Despite being sharp as a tack and tough on his feet, Rockford is forever getting himself entangled with con men, mobsters, and non-paying clients that keep him from the getting any respect.
Other recurring characters on the show include police Sgt. The typical episode finds Rockford taking on a seemingly simple case that turns into something much bigger, or stumbling onto an unrelated mess while in the course of his regular investigations.
Sometimes trouble seeks Rockford in the form of ex-cons he associated with in prison or as a PI, and as you can guess, it's never boring. Rockford routinely gets in over his head and some of his escapes tended to be a bit too Houdini-like, but James Garner's laid-back, easy charm always made sure you kept rooting for him.
Highly recommended! Snatchy Mar 11, FAQ 1. This episode aired October 11, Is it the result of re-editing after the series ended? Details Edit. Release date March 27, United States. Jim Rockford, Private Investigator. Technical specs Edit. Runtime 50 minutes. Related news. Dec 20 TVfanatic. Dec 14 Trailers from Hell. Contribute to this page Suggest an edit or add missing content. Top Gap. The Rockford Files seemed revolutionary in being so funny and still delivering a tense crime plot.
Maverick , its creator maintained, was a show in which the situation was often hopeless but never serious. Garner, an Oklahoman of part-Cherokee heritage his production company was Cherokee Productions , had joined the Merchant Marine as a teenager in World War II and later received two Purple Hearts for his service in Korea, yet made a convincing leading man reluctant to go to war, most famously with Julie Andrews in The Americanization of Emily.
The self-interested hero was charmingly done on Maverick , where Bret toured Western towns and river boat cities in search of poker and brief romance and usually found danger besides. Maverick was a departure from the glut of TV Westerns; he was neither noble nor icy veined, and not disposed to gunplay yet capable if trapped by frontier circumstances.
His storylines did not teach a hokey lesson about Americanism; he was mostly concerned for himself, trying to survive on his card skill and wits. When a similar craze for private eye shows overtook the networks almost twenty years after Maverick, James Rockford appeared, with a similar take on life, though considerably less cardplay, as a perfect character for Garner.
Like Maverick, Jim Rockford seeks no trouble, freely admits fear and turns down work as too dangerous, but if cornered, he can handle himself. Others have noted that he unstoically shakes out his hand after using his fist. More on Isaac Hayes—and the spinoff series that should have happened—below. Rockford never entirely dismisses his criminal acquaintances, even those who beat him up when they served together.
He is also like Garner himself a Korean vet, which allows Ned Beatty or Ken Swofford to reenter his life citing war buddy favors owed.
Well, this is it. Angel is your needy grifter friend who always disappoints. Find out why Angel deserved his own spinoff below. The Rockford Files mostly predates the era of season arcs, except for occasional two-part stories, so there are various methods for choosing where to start watching, if you missed it originally. His crucial friendship with Sgt. Dennis Becker brings Jim regularly into his least favorite setting, the police station house, where he is tolerated at best, and sometimes briefly arrested.
Today, we're taking a look at the Rockford Files cast then and now to see how they've changed through the years. The Rockford Files is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network between September 13, , and January 10, , and has remained in syndication to the present day.
The show was created by Roy Huggins and Stephen J. Huggins created the television show Maverick — , which starred Garner, and he wanted to recapture that magic in a "modern day" detective setting.
In , The Rockford Files was ranked No. In contrast to most television private eyes, Rockford wears low-budget "off the rack" casual clothing and does his best to avoid physical altercations although he is more than able to hold his own in a fistfight.
He rarely carries his Colt Detective Special revolver, for which he has no permit, and prefers to talk his way out of trouble.
He works on cold cases, missing persons investigations, and low-budget insurance scams, and repeatedly states that he does not handle "open cases" to avoid trouble with the police. This self-imposed rule of Rockford's was relaxed in later seasons. He has been a P. The show went into hiatus late in when Garner was told by his doctors to take time off because of numerous knee injuries and back trouble, as well as an ulcer.
Garner is perfect in the role :. I thought this was one of the better private dick programs. Issac Hayes wasn't listed as a player, but was on enough to have been - if memory serves he did become a regular for awhile. Hayes added a nice touch to the show with his tough image and his reference to Rockford as "Rockfish", which drove Rockford nuts.
Don't miss Stuart Margolin as the sleazy "Angel", one of his better parts. This should have been a much better TV series about a private investigator. On one hand, we have a very charismatic James Garner, along with a very charismatic supporting regular cast. Garner plays Rockford, who lives with his likable dad in a trailer. These human attributes then are subordinate to a mythological world devised by the mob itself, to keep themselves in power.
That's where the series really fails miserably. Rockford behaves as if he has "horse sense", yet he must take the prize for the TV series character who has most often let himself be kidnapped. A big sign that mobsters were involved in making this.
Rockford would jump into a car with anyone who had a gun, so he could try to escape on the terms of the kidnapper in a secluded spot with no witnesses, instead of on the busy street with witnesses.
Also, the "mob" as portrayed, is invincible, and knows where every single person is every second. That's the mythology. Also, the mythology that you are better off letting hoodlums kidnap you than any other action. People from the lower rungs of the social strata know better than that. At least the ones who live to be forty or older. There was just too much mob love in this series, and mob mythology, all obviously designed to help mobsters.
It's amazing that as obvious as it is, that one doesn't see more exposes about it. Again, another sign that mobsters try to cover it under the rug. The best one can do with Rockford episodes is to see "what not to do", or "don't try this at home".
In effect, Rockford turns out to be what would be the worst private investigator ever, and it's doubtful any investigator who copied the methods of Rockford would live two years as a private eye, even in just routine dull work. Rockford was that retarded. This was probably the greatest part James Garner ever played.
He was essentially playing himself, an easy going guy caught in oddball situations mainly brought on by loony clients or by his former ex-con friends. The character of Jim Rockford was not unlike his other defining role of Bret Maverick. Also, the supporting cast was great as well. Noah Beery Jr. But, perhaps the most memorable character was Angel, played by Stuart Margolin. Angel was, and still is, the biggest weasel in television history. He would often be responsible for getting Jim into the odd predicaments he would get into.
Also of note, this was the first hit from the mind of Stephen J. Cannell after years of writing for Adam Cannell is probably one of the greatest writers in television history and this is where it all began. It lasted from til and consisted of six seasons. The series starred James Garner in a role for which he will be forever remembered, that of private eye Jim Rockford.
He was the kind of character who was usually on the receiving end of less than honest people - including his own clients sometimes. In just about every episode, Rockford stated what his rate of pay was and his expenses.
He seldom saw a penny in any of the cases he took on and this scenario reminds me of Raymond Chandler's Phillip Marlowe. Rockford was living in rather modest accommodation, that of a camper van without wheels by the Los Angeles beach. He had little in the way of hard cash and his credit with the local banks wasn't exactly healthy. The Los Angeles police department always kept Rockford under their own microscope and it wasn't just because Rockford was a private eye who encroached on their territory.
The fact that he was an ex convict didn't exactly endear him to them! James Garner made Rockford a very affable and easygoing character but could be tough when necessary. Rockford also wasn't a fool and he knew instinctively when someone he had dealings with wasn't being honest. James Garner was very convincing. He had his dad in his life which was essential in Rockford having his father to turn to if times were really challenging. The episodes usually deliver the goods in their being well acted and written.
Sometimes the episodes had somewhat bittersweet endings. The best of them I would say, are the ones from the first season til the end of the third one but the series is always very watchable. The theme tune for "The Rockford Files" is quite catchy and it suits the style of the show. Everything about the Rockford Files is done fairly well, especially James Garner's performance and laid back charisma he presents in Jim Rockford, a somewhat struggling private investigator living in a trailer in Paradise Cove.
He also happens to be an ex con, but was released from prison on a pardon. The writing is also terrific, and many of the episodes revolve around murders, robberies, kidnappings, etc. Many colorful characters include Sgt. Becker, Angel, and Rocky Rockford Jim's dad , and they all make this show click, and there's hardly any boring moments, except for maybe a few too many car chases.
Even the theme song was a minor radio hit in What impresses me, other than the writing, is many great outdoor shots in different parts of California, and yet I heard the show became too expensive to keep producing because of the cost of filming in these locations all over the state.
I know that Garner had major knee problems too. As I said earlier, the glue to this show is Garner's portrayal of Rockford, especially because he doesn't overact or make him larger than life, rather underplays the character to make him more human, unlike other characters in similar shows.
American television audiences were very undemanding in the s, so we ended up with innumerable average-to-bad detective shows. All of these were pretty much variations on the same whodunit theme, but networks tried generally unsuccessfully to liven things up by giving their characters "unique" personal qualities. Most of these series were mediocre to poor as entertainment, primarily because they were so ridiculously unrealistic.
One series was unpretentious and had an established star, however. Garner's tremendous easygoing appeal carried the show without gimmickry, and the scripts were generally excellent. Sure, there were car chases and fights, but "The Rockford Files" was easy to take, and was without the contrived ridiculousness of the others. Noah Beery, Jr. I miss "The Rockford Files" quite a bit.
The show didn't take itself too seriously and James Garner was fun to watch. You can keep all the other detective shows of the s, but let me have this one and its memories.
James Rockford is an Ex-Con who is a licensed P.
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