A Good Clean Bust with Sequel Rights (3 Nov. 1978)

Jim is forced to babysit Chicago ex-cop, now celebrity, "Frank Falcone," who has a television show and toy line. Falcone isn't easy to babysit, and things get dicey when some old Chicago "friends" of Falcone show up to complicate things.

Director:

William Wiard

Writers:

Rudolph Borchert, Roy Huggins (creator),

Stars:

James Garner, Noah Beery Jr., Joe Santos

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
James Garner	...	Jim Rockford
Noah Beery Jr.	...	Joseph 'Rocky' Rockford (as Noah Beery)
Joe Santos	...	Dennis Becker
James Sikking	...	Jeff Seales
Nicolas Coster	...	Augie Augustine
James Murtaugh	...	Bob Parsons
Jerry Douglas	...	Hugh Wexler
Hector Elizondo	...	Frank Falcone
Louisa Moritz	...	Debbi
Patricia Donahue	...	Board President
Hank Brandt	...	Gene Lindner / Sammy Cassell
Joanna Lipari	...	Mrs. Stern
Jenny Sherman	...	Linda
Derek Murcott	...	Manny Ables
Marland Proctor	...	Clerk

Storyline

Jim finds himself babysitting Chicago ex-cop turned celebrity "Frank Falcone," who is trying to protect his tough cop image for his television show, while promoting his seemingly kid friendly nature for a new line of "Frank Falcone" toys being rolled out. It soon gets dicey when a few old Chicago "friends" of Falcone show up to complicate things, and Falcone drags Jim in to one problem after another.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 November 1978 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

In a highway driving scene, at approximately 28:17, Rockford is driving a 1974 model (with single headlights) of his ubiquitous golden brown Pontiac Firebird, but just seconds later, at 28:25, as he is pulling into the parking area of his destination, inexplicably he is now driving a 1978 model (with dual headlights) of the same color Pontiac Firebird Esprit.

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Quotes

Jeff Seales: As you know, the Falcone legend has been told many different ways... this last time it was by his former partner Walt Wexler, and unfortunately the toys and the man are closely identified.
Bob Parsons: There's a complete line of police toys under his name.
Jim Rockford: Oh, and I'm supposed to keep the name and the legend clean?
Jeff Seales: Yes! If you could low profile Falcone just until we get the toy line launched, nothing more...
Bob Parsons: Just your being with him will have a calming effect! Just like a... a steer with a fighting bull.
Jeff Seales: [...]

User Reviews

lighter fare

This was one of those OK episodes, where it wasn't that great nor that bad, but a fun ride along the way. Solid actor Hector Elizondo plays Frank Falcone, who has a line of toys named after him, plus a TV show to boot, which Rocky is a big fan of. Jim is hired to basically be Frank's bodyguard, as his "new" client sometimes gets involved in troubling situations and Rockford tries his best to avoid them. I can't be 100% certain of the contract placed on Falcone's life, but the hoods believe Rockford is now linked to him and both are in danger; I believe the contract is coming from bad dudes in Chicago, but that's as much as I can recall. There are a few cool scenes for which I'll remember this episode for, such as Jim finding a fish head in his soup, made especially for him by his dad for "flavor"; another real fine moment is when Jim is fishing, he notices 2 goons with knives ready to attack him, then soon after he jumps into the pacific ocean for his escape(not sure if that was a stunt man or not, as I know James Garner did most of his own stunts, but by 1978 he had major knee problems); lastly, I was pleasantly surprised to see the famous J-turn with the Firebird later in the show, as Jim and Frank escape this big, ugly sedan. The final scene ends on a happy tone, as Jim says "freeze, turkey" to Falcone, then he turns quickly to Rockford with his finger pointed like a gun with a smile on his face. As I said above, this is more of a lighter fare variety, as most of the scenes revolving around Rockford and Falcone is almost like good cop, bad cop with some entertainment along for the ride. Not among my favorites, but certainly not the worst of the bunch.