I was the ripe old age of 10 when this show came on, but I never missed it. My mother and I used to make time every week to sit down with a bottle of Coca-Cola and watch it. The very first 45 (yes! a vinyl record!!) I bought was the theme song to this show--I thought! I ended up with "Movin' On" by Bad Company! I was very upset. Looking back I don't know why I thought I'd be able to find the theme song to a television show about truckers in the "Top 20" section. Anyway, I would love to watch this again on TVLand, or someplace. It's one of the sadly forgotten 70s shows that were very entertaining, even if they weren't the most popular or well-known.
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nvrblonde27 June 2006
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Owlwise7 January 2018As a small boy, I loved ROUTE 66; as a teenager, it was THEN CAME BRONSON; as a young man, it was MOVIN' ON. And while there were other series about wanderers on the road, often pursued by others (THE FUGITIVE, THE IMMORTAL, KUNG FU, and later even THE INCREDIBLE HULK), what appealed to me most was a story about people who wanted to be on the road, meeting others, experiencing live & the breadth of human situations.
Things had changed by the mid-1970s, of course; but trucking still provided a vehicle (ahem) for such human stories. Gifted with two fine actors in Claude Akins & Frank Converse, it presented the panorama of life as it was then, with all of the drama & humor & unexpectedness of simply being alive. No need for aliens, the supernatural, spies, conspiracies, etc. -- all of those fine & enjoyable in their own right, to be sure! -- just stories about people with needs, dreams, fears, meeting one another, their lives intersecting for a brief time.
And these were "ordinary" people ... and by that I mean real people that you or I would have met, not the supermodels with extravagant lifestyles who seem to populate so many TV shows today. They looked & sounded & acted REAL, with real lives that we could identify with ourselves. I really miss that sort of show; and I'm delighted that MOVIN' ON is finally available on DVD at last. Now to relive those times once more! -
kced9134 April 2017I watched a couple of episodes of "Movin' On" as a teen in the mid-70's and started watching it again on Roku via Hulu and PRO. If you've read this far, you already know it's a dramedy about two interstate truckers hauling loads and running into trouble all across America, so I'll leave the premise explanation at that.
Claude Akins was PERFECT as Sonny Pruitt, the veteran trucker who was struggling to keep making payments on the rig doing the hauling. Claude was an in-demand actor whose distinctive, rugged facial features and burly body made him a perfect villain or cop in a number of roles. In this role, he was still a rugged guy who could go to Fist City with the best of them, but he showed a softer, comic side in what may have been his best role on TV (apologies to Sheriff Lobo fans). Akins died in 1994 at age 67.
Frank Converse played Will Chandler, Sonny's younger, college-grad driving partner. Will was the methodical thinker as likely to talk his way out of a jam as duke his way out, i.e., the "brains" of the team. Converse appeared in the 1967 movie "Hurry Sundown" and in the late-60's TV series "Coronet Blue" and "N.Y.P.D." "Movin' On" was his last network primetime show, although he continued acting well past 2000 (appearing five times over 18 years on "Law & Order").
The series itself was interesting and fun, if not outstanding. America's CB radio craze was well underway when it began, personified by the C.W. McCall trucker tune "Convoy," which reached #1 on the pop charts in 1975. NBC's attempt to cash in was this series and while "Movin' On" had promise, if not a lot of polish or believable, but the network pulled the plug after two seasons and 44 episodes. Too bad. The writing was so-so and nothing about this show was ever going to win an Emmy, but it was good escapism due to the creativity within the plots and a good on-screen chemistry between Akins and Converse, and even though it's been over 40 years since "Movin On" aired, there's a kind of timeless quality to it.
I have no idea if the shows are available on DVD or Blu-Ray, but they've made for good binge-watching on Roku. It's better than I remember it being. Not "must-see" TV, but worth watching. -
This was a series about the trials and tribulations of being a long haul over the roads independent trucker. The core role was played convincingly by a rather cummudeonly but still emminately likable Cluade Atkins. The set of Movin On was effectively the open road and all the interesting people and places connected by it.
I think this show was lavishly produced and tried to be very authentic to the world it tried to depict. This show might not have been the ER of its day but even now Moving On is still a charming deversion on a day where you just want a bit of enjoyable wholesome chewing gum for the eyes.
I did rather like the series as it did show a slice of life and I like / needed such shows to aid in my evolving understanding of society. Moving On did follow the formula of a series where the main character was placed in all the predictable scapes a trucker could get into and you watched as he got out of them without being a ripe stinker. The plot lines were exactly as you expected and this show contained few plot surprises. I must admit I was a severely disabled kid who looked forward to seeing this show every week. Thanks to Moving On I came as close as I could to seeing what it was really like to really drive a huge 18 wheel truck over the open roads. I guess for me Movin On will always be a blast in my books! Thanks for the time behind the wheel dude! -
boduke-1020029 November 2017Movin'On was my absolute favorite Television series in the mid 1970's.I was 10 yrs. old when the movie/series premiered on NBC.Sonny and Will were my heroes along with my truck driving father, Bill SR.My dad and I watched this show together,that in-itself has provided many fond memories for me today.My father has since passed away.Last year I was able to meet the Creator/Executive Producer of Movin'On,Mr. Barry Weitz.Barry and his new partner, Mark Rathaus have revived the Movin'On series in recent years.I consider both as friends and I now oversee the Official Movin'On Museum in Wake Forest,N.C.The Museum has on display many Props/Autographed pictures and Licensed products from the two season Movin'On T.V. series and NBC Pilot movie,"IN TANDEM".Admission is free though we do accept donations for the American Cancer Society in honor of Claude Akins.........MOVIN'ON OFFICIAL MUSEUM- 14917 Creedmoor Rd. Wake Forest,N.C. 27587 USA....919-282-2372-leave message!....
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utubes3 December 2019This is a decent 1970's show and the story lines are pretty good. The show is not about trucking at all. For one thing, it makes no sense for a long haul trucker to have a partner who sits in the passenger seat doing nothing. This would never happen in real life. The partner setup is necessary to ad another personality and formulation of plot twists. Also, I don't think they ever actually delivered a shipment successfully, and even if they did, they would easily have the worst reputation for delivering on time in the whole the trucking business because they are always diverted from their schedule for at least a week. This fact would ensure that no company would ever use them for a delivery. But if you can put all that aside, the show is worth watching.
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vonswarengin-4309210 March 2024I remember watching this with my mom, probably in re-runs, back then, you only had one TV, and you watched what your parents wanted to watch. From what i have been told, i come from a family of truckers, and was fascinated about the life of truckers, and having to deal with the government, unions, corruption, competitors, bad luck from nature....etc.
You get the see the good ol' U S of A. I love the opening score.
Fascinated about the plots, so refreshing. No cell phones. Story had good people, bad people. Interesting plot twists that i hadn't seen before.
I have always known of Claud Akins. Great Actor. RIP.
Frank Converse was great, too. -
cotennfl-12 August 2018It sure comes close to it, that's for sure. Caught this on late-night television and I couldn't stop laughing at how bad it is. Horrible acting, poorly written lines, bad story plots. Supposed to be a drama but almost comical in it's presentation.
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irishcoffee18 May 2007I bought a used Rig in 1974 for $500 down and started cross country trucking. When this show was on, all the truck stop TV lounges were filled with Truckers. We made fun of some things, but we could relate to many of the story lines. Very few of us could afford that KW, but it was nice to dream. But having problems with brokers, Smokies and the public in general were familiar themes. But also there were the good times when people were given and gave help just because they needed it and nothing was expected in return. And my trucking days lasted longer than the series....but only by a couple of years....unlike Sonny, I could not make a lot of money.
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gleetroy9 September 2006This was one of my favorite shows from the seventies. Claude Akins was a solid, strong actor. He always was and it was nice to see him get his own show. Anotyher attempt at his own show "The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo" was dismal by comparison. Frank Converse proved he had good acting chops although he played the I don't want to be a star" attitude a bit much.
This was a good, if not great, show and one I have not seen since its original run. I'd like to see it again. It basically told about the adventures of two good-hearted truckers on the road.
Get it if you can!! -
bohn00721 September 2003I never missed this show. Tuesday nights, at 8 p.m. CST, I was there, waiting for 'Movin' On'. I even took off work one night, to catch it.
With dependable old Claude Akins in the lead, and a catchy theme song by Merle Haggard, I figured this show couldn't miss. And I was quite disappointed when it got cancelled in '76.
Some of the plots were pretty silly - Most notably, the one where Sonny (Akins) makes a statement about truckers being 'The toughest men in America', which gets picked up by the press, and leads to a slug from a Logger, and a stint in Marine Corps boot camp - But there was that certain 'something' that kept me watching.
Akins - Perfect casting, if there ever was any - Fit the role of a gypsy trucker to a tee, and became one of my TV favorites (Though, oddly enough, I never watched 'Sheriff Lobo'). Converse - A heckuva fine Actor - Makes a great sidekick (Too bad he hasn't gone on to bigger and better things), and occasional appearances by Art Metrano and Rosey Grier add comedy relief.
It's not available on tape or DVD, and, judging from it's low popularity, it probably never will be. I can only hope that TV Land, Hallmark, or Trio will show the series, someday. -
feakes26 March 2015I saw Movin on as a kid. and I loved it and I am now becoming a fan again watching the show over the internet. Any one who says its a trucking show is wrong Movin On is about a Trucker named Sonny Pruitt and his partner Will Chandler and the adventures they get into with the people they meet .
The pilot episode IN TANDEM was a perfect example of story telling and how quickly it takes to gt to the heart of a story . It works its not flawless but it works.
The real stars of the show were the Green Kenworth and Claude Akins who simply is the star of the show. Its Claude's show and without him it would lose something. As a show its a great time capsule of the mid 70's . Would A remake of Movin On make it today ? I doubt it. because it at its heart Movin On is a human interest story. and that sadly just does not play well in today's market. Why because No one has the time for it. But if you are a fan of this type of show and you got the time to hunt for it. you'll be well rewarded . -
retlaw1492 July 2011If you are old enough to remember the 1970's, the "trucker as a modern day cowboy" phenomena and the great CB fad (10-4 Good Buddy and watch out for Smokey) you remember and maybe even saw this series when it first aired!
I watched this show during its first run in 74-76 and had dim memories of it (I remembered the premise of truck drivers and Claude Akins being in it), but couldn't remember the name of the show or characters or much else about it. I had some of the merchandising tie-ins from the series including a model of the Kenworth and the mobile CB rig (a cheap transceiver radio that was low powered and only worked on CB CH 14 both of which were legal limitations for an unlicensed CB radio at the time).
For those hoping to catch this series again (since it apparently was never released on DVD or VHS) the Retro TV Network has started showing it as of late June 2011! As I write this it's only been on for a week, but I'm enjoying the trip down memory lane and seeing these shows for the first time since I was a kid watching them when they first aired.
It wasn't the greatest series, but I always liked Claude and I especially love all of the location filming that shows the world and highways of the 1970's and seeing the guest stars of the era.
Hope everyone that misses it will be able to catch it again. -
brose22027 February 2003This show ruled! I can't believe it lasted only two seasons. The realism was astounding. It may not have been the ER of it's time, but it was certainly the Chicago Hope of it's time. I missed watching Fonzie jump the garbage cans on Happy Days just to watch this show. This show laid ground work for shows like Knight Rider and Love Boat. What else can I say?
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lightninboy13 May 2005Claude Akins played Sonny Pruett. Frank Converse played Will Chandler. Sonny was making payments on a truck. Supposed to have been worth $45,000 back then. 1975? Kenworth conventional in a time when cabovers were more common for over-the-road semis in the eastern U.S. Seems like maybe Sonny was making payments on a 40' Fruehauf van too. His rig was on a Sheriff's auction once on the show. You used to be able to buy a model kit of the Movin' On tractor which said it had a 370 Cummins and a 16-speed, but I understand that the model kit wasn't necessarily true to the Kenworth on the show. Seems like Sonny's home town was Phoenix. That's where the great truck race was, anyway. Marine camp. NASCAR racing. Mobile, Alabama. A lady chicken farmer. San Francisco. A tobacco farm. A pianist in Virginia and Washington, D.C. Sonny singing in Nashville. Will renting a boat: was it for lobsters or shrimp? Trading rigs with Moose and Benji. The Pigpen was an old van trailer and a GMC crackerbox with a sleeper. It eventually got blown up. A trailer with a bomb in it on a ferry going across Chesapeke Bay or somewhere. Sonny renting another Kenworth and painting it green. Carrying a casket on the fifth wheel in New Orleans. Pairing up with a father and son and hauling fruit through Minnesota to Winnepeg. A hot air balloon and an Edsel.