Ohio66 presents an in-depth look at the circumstances surrounding the departure of George Maharis from route 66 in the middle of the third season.
OPENING SCENE ORIGINAL DRAFT
Opening scene originally planned to be filmed at a grain elevator in Portland, Oregon were Tod and Buz
were working rather than the Terminal Tower in Cleveland were it was eventually filmed.
FINAL SCENE DRAFTS Five drafts of the final scene at Stanley's house. The first three had Tod, Buz and Emily at the house with Lezema rather than just Tod as the final one does.
JIM'S STEAKHOUSE Jim's Steakhouse on the Cuyahoga River across from the Terminal Tower is where the wedding took place. This page was created to show photos and a book written by G.L. Rockey who was raised on the upper floor of the steakhose and eventually took control of it. There are also a few behind-the-scenes color photos shot during filming.
DEMOLITION OF JIM'S STEAKHOUSE Photos shot while visiting the demolition in 2011.
Jim's Steak House - 1962
Jim's Steak House - September 17, 2009
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Jim's Steak House Jim's Steak House is a legendary dining establishment located on the banks of the Cuyahoga River directly across from downtown Cleveland and the Terminal Tower (Union Terminal). While researching Jim's for this site I came into contact with author G.L. Rockey - adopted son of proprietor Ray Rockey - who wrote a fascinating history of Jim's titled From the Back of the House - Memories of a Steak House Clan. Unfortunately, G.L. was away at college during the time Route 66 filmed there so he was unable to offer any personal recollections. Jim's closed its doors for good in 1996 and after a few failed attempts to sustain other restaurant and drinking establishments at the location it became chronically vacant and in recent years has fallen into severe disrepair. I have spoken with the current owner of the property who says that he is considering tearing it all down and re-developing. The owner also told me that he would unlock the doors and turn off the alarms so I could take photos inside (as long as I gave him copies), but unfortunately we were not able to make arrangements to do that before my last visit there on September 17, 2009. But I did take a few shots through the large plate glass windows which will have to do for now. This shot is looking through the main room toward the windows that can be seen covered with curtains in the screen capture. If I'm not mistaken, that out-of-focus blob top-center is the reflection of my hand on the camera as it is being held against the window. Read more about Jim's Steak House, G.L. Rockey, From the Back of the House and see a few behind-the-scenes photographs here... |
Terminal Tower - September 12, 2009
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The Terminal Tower A view through the skylight inside Tower City Center |
Jim's Steak House - 1962
Jim's Steak House - September 17, 2009
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Jim's Steak House The parking lot. |
See more photos of Jim's Steakhouse, including a few behind-the-scenes Welcome to the Wedding shots from the personal collection of G.L. Rockey here ...
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