Straightaway was a 26-week half-hour drama series which ran on ABC television during the 1961–1962 season –the story of two young men who operate a garage and engage in auto racing. John Ashley and Brian Kelly played race car designers Clipper Hamilton and Scott Ross, respectively. Scott designed the vehicles, and Clipper was the mechanic. Many of the episodes centered on the clients who brought a race car to the Straightaway Garage. The series was originally planned to be named “The Racers”, but the title had to be altered because of sponsor problems. Straightaway ran early on Friday evenings opposite CBS’s ‘’Rawhide’’ with Clint Eastwood and Eric Fleming. It was followed on ABC by another short-lived half-hour series, a comedy, The Hathaways starring Peggy Cass and Jack Weston and their chimpanzees.Straightaway was moved to Wednesdays effective January 10, 1962, for the remainder of its run.

Selected Straightaway episodes

The premiere episode, “The Leather Dollar”, aired on October 6, 1961; in the story line, Scott and Clipper agree to sponsor a young boxer, but the manager is betting against his client. New episodes ended on April 4, but ABC re-ran the program until July 4.

Other segments included:

“The Tin Caesar” on October 13 - Clipper picks ups a hitchhiker and drops him off at a gasoline station. The next day the sheriff arrests Clipper for the murder of the station owner who described Clipper’s car with his dying words.

“Die Laughing” on November 3 - Night-club comedian Buddy Conway (Jack Klugman) is accused by son Les (Scott Marlowe) of being responsible for the death of Les’ mother.

“The Stranger” on November 17 – Scott’s friend Jeane receives threatening telephone calls.

“A Moment in the Sun” on January 17, 1962 – Scott and Clipper introduce a girl named Jennifer to a wealthy and charming young man, Paul, who claims to be of an aristocratic background. But doubts persist.

“The Drag Strip” on January 24 – Scott and Clipper are caught in the middle of a feud when they help a rich young man build a racing car.

“Crossroad” on January 31 -- Scott and Clipper hire a young man with a criminal record and are unaware that his friend plans for a bank robbery.

“The Longest Night” on March 7 – The garage harbors an escaped killer.

“The Craziest Race in Town” on March 21 – Scott and Clipper build a special engine for an important race, but their competition thinks it quaint and humorous.

“The Hoax”, the last episode -- Scott tries to free a young heiress who has fallen under the influence of a charlatan.

The German-TV-Title to this series: "Vollgas"

About Kelly and Ashley

Brian Kelly (1931–2005), a Detroit native, was a son of Michigan Governor Harry F. Kelly, a Republican who served from 1944–1947 and was later a justice on the Michigan Supreme Court.Kelly considered going into politics himself until a screen test changed his life.

Two years after Straightaway, Kelly starred as Ranger Porter Ricks in the NBC adventure series Flipper (1964 TV series), set in south Florida. He portrayed a young widowed father to two sons played by Luke Halpin and Tommy Norden. Character actor Andy Devine also starred in the series. After he sustained an injury in a motorcycle accident in 1970, Kelly worked in the industry as a film producer.

John Ashley (1934–1997) starred in beach films after Straightaway and was briefly married to actress Deborah Walley. He was later a producer of NBC’s The A-Team with George Peppard. He succumbed to a heart attack at the age of sixty-two.

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