Sapulpa is one of several locations to be featured in an upcoming documentary about the history and resilience of towns along Route 66, set to debut in September 2026.
Filmmaker John Paget first made his way through Sapulpa a few years ago, when Route 66 through downtown Sapulpa was still four lanes and the streets were lined with beautiful bubblegum-pink supertunias.
And though it looks a lot different today—and will look even more so when the construction is finished—Paget told Sapulpa Times it was all part of the stories being told in the documentary, which focuses on the history, resilience, and renaissance of the Mother Road.
Paget is no stranger to Route 66, having started in 1994 with a film called “Route 66: An American Odyssey” in which he took a six-week trip from LA to Chicago and back in a 1969 Cadillac. The film features interviews with author and historian Michael Wallis, longtime Route 66 business owner Angel Delgladillo, and Bobby Troup, the jazz musician known for the hit “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66.”
“It was my first film,” he said. “It’s a one-hour documentary that many Route 66 historians and fans still consider a favorite. In fact, in the last couple of years, we’ve had ‘revival’ screenings of the film at Circle Cinema in Tulsa, the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore, and the Oklahoma History Center Museum in OKC.”
As a follow-up, Paget directed, shot, and edited “Route 66: Return to the Road with Martin Milner,” this time a multi-episode travelog of sorts across Route 66. “The first film was more focused on history, the Milner film was more focused the people, places and experiences along the road for travelers today.”
Paget then produced several other feature documentaries on what he calls “American history and subculture topics,” including one about Elvis impersonators, another about “Real Bearded Santas” and one about the 70th anniversary alumni gathering of ex-cons and guards from Alcatraz.
“There was another thread to my work throughout all this time, which can be traced back to Route 66,” Paget said. “I was most affected by the stories of towns like Seligman, AZ, and the comeback story, the resilience story of cities and towns.”
Paget was so inspired that he moved to Buffalo, New York—”probably America’s most underdog city,” he says—and produced a number of films there that he says “helped change the conversation and rekindle civic pride.”
Those films allowed him to work in other cities telling similar stories, but he seemed fated to end up back on Route 66 someday.
“I love stories and storytelling, especially underdog stories, comeback stories, and stories about people and places that are misunderstood or forgotten,” he said. “This is why I love small-town America and Route 66.”
Paget describes Route 66 as having a “multi-dimensional” allure.
“Traveling Route 66 gives us tangible connections to important moments and eras in American history,” he says. “It’s a road full of unique places and characters. I really lament the relentless homogenization of America, the placeless sprawl, the loss of historic main streets to freeways and big box stores—I consider it all a tragedy.”
Filming and production for the documentary are currently underway, and more information can be found at the film’s website: mainstreetofamerica.com.
The movie is set to premiere in theaters all across Route 66 in September of next year, including, of course, at the TeePee Drive-In. “That screening date is already booked as part of our cross-country Route 66 road show,” Paget said.
Paget remarked that in all his travels, he’s seen many places on the Mother Road that have been brought to the brink of extinction. He says the magic behind Route 66’s “comeback” story should be applied as broadly as possible.
“Luckily, Route 66 has been preserved and represents a path forward and a call to adventure,” As Fillmore’s bumper sticker said ‘Life begins at the off-ramp.’ I think that’s true for us as individuals, as communities, and as a nation.”
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