TV
Movin’ On (NBC 1974-1975, Claude Akins, Frank Converse)
Filmed on location in a different part of the country each week, Movin’ On revolved around Sonny and Will – two truck drivers who came from very different backgrounds.
Sonny was a big, burly veteran truck driver, owner of the giant rig they drove and was known to settle most of his scores with his fists. Will was younger, a law school graduate who had turned to trucking as a means of “finding” himself. His legal training and quick mind often prevented arguments from turning into all-out brawls. Together they traveled back and forth across the country in search of freight to haul, finding adventures in the process.
During the second season, another pair of truckers – Moose and Benjy, were added to the cast. Less than ethical, they were two of the most mobile con men ever seen on TV!
One of the shows’ biggest fans was President Gerald Ford. Once, when Movin’ On was filming in Atlanta, Georgia, Claude Akins happened to be staying at the same hotel as President Ford. He was approached in the dining room by a secret service agent and invited to the President’s suite. He and Ford talked about the show for an hour. “Now,” Ford said, “I can tell Betty I know more about Movin’ On than she does!”
production details
USA / NBC – D’Antoni-Weltz / 44×50 minute episodes / Broadcast September 12, 1974 – September 14, 1976
Producer: Joe Gantman / Music: Don Ellis / Theme Vocal: Movin’ On by Merle Haggard
cast
Claude Akins as Sonny Pruett
Frank Converse as Will Chandler
Janis Hansen as Myrna
Ann Coleman as Betty
Rosey Grier as Benjy
Art Metrano as Moose