Route 66 saw boost in traffic volume after World War II

Post-World War II, traffic on Route 66 increased dramatically. Families with more income and leisure time began the tradition of the great American “road trip,” heading west on Route 66 to destinations such as the Grand Canyon, Disneyland and California beaches.

For one World War II veteran, however, the journey west on Route 66 was “a business trip.”

Bobby Troup had served a four-year hitch as an officer in the Marine Corps. He was the music director at Camp Montford Point in Jacksonville, N.C., where he was given leadership responsibility for the training of African-American troops.

 

Marine Capt. Bobby Troup with Pvt. Finis Henderson at Montford Point.

Bobby Troup and his wife, Cynthia, packed up their 1941 Buick and headed west. Bobby wanted to try his hand as a Hollywood songwriter. He had a talent for putting rhyming words and music together.

She suggested that he compose a song about their journey, titling it: “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66.”

The lyrics mention several communities that they passed through on their 10-day trip: St. Louis, Joplin, Oklahoma City, Amarillo, Gallup, Flagstaff, Winona, Kingman, Barstow and San Bernardino.

It was a snappy tune. Nat King Cole, with the King Cole Trio, first recorded “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66” as a rhythm and blues song in 1946 at Radio Recorders in Los Angeles. Capitol Records released it as a single, and the song reached No. 11 on Billboard magazine’s singles chart.

 

A new television show, “Route 66,” premiered as an American adventure drama in 1960. It was created by Herbert B. Leonard and Stirling Silliphant.

Rather than pay royalties to Troup for the use of his song, Leonard and Silliphant commissioned Nelson Riddle in 1962 to write the “Route 66 Theme” as an instrumental. 

(In 1963, Stanley Styne wrote lyrics for jazz singer Teri Thorton. Her vocal version was retitled “Open Highway.”)

 

The “Route 66” TV series was an anthology that followed two young men traversing the western United States along Route 66 in a photogenic Chevrolet Corvette convertible. When the characters ran low on funds, they worked odd jobs to pad their wallets.

 

Martin Milner starred as Tod Stiles, and George Maharis played his friend Buz Murdock. 

During the third season, Maharis was diagnosed with infectious hepatitis, requiring him to take an extended leave of absence. 

He was replaced in the cast by Glenn Corbett, who played a recently discharged Vietnam veteran named Lincoln “Linc” Case. He continued through the final episode in 1964.

 

Despite the name of the series, most episodes did not take place on the historic road. A long list of well-known artists appeared as guest stars on the series, including Ed Asner, Peter Lorre, Barbara Eden, Jack Lord, Cloris Leachman, Tuesday Weld, William Shatner, Joan Crawford, Julie Newmar, Martin Sheen, James Caan, Lee Marvin…and dozens more.

Chevrolet supplied complimentary Corvettes, upgrading every season with the latest models.

 

The boom in traffic along Route 66 in the 1950s was temporary. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal Highway Aid Act in 1956, creating the Interstate Highway system. 

 

Over the next three decades, interstates replaced “almost all” of U.S. 66 with I-40. Route 66 was officially decommissioned in 1985.

Route 66 lived on, however, as people nostalgic for the old highway started campaigns to preserve the historic road. The U.S. Congress passed the Route 66 Study Act of 1990, recognizing that Route 66 was “a symbol of the American people’s heritage of travel and their legacy of seeking a better life.”

 

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Route 66, and communities all along the original route are staging all sorts of celebratory events. We’ll check it out.