Backlash of the Hunter (27 Mar. 1974)

Jim helps a young girl who's father was murdered and LAPD has closed the case on without finding the killer.

Director:

Richard T. Heffron

Writers:

Stephen J. Cannell (teleplay), Roy Huggins (story)

Stars:

James Garner, Lindsay Wagner, William Smith

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
James Garner	...	Jim Rockford
Lindsay Wagner	...	Sara Butler
William Smith	...	Jerry Grimes
Nita Talbot	...	Mildred Elias
Joe Santos	...	Dennis Becker
Robert Donley	...	Joseph 'Rocky' Rockford
Stuart Margolin	...	Angel
Bill Mumy	...	Nick Butler
Pat Renella	...	Morrie Talbot
Michael Lerner	...	Dr. Ruben Seelman
Ted Gehring	...	Norm Mitchell
Joshua Bryant	...	Capt. Harry Dell
Bill Quinn	...	Harry Butler
Robert Williams	...	Arnold Demura (as Robert B. Williams)
Claude Johnson	...	Officer

Storyline

Private investigator Jim Rockford is hired by a beautiful young woman to solve the murder of her father, a homeless man found beneath a pier two months earlier. The killing was never solved by the police.

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Plot Keywords:

james rockford | car chase | private detective | tv series pilot

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 March 1974 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Malibu Pier, Malibu, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Donley, who played Joseph "Rocky" Rockford, only played him in this one (pilot) episode. The role subsequently went to Noah Beery Jr.

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Goofs

There are no bullet impacts in the sand during most of the strafing runs in the desert, but in a couple of the shots there is, so there should be impacts seen from most of the runs.

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Quotes

Jim Rockford: You got to be one of the dumbest looking apes I ever saw.

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Connections

Followed by The Rockford Files (1974)

User Reviews

One of a kind

Does it get better than this?

Car chases. The mob. The damsel in distress in nearly every episode. And good ol' Jim Rockford, always in one fix or another, but with a heart of gold, a silver tongue and a printing press in his car so that he can create a fake business card for every occasion.

Much of this series was 70's stereotype, but James Garner absolutely carried it. His magnetism, good guy/tough guy persona and yet his utterly human characteristics (living in a trailer, always being chased by bill collectors or auditors, hurting his hand when delivering a right cross to a bad guy) have never been equaled since.

I used to race home when I was a kid and plant myself in front of the television when it showed on daytime reruns during the early 80's. For a long time, it seemed to disappear from television altogether, then sporadically ran on networks like TNN. I was delighted when TV Land purchased the rights and began showing it daily at 9:00 Pacific. It's been moved to 10:00, but I'll gladly stay up the extra hour to watch it.

What a great show. The television movies were good in their nostalgic way, but nothing matches (nor will ever match) the charm, humor and quality of the original.

10/10.