Straightaway
Straightaway is a 26-week half-hour adventure/drama television series which aired on ABC during the 1961-1962 season – the story of two young men who operate an automobile body shop and engage in auto racing.[1][2]
John Ashley (1934-1997) and Brian Kelly (1931-2005) played race car designers Clipper Hamilton and Scott Ross, respectively. Scott designs the vehicles, and Clipper is the mechanic. Asa Maynor was cast in four episodes as Dixie. Most episodes center on the clients who bring a race car to the Straightaway Garage, hence the name of the series. The series was originally planned to be named “The Racers,” but the title had to be altered because of sponsorship problems. Ford Motor Company required editing of the finished designs.[3]
Straightaway ran at 7:30 Eastern on Fridays opposite CBS’s Rawhide western series with Clint Eastwood and Eric Fleming.[4] Straightaway was moved to Wednesdays effective January 10, 1962, for the remainder of its brief run.[5]
Selected episodes
The premiere episode, “The Leather Dollar,” aired on October 6, 1961; in the story line, Scott and Clipper agree to sponsor a young boxer, but the manager is betting against his client. New episodes ended on April 4, but ABC re-ran the program until July 4.
“The Tin Caesar” on October 13 - Clipper picks ups a hitchhiker and drops him off at a gasoline station. The next day the sheriff (Neville Brand) arrests Clipper for the murder of the station owner who described Clipper’s car with his dying words.
“Die Laughing” on November 3 - Night-club comedian Buddy Conway (Jack Klugman) is accused by son Les (Scott Marlowe) of being responsible for the death of Les’ mother.
“The Stranger” on November 17 – Scott’s friend Jeanne (Bethel Leslie) receives threatening telephone calls.
“A Moment in the Sun” on January 17, 1962 – Scott and Clipper introduce a girl named Jennifer (Adrienne Ellis) to a wealthy and charming young man, Paul (Robert Blake), who claims to be of an aristocratic background. But doubts persist.
“The Drag Strip” on January 24 – Scott and Clipper are caught in the middle of a feud when they help a rich young man build a racing car.
“Crossroad” on January 31 — Scott and Clipper hire a young man with a criminal record and are unaware that his friend is planning a bank robbery.
“The Longest Night” on March 7 – The garage harbors an escaped killer played by Paul Richards.
“The Craziest Race in Town” on March 21 – Scott and Clipper build a special engine for an important race, but their competition thinks it quaint and humorous. Barbara Bain appears in this episode as Melody.
"The Hoax" - the series finale - Scott tries to free a young heiress, (Myrna Hansen) who has fallen under the influence of a charlatan (Tod Andrews).[3]
Other guest stars
In addition to the aforementioned, other guest stars on Straightaway include:
- Luther Adler
- Merry Anders
- Malcolm Atterbury
- Don Beddoe
- Whit Bissel
- Bill Bixby
- Howard Caine
- Paul Carr
- John Considine
- Diana Dors
- Myrna Fahey
- William Fawcett
- Kevin Hagen
- Gavin MacLeod
- Roger Mobley
- Mary Tyler Moore
- Michael Parks
- Leo Penn
- Robert F. Simon
- Gloria Swanson
- Joan Tabor
- James Westerfield
- Peter Whitney
References
- ↑ Bob Wisehart (December 31, 1993). Beware: "Viper' is a lemon futuristic supercar isn't enough to carry new series. The Sacramento Bee.
- ↑ Straightaway. Internet Movie Data Base (December 31, 1993; no longer accessible on-line).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Straightaway. TV.com. Retrieved on January 24, 2020.
- ↑ 1961-62_American_network_television_schedule
- ↑ Straightaway. ctba.biz. Retrieved on January 24, 2020.
