This segment opens on an upbeat note, as Milner soars into the skies in pilot training with Michael Rennie in charge.
But fate is out there waiting to move its huge hand, with the precedent that company owner Cathy Lewis can't face the fact that her husband died in his plane in a fire caused by the volatile sulphur he was spraying on crops. Local farmer Ford Rainey keeps pestering her to have his fields dusted with sulphur to kill off a deadly pest, but she's not having it, nor is her crusty assistant Bert Remsen.
Dorothy Malone, who drives a Corvair (Chevrolet is a key sponsor of the show with its Corvette and other models), arrives at Maharis's door with an offer he can't refuse: snappy patter and a hint of romance. But neither Malone or Maharis can talk Rennie out of his foolhardy notion that he is impervious to harm while flying.
Jenny Maxwell drives up in her Chevy convertible to confront her mom: insisting that she face up to the fact that her father has died, when in fact his deadly premise continues to stifle both their lives. Jenny accompanies Maharis and Milner to see Dorothy Malone sing "I Wish You Love" at the hotel lounge. It's the calm before the storm.
Rennie shows up to share a cigarette with Maharis and wax philosophically, sort of an angel of death figure, snowing our hero with a rather dated (chauvinistic) lecture on how to sweep a woman off her feet. Talk about danger: Maharis gets behind the wheel of Dorothy's Corvair, insisting that he drive -this is before Ralph Nader's expose of the faulty automobile (which oddly enough was the first car I owned).
Ominously, Milner and Maharis are wearing gas masks as they load up the crop duster for a run, dropping poisonous chemicals on the crops. They have a heart to heart chat, as Maharis seems ready to finally settle down, ending their American trek by sports car, as he's serious about spending his life with Malone.
Just as operations of the business are shutting down and Rennie's to be grounded for health reasons, he decides to save the day by doing a dangerous sulfur run. Is this fate or just a death wish at work?
The fine acting and suggestive themes make this a special event for "Route 66", benefitting from both the star power as well as the serious involvement of the boys in the "other people"'s stories, leading to an unusual open ending.
But fate is out there waiting to move its huge hand, with the precedent that company owner Cathy Lewis can't face the fact that her husband died in his plane in a fire caused by the volatile sulphur he was spraying on crops. Local farmer Ford Rainey keeps pestering her to have his fields dusted with sulphur to kill off a deadly pest, but she's not having it, nor is her crusty assistant Bert Remsen.
Dorothy Malone, who drives a Corvair (Chevrolet is a key sponsor of the show with its Corvette and other models), arrives at Maharis's door with an offer he can't refuse: snappy patter and a hint of romance. But neither Malone or Maharis can talk Rennie out of his foolhardy notion that he is impervious to harm while flying.
Jenny Maxwell drives up in her Chevy convertible to confront her mom: insisting that she face up to the fact that her father has died, when in fact his deadly premise continues to stifle both their lives. Jenny accompanies Maharis and Milner to see Dorothy Malone sing "I Wish You Love" at the hotel lounge. It's the calm before the storm.
Rennie shows up to share a cigarette with Maharis and wax philosophically, sort of an angel of death figure, snowing our hero with a rather dated (chauvinistic) lecture on how to sweep a woman off her feet. Talk about danger: Maharis gets behind the wheel of Dorothy's Corvair, insisting that he drive -this is before Ralph Nader's expose of the faulty automobile (which oddly enough was the first car I owned).
Ominously, Milner and Maharis are wearing gas masks as they load up the crop duster for a run, dropping poisonous chemicals on the crops. They have a heart to heart chat, as Maharis seems ready to finally settle down, ending their American trek by sports car, as he's serious about spending his life with Malone.
Just as operations of the business are shutting down and Rennie's to be grounded for health reasons, he decides to save the day by doing a dangerous sulfur run. Is this fate or just a death wish at work?
The fine acting and suggestive themes make this a special event for "Route 66", benefitting from both the star power as well as the serious involvement of the boys in the "other people"'s stories, leading to an unusual open ending.
