The Rockford Files (1974–1980)

The cases of an easy going private investigator.

Creators:

Stephen J. Cannell, Roy Huggins

Stars:

James Garner, Noah Beery Jr., Joe Santos

Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 7 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
James Garner	...	Jim Rockford (122 episodes, 1974-1980)
Noah Beery Jr.	...	Joseph 'Rocky' Rockford (120 episodes, 1974-1980)
Joe Santos	...	Dennis Becker (111 episodes, 1974-1980)

Storyline

Series about an ex-con-turned-private-investigator named Jim Rockford who would rather run away than fight and would rather go fishing than work. He isn't a coward, and he isn't lazy--just a bit on the cautious side, that's all. And he bears a very strong resemblance to Western TV hero Bret Maverick. Rockford is sometimes aided (and sometimes deterred) in his cases by friends Dennis Becker (a police detective), Angel (his cowardly former cellmate) and pretty Beth Davenport (his lawyer).

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Plot Keywords:

malibu | detective | police | trailer home | sting operation | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 September 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jim Rockford, Private Investigator

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios, Hollywood, CA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Roy Huggins-Public Arts Productions, Cherokee Productions, Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min (123 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rockford's friends had a number of nicknames for him. His father called him "Sonny," the policeman Dennis Becker called him "Jimbo" and Gandolfh Finch's nickname for Jim was "Rockfish".

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Goofs

Throughout the series, the Los Angeles Police Department responds to calls at Rockford's trailer in Malibu although it is not part of their jurisdiction. The Los Angeles County Sheriff would be the proper agency.

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Quotes

Security Guard: Can I see your security passes?
Richie Brockelman: Sure!
Jim Rockford: No!
[punches security guard]

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Crazy Credits

The credits for guest stars, writers and other upper-level crew did not always appear right away, sometimes appearing as late as ten minutes into the episode.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: The Rolling Stones (1978)

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Soundtracks

"The Rockford Files"
(Main Title Theme)
Written by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter

User Reviews

Maybe the best detective character ever conceived

What the hell kind of a detective is this? The guy's not strong jawed, self-righteous and brave, and he seldom even carries a gun, much less shoots anyone. Since he consistently gets stiffed by his clients, he has to live hand to mouth in a cheesy trailer in a parking lot. (The trailer, incidently, is only crummy on the outside. Inside, it's comfortable, well furnished and clean, much like Rockford's character.)

Even the cops in this excellent series are presented as human, not as cardboard heroes. They've got the same pecking order problems at work that most of us have. In fact, ALL of the characters in this series seem to have some depth.

One of the most amazing things about the show's plots is that they hardly ever had to be resolved by gunfire because the writers were too lazy to come up with anything else.

Jim Garner's charm was a big part of the show's success, but it was the superb writing that made "The Rockford Files" so consistently entertaining. Many of the stories would have made first rate movies, particularly some of the two parters.

I'll never forget Angel begging Rockford for help after getting himself thoroughly enmeshed with the mob through his own stupidity and greed. Rockford chews him out, explains exactly why he ought to let him go right down the drain, and challenges him to come up with one good reason he should help him.

"Because you're my friend," Angel says, leaving Rockford without a comeback.

A friend like that, I could use.