims on the internet that there was talk of the fifth season of Route 66 being shot in colour with Tod and Linc now travelling from place to place in Europe. I have never been able to verify any of this. The claim that Route 66 would switch to colour makes sense, as in the early Sixties the American broadcast networks were making the transition to colour. Many of CBS's shows would make the change to colour in 1965, including The Andy Griffith Show, The Beverly Hillbillies,  and The Ed Sullivan Show. That the show would have moved to Europe makes less sense. Route 66 was shot entirely on location, something that would have been expensive in the United States alone at the time. I would think shooting in Europe would have been cost prohibitive.The point is perhaps moot, as ratings for Route 66 dropped in its fourth season to the point that CBS cancelled the show.

Fortunately, Route 66 was afforded something that was very rare in the Sixties, a series finale. The two part "Where There's a Will, There's a Way" aired on March 6 1964 and March 13 1964. In the episode Tod married heiress Margo Tiffin (played by Barbara Eden). Married and wanting to settle down, Tod and Linc part ways, with Linc planning to return home to Houston, Texas.

Route 66 went onto a successful run as a syndicated rerun. The show was well remembered enough that in 1993 a sequel series titled Route 66 aired on NBC as a summer replacement series. Unfortunately, it was not well received by critics or fans. The series starred James Wilder as Nick Lewis and Dan Cortese as Arthur Clark. The two were travelling the United States in a classic 1961 Corvette, left to him by his father Buz Murdock. Making Nick Lewis the son of Buz Murdock was one of the problems with the show. First, it was not Buz who owned the Corvette, but Tod. The Corvette would then not have been part of Buz's legacy to his son. A bigger problem is that the show doesn't really explain why Buz was not part of his life. Did he die? Did he desert Nick's mother? Having grown up as an orphan, it seems difficult to see Buz not sticking around to raise a son. Regardless, the point may well be moot. This new version of Route 66 only lasted four episodes.

While the revival of Route 66 was not well received, the original series was critically acclaimed in its time. In 1962 the show was nominated for the Emmy Awards for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Esther Waters in the episode "Goodnight, Sweet Blues" and Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Series for George Maharis. In 1963 it was nominated for the Writers Guild of America award for Episodic Drama for "Goodnight, Sweet Blues." It  won the Writers Guild of America award for Episodic Drama for the episode "Man Out of Time."

Route 66 was a number of socially conscious dramas that debuted in the late Fifties and early Sixties, including such shows as Naked City, The Defenders, East Side/West Side, Channing, and others. Throughout its run Route 66 dealt with such issues as juvenile delinquency, drug addiction, mental illness, mercy killing, and even the threat of nuclear annihilation. The show could be very dark at times, with some of the characters that Tod and Buz and later Tod and Linc met expressing nihilistic attitudes. At the same time, Route 66 featured its share of humorous episodes (including its series finale), some of which veered into outright comedy. Route 66 was a well-written show (a lion's share of the episodes were written by Stirling Silliphant himself) with well-rounded characters, often played by actors at the top of their game. Route 66 may not be as well known as it once was, and it certainly deserves to be better known.

The Waltons Season 8, Episode 23: "The Medal"

Even today Latinos are underrepresented on American television. A study conducted by CAA and Parrot Analytics indicated that Latinos were represented in only 5%  of all scripted television debuts from 2017 to 2019, even though Hispanics and Latinos make up 18% of the population. While Latinos are currently underrepresented on American television, the situation was much worse in 1980. In 1980 Latino characters rarely appeared on American television and, when they did, they were likely to be portrayed as immigrants or cholos. It might surprise some to learn that on February 28 1980 an episode of The Waltons aired that prominently featured a Chicano character. 

For those unfamiliar with the TV show The Waltons, the show centred on the family of that name living in Virginia during the Great Depression and later during World War II. John Walton (played by Ralph Waite) ran a sawmill. His wife, Olivia (played by Michael Learned), was a strict Baptist. The children were: John Boy (played by Richard Thomas), an aspiring writer as the show began; Mary Ellen (played by Judy Norton Taylor), the headstrong tomboy who later becomes a nurse; Jason (played by Jon Walmsley), the musician of the family; Erin (played by Mary Elizabeth McDonough), who became a telephone operator and later a factory supervisor; Ben (played by Eric Scott), the entrepreneur of the family; Jim-Bob (played by David W. Harper), who was a mechanic; and Elizabeth (played by Kami Colter), the youngest, imaginative and intelligent daughter. The Waltons did much of their shopping at the local general store ran by Ike Godsey (played by Jon Conley) and his wife Corabeth (played by Ronnie Claire Edwards), who was John Walton's cousin.

"The Medal" centres on a paratrooper, Sgt. Eddie Ramirez (played by Enrique Castillo) who is sent to Walton's Mountain to deliver a medal posthumously awarded to Mary Ellen's husband, Dr. Curtis Willard, who died at the attack on Pearl Harbour. As soon s Sgt. Ramirez gets off the bus at Ike Godsey's store, he finds himself assaulted by some sailors (who apparently aren't from Walton's Mountain). In defending himself, he breaks one of the sailors' arms. As the episode progresses, romance develops between Eddie Ramirez and Mary Ellen.

Eddie Ramirez was played by Enrique Castillo early in his career. Mr. Castillo would be among the founding members, along with Lupe Ontiveros, of the Latino Theatre Company. Still later he would found Four Brown Hats Entertainment, a film and theatre production company. He may today be best known for playing Montana in the cult film Blood In Blood Out (1993, also known as Bound by Honour).

"The Medal" is not only remarkable for featuring a Chicano character in a major role, but in that it confronts the racism that Chicanos often faced in 1943. The sailors who assault Sgt. Ramirez make reference to the Zoot Suit Riots, and one of the sailors even refers to Sgt. Ramirez as a "pachuco (the term used of the young Chicanos who dressed in zoot suits and listened to jazz and swing music)." It is to the credit of The Waltons' production staff and Enrqiue Castillo's performance that Sgt. Ramirez is never portrayed as a stereotype, but as an intelligent and sensitive young man. He does have a temper, but it is played as a part of his personality and at no time does Sgt. Ramirez come off as a "hot blooded Latino."

To some it might seem unusual that The Waltons would be one of the few shows to feature a Chicano character in an episode, as well as to tackle the topic of racism against Mexican Americans. That having been said, in many respects The Waltons was a very progressive show for its time. Among its cast of recurring characters were Blacks, including Verdie Grant (played by Lynn Hamilton). "The Medal" was not the first time The Waltons had dealt with the topic of racism, as it had previously dealt with racism against its Black characters.

While "The Medal" was a remarkable episode for its time in dealing with racism against Mexican Americans, it would not change the face of American television. The episode more or less aired without comment. It would still be years before Latino characters regularly appeared on television and, even then, they would still be underrepresented. As mentioned earlier, they are still underrepresented today. That makes "The Medal," airing in 1980 when Latinos were even more unseen on American television than they are now, all the more noteworthy.