66号公路第一季  

Thestory-tellingeventthatmademewanttobecomeawriterwasthepremieroftheclassicTVshow,Route66.Iwas17,doingso-soinhighschool,lackingplansandambition,goingnowhere.Butallthatchangedat8:30p.m.onthefirstFridayofOctoberin1960whenadramaaboutmotiongavemeadestination.Theserieswasabouttwoyoungmen(brilliantlyportrayedbyMartinMilnerandGeorgeMaharis,thelattereventuallyreplacedbyGlennCorbett)whodroveaCorvetteconvertibleacrosstheUnitedStatesinsearchofAmericaandthemselves.Providingatimecapsuleof1960-64,everyepisodewasfilmedentirelyonlocation–fromPolandSprings,Maine,toHuntingtonBeach,California;fromSeattletoStLouistoTampaandahundredcommunitiesbetween.Two-thirdsoftheepisodeswerewrittenbyStirlingSilliphant,whoeventuallyreceivedanOscarforIntheHeatoftheNightandwhosescriptsforROUTE66wereanintriguingblendofintenseactionandphilosophic/poeticspeechesthatsometimeslastedfiveminutes,withaflavorofTennesseeWilliamscombinedwithWilliamIngeandArthurMiller.Asabonus,thegreatarranger-composerNelsonRiddlecontributedanewmusicalscoreeveryweek,oftenwithajazzflavor.TheseriessoknockedmeoverthatIwrotetoSilliphant,explainingmysuddenambitiontofollowhispath.Thelongletterhesentinreturngavemealltheadviceanywriterneeds."Write,write,keepwriting,andthenwritemore."Thatletterisframednexttomydesk.Eventually,SilliphantandIbecamefriendsandcolleagues.In1989,IwasthrilledtoseehimlistedastheexecutiveproducerofmyNBCminiseries,BrotherhoodoftheRose.Twenty-nineyearsafterRoute66debuted,acirclewascompleted,evenastheroadcontinued.--DavidMorrell,NewYorkTimesbestsellingauthorofFIRSTBLOODandCREEPERS