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  Home > Route 66 Films >

  Route 66: 75th Anniversary Collector's DVD
  Route 66: 75th Anniversary Collector's DVD
The all-time best selling Route 66 Collection.
  
Our Price: $49.95
UK Price: £24.98


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MOTORTREND
June 1998
ROUTE 66 ... VIA ARMCHAIR

"Get your kicks on Route 66" continues to be the anthem of legions of roadgoers who take to the highway every year to follow that meandering 2400-mile ribbon of blacktop stretching between Chicago and Los Angeles. As the route that opened the west to millions of travelers and eventually became a media star in its own right, Route 66 now occupies an almost mythical place in American lore. To some, its a path to a simpler era, free of the interstates, McDonalds, and Holiday Inns of today, while to others, 66 simply offers some great stretches of driving road.

Among the myriad tributes The Mother Road has inspired is an ongoing series of video programs from Pacific Communications, including the critically acclaimed "Route 66: An American Odyssey", "Drive 66", a video trip-planning guide, and "Greetings from Route 66", a video postcard packed with hundreds of images set to a backdrop of music.

The latest release is a two-volume set called "Route 66: Return to the Road." In this two-hour documentary Martin Milner, who starred as Buz in the CBS "Route 66" TV show that ran from 1960 to 1964, returns his corvette to the road he helped make famous to uncover some of the fascinating people, places, and stories that are part of the Route 66 experience. Under the direction of John Paget, the program digs deep into the grass roots of The Mother Road, mingling with the real people and visiting some half-forgotten haunts, as well as the still-popular icons.

It's here you'll see where the corn dog was invented, why Funk's Grove, Illinois, spells maple syrup with an "i" instead of a "y", why some claim that Jesse James staged his own "death", and a host of other fodder for a route 66 version of Trivial Pursuit.

Whether your a 66 veteran wishing to prime the memory pump or you just want to see what all the hubbub is about, "Return to the Road" paints a unique and vivid portrait of America's main street today.

RPM MAGAZINE
by Field Editor, Gary Bricken
ISSUED DATE: January 1999
VIDEO TITLE: Route 66: Return to the Road

BOOK REVIEW

"What's New on Old 66?" by Gary Bricken
The lure of old Route 656 is to automotive and truck transportation what the Titanic was to passenger sea travel. It is interesting that both legends were merely systems designed to move large numbers of people to new destinations. This month, rpm reviews some of the latest media dedicated to the famous "ribbon of highway."

ROUTE 66: RETURN TO THE ROAD

This video is the latest hit highlighting the heyday of Route 66. In this two-volume, two-and-a half-hour presentation, Martin Milner, star of the 1960s CBS hit series "Route 66," relives his adventures to show how the old road has changed. Starting out in Chicago, Milner, who played "Buz" during the 132 episodes of "route 66," lets the adventure begin with a casual breakfast at Lou Mitchell's Restaurant before heading south to the Dixie Truckers Home in McLean, Ill. As he winds through Illinois and Missouri, he stops at places along the road before visiting the now-defunct Chain of Rocks Bridge that carried thousands of big rigs between Illinois and St Louis. In Missouri, Milner rests his vintage 1960 Corvette while he visits the Meramac Caves in Stanton, Mo., reputed to have been used by Jesse James for a hideout, and the nearby Jesse James Museum, where the legend of this famous train robber is kept alive and well. Then on to Cuba, Springfield and Joplin, doglegging through the southeast corner of Kansas and on to Oklahoma.

If Chicago was the beginning and Santa Monica was the end of 66, Oklahoma was the heart of the road. In Oklahoma, the desert began or ended for the traveler, dividing the nation into two distinct parts geographically, culturally and socially. Roadside cafes, barber shops, drive-in movies and tiny, but colorful, gas stations recall another America before the superslab gave way to fast food and time-sensitive travel. Texas and New Mexico slide by as the traveler makes his way across the foreboding Arizona desert to outposts and civilization such as Oatman, where locals still allow burros to roam the main street. The final leg of Milner's journey marks the most treacherous for the unwary westbound travelers: through the Mojave desert to Barstow, San Bernardino and, finally, Los Angeles.

An exciting journey to see time and time again, Route 66: Return to the Road owes much to the excellent direction of John Paget and to great interviews with people still living and working along the "Mother Road." Be sure to watch the list of credits on the second tape for some entertaining outtakes from the making of this film.

MOTORTREND
(By Gregory Van Dare 09/95)

ROUTE 66: AN AMERICAN ODYSSEY

Some wonderful books have been written about American's heartland highway, Route 66. But a new video takes us along The Mother Road as John Steinbeck called it in "The Grapes of Wrath," in a way no book can.

This beautifully paced visual collage serves up a movable feast of amazing images and natural wonders, accompanied by background music that's variously inspiring, sad, and upbeat, but always in good taste. More important, it gives us a look at the people who've lived out their lives along this road. Using point-of-view angles, documentary-style interviews, and footage from old car commercials and recent "cruiser" events along old 66, this video does yeoman service in reminding us about what we once had and then gave up in the name of progress.

The presentation is divided into neat, concise sections covering the history of the highway: Its rise in the prewar era, its prime in the '40s and '50s, and finally, its painful decline into sun-bleached neglect and weedy senility.

But there's a surprise ending. Fans of this road refused to let it slip away. They wouldn't let it be defined by glitzy franchises and anonymous interstates. They took this road, this Main Street of America, into their own hands and breathed life back into it. And the real beauty of this video is that you meet these people and hear their passion.

These Americans prove themselves to be as historic as Route 66 itself. It's these people we really want to remember and celebrate, and this glorious, sometimes sappy video does that to perfection and beyond. If you ever hunger to just get in the car and drive over the horizon, sleep at the famous Wigwam Motel, or see other similar attractions, route 66 already owns your heart. Highly and heartily recommended.

ROUTE 66 MAGAZINE
FALL/95

VIDEO BRINGS LIFE TO OLD HIGHWAY

Route 66: An American Odyssey is the ultimate video tribute to The Mother Road. Narration is provided by Angel Delgadillo, the modern Father of Route 66, and Michael Wallis, author of "Route 66: The Mother Road". Bobby Troup treats us to a few bars of "Get Your Kicks on Route 66," and also shares the story of the birth of this classic road song. The video is composed of ten sections; each with its own charm and personality. During the "End of an Era" segment, the skillful transition from black and white to color brings the images of the old highway to life.

Often, locations along Route 66 are not identified. These unnamed landmarks, familiar to the hard-core roadie, beckon the neophyte pilgrim to an intrepid journey on Route 66. This video is a must for anyone who wants to experience the charm and beauty of Route 66; yesterday and today, 66 minutes.

AMERICAN HERITAGE
12/95

ROUTE 66: AN AMERICAN ODYSSEY

In 1926 a twenty-four-hundred-mile national highway was begun as part of a program to replace the scanty system of market roads between Chicago and Los Angeles. Route 66 eventually delivered the Grand Canyon and Hollywood, the Petrified Forest, Las Vegas, and underground caves, while along it ran a sideshow of diners, tepee-shaped motels, miniature-golf courses, and dinosaurlands. The "Mother Road," in John Steinbecks's phrase, made possible the Okies' escape west from the dust bowl. The director of this documentary turned up a couple of sixty-year-old jalopies, abandoned and flaking next to the highway, that still had "California or bust" scratched in their fenders. Route 66 had its own theme song - Bobby Troup composed half of it in his car, after almost writing about Route 40 - and in the early sixties the road starred in a weekly television series, in which two young guys drove its length seeking girls and adventure. By then, though, interstates were replacing 66. It was eventually abandoned, but the lights didn't go out completely. The film, chiefly narrated by Michael Wallis, author of a history of Route 66, ends with the recent efforts of hundreds of small-town associations to declare the highway a national historic road. Today about 85 percent of the old 66 is there in one form or another. John Paget saw it in style from a 1969 Cadillac while making this film, and he has a collector's eye for roadside attractions. Lovers of The Mother Road can now happily travel it in their living rooms.

VETTE MAGAZINE
Dain Gingerelli 2/96

Route 66 was formed in 1926 to be the a major link between East and West. By 1985, only a few portions of the original 2,448-mile stretch of two-lane blacktop remained. In its place was anew, modern multilane interstate highway system.

Today, a journey across the surviving segments of Route 66 (officially known as "Historic Route 66") offers travelers a visual glimpse of the high way as it looked before the days of the interstates. And along the way the traveler can see bits and pieces of Americana that were spared the concrete and steel treatment.

Auto enthusiasts unable to live the visual experience that today's Historic Route 66 offers can still enjoy the sights, thanks to the video, "Route 66, An American Odyssey," produced by Pacific Communications. The 60-minute video shows you the complete life cycle of the highway; you'll travel back in time to the early days of Route 66, and follow along as "The Mother Road" grew to be the passage west.

You'll see images of Route 66 during its heyday, as well as ghostly remains that remain along the road today. Abandoned drive-in movie theaters, greasy-spoon diners and theme-park-like roadside motels fill the screen, accompanied by a full narrative explanation and musical score.

You're even treated to the complete song of "Get Your Kicks On Route 66", performed by the man who wrote the lyrics, Bobby Troup.

But the video is more than montage of images and narrative recall by people who traveled the highway years ago. Route 66 is an intimately nostalgic journey into the past, giving new life to The Mother Road.

Indeed, the video makes you want to hop into a sold-axle Corvette, grab its huge steer ing wheel, then head for the horizon. Keep the shiny, chromed front bumper centered in your lane, too; remember, Historic Route 66 is still only a two-laner. Next stop: Route 66 Drive-In in Joplin, Mo., the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Ariz., and Mickey Mantle Blvd. in Commerce, Okla. Along the way, you'll pass over old, rusting steel girder bridges spanning rivers in the Midwest, and negotiate sharp hairpin turns that help break up the monotony of the vast deserts in Arizona and New Mexico.

Route 66 may not be the definitive documentary about The Mother Road, but that's okay. For a brief hour it allows you to relax in your favorite easy chair while you meander back in time. En route you'll witness how and why the highway was built in the first place, and watch as millions of Americans traversed it during their own journeys in search of a better life out west.

If you're unable to drive the remaining portions of Route 66 today, this video is the next best thing to being there. And even if you have experien ced the soul of the highway, Route 66 will rekindle your understanding of the road. In any case, Route 66 is more than a documentary. It's a trip back to a time when cars, including Corvettes, could be as temperamental as the roads that they traversed.

COUNTRY LIVING MAGAZINE
L.E.B. 10/95

ARMCHAIR TRAVELER:

Route 66 is lined with kitschy places like the Cozy Dog Drive-In, which was founded in Springfield, Ill., by the inventor of the corn dog, and the Leaning Power of Pisa water tower in Britten, Tex., which was built crooked just to draw tourists to town. Although many of us would love to visit these sites, few of us have the time to leisurely drive the highway's 2,400 miles. Route 66:An American Odyssey (Pacific Communications: $19.95), on the other hand, will transport us through history and across eight states in about an hour. A wall map is included with the video.

SAN BERNADIN0 SUN
7/95

A new documentary chronicles the romance and adventure of U.S. Route 66, "The Mother Road." John L. Paget wasn't born when Route 66 became the first trans-continental highway in the United States in 1926. Paget, 25, missed that hallmark by more than 40 years. But, through expert cinematography, historic footage and interviews set to music, Paget has captured the essence of the 2,400-mile highway that stretches from Chicago to Los Angeles in a new documentary, "Route 66:An American Odyssey." It is Paget's directional debut for Pacific Communications, which produced the video. Although a newcomer to the road that has fascinated America for many decades, Paget says he understands Rou te 66's appeal. "It's become symbolic for the experience of driving on the open road," said Paget, a 1992 graduate of Biola University in Los Angeles. "America has been so shaped by our love affair with the automobile. Route 66 is 'The Mother Road,'" Paget and producer James Jenner first talked in January 1994 about shooting a video that captured the experience of driving across the country. "Route 66 seemed to be the natural answer," said Paget. The idea evolved even more for Paget during a cross-country trip that April. Paget was preparing to move from Virginia to Washington state for his job at Pacific Communications. He used that time as a scouting trip to find locations for the documentary. For seven weeks last summer, Paget and production assistant M ich Elvin hit the road - so to speak - documenting the people and places of Route 66. Paget, who shot the footage, even bought a 1969 Cadillac convertible for the trip - not as a reminder of the era, but because it served well as a camera platform, he said. One of the memorable stops took place in San Bernardino County, at Hulaville in Victorville. The documentary features the outdoor museum highlighting sculptures made out of old bottles. Its primary attraction is the 15 foot tall Hula girl. Paget also found t he museum's founder pretty amusing. "I hope that when I'm that old, I'm that crazy," said Paget. "He was really wacky. He danced for us and gave us a tour of the museum. He was saying that people come from all over the world to see the museum." Paget said that each of the 100 cities linked by this one road have staked their own unique claim to fame. In Commerce, Okla., the town renamed its section of Route 66 "Micky Mantle Boulevard," after the baseball hero. Mantle grew up in Commerce. Baxter Springs, Kan., says it was the first cow town in Kansas. Groom, Texas, gets a lot of visitors to stop and look at its leaning water tower structure. And Foyil, OK. claims it has the largest concrete totem pole. Every town that Paget and Elvin stopped in along Rou te 66 was excited to be included in the documentary. "Most of the towns were so helpful we didn't need to schedule ahead of time," said Paget. One of the people featured is Angel Delgadillo, a barber in Seligman, Ariz. His letter-writing campaign led to the formation of Arizona's Historic Route 66 Association. His enthusiasm inspired other cities to follow suit, said Paget. Paget also visited singer and composer Bobby Troup in his Los Angeles home to got the real story behind the road's anthem - "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66." In the documentary, Troup tells how his first wife, Cynthia, leaned over to him during a road trip to Los Angeles and whispered those six famous words as a suggestion for a song. Troup said he wrote half of the tune in the car. The song w as originally recorded by the late Nat King Cole, who put it on his album and made "Route 66" a hit. Paget also caught up with Route 66 author Michael Wallis in St. Louis. Wallis told Paget that there's one big difference between traveling today as compared to years ago along Route 66. "Back then, you could pull into a service station and find someone there who would wash you windows, change your oil and carry on an engaging conversation about the weather or baseball," said Paget.

LETTERS RETURN TO THE ROAD

As I write to you, I am viewing the video, "Return to the Road." If I were in the position of giving out awards, all of you involved in producing this video would be awarded my top award. You have produced a video with such feeling and love for Route 66. It's beyond my words to give you enough praise on this sheet of paper. I must have all the [RT 66] videos that have been sold in the last 10+ years. I will play your video more than any others I have. I am a proud member of the California and Arizona Route 66 Associations… In videos such as yours, the "armchair traveler" can enjoy the road as best as they can. Thank you all so much!

Sincerely,

R A STOWELL


Average Customer Review: Based on 1 Reviews. Write a review.

  1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 
MOTORTREND (June 1998 April 26, 2007
Reviewer: MOTORTREND from Motortrend Magazine  
ROUTE 66 ... VIA ARMCHAIR

"Get your kicks on Route 66" continues to be the anthem of legions of roadgoers who take to the highway every year to follow that meandering 2400-mile ribbon of blacktop stretching between Chicago and Los Angeles. As the route that opened the west to millions of travelers and eventually became a media star in its own right, Route 66 now occupies an almost mythical place in American lore.

Among the myriad tributes The Mother Road has inspired is an ongoing series of video programs from Pacific Communications, including the critically acclaimed "Route 66: An American Odyssey", "Drive 66", a video trip-planning guide, and "Greetings from Route 66", a video postcard packed with hundreds of images set to a backdrop of music.

Whether your a 66 veteran wishing to prime the memory pump or you just want to see what all the hubbub is about, "Return to the Road" paints a unique and vivid portrait of America's main street today.

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