MovieChat Forums > Route 66 (1960) Discussion > Fly Away Home

Fly Away Home

posted 10 years ago by lynxrufus
4 replies | jump to latest

In choosing my favorite episode, I have for some time now been unable to decide between "Fly Away Home" and "Incident on a Bridge" (two very different episodes). Having just watched the first half of 'Fly,' the decision is now final. As great as Nehemiah Persoff and Lois Smith are in 'Incident,' "Fly Away Home" has to be my favorite.

After previous viewings of 'Fly,' my feeling was that the second half is as good as the first. Now I have a whole week to anticipate seeing if the second half really is as good as the first. If it's half as good, I don't want to miss it.

Fly Away Home - directed by Arthur Hiller, written by Stirling Silliphant (one of his masterpieces), brilliant performances by Michael Rennie as Summers and Dorothy Malone as Christina (Jo Ann Greer as her singing voice (uncredited)), with Bert Remsen as Skeats, Jenny Maxwell as Vicki Windus (the 'barber pole' with the cool car), Cathy Lewis as Dora Windus.

And then there's the guy Buz called on the phone in the middle of the night: "One maniac a night is all I can accomidate." Even that scene is a classic.

I've also decided which season is my favorite- the first season, and which model Corvette used in Route 66 is my favorite- the 1961 Corvette used in the first season (the model with 3 spears in the cove, wire wheels and no chrome on the rocker panel, a superbly cool car).

[–] Bumblejeep44 10 years ago

Just started Season 2 with many of the same goals. So far "Fly away home, Play it Glissando, Black November and Sheba" are among my favorites from season one.
I may never decide on only one episode. Looking forward to "Once to every man" in season 2.

As to the car, the 61 will always be my favorite. Theirs was a solid Jewel blue, but 61 was the last year to offer contrasting white or silver painted coves (a look I prefer). It was also the last year for bright metal trim work on the interior door panels and kick panels.

[–] lynxrufus 10 years ago

The second part of "Fly Away Home" was on at 2am. I fell asleep before that (so I guess it's a good thing I had set an alarm for 1:50 am).

Part 2 may have an imperfect scene or two but it has Dorothy Malone and Michael Rennie and George Maharis and Martin Milner (and Vicki and her car), so it's all good. "Fly Away Home" avoids two things that make me generally not like two part episodes: the cliffhanger at the end of the first part and the review of the first part at the start of the second. "Fly Away Home" doesn't need any of that.

About the car. Yes, the '61 model was the last year that a contrasting color for the coves was possible. That's a unique and classy look that really makes the cove stand out and would have been nice on the Route 66 car. I like the 3 spears in the cove better than the 'gills' that are on the '62 model. And I like the car without the chrome rocker panels that the '62 has. And I like wire wheels (which the 1961 model had until Tod sold them at the end of "Eleven The Hard Way"). In summary, I repeat: the '61 Corvette is my favorite.

Watching "Sheba" last night, I noticed a line in which Buz says that after a pilot crashes he needs to fly again as soon as possible. I wonder if Sterling Silliphant was thinking about "Fly Away Home" when he wrote that line.

[–] violachild2002 10 years ago

I'm watching this in 3 hours time part 1, then inexplicably, Australian TV have taken the series off! I got in such a routine of watching this Mon-Fri. I'll eventually have to buy season 1 and 2. I'll discuss it later.

[–] lynxrufus 10 years ago

Getting back to the topic of a two-tone '61 Corvette-- in the episode "The Quick and the Dead," the first time we see Roxy Dozy (Miss Grand Prix) she's leaning against a '61 Corvette with a contrasting color in the cove (ignoring Roxy Dozy, I only watch Route 66 for the cars in the background).