Now that Shout! Factory is releasing a DVD set of four seasons of "Route 66" (originally starring George Maharis & Martin Milner) the spotlight is being tossed on the hit series and the actors who soared to success at the height of its popularity.
For example, yesterday the Los Angeles Times ran a story on the popular TV Show (which capitalized on rebels of an earlier era and its restless youth - "Rebel Without a Cause" - and former matinee idol George Maharis.
Frankly, I was surprised that the journalist did not make mention of one of George's most noticeable attributes.
His distinctive voice!
The article triggered memories for me in that regard.
One day I was working-out at a new gym in Hollywood, when a man behind me - his face was not visible at that precise moment - engaged in a conversation with another member of the club.
I stopped dead in my tracks and half-turned as I wondered aloud in his direction:
"George, is that you?"
Well - of course it was - there was no mistaking his rich deep voice.
There are the eyelashes, too.
Mr. Maharis - in addition to being darkly handsome - is blessed with a thick set of long lustrous ones.
"People used to ask me if they were fake," he joked one day, "or wondered if I used olive oil to enhance them."
George had quite a few fans who pined for him, by the way.
"You're so lucky for that," I gushed on one occasion, long after "Route 66" bit the dust.
On occasion, though - when George crossed paths with an admirer and a fire ignited passion between the two - his amazing "looks" could pose a problem.
"I was like the ride at the amusement park," he laughed.
"The thrill of hopping in between-the-sheets with their idol was so difficult to handle for some, that they were unable to perform in bed," he recalled.
The last time I saw George, he was strolling down the street in West Hollywood near the French Market, where he often eats breakfast.
I was surprised to learn from the article in the LA TIMES that George Maharis is an "impressionist" artist now.
Although one of his ex-lovers was a painter (I attended one of Alan's art exhibitions years ago in Hollywood) I was not aware that George was keen on dabbling with a brush or pushing paint on canvas.
Tattler readers are aware, no doubt, that I started out exhibiting my own "abstract expressionist" paintings in Vancouver, B.C. before I relocated to Hollywood to pursue acting.
George didn't make it "big" in the biz until his thirties and Route 66 happened along.
"When it hit (as he put it) my career really took off."
When he was a young stud many would pay handsomely for sexual favors, though.
"I tried that, but I didn't like it at all," he confided in me one night over a cocktail-or-two at the Hotel Toronto when he was in town on a press junket.
A few years later, his lover died, and one of the tabloids published a sensational story about their gay union.
"After that, the casting offices stopped calling to hire me," he recalled sadly, with a tinge of anger in his voice.
At that time, homophobia and the fear of A.I.D.S. spreading in Hollywood, was killing many once-promising careers.
Well, it appears that George may be springing back, eh?
By the way, George - if you're reading this - wouldn't mind taking a gander at your sketches!
'Til then.
Playgirl spread for George was yummy, eh?
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