The Rockford Files an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974, and January 10, 1980, and has remained in syndication to the present day. Garner portrays Los Angeles–based private investigator Jim Rockford, with Noah Beery Jr. in the supporting role of his father, Joseph Rockford, a retired truck driver nicknamed "Rocky".
The show was created by Roy Huggins and Stephen J. Cannell. Huggins created the television show Maverick (1957–1962), which starred Garner, and he wanted to recapture that magic in a "modern day" detective setting. In 2002, The Rockford Files was ranked No. 39 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.[1]
Premise[]
Producers Roy Huggins and Stephen J. Cannell devised the Rockford character as a rather significant departure from typical television detectives of the time, essentially Bret Maverick as a modern detective.[2] Rockford had served time in California's San Quentin Prison in the 1960s due to a wrongful conviction. After five years, he was pardoned. His infrequent jobs as a private investigator barely allow him to maintain his dilapidated mobile home (which doubles as his office) in a parking lot on a Malibu, California beach.
In contrast to most television private eyes, Rockford wears low-budget "off the rack" clothing and does his best to avoid fights—although he will engage in fistfights when there's absolutely no other option. He rarely carries his Colt Detective Special revolver, for which he has no permit, preferring 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.I. since 1968, and his usual fee is $200 per day plus expenses[3] ($200 at the series' beginning in September 1974 was the inflation-adjusted equivalent of $986 by March 2018).[4]
Main Cast[]
- James Garner - Jim Rockford
- Noah Beery, Jr. - Joseph "Rocky" Rockford
- Joe Santos - Sergeant Dennis Becker
- Stuart Margolin - Evelyn "Angel" Martin
- Gretchen Corbett - Elizabeth "Beth" Davenport
Credits[]
Writers[]
The show's pilot was written by Cannell, who also wrote 36 episodes and was the show's co-creator. Juanita Bartlett, one of the show's producers and Garner's partner at Cherokee Productions, wrote 34 episodes. She also wrote for Scarecrow and Mrs. King, The Greatest American Hero, and In the Heat of the Night. David Chase wrote 16 episodes; he later went on to Northern Exposure and The Sopranos. The show's co-creator, Roy Huggins, also wrote for the show during the first season, always using pen name John Thomas James. However, Huggins' contributions to the show ended midway through the first season, after he submitted a script rewrite direct to set as the episode was shooting, without getting approval from any other writer or producer. Garner, trying to work with the material on set, felt the rewrite was unsatisfactory, and could not figure out why it had been approved for shooting. When he discovered that neither Cannell nor any of the other production staff members knew anything about the rewrite, Garner issued a directive that Cannell, not Huggins, had final say on all script material. Though Huggins was credited as a producer for the entire run of the series, this effectively ended his creative involvement with the show, as he submitted no further material to The Rockford Files and did not involve himself in the day-to-day running of the series.
Directors[]
Frequent directors included William Wiard (23 episodes), Lawrence Doheny (10 episodes), and Ivan Dixon (previously a regular on Hogan's Heroes) (9 episodes). Veteran actor James Coburn directed an episode. Other actors who directed episodes include Jackie Cooper (3 episodes), as well as Richard Crenna and Dana Elcar (1 episode each). Co-creator Stephen J. Cannell directed several episodes; executive producer Meta Rosenberg directed six episodes; series regular Stuart Margolin helmed 2; and James Garner directed one episode in the second season, "The Girl in The Bay City Boys' Club". It was Garner's only directing credit in his entire fifty-plus-year film career; in his autobiography, The Garner Files, Garner states he only took on the assignment because the scheduled director was unexpectedly unavailable at the last minute.
Theme song[]
The Rockford Files (theme)
The show's theme song entitled "The Rockford Files" was written by noted theme music composers, Mike Post and Pete Carpenter. It appears at the opening and ending of each episode with different arrangements respectively. Throughout the show's tenure, the theme song went through numerous evolutions with later versions containing a distinct electric guitar-based bridge section played by session guitarist Dan Ferguson.[5] The theme for episode 01x07: "This Case Is Closed, Part 2", also has the guitar section from later seasons, added when the episode was split into two parts for syndication.
The theme song was released as a single and spent two weeks at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, in August 1975.[6] The B-side track (or "flip-side") titled "Dixie Lullabye" was also composed by Post and Carpenter. The single remained on the chart for 16 weeks and won a 1975 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement.[7] For more than forty years, the British soccer team Tranmere Rovers have used the Rockford theme as walk-out music for most games. Occasionally it has been dropped, and then restored by popular demand.[8]
Answering machine introduction[]
Each episode began with the image of Rockford's answering machine, and the opening title sequence was accompanied by someone leaving Rockford a message on a Dictaphone remote Ansafone 660.[9] As the camera focuses on the telephone, whose number is 555-2368, it rings twice and then Rockford's recorded voice is heard providing the following greeting:
|
The messages were usually unrelated to the current episode, but were often related to previous events in earlier episodes. They were a humorous device that invited the viewer to return to the quirky, down-on-his-luck world of Jim Rockford. The messages usually had to do with creditors, deadbeat clients, or were just oddball vignettes. Though a distinctive and clever entry device, the messages became difficult for the writers to create. Suggestions from staffers and crew were welcome and often used.
In total, 122 different messages were created through the run of the original six seasons. The eight CBS TV movies feature a unique message. However episodes syndicated as James Rockford, Private Investigator use the same message; it was taken from episode 507, "A Three-Day Affair with a Thirty-Day Escrow".
Each message is a standalone gag that often provides a small amount of biographical detail about Rockford, the people he knows and the activities that occur in his life as a Private Investigator. Only extremely rarely (such as in episode No. 209, "Chicken Little is a Little Chicken", during which Rockford house- and cat-sits for an absent Beth) is the content of the answering machine message in any way connected to the plot or situations of the episode itself.
In "Guilt" although not connected to the plot it does get referenced during the opening scene. The recorded message is Angel giving a racing tip and when Jim gets back to the trailer he plays back another message from Angel asking why Jim ignored the tip.
End of an Era[]
The show went into hiatus late in 1979 when Garner was told by his doctors to take time off because of numerous knee injuries and back trouble, as well as an ulcer. He sustained the former conditions largely because of his insistence on performing most of his own stunts, especially those involving fist fights or car chases. Because of his physical pain, Garner eventually opted not to continue with the show some months later, and NBC cancelled the program in mid-season. It was alleged that Rockford had become very expensive to produce, mainly due to the location filming and use of high-end actors as guest stars. According to sources, NBC and Universal claimed the show was generating a deficit of several million dollars, a staggering amount for a nighttime show at the time, although Garner and his production team Cherokee Productions claimed the show turned a profit. Garner told a story to Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show that the studio once paid a carpenter $700 to build a shipping crate for a shoot-out on a boat dock, though there were shipping crates on the dock. The script often called for Garner to damage his car, so the car could be sold, repaired, and repurchased for each episode.
Aftermath[]
Later in the 1980s, Garner became engaged in a legal dispute with Universal regarding the profits from Rockford Files that lasted over a decade. The dispute caused significant ill will between Garner and the studio. The dispute was settled out of court in Garner's favor, but the conflict meant that the Rockford character would not re-emerge until 1994. Universal began syndicating the show in 1979 and aggressively marketed it to local stations well into the early and middle 1980s. This accounts for its near-ubiquity on afternoon and late-night schedules in those days. From those showings, Rockford developed a following with younger viewers, with the momentum continuing throughout the 1990s and 2000s on cable. (The Ben Folds Five song "Battle of Who Could Care Less", in which The Rockford Files is mentioned, is one example of the show's newfound youth following; furthermore, the Rockford Files theme song is played at the end of the band's concerts.)
Episodes[]
List of The Rockford Files Episodes
The series pilot aired on NBC March 27, 1974, as a 90-minute made-for-television movie. In the pilot, Lindsay Wagner also starred and later made a return appearance. The pilot was titled Backlash of the Hunter for syndication.
Four written but unproduced Season 6 episodes were referred to in "Thirty Years of the Rockford Files" by Ed Robertson (2005). There is no mention of these episodes being filmed. This would appear to be the source of the unsubstantiated rumor that four filmed but unaired Rockford episodes were destroyed in a fire in 1980.
TV Movies[]
After several long-running contractual disputes between Garner and Universal were resolved, eight Rockford Files reunion TV movies were made from 1994 to 1999, airing on the CBS network (whereas the original series aired on NBC) and reuniting most of the cast from the original show.
Production[]
The show was created by Roy Huggins and Stephen J. Cannell. Huggins teamed with Cannell, who had written for Jack Webb's Mark VII Productions such as Adam-12 and Chase (1973–1974, NBC), to create The Rockford Files. The show was credited as "A Public Arts/Roy Huggins Production" along with Cherokee Productions in association with Universal Television. Cherokee was owned by Garner, with partners Meta Rosenberg and Juanita Bartlett, who doubled as story editor during most of The Rockford Files run.
Ratings[]
| Season | Ranking | Timeslot |
|---|---|---|
| 1974–75 | No. 12 | Fridays at 9:00 p.m. |
| 1975–76 | No. 32 | |
| 1976–77 | No. 41 | |
| 1977–78 | No. 43[10] | |
| 1978–79 | No. 58[11] | Fridays at 9:00 p.m./Saturdays at 10:00 p.m. |
| 1979–80 | No. ?? | Fridays at 9:00 p.m./Thursdays at 10:00 p.m. |
Awards[]
Golden Globe Awards
| Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Best TV Actor - Drama | James Garner | Nominated |
| 1979 | Best TV Actor - Drama | James Garner | Nominated |
| 1980 | Best TV Series - Drama | Nominated | |
| Best TV Actor - Drama | James Garner | Nominated |
Primetime Emmy Awards
| Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Episode(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | James Garner | Nominated | |
| 1977 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | James Garner | Won | |
| Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Noah Beery Jr. | Nominated | ||
| 1978 | Outstanding Drama Series | Won | ||
| Outstanding Lead Actress for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series | Rita Moreno | "The Paper Palace" | Won | |
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | James Garner | Nominated | ||
| 1979 | Outstanding Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | James Garner | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | Rita Moreno | "Rosendahl and Gilda Stern are Dead" | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Stuart Margolin | Won | ||
| Noah Beery Jr. | Nominated | |||
| Joe Santos | Nominated | |||
| 1980 | Outstanding Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | James Garner | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | Lauren Bacall | "Lions, Tigers, Monkeys and Dogs" | Nominated | |
| Mariette Hartley | "Paradise Cove" | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Stuart Margolin | Won | ||
| Noah Beery Jr. | {Nominated |
Writers Guild of America Awards
| Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Episode(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Episodic Drama | Juanita Bartlett | "So Help Me God" | Nominated |
| 1978 | Stephen J. Cannell, Booker Bradshaw, & Calvin Kelly | "Beamer's Last Case" | Nominated | |
| David Chase | "Quickie Nirvana" | Nominated | ||
| 1979 | Stephen J. Cannell | "The House on Willis Avenue" | Nominated | |
| 1980 | David Chase | "Love Is The Word" | Nominated |
Other Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | American Cinema Editors, USA | Best Edited Episode for a Television Series | Rod Stephens | "No Fault Affair" | Nominated |
| 1977 | Bambi Awards | TV Series International | James Garner | Nominated | |
| 1977 | Edgar Allan Poe Awards | Best Television Episode | David Chase | "The Oracle Wore A Cashmere Suit" | Nominated |
| 1978 | Juanita Bartlett | "The Deadly Maze" | Nominated | ||
| 2005 | Special Edgar Award | David Chase | Nominated | ||
| 2005 | TV Land Awards | Favorite Private Eye | James Garner | Nominated |
Home media[]
DVD[]
Universal Studios has released all six seasons of The Rockford Files on DVD in Region 1.
On November 3, 2009, they released The Rockford Files- Movie Collection, Volume 1, featuring the first 4 post-series telefilms.[12]
On May 26, 2015, they released The Movie Collection, Volume 2, five and a half years after the release of volume 1. They also released a 34-disc complete series collection on the same day.[13]
On April 18, 2016, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the rights to the series; they subsequently re-released the first two seasons on DVD in Region 1 on July 5, 2016.[14]
On June 13, 2017, Mill Creek re-released The Rockford Files: The Complete Series on DVD and also released the complete series on Blu-ray for the first time ever.[15]
Universal Playback has released the first 5 seasons on DVD in Region 2. The pilot for The Rockford Files is in the season 2 set.
| DVD Name | Episode No. | Release dates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||
| Season One | 23 | December 6, 2005 | August 29, 2005 | February 6, 2008 |
| Season Two | 22 | June 13, 2006 | August 21, 2006 | February 6, 2008 |
| Season Three | 22 | February 27, 2007 | May 7, 2007 | September 2, 2009 |
| Season Four | 22 | May 15, 2007 | July 30, 2007 | February 10, 2016 |
| Season Five | 22 | January 15, 2008 | May 12, 2008 | February 10, 2016 |
| Season Six | 12 | January 20, 2009 | November 19, 2009 | May 18, 2016 |
| Movies Collection, Volume 1 | 4 | November 3, 2009 | March 1, 2013 | May 18, 2016 |
| Movies Collection, Volume 2 | 4 | May 26, 2015 | March 1, 2013 | May 18, 2016 |
| Season 1 – 4 Collection | 89 | N/A | October 22, 2007 | N/A |
| The Complete Series | 130 | May 26, 2015 | July 9, 2018 | October 17, 2018 |
Blu-ray[]
On June 27, 2017, Mill Creek Entertainment released The Rockford Files: The Complete Series on Blu-ray in Region 1 for the very first time.[16]
Remakes[]
In 2009, NBC, Universal Media Studios and Steve Carell's Carousel Television produced a revival of the show. David Shore, creator of House, was hired to head the series.[17] In February 2010, it was announced that Dermot Mulroney was cast as Jim Rockford,[18] Alan Tudyk cast as Det. Dennis Becker,[19] Melissa Sagemiller was cast as Beth Davenport,[20] and Beau Bridges was cast as Rocky.[21] A pilot was filmed but never broadcast. Early audiences indicated that the pilot was not directed well.[22] On May 13, 2010, the Rockford Files remake was canceled by NBC.[23]
A feature adaptation was in production by Universal Pictures as of 2012, with Vince Vaughn associated with the project as producer and star. After the death of actor James Garner in 2014, the film adaptation was postponed, but Vaughn is hoping to get the film project made.[24]
Trivia[]
- Co-writer/co-producer David Chase would go on afterwards to create another famous series, The Sopranos (1999). As a little tribute to this series, a scene in a first season episode of The Sopranos is set in a retirement home where the residents are watching television. Though the picture can't be seen, the theme music for The Rockford Files (1974) can be heard.
- Rockford drove a Pontiac Firebird Esprit, not a Trans-Am as is often thought (though they are very similar). Although the colour of the car was referred to during the series as brown, light brown, or even brown on brown, the actual "official" Pontiac colour of the car was "copper mist". The car used was a new model for the 1974 to 1978 years, which for the first time was carried over to the sixth season and not replaced with a new model, because James Garner was not a fan of the new front end fascia of either the 1979 or 1980 models of the car.
- The character of Jim Rockford was originally written in an unproduced script for the ABC series Toma (1973). That script was re-written as the pilot for this show. ABC (which initially rejected the script for Toma (1973)) and NBC had problems with the "Rockford" scripts. Executives at both networks thought the dramatic series scripts were too funny. The writers were always ordered to take out the funny lines. The writers, and eventually James Garner, refused
- James Garner accused Glen A. Larson of plagiarising episodes of the show and using them for his own shows. Garner filed a complaint with the Writers Guild, which found Larson guilty, and he was fined. Larson then visited the set to make amends with Garner. According to Garner, he punched Larson so hard, he crashed through a trailer.
- The show was a co-production among three companies, the production companies owned by Roy Huggins and James Garner and Universal Television. A contract dispute between Gretchen Corbett (Beth Davenport) and Universal forced her off the show during season four. Garner sued Universal claiming he was not being paid his share of the syndication profits. After several years of litigation, "Universal" settled out of court. Exact terms are not known, and it was agreed between the parties that the settlement would remain confidential. Cherokee Productions was the name of Garner's production company, which was known to own 37.5 percent of the series, leaving 62.5 percent to be split between Huggins' company and Universal, but it was not known how much of the show was owned by each after Cherokee's share.
- Many first-season stories were credited to "John Thomas James", that was a pen name for Roy Huggins. The name comes from the first names of Huggins' three sons.
- During the final season, James Garner became ill (suffering from ulcers and his knees had been repeatedly pummeled as Garner rarely used a stunt double early on) and was forced to quit the show with ten episodes left to film.
- Rockford's friends had several nicknames for him. His father, Joseph "Rocky" Rockford (Noah Beery Jr.) called him "Sonny", sergeant/lieutenant Dennis Becker (Joe Santos) called him "Jimbo", Beth Davenport (Gretchen Corbett) called him "Jim", Angel Martin (Stuart Margolin) and Rita Capkovic (Rita Moreno) called him "Jimmy", and Gandolph Fitch's (Isaac Hayes) nickname for him was "Rockfish". He was comfortable with all of the nicknames, except for "Rockfish", also a remnant from his prison days, which he hated, and told Gandy so several times.
- Early in the series, Rockford's trailer moved twice (if the pilot movie's location is included); the first move being from a parking lot located at 2354 Ocean Boulevard, Los Angeles, California in the pilot (mentioned in Rockford's Yellow Pages ad), to another lot just off the Pacific Coast Highway (22968 PCH) in Malibu, California for the first season. The second move occurred right after the first season to another Malibu location, known as Paradise Cove (where many scenes of other TV shows and films are shot), having an approximate address of 28128 Pacific Coast Highway (but using the fictional 29 Cove Rd., Malibu), remaining there for the remainder of the series' duration.
- Rockford's telephone number is shown to be (311) 555-2368 during the opening credits, The '555' prefixed numbers (of every area code) were set aside by AT&T ('Ma Bell', that is) as "safe" numbers which would never be used as a real phone number, and can be seen in many American-made films and TV shows (also, the '311' area code was not used - in California, nor elsewhere at the time. The only LA-area code was 213. 310 and others later arrived).
- Despite being a very observant and astute investigator, Rockford often fails to correctly remember a suspect's license plate; even moments after seeing it. This is a frequent gag throughout the series.
- Before becoming a semi-regular, or recurring character, as Lieutenant Doug Chapman in the fall of 1976, at the beginning of the third season, James Luisi made a guest appearance during the latter half of season two, as a criminal antagonist of Rockford, named Burt Stryker, in the episode; The Rockford Files: Joey Blue Eyes (1976).
- The character of Rockford's father was named "Joseph". He was named after co-writer Stephen J. Cannell's father, but rather than Joseph or Joe, he was most often called "Rocky", a nickname derived from his last name, not his first. The name of "Rockford" was used after Cannell found the name listed in the Universal Studios employee directory.
- Even though Jim didn't have a permit to carry a gun, he did have one that he kept either in the cookie jar or in the coffee canister in his kitchen. "The coffee keeps it from rusting", which is actually true, coffee grounds absorb moisture.
- James Garner explained in an interview that Jim Rockford's license plate number, 853-OKG, was created by his agent, Meta Rosenberg (who was a producer and sometime director of the series), at the start of the show, and stands for August, 1953, when Garner got his first acting job, and OKG which stands for Oklahoma, his home state, and his own last name, Garner, thereby making "August 1953 Oklahoma Garner" the full meaning of the Firebird license plate. (However, in his autobiography, Garner states that he never knew the origin of the license plate number.)
- This show has appeared on many top 50 or top 100 lists of the best series of all time, and has occasionally appeared on top 10 lists. The reasons often cited were the quality of the writing and acting, but also because the show broke with so many conventions, such as Rockford not being a "glamorous" private investigator; not always being very successful financially; not always being on friendly terms with the police; getting arrested fairly often; not always winning fist fights, including getting hurt or plain old beaten up; and even hurting his own hand when punching someone.
- The English football (soccer) league club Tranmere Rovers, based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, have run out onto the pitch at the start of a game with this show's theme tune as their entrance music since about 1984.
- Three cast members from Magnum, P.I. (1980), (Tom Selleck, Roger E. Mosley, and Larry Manetti), did guest spots on this show. An unconnected episode of Magnum, P.I. (1980) features a discussion of an episode of this show sometime after the last original broadcast of the series had taken place.
- One of Rockford's favorite food was tacos, as demonstrated by his frequent consumption of tacos.
- The character Joseph "Rocky" Rockford was ranked number forty-five in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" (June 20, 2004 issue).
- Noah Beery Jr. (born August 1913), who portrayed Jim Rockford's father Joseph "Rocky" Rockford, was fourteen years older than James Garner (born April 1928).
- When Rockford pretends to be someone else in order to get information, his phony name is almost always "Jim Taggert". When he is working a con, he usually uses his other favorite alias, Jimmy Joe Meeker.
- After Joe Santos' death in March 2016, Gretchen Corbett and Stuart Margolin are the only surviving major cast member of the series.
- Even though Tom Atkins' character is "Alex Diel" early in the series, later episodes have him working out of an office that has "lieutenant Thomas Diehl" stenciled on the door.
- James Garner's name on this show was James Scott Rockford. Garner's full name in real life was James Scott [Bum]Garner.
- In France, the show was called "Deux cent dollars plus le frais", referring to Rockford's "200 Dollars a day plus expenses" rate.
- Jim Rockford's trademark move, the J-turn, or reverse 180 (later named a "Rockford", as in "pulling a Rockford" in his honor), did not appear in the first season, nor was it used in the sixth and final season.
- When the show was being developed, Robert Blake was considered for the lead. He was cast instead in Baretta (1975), also created by Stephen J. Cannell.
- In an early first season episode, when Jim calls the police station and asks for Dennis, he refers to him as "Lieutenant Becker". He was Sergeant Becker for the first four seasons, until Dennis was promoted to Lieutenant during season five.
- Jim was a Korean War veteran, to which was referred various times throughout the series. There was a late season one episode which dealt with Rockford's service in more detail, and included a clip from a supposed "home movie" taken while he was in the service, along with his squad mate, portrayed by Hector Elizondo, but unfortunately it is very clear that for the creation of the "look back" footage, that the make-up artists were unable to make Garner look like he would have in 1952.
- In every episode, during the opening theme, is a shot of Jim Rockford, taken through (what appeared to be) store shelves. Behind him, on a pegged-board wall, is either a child's toy, or forty-five rpm single record, and pictured on its cover are a very young Kim Richards and Trent Lehman, who played the children on another NBC series, Nanny and the Professor (1970). The placement must have been coincidental, as Nanny and the Professor ran three seasons, ending during the 1971 season.
- James Garner was the only actor to appear in every episode of the series.
- In 1975, the theme song peaked at number 10 on Billboard's Hot 100 list of the top 100 songs based on radio airplay frequency, and record sales.
- Rockford, in most episodes, gets involved with a co-star character or she is an old flame from his past (for example in roles by Corrine Camacho and Linda Evans). In addition, early in Season 1, his attorney Beth Davenport is established as an ex as well. In most cases, the woman is at least 15 years younger (21 years in the case of Lindsay Wagner, who appeared twice in Season 1, including the two-hour pilot. (These stats courtesy of the coronavirus quarantine of 2020.)
- Rob Reiner guest-starred in an episode as a washed-up football quarterback. To separate himself from his All in the Family (1971) character, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, Reiner played this part without his hairpiece.
- Besides detectives (Richie Brockelman, Private Eye (1978) - who was to become the main character of a short-lived spin-off series) (two episodes, one of which was a two-parter) and Lance White (two episodes), other significant recurring characters on the show were bail bondsman Solly Marshall (three episodes plus five other episodes as different characters, all portrayed by Joe E. Tata); Becker's wife Peggy (six episodes, portrayed by Pat Finley); reformed prostitute Rita Capkovic (hree episodes, portrayed by Rita Moreno); client-turned-girlfriend Dr. Megan Dougherty (two episodes, one being1 was a two-parter, portrayed by Kathryn Harrold); private investigator Vern St. Cloud (three episodes, portrayed by Simon Oakland); mechanic turned bumbling private investigator Freddy Beamer (two episodes, portrayed by James Whitmore Jr.); disbarred lawyer John "Coop" Cooper (four episodes, portrayed by Bo Hopkins); Jim's ex-cellmate Gandolph "Gandy" Fitch (three episodes, portrayed by Isaac Hayes); and parole officer turned private investigator Marcus Aurelius "Gabby" Hayes (two episodes, portrayed by Louis Gossett Jr.), There was one other notable repeating character, Sara Butler, who made more than one appearance, but technically, the first appearance was not part of the series per se, since that first appearance was in the pilot, now often referred to as episode zero (two parts in syndication) of the first season. Sara showed up again late in season one, and was portrayed by Lindsay Wagner each time. But perhaps the most frequently recurring character was Beth Davenport (portrayed by Gretchen Corbett), appearing in 33 episodes.
- There were plans to spin the characters of Gandolph "Gandy" Fitch (Isaac Hayes), and Marcus Aurelius "Gabby" Hayes (Louis Gossett Jr.) off onto their own series, to be titled "Gabby & Gandy", but the plan never came to fruition. What was supposed to be the backdoor pilot ended up being slightly re-edited, and was broadcast as The Rockford Files: Just Another Polish Wedding (1977).
- Besides Rockford's signature Pontiac Firebird Esprit, some major characters had signature cars as well. Joseph "Rocky" Rockford (Noah Beery Jr.), Jim's father, drove a two-tone gray and maroon 1975 GMC K-15 Sierra Classic pickup truck. Elizabeth 'Beth' Davenport (Gretchen Corbett), Jim's lawyer and sometime girlfriend, drove a 1975 Porsche 914 during the first season, and a 1974 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL (R107) for the second through fourth seasons. Angel Martin (Stuart Margolin), Jim's shifty best friend, drove a white 1965 Cadillac DeVille convertible he nicknamed "Lucille".
- Rockford's home and office is a 1959 Nashua House mobile home. The fourth wall on the set for the interior was mostly removed to allow the customary shots of the room from the point of view behind Rockford's desk; for the occasional camera angles facing the opposite direction, a portable wall would be fixed into place
- Spoofed in Mad Magazine as "The Crockford Files".
- During the show's run, the actors in the cast received several Emmy nominations. James Garner received five nominations, and won once for the show's third season. Noah Beery, Jr. was nominated three times without winning. Joe Santos was nominated once, and also didn't win. Stuart Margolin was only nominated twice and won both times. In 1979, all four were nominated; Garner lost in the lead actor category, and Margolin beat Beery and Santos for Best Supporting Actor. In 1980, the top three were nominated again, even though the show had been cancelled halfway through the season.
- Angel's brother-in-law Aaron Kiel was the publisher of the newspaper, for which Angel worked. Aaron later became deputy police commissioner of Los Angeles, California.
- During the run of the series, a green Chevrolet Vega can be seen often. This car is usually parked some where nearby during filming. This Vega was also used during some car chases, usually pulling out and blocking one of the chase vehicles and at least in one episode, it was used by a character as his car.
- Reza Badiyi, who directed seven episodes of this show, also conceived the iconic title sequences for Hawaii Five-O (1968), The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970), and Get Smart (1965).
- There are two interesting commonalities between this show and Hill Street Blues (1981). The first, which is fairly well known, is that the composer of the themes for both series was Mike Post, and the themes from both were Billboard music chart hits. The second, lesser known commonality is that both shows featured a strong female attorney named Ms. Davenport; on this series, it was Beth Davenport, and Joyce Davenport in the case of Hill Street Blues (1981). Additionally, Hill Street Blues (1981) premiered (15 January, 1981) almost exactly one year after the final original broadcast of this series (10 January, 1980). Both were (and still are) considered groundbreaking in terms of style and emerging dramatic structures and elements; and both series were broadcast on NBC during their original runs.
- Angel had two different Cadillac convertibles. For a while, he had a 1965 model (which was destroyed at the end of The Rockford Files: The Man Who Saw the Alligators (1979)) and earlier on, he had a 1959 model, which Rockford wrecked in The Rockford Files: Paradise Cove (1979).
- James Garner (Rockford) enjoyed working with actors he had worked with before. One example is his work with Louis Gossett Jr. in the film Skin Game (1971).
- Through the entire duration of the series the same silver 1971 Chevrolet Vega can be seen numerous times, obviously a studio owned car.
- The character of Richie (Dennis Dugan) first appeared on a ninety-minute made-for-television movie, intended to be a pilot, Richie Brockelman: The Missing 24 Hours (1976). The pilot was not entirely successful, but NBC was still interested in the character and possibilities for a show based on him, so the character of Brockelman was re-introduced early in 1978 on this show ("The House on Willis Avenue"). The character's appearance led to the short-lived series Richie Brockelman, Private Eye (1978), which ran for five episodes in the spring of '78, taking The Rockford Files' time slot (in which both shows alternated in reruns that summer), but was not renewed for the following season. Other than Dugan, the only actor to join the spinoff after appearing on The House on Willis Avenue (1978) was Robert Hogan, who portrayed Sergeant Ted Coopersmith in all five episodes of the Brockelman series (as well as the original pre-Rockford pilot). One other character appeared on this show and the Brockelman series, Mr. Brockelman, Richie's father, but was portrayed by a different actor in each series.
- Before Tom Selleck would have a recurring role on the show, in the fifth season, he was an avid fan of James Garner, by watching the show. Impressed by the way Garner pulled the reins on every aspect of the show's production, Selleck was anxious to follow the example on a show of his own (needless to say Magnum PI (1980)).
- Many detective or police series airing in the 1970s debuted with a TV-movie. The Rockford Files was no exception, debuting with a two-hour pilot that aired March 27, 1974. After the usual summer reruns common at the time of only three networks (ABC, CBS, NBC), the regular season for this, like other network TV series, started in September 1974.
- Rockford takes care of a stray cat that he named Valentino. The black and white feline is seen in a few episodes in and around Jim's trailer home and mentioned by Jim in others (without being seen) such as when he says Valentino "showed up one day and made himself at home."
- Tommy Morgan (uncreditted) (music department) plays Harmonica throughout the series.
- The number 23 is used many times during the run of the series. From Rockford's phone # 555-2368, to the first address of his trailer 2354 Ocean Blvd. Also, 2300 is used on various street signs in many episodes. It is also used as a code in the episode, "The House on Willis Avenue", starring Pernell Roberts, and Erin Grey's motel room #23 in the episode, "With the French Heel back, can the Nehru Jacket be far Behind".. There is no known reason why the number 23 was used. Although in modern culture, the number 23 is thought of as good luck. An example is Shakespeare's birthday, which was April 23 .
- Several times during the run of the series, Rockford is referred to as 6'2" in height. Each time James Garner replies, "No, about 6'1". In real life, Garner would always say that he lost a few inches in height due to several knee operations.
External links[]
- Stephen J. Cannell's script for The Rockford Files pilot episode
- The Rockford Files — at the Museum of Broadcast Communications
- Interview Stephen J. Cannell's Archive of American Television explanation of Huggins' approach
- The Rockford Files — at the Thrilling Detective
- The Rockford Files — at the Sandbox
- Rockford's answering machine messages — at the Sandbox (complete transcription)
- Robertson, Ed. (2005). Thirty Years of "The Rockford Files": An Inside Look at America's Greatest Detective Series. Lincoln, NE: ASJA Press. 497 pages. (Lists all of the answering machine gags).
- The Sandbox.net featuring messages from Rockford's answering machine - Accessed December 8, 2007.
- That Eric Alper - You can now download Jim Rockford’s Answering Machine Messages
- IMDb:
- Original Series: The Rockford Files on IMDb
- 2010 Remake Series: The Rockford Files on IMDb
- The Rockford Files at TV.com
- The Rockford Files at epguides.com
- The Rockford Files at AllMovie
References[]
- ↑ "TV Guide Names Top 50 Shows". cbsnews.com (Press release). April 26, 2002.
- ↑ Strait, Raymond (1985). James Garner. New York: St. Martin's. p. 295. ISBN 978-0-312-43967-5.
- ↑ "Pilot Yellow Page advertisement". TheSandBox.net. James Garner in the 'Rockford Files' was an irresistible force on our TV screens". Irish Examiner. July 23, 2014.
- ↑ United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI Inflation Calculator, as of May 5, 2018
- ↑ "Rockford Files guitarist?: The Steel Guitar Forum". bb.steelguitarforum.com.
- ↑ "The Rockford Files" 1974 45 single on MGM Records". discogs.com.
- ↑ Knight, Judson. Mike Post Archived 2007-08-13 at the Wayback Machine — at eNotes.com. Post and Carpenter — Grammy.com. "Mike Post Chart History". Billboard.
- ↑ "Tranmere Rovers to keep the Rockford Files as club's walk-out music after trial falls flat with fans". Liverpool Echo.M.
- ↑ ";https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/tranmere-rovers-keep-rockford-files-9732648 James Garner in the 'Rockford Files' was an irresistible force on our TV screens]". Irish Examiner.
- ↑ "A season's worth of program standings" (PDF). May 1, 1978. p. 36 – via American Radio History.
- ↑ "Rounding up the ratings for `the season'" (PDF). June 18, 1979. p. 56 – via American Radio History.
- ↑ "The Rockford Files DVD news: Announcement for The Rockford Files - Movie Collection, Volume 1". TVShowsOnDVD.com. May 25, 2007.
- ↑ "TVShowsOnDVD.com - Goodbye". www.tvshowsondvd.com.
- ↑ "TVShowsOnDVD.com - Goodbye". www.tvshowsondvd.com.
- ↑ "TVShowsOnDVD.com - Goodbye". www.tvshowsondvd.com.
- ↑ "TVShowsOnDVD.com - Goodbye". www.tvshowsondvd.com.
- ↑ "NBC rewinds 'Rockford' - Entertainment News, TV News, Media". Variety. July 29, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Pilot Intel: Dermot Mulroney to headline NBC's 'Rockford Files' update". EW.com. Archived from the original on March 2, 2010.
- ↑ "Televisionary: Channel Surfing: Heigl to Leave "Grey's Anatomy," "Skins" Refreshes Cast Again, Tudyk Gets "Rockford" Gig, "Doctor Who" May Get Wii Game, and More". televisionaryblog.com.
- ↑ "Breaking News - Development Update: Tuesday, March 16 | TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com.
- ↑ "Entertainment News, Celebrity Interviews and Pop Culture". ABC News. November 26, 2010. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
- ↑ Josef Adalian (May 12, 2010). "What Went Wrong With the Rockford Files Reboot -- Vulture". Vulture.
- ↑ "Primetime Pilot Panic: Rockford Files Is Now Dead At NBC". Deadline Hollywood. May 13, 2010.
- ↑ Fleming Jr., Mike. "Universal Develops 'The Rockford Files' For Vince Vaughn To Play James Garner Role". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 12, 2015.