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

Rob Reiner guest starred in an episode as a washed-up football quarterback. To seperate himself from his All in the Family character, Reiner played this part without his hairpiece.

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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

Beth Davenport: And Jim, try to be nice.
Jim Rockford: Are you kidding? You don't mouth off to anything that big. He looks like 190 pounds of gristle.

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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 Mystery Science Theatre 3000: Last of the Wild Horses (1994)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

The theme song is even played at hockey games....

I remember my father watching "The Rockford Files" when it first came on the air, I was too young to remember it then, but was able to catch it on re-runs on A&E a few years back, and it is currently shown on two channels here in Canada. James Garner is the easy-going, laid back Jim Rockford. He has a big heart, yet always seems to come out on the short end of the stick. Garner does an excellent job as Rockford, and while I haven't seen much of his other work, he seems to play the same character. Some great supporting actors as well. Noah Beery as the worried father Rocky, Joe Santos as his put-upon cop buddy Dennis. One of my all-time favorite characters has to be Angel Martin, played perfectly by Stewart Margolin, the con "buddy" of Jim's. Very clever opening to each show, with the answering machine message. Obviously dated by the styles and settings, but still an excellent series that stands up well today. I'd give the series as a whole a solid 5 out of 5 stars.