"The Rockford Files" Just by Accident (1975)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Jerry London

Writers:

Charles Sailor (writer) and
Eric Kaldor (writer) ...

TV Series:

"The Rockford Files" (1974)

Original Air Date:

28 February 1975 (Season 1, Episode 22)

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 (as Noah Beery)
Neva Patterson	...	Louise Hartman
Steven Keats	...	Duane Bailey
David Spielberg	...	Police Sgt. Tom Garvey
Fred Sadoff	...	Matt Springfield
E.J. Peaker	...	Jeannie Szymczyk
Joey Aresco	...	Billy Jo Hartman
Oliver Clark	...	K. Julian Krubm
Alan Bergmann	...	Doctor
Millie Slavin	...	Assistant Bank Manager
Beatrice Colen	...	Woman Bettor
Michael Fox	...	Announcer
Gordon Jump	...	Freddie
Fritzi Burr	...	County Clerk

Ma Ketcham Returns!

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

When demolition derby driver Billy Jo Hartman (Joey Aresco) dies in a car accident, his mother Louise (Neve Patterson, who played Jim's nemesis Ma Ketcham on "Nichols")calls on Jim Rockford, an old family friend to investigate. Once Jim begins turning rocks over, he discovers a lot of strange things: Billy Jo had a safe deposit box filled with $20,000 in cash and 4 drivers licenses under different names. He gets hit with a sap, almost killed in his car (twice!) and shot at before cracking an insurance fraud case.

Joe Santos must have been off for a few weeks around this time to film his role in "Zandy's Bride" with Gene Hackman or "The Girl on the Late, Late Show" because he's replaced here by David Spielberg as Jim's police friend Tom. Unlike Dennis, Tom seems anxious to help Jim any way he can and seems a little too bemused whenever he's dealing with the detective. Nothing against Spielberg, but this episode is hurt by the lack of Santos.

Neve Patterson is fine as Louise, but I'm baffled as to how or why E.J. Deaker (Minnie Mae in "Hello Dolly") got a "special appearance by" credit. Her role is not that pivotal, and sorry to say she's not very good in it (she is very cute though!). The real highlight of this show is the appearance of "WKRP" star Gordon Jump as Rockford's long suffering body shop guy, Freddie. The Firebird's in the shop again, and Freddie's afraid to give him a loaner.

The script lets Jim actually do a bit of detecting as he uses a magazine subscription to track down Billy Jo's last known whereabouts. But it also lets us down. When Jim calls the Springfield insurance office and asks for Mr. Springfield (Fred Sadoff) who's the leader of the insurance scam, his secretary tells Rockford Springfield is at the track. Now since Jim just put a bet down on a horse (in a funny scene with Millie Slavin) and its still daytime, wouldn't you think he'd go out to the HORSE track? Instead Jim knows to go to the closed demolition derby track, in the dark, despite the fact there's been no connection between Springfield and the demolition derby (other than Billy Jo and Springfield's top henchman drove there). It's a little sloppy. Then they pick an odd way to try and kill him, by wrecking his car (yes, the loaner from Freddie!) in the demolition derby. Funny? Yes. Make sense? No. At this point, we've already come to expect tighter scripts from "The Rockford Files".