Route 66 was the only TV show filmed entirely on location in the early 1960s, moving to new towns and cities for each new episode. But ironically, the action often took place off the highway.
"The problem was that once you get into Oklahoma and Texas on the route, the scenery is flat and boring," Milner recounted in a 1997 interview. "Pictorially it just wasn't very interesting."
In 1968 Milner signed on to another buddy series, Adam-12. This time he was Officer Pete Malloy, a veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department assisted by rookie cop Jim Reed, who was played by Kent McCord.
"I had a long, long friendship with Marty and we remained friends up till the end," said McCord on Monday. "He was one of the really true great people of our industry with a long, distinguished career...Wonderful films, wonderful television shows, pioneering shows like 'Route 66.' He was one of the great guys. I was lucky to have him in my life."
LAPD chief Charlie Beck said Monday that Milner's "depiction of a professional and tough yet compassionate cop" led to his own decision to apply to the department.
The series was produced by Jack Webb, who applied the same realistic treatment of police operations that had made his Dragnet TV show, in which he was Sgt. Joe Friday, a huge hit.
Milner had met Webb years before Route 66 when both were appearing in the feature film Halls of Montezuma, and Webb had hired him for an early radio version of Dragnet.
Later, he appeared in several episodes of the 1950s TV version.
When Milner was in the Army at Northern California's Fort Ord, he would sometimes visit Los Angeles and look Webb up.
"Even though there wasn't a part for me in 'Dragnet' that week," he recalled in 1989, "Jack would write one in so I could collect $125."
Before and after Route 66 and Adam 12 Milner appeared in numerous TV guest roles and in films.
Early film roles included The Sands of Iwo Jima, Marjorie Morningstar and (as Marty Milner) Sweet Smell of Success.
Others films were Operation Pacific, Battle Zones, Springfield Rifle, The Long Gray Line, Mister Roberts, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Valley of the Dolls and Three Guns for Texas.
Born in Detroit, Martin Sam Milner grew up in Seattle, where he worked as a child actor in local plays.
When the family moved to Los Angeles, he found jobs in movies, notably in his film debut as the second son in 1947's Life with Father which starred William Powell and Irene Dunne.
After finishing the film he was stricken with polio and spent a year in bed. He recovered and enrolled in theatre arts at the University of Southern California but dropped out after a year to devote himself to his acting career.
Milner married actress-singer Judy Jones in 1951, and they had four children: Amy, who died in 2004, Molly, Stuart and Andrew.
- AP
