"The Rockford Files" (1974) TV series 1974-1980

Creators:

Stephen J. Cannell
Roy Huggins
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Release Date:

13 September 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

The cases of an easy going private investigator.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Detective | Answering Machine | Sting Operation | Malibu

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 6 wins & 17 nominations

Cast

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)

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 Companies

• Cherokee Productions
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC)
• Roy Huggins-Public Arts Productions
• Universal TV

Distributors

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1974-1980) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• MCA/Universal Television (1974) (USA) (TV)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1980) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Cherokee Productions
• Public Arts/Roy Huggins Productions
• Studios USA Television
• TV Asahi (1975-1979) (Japan) (TV)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (season 6)

Also Known As:

Jim Rockford, Private Investigator (USA) (syndication title)

Runtime:

60 min (123 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

Cherokee Productions

Trivia:

James Garner became ill during the final season and was forced to quit the show with ten episodes left to film.

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.

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.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Sopranos: 46 Long (#1.2)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

The Rockford Files

One of the greatest

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.