Route 66 (TV Series) A Bridge Across Five Days (1961) User Reviews

11/17/61: "A Bridge Across Five Days"

[schappe1 · 6 May 2015]

The boys are still in Baltimore, working at a shipyard when they have an encounter with a new office worker, played by Nina Foch, who, unbeknownst to them, has recently been released from a mental institution after an 18 year stay. The boss and staff are supportive of her but when Buz's social security number is wrong, (and they surprisingly use a number with the right number of digits- it could have been somebody's actual number), on a form, she becomes upset and runs out of the place.

She later calls to apologize and he and Tod become interested in her situation. She decides she wants to return to the institution- she doesn't have the confidence in herself she needs to function in the outside world. They reluctantly drive her back but when she returns and interacts with the patients who are still there, she realizes she doesn't belong there any more, either and is ready to take on the outside world.

There's some attempt to mine the same vein that proved so rich for the previous episode. (She got married and had a baby as a teenager. Her husband abandoned her and she tried to kill the baby, resulting in her committal.) But this one just sort of meanders rather than coming to a dramatic crescendo. Her change of heart at the end takes a few seconds and strangely ends with her inviting Tod and Buz into the institution for some lemonade and cookies.

The Story Of Mental Illness Everyone Needs To Hear

[frank4122 · 10/10 · 8 October 2019]

Nina Foch as Lillian Aldrich was outstanding in this episode of a woman's struggle to adjust to life after 18 years in a mental hospital. Buz unwittingly gives her the first big test and with this she fails. Oscar winner James Dunn, although in a limited role showed why he deserves the respect as a great actor. Isa Davison as the nurse and Jean Muir as the employment counselor also gave powerful performances. The writing for this one was brilliant as usual for Route 66 and George Maharis and Martin Milner showed the great humanity in their acting. After Lillian's brutal scene with her daughter Marharis, Martin, and Foch gave the most powerful scene in this series. In helping us understand a person's struggle with mental illness "A Bridge Across Five Days" succeeds dramatically.

The magnificent Nina Foch

[lor_ · 21 March 2024]

An outstanding drama, quite original at that, about mental illness, this Route 66 segment approaches vintage Bergman in its seriousness and insight into human relations. It's as close to perfect as the series ever got, and a memorable experience watching it for the first time some 63 years after broadcast!

The story is presented in one long flashback, opened by first Maharis, then Milner providing voice-over narration as they drive the Corvette with Nina Foch sitting between them, taking her back to her state mental hospital in Catonsville, Maryland after a five-day sojourn outside after 18 years of internment.

With intense attention to visual detail, we see her first day back at work, a clerical office job at a marine repair facility, where M & M are working as hard-hat laborers on fixing the big ships. Her job is in the employment office and she comes into contact with George regarding his paperwork, and a highly dramatic confrontation erupts, over nothing, with Foch exploding at him, and becoming so distraught she feels she belongs back in the looney bin.

This tale about very serious, overlooked subject matter -basically how an individual has to face and cope with the outside world on a daily basis and how difficult it can be for someone unprepared or not used to it, is compelling throughout. The subtle power of Foxh's highly internal acting performance is matched by the boys' terrific empathy and willingness to be open to others, regardless of the situation. The show's novel format allows them to be instigators and reactors to a wide variety of personalities that they encounter on their journeys, and few have the powerful impact of Foch's character. The finale of her ebullient acceptance of the outside world is ruly inspirational.

I had disliked the various Howard Rodman screenplays I've been watching from "Naked City", parallel to this "Route 66" assignment, so this episode is a true revelation. And Richard Donner is a favorite director of mine, doing a wonderful job handling such serious material, quite different from his usual crowd-pleaser shows for TV and the cinema.

Though Nelson Riddle's jaunty theme music plays during the end credit, this episode features throughout a haunting tmusical heme, throughout, not credited.