Lincoln Case is a fictional character portrayed by actor Glenn Corbett on the 1960s American prime-time drama Route 66. Linc was one of three main regular characters on the program. His tenure began midway through the show's third season, when he was written in as a replacement for the departed Buz Murdock (played by George Maharis). Linc appeared in the final 32 of the program's 116 episodes as a sidekick to the character of Tod Stiles (played by Martin Milner).
The character has a certain historical significance. Linc was an Army [his Class A Uniform w/Class A 5th Special Forces Unit Patch and 1st Cavalry Division Combat Unit Patch on the right sleeve] (Linc may have a Ranger tab - unknown - but he is not wearing the Ranger Regimental Unit Patch) Ranger returning from service in the Vietnam War, which in the early 1960s was just beginning to become a major concern of ordinary Americans. His appearance made Route 66 the first dramatic television series to feature a recurring character who was directly involved in Vietnam. Many scripts and storylines of the show featured Linc trying to come to terms with his wartime experiences and adjust to civilian life. (Corbett, who played Linc, was a Navy veteran who had served in Korea.)
Linc's mother was portrayed by Linda Watkins in two episodes of the series. His father, Thomas, although an important character in Linc's tenure on the series, is never seen by the viewer and is only briefly heard as a voice over the telephone.
Author David Morrell is on record as being a huge fan of the Route 66 series and credits it for his inspiration to become a writer.
Stirling Silliphant, the primary creator of the series and the writer of the episode in which Linc Case was introduced, later authored a series of novels featuring another Vietnam veteran character, adventurer John Locke.
Character history
Linc Case was introduced in the episode "Fifty Miles From Home," first telecast on March 22, 1963. He is established as a native of the fictional town of Landor, Texas. He gives his age as 26 in an episode aired in early 1964; he is therefore most likely meant to be about 25 when we first meet him.
Linc arrives in Houston on his way home after finishing a tour of duty which included an escape from a Vietnam administered POW camp. He has been in the army for six years, and has been granted leave. While in Houston, Linc is physically harassed by a group of young collegians. His temper snaps, and he viciously attacks the youths, using advanced judo techniques mastered during his military career. Linc injures several of them, and maims for life a promising young basketball star.
An enraged Tod Stiles, a friend of some of the youths that Linc attacked, follows Linc back to his hometown, where a hero's welcome has been prepared for him. Tod and Linc fight to a draw when Linc holds himself back from using his judo on Tod. The two then come to a mutual respect for each other. Linc then pays a visit to his mother and relates some of his experiences in the war to her, including an incident in which a Vietnamese family sacrificed their own lives to hide him from the enemy. Linc tells his mother that he has no desire to attend the ceremonies for him, since the people of the town, in which Linc grew up a loner and outsider, cannot possibly understand or relate to his experiences. He also announces his attempt to search for meaning in his own life, and accordingly decides to join up with Tod and wander the country with him. Linc is still technically on leave from the army for his first several appearances, before finally making the decision to resign and become a civilian in the episode "Peace, Pity, Pardon".
A few episodes during Linc's tenure on the show brought him into contact with people and circumstances from his recent Vietnam past. In the segment "What a Shining Young Man Was Our Gallant Lieutenant," Linc planned to pay a visit to his former commanding officer Lieutenant School (played by Dick York) living near Tampa. However, Linc learned that head injuries combined with trauma experienced by the man during the war had caused a mental collapse, and he subsequently believed himself to be an eight-year-old boy. Linc determined to stay with the Lieutenant as his "playmate" out of his past loyalty to the man, before finally coming to a realization that there could be no real place for him in the Lieutenant's world of perpetual childhood.
In another episode, "Like This it Means Tiger, Like This - Bitter, Like This - Father" (the title refers to the Chinese word Fu whose different pronunciations confer different meanings upon it), Linc was working in Savannah, Georgia. He ran into Camden Wilcox (played by Larry Blyden), a former member of his Vietnam unit whose act of cowardice during a skirmish had caused the deaths of two members of Linc's patrol. Linc brutally beat Wilcox and announced his intention of persecuting the man until he admitted his culpability. Linc eventually made his peace with Cam, however, as well as with his own memories of the incident.
At the time of his introduction to the series, Linc was estranged from his father, Thomas Case, feeling that the older man never attempted to understand him or relate to him as an individual. Linc steadfastly refused to visit or even speak to his father throughout most of his time on the series. This finally came to an end in the late fourth-season episode "Kiss the Monster, Make Him Sleep," at the conclusion of which Linc finally gave into his mother's entreaties and called his father on the telephone, speaking to him for the first time since his departure from home. The elder Case broke down upon finally hearing his son's voice again.
In the two-part series finale of Route 66, "Where There's a Will, There's a Way," after attending a funeral in Tampa involving some complex characters, Tod got married and Linc announced his own intention to return home.
Personality traits
With a slightly hard edge to his robustly handsome features and lightly colored eyes, Linc is a taciturn and introverted individual, in stark contrast to his expressively emotive predecessor Buz Murdock. Nonetheless, Linc beneath his often seemingly cold and indifferent exterior possesses a wealth of compassion and a droll, low-key sense of humor, as well as a strong sense of loyalty to those he considers his friends. However, he also harbors a fierce temper, which is quick to ignite. Linc's military service has taught him a number of conventional skills which prove handy in his ability to find many different kinds of work, as well as a few unconventional ones which he occasionally finds use for in his sometimes dangerous exploits with his friend Tod.
David Janssen was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Richard Kimble in the television series The Fugitive (1963–1967). Janssen also had the title roles in three other series: Richard Diamond, Private Detective; O'Hara, U.S. Treasury; and Harry O.
Martin Sam Milner was an American actor and radio host. He is best known for his performances on two television series: Route 66, which aired on CBS from 1960 to 1964, and Adam-12, which aired on NBC from 1968 to 1975.
Denver Dell Pyle was an American film and television actor and director. He was well known for a number of TV roles from the 1960s through the 1980s, including his portrayal of Briscoe Darling in several episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, as Jesse Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard from 1979 to 1985, as Mad Jack in the NBC television series The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, and as the titular character's father, Buck Webb, in CBS's The Doris Day Show. In many of his roles, he portrayed either authority figures, or gruff, demanding father figures, often as comic relief. Perhaps his most memorable film role was that of Texas Ranger Frank Hamer in the movie Bonnie and Clyde (1967), as the lawman who relentlessly chased down and finally killed the notorious duo in an ambush.
Glenn Corbett was an American actor in movies and television for more than 30 years. He came to national attention in the early 1960s, when he replaced George Maharis in the cast of the popular CBS adventure drama Route 66. He followed this with roles in high-profile films and television shows, including a guest role in the original Star Trek series, the daytime soap opera The Doctors, the primetime soap Dallas, and movies such as Chisum with John Wayne, as one of Jimmy Stewart's sons in Shenandoah, and the World War II epic Midway.
Franklin Percy "Foggy" Nelson is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been depicted as part of the supporting cast of Daredevil ; Foggy is Matt's best friend and, for most of the series, his law partner. The character was created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett.
Murdock is a surname. A relatively modern iteration of the Irish or Scottish name Murdoch. Notable people with the surname include:
"In Praise of Pip" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. In this episode, after learning that his soldier son has suffered a mortal wound in an early phase of the Vietnam War, a crooked bookie encounters a childhood version of his son.
Noah Lindsey Beery was an American actor often specializing in warm, friendly character roles similar to many portrayed by his Oscar-winning uncle, Wallace Beery. Unlike his more famous uncle, however, Beery Jr. seldom broke away from playing supporting roles. Active as an actor in films or television for well over half a century, he was best known for playing James Garner's character's father, Joseph "Rocky" Rockford, in the NBC television series The Rockford Files (1974–1980). His father, Noah Beery, enjoyed a similarly lengthy film career as an extremely prominent supporting actor in major films, although the elder Beery was also frequently a leading man during the silent film era.
Route 66 is an American adventure crime drama television series that premiered on CBS on October 7, 1960, and ran until March 20, 1964, for a total of 116 episodes. The series was created by Herbert B. Leonard and Stirling Silliphant, who were also responsible for the ABC drama Naked City, from which Route 66 was an indirect spin-off. Both series employed a format with elements of both traditional drama and anthology drama, but the difference was where the shows were set: Naked City was set in New York City, while Route 66 had its setting change from week to week, with each episode being shot on location.
Samuel "Sammy" Silke is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character debuted in the comic series Daredevil. The character is depicted as the son of one of the antagonist Kingpin's friends and associates. His appearance is based on artist Alex Maleev.
George Maharis was an American actor, singer, and visual artist who portrayed Buz Murdock in the first three seasons of the TV series Route 66. Maharis also recorded several pop music albums at the height of his fame, and later starred in the TV series The Most Deadly Game.
Tod Stiles is a fictional character portrayed by actor Martin Milner on the 1960s American prime-time dramatic television series Route 66. Tod was one of three main regular characters on the program, and the only one to appear in all 116 episodes of the show's four seasons.
Buz Murdock was a fictional character portrayed by actor George Maharis on the 1960s American prime-time dramatic television series Route 66. Buz was one of three main regular characters on the program, and his tenure lasted for two and a half of the program's four seasons. It ended with Maharis' departure from the show. All told, Buz appeared in 71 of the 116 original episodes.
Mary Janice Rule was an American actress and psychotherapist, earning her PhD while still acting, then acting occasionally while working in her new profession.
Sergeant Bosco Albert "B.A." Baracus, played by Mr. T, is a recurring character and one of the main protagonists of the 1980s action-adventure television series The A-Team. B. A. Baracus appeared on The A-Team from the series beginning in 1983 until its cancellation in 1987. He is arguably the breakout character of the series and has become a cult icon worldwide.
Lieutenant Templeton Arthur Peck, played by Dirk Benedict, is a fictional character and one of the four protagonists of the 1980s action-adventure television series The A-Team. A recognized war hero, he is often referred to as (The) Faceman or simply Face. Although creators Stephen J. Cannell and Frank Lupo had Benedict in mind for the role, studio executives initially insisted that the role be handled differently. Tim Dunigan played the role in the pilot episode, but after it was completed, the same executives thought he looked too young to be a believable Vietnam veteran. At 6'5" (196 cm), Dunigan was also much taller than the rest of the cast, particularly the show's 5'10" (178 cm) muscleman Mr. T. He was replaced by Benedict for the rest of the show's run. Bradley Cooper portrayed the character in the 2010 film while Benedict appeared in a post-credits cameo.
The Sky Ranger is a 1921 American 15-episode/chapter silent film serial. Directed by George B. Seitz who also starred with June Caprice, the film serial was an adventure film with locales as exotic as Tibet. The plot staple of an inventor of aviation technology having to contend with conspirators who wish to steal the invention, often appeared in aviation films. The Sky Ranger is considered to be lost.
Daredevil is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with some input from Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Daredevil #1.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
