"The Rockford Files" Counter Gambit (1975)

User Rating:

8.4/10   

Director:

Jackie Cooper

Writers:

Howard Berk (writer) and
Juanita Bartlett (writer) ...

TV Series:

"The Rockford Files" (1974)

Original Air Date:

24 January 1975 (Season 1, Episode 17)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Car Chase | Police | Detective | Answering Machine | Sting Operation

Cast

James Garner	...	Jim Rockford
Noah Beery Jr.	...	Joseph 'Rocky' Rockford #2 (as Noah Beery)
Stuart Margolin	...	Evelyn 'Angel' Martin
Joe Santos	...	Police Det. Dennis Becker
Mary Frann	...	Valerie Thomas / Maria Heller
Eddie Fontaine	...	Moss Williams
Burr DeBenning	...	Harry Crown
Ford Rainey	...	Manny Tolan
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Edgar Burch
Garry Walberg	...	Arnold M. Cutter
Eric Server	...	Daniel Kramer
Barbara Collentine	...	Miss Bolting
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ted White	...	Fence

Runtime:

USA:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Roy Huggins-Public Arts Productions

Cons and Con Games

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Jim Rockford is hired by a man who's behind bars. He's Moss Williams (Eddie Fontaine, an ever excellent Rockford foil) a guy who hates Rockford. The feeling is mutual. But Moss figures he can trust Rockford because he's an ex-con. Rockford takes the job because as usual, he's down to the burlap and has creditors lined up. So Rockford goes on the hunt for Moss' girlfriend Valerie, played by Mary Frann (in the first of her two "Rockford" appearances).

Only Rockford soon realizes he's being conned. Moss isn't after the girl, he's after something else. This is only one of many cons as Jim runs one con to find the girl (playing a funny salesman character), another to get closer to her, and then becomes the victim of a con himself that apparently was so good he'd later use against Robert Webber in the two parter "Never Send a Boy King to Do a Man's Job".

There's a great use of Angel (Stuart Margolin) in this episode as he impersonates jewel appraiser Manny Tolan, and a few nice twists and surprises along the way involving the recovery of a valuable pearl necklace. The comedy is really well played, especially Angel's tendency to be a weasel and a coward, yet is always attracted by a good con.

"Odd Couple" fans will notice Gary Walberg in the cast as the head of the Marine Insurance Company. Walberg is Jack Klugman's close friend and played "Speed" on the "odd Couple" and later had a recurring role on "Quincy".

Character actor M. Emmet Walsh also makes an appearance as an insurance investigator.