TV’s extremely good-looking heartthrob-of-yesteryear George Maharis — who played Buz Murdock on the popular 1960-64 TV series “Route 66” — sang this hit 1962 song.  Maharis produced several easy-listening albums between 1962 and 1966.

Maharis had to leave Route 66 in 1963 due to hepatitis of his liver which he was hospitalized for.  Vicious rumors spread that he really left the show to get more money from the producers.  But when they refused a raise, Maharis left (see SCANDAL SHEET here).  Maharis says these rumors are untrue and that he got along fine with his co-star and Route 66 people — his doctor ordered him to either rest or die from the hepatitis problem.  He says he took a couple of years off to recuperate, nothing more.

Here’s the classic Nelson Riddle Orchestra’s “Route 66” song used in the TV Series:

George was arrested twice for LEWD CONDUCT IN PUBLIC RESTROOMS  in November and December 1967, “sex perversion” charges involving a male hairdresser and then for making a pass at a vice cop in a Hollywood restaurant restroom, respectively, according to this SCANDAL SHEET of the time (see more George Maharis stuff at Queer Music Heritage.

After Route 66, George went on to record more pleasant easy-listening albums and star in numerous movies and TV shows, including the sci-fi classic, “The Satan Bug” (1965) — a well-written sci-fi suspense story about retrieving a stolen deadly bio-warfare toxin that could wipe out the human race if it were to be released into the environment.  The movie also starred actor greats such as Richard Basehart, Anne Francis, Ed Asner and Dana Andrews (Turner Classic Movies (TCM) airs this film from time to time, don’t miss it).

He was one of the first male celebrities to pose nude in a July 1973 Playgirl magazine (see his nude photos here) that began in January 1973 (see old issues here).  Playgirl was the feminist pornographic answer to men’s nudie mags, Playboy and Penthouse magazines, with Playgirl targeted at heterosexual women who want to look at attractive nude men.

Maharis is now 84 years old and has retired from films and keeps occupied with impressionistic painting.  Read “A Chat with George Maharis” for more interesting information on his Route 66 days and his hospitalization for hepatitis.  See this Tumblr page with more photos of gorgeous Maharis in his younger days.  Ohio66 covers Route 66 filming locations and other gossip items from the show.  And read the article, “The Wild Reed: George Maharis: “Man of Courage,” which pays tribute to the gay actor for his courage and attitude dealing with homophobia in Hollywood 5o years ago.