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"The Rockford Files"
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"The Rockford Files" (1974) More at IMDbPro »TV series 1974-1980

Photos (see all 23 | slideshow) Videos (see all 69)
"The Rockford Files" (1974): Season 3: Episode 22 -- Rockford enters the case after his father, Rocky, vacationing in Hawaii, receives huge sums of money in the mail at home, and suddenly both the mob and Federal agents are interested in his good fortune.
"The Rockford Files" (1974): Season 3: Episode 21 -- Counselor Beth Davenport hires Rockford to find a missing witness who can provide an alibi for her client, a football player who is charged with homicide, when she is suddenly harassed by phone calls and pornographic gifts.
"The Rockford Files" (1974): Season 3: Episode 20 -- Police groupie Sweeney jeopardizes the lives of Rockford and Patsy Fossler, the woman he is shielding from hit men, when she tells the thugs where Jim is hiding her. Part 2 of 2.
"The Rockford Files" (1974): Season 3: Episode 19 -- Police buff Lianne Sweeney causes problems for Detective Becker when she involves herself in Rockford's search for a mobster lawyer's missing fiancée. Part 1 of 2.
"The Rockford Files" (1974): Season 3: Episode 18 -- A Vietnamese beauty hires Rockford to find her missing brother and the investigation uncovers a bizarre kidnap plot involving three ex-soldiers, a CIA agent, and $500,000 stolen from American payrolls in Saigon.

Overview

User Rating:
8.4/10   1,126 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Contact:
View company contact information for The Rockford Files on IMDbPro.
Seasons:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 full episode list
Release Date:
13 September 1974 (USA) more
Genre:
Plot:
The cases of an easy going private investigator. full summary
Awards:
Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 6 wins & 17 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(36 articles)
Arnold Laven obituary
 (From The Guardian - Film News. 25 November 2009, 10:42 AM, PST)

Arnold Laven obituary
 (From The Guardian - TV News. 25 November 2009, 10:42 AM, PST)

User Comments:
One of the greatest more (34 total)

Cast

 (Series Cast Summary - 3 of 296)

James Garner ... Jim Rockford (122 episodes, 1974-1980)
Noah Beery Jr. ... Joseph 'Rocky' Rockford #2 / ... (121 episodes, 1974-1980)

Joe Santos ... Police Det. Dennis Becker / ... (109 episodes, 1974-1980)
(more)

Series Directed by
William Wiard (28 episodes, 1975-1979)
Lawrence Doheny (12 episodes, 1974-1976)
Ivan Dixon (9 episodes, 1975-1979)
Jerry London (8 episodes, 1974-1977)
Russ Mayberry (7 episodes, 1974-1977)
Reza Badiyi (7 episodes, 1977-1979)
Meta Rosenberg (6 episodes, 1976-1978)
Lou Antonio (5 episodes, 1974-1976)
Jackie Cooper (5 episodes, 1975-1976)
Jeannot Szwarc (3 episodes, 1975-1977)
Stephen J. Cannell (3 episodes, 1977-1979)
Corey Allen (3 episodes, 1978-1979)
Stuart Margolin (2 episodes, 1974-1977)
Alexander Grasshoff (2 episodes, 1974)
Harry Falk (2 episodes, 1978)
Arnold Laven (2 episodes, 1978)
John Patterson (2 episodes, 1979)

Lawrence Dobkin (unknown episodes)
 
Series Writing credits
Stephen J. Cannell (122 episodes, 1974-1980)
Roy Huggins (122 episodes, 1974-1980)
Juanita Bartlett (35 episodes, 1974-1979)
David Chase (20 episodes, 1976-1979)
Gordon T. Dawson (9 episodes, 1975-1979)
Rudolph Borchert (5 episodes, 1975-1980)
Chas. Floyd Johnson (4 episodes, 1975-1978)
Don Carlos Dunaway (4 episodes, 1975-1976)
Edward J. Lakso (4 episodes, 1975-1976)
Lester Wm. Berke (3 episodes, 1976-1980)
Donald L. Gold (3 episodes, 1976-1980)
Walter Dallenbach (2 episodes, 1976)
James Crocker (2 episodes, 1977-1978)
William R. Stratton (2 episodes, 1977)
David Taylor (2 episodes, 1977)
Rogers Turrentine (2 episodes, 1979)

Marshall Lindemann (unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Stephen J. Cannell .... supervising producer / producer (112 episodes, 1974-1979)
Meta Rosenberg .... executive producer (112 episodes, 1974-1979)
Chas. Floyd Johnson .... producer / associate producer / ... (91 episodes, 1975-1980)
David Chase .... producer / supervising producer (66 episodes, 1976-1980)
John David .... associate producer (22 episodes, 1978-1980)
J. Rickley Dumm .... associate producer (16 episodes, 1978-1979)
William F. Phillips .... associate producer (12 episodes, 1974-1975)
Juanita Bartlett .... producer / supervising producer (11 episodes, 1978-1979)
Jo Swerling Jr. .... supervising producer / associate executive producer (6 episodes, 1974-1975)
Lane Slate .... producer (3 episodes, 1975-1976)
 
Series Original Music by
Pete Carpenter (108 episodes, 1974-1980)
Mike Post (108 episodes, 1974-1980)
Artie Kane (2 episodes, 1974)

Dick DeBenedictis (unknown episodes)
 
Series Cinematography by
Andrew Jackson (80 episodes, 1976-1980)
Lamar Boren (29 episodes, 1974-1976)

Steve Yaconelli (unknown episodes)
 
Series Film Editing by
George R. Rohrs (40 episodes, 1974-1979)
Diane Adler (28 episodes, 1976-1979)
Buford F. Hayes (16 episodes, 1974-1977)
Rod Stephens (14 episodes, 1977-1980)
John J. Dumas (7 episodes, 1974-1975)
I. Robert Levy (4 episodes, 1975-1976)
Fred Baratta (2 episodes, 1974)
Edward A. Biery (2 episodes, 1974)
Jerry Dronsky (2 episodes, 1977)

John Kaufman (unknown episodes)
 
Series Casting by
Dodie McLean (7 episodes, 1978-1979)
 
Series Art Direction by
Robert Crawley Sr. (103 episodes, 1974-1980)
Robert Luthardt (2 episodes, 1974)
 
Series Set Decoration by
Robert L. Zilliox (88 episodes, 1975-1980)
Gary Moreno (10 episodes, 1974-1975)
 
Series Costume Design by
Charles Waldo (37 episodes, 1974-1978)
Kent Warner (32 episodes, 1978-1980)
 
Series Makeup Department
Dave Grayson .... makeup artist (unknown episodes)
Allen Payne .... hair department head (unknown episodes)
 
Series Production Management
Lester Wm. Berke .... unit manager (63 episodes, 1974-1978)
Zane Radney .... unit production manager (22 episodes, 1978-1979)
Rowe Wallerstein .... unit manager (4 episodes, 1976)
Sam Freedle .... unit production manager (3 episodes, 1979-1980)

Bill Carroll .... unit production manager (unknown episodes, 1979)
 
Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert Jones .... assistant director / first assistant director (47 episodes, 1974-1979)
Leonard R. Garner Jr. .... second assistant director (22 episodes, 1978-1980)
David Menteer .... assistant director / first assistant director (20 episodes, 1976-1978)
Clifford C. Coleman .... assistant director / first assistant director (17 episodes, 1974-1979)
Patrick A. Duffy .... first assistant director (4 episodes, 1979)
Robert J. Doherty .... second assistant director (2 episodes, 1979)
Jan R. Lloyd .... first assistant director (2 episodes, 1979)

David L. Beanes .... second assistant director (unknown episodes)
Lamar Card .... assistant director (unknown episodes)
Roydon Clark .... assistant director (unknown episodes)
Michael J. Kane .... first assistant director (unknown episodes)
Cal Naylor .... first assistant director (unknown episodes)
 
Series Art Department
Craig Binkley .... property master (68 episodes, 1974-1978)
 
Series Sound Department
John R. Carter .... sound / sound mixer (86 episodes, 1975-1979)
Walt Jenevein .... sound effects editor (69 episodes, 1976-1979)
John B. Schuyler .... boom operator (11 episodes, 1977)
Vic Carpenter .... sound (8 episodes, 1974-1975)

Barney Cabral .... adr editor (unknown episodes)
Albert D. Cuesta .... sound (unknown episodes)
George E. Marshall Jr. .... boom operator (unknown episodes)
 
Series Stunts
Larry Holt .... stunts (4 episodes, 1974-1978)
Charlie Picerni .... stunts (4 episodes, 1978-1979)
Jerry Brutsche .... stunt double / stunt driver / ... (3 episodes, 1978-1980)
Conrad E. Palmisano .... stunt driver (2 episodes, 1978)

May Boss .... stunts (unknown episodes)
Steven Burnett .... stunts (unknown episodes)
Mickey Caruso .... stunts (unknown episodes)
Roydon Clark .... stunt coordinator (unknown episodes)
Jean Coulter .... stunts (unknown episodes)
Jeannie Epper .... stunts (unknown episodes)
Bob Herron .... stunts (unknown episodes)
Regina Parton .... stunts (unknown episodes)
Rick Sawaya .... stunt double (unknown episodes)
Dick Warlock .... stunts (unknown episodes)
James Winburn .... stunts (unknown episodes)
 
Series Camera and Electrical Department
Charles R. Young .... camera operator (55 episodes, 1977-1980)
Earl C. Williman .... lamp operator (23 episodes, 1974-1975)

Howard Block .... camera operator (unknown episodes)
Reggie Newkirk .... key first assistant camera (unknown episodes)
Steve Yaconelli .... camera operator (unknown episodes)
 
Series Casting Department
Dodie McLean .... casting (18 episodes, 1978-1979)
 
Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charles Waldo .... costumes / costumes: women (26 episodes, 1974-1976)
 
Series Editorial Department
Richard Belding .... editorial supervision / editorial supervisor (23 episodes, 1974-1976)
Steve Johnson .... colorist (23 episodes, 1974-1975)
 
Series Music Department
Morrie McNaughton .... music editor (75 episodes, 1976-1980)
Hal Mooney .... music supervision (20 episodes, 1974-1976)
Pete Carpenter .... composer: theme music (11 episodes, 1974-1980)
Mike Post .... composer: theme music (11 episodes, 1974-1980)
 
Series Transportation Department
Chris Haynes .... driver / production driver (17 episodes, 1976-1979)
Frank Khoury .... driver (10 episodes, 1974)
 
Series Other crew
Juanita Bartlett .... executive story consultant / creative consultant / ... (93 episodes, 1974-1979)
Jack Cole .... main title design / title designer: main titles (24 episodes, 1974-1977)
 

Production CompaniesDistributors

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Jim Rockford, Private Investigator (USA) (syndication title)
more
Runtime:
60 min (123 episodes)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
James Garner became ill during the final season and was forced to quit the show with ten episodes left to film. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: 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. more
Quotes:
Jim Rockford: Yeah, well, we got snarled up in a case in August. I ended up doing 90 days on a county honor farm.
Lance White: Well, I'm sorry about that, Jim, but I had my client's interests to protect and you did break into that hotel room.
Jim Rockford: What client? Who where you working for? Nobody seemed to know.
Lance White: Well, that was kind of a strange one, those 3 little boys hired me.
Jim Rockford: The triplets? They were only 8 years old.
Lance White: Yeah well when their folks were killed by the mob, I kind of took 'em in. Finally, I made arrangements for them to live on a friend's farm in Vermont.
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "The Sopranos: 46 Long (#1.2)" (1999) more
Soundtrack:
The Rockford Files more

FAQ

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31 out of 32 people found the following comment useful.
One of the greatest, 10 December 2005
Author: blanche-2 from United States

As essayed by James Garner, Jim Rockford is one of the best characters in TV history - in, I might add, one of the best series. The Rockford Files never ceased to be entertaining during its '70s run and remains so in syndication. There's something comfortable about the show, probably because of the well-drawn characters that we feel we know.

If we didn't love Rockford so much, I guess we'd call him a loser. But we love him too much and are pulling for him too much to ever call him a loser. He never has any money. He lives in a dilapidated trailer on the beach. He's not married. He was in prison, though he didn't commit the crime and was pardoned. Helluva way to treat one of our ex-servicemen (Korea). His father, Rocky, was a truck driver and wants his boy Jimmy to take it up. It's steady, and he might get beat up less.

Jimmy, however, would rather be a private investigator. In order to do this, he occasionally runs afoul of police lieutenant Chapman and gets his buddy Dennis in trouble for using the power of the police to do him a favor. He also sometimes winds up embroiled with his con friend and former cellmate, Angel Martin, always in trouble and always looking for the main chance. And if attractive attorney Beth Davenport isn't hitting him up for pro bono help, he needs her to bail him out of jail.

It all sounds a little sad but it's endlessly fun, with some really classic episodes and great dialogue. This is also the series that launched Tom Selleck. In two episodes, he played perfect detective Lance White, a man who, unlike Rockford, couldn't take a wrong step and is beloved by every human being with whom he came in contact. The juxtaposition between Rockford and White is hilarious.

As Rockford, Garner is perfect, and the cast uniformly excellent, particularly Noah Berry, Jr. as his dad. If the clothes and the cars are dated, the acting, the relationships, and the story lines are not. The Rockford Files is one of the classics.

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