EXCLUSIVE Profile of George Maharis and Martin Milner

The Iconic Stars of Classic TV’s “Route 66”

“Having covered some half a hundred cities, towns, villages and wide spots in the road…George and I fairly wallowed in the comfort of our own home base.” — Martin Milner

Driving down the TV byways of Route 66 (CBS, 1960–1964), George Maharis as Buz Murdock and Martin Milner as Todd Stiles were an interesting combination of street-smarts and artistic aspirations. Maharis could get into a fistfight at a moment’s notice and recite poetry to the thug he had just pummeled into submission. His dark, Greek good looks coupled with his wrong-side-of-the-tracks accent made him an audience favorite. It was the perfect marriage of actor and role that he never managed to duplicate once he left the series (due to a serious bout with pneumonia, when he was replaced by Todd’s new driving partner, Lincoln Case, as played by Glenn Corbett).

It was Maharis’s portrayal of Buz that made him the show’s heartthrob. Buz was street-wise and tough, while Milner’s Todd was refined, rich enough and off-center enough to own that Corvette that he drove into one adventure after the next. Route 66 was never the same after Maharis left, but when it was good — it was great — and the original duo was dynamite with their own individual take on the bad boy image.