"The Rockford Files" Second Chance (1977)

Director:

Reza Badiyi

Writers:

Gordon T. Dawson (writer)
Roy Huggins (creator) ...
(more)

TV Series:

"The Rockford Files" (1974)

Original Air Date:

14 October 1977 (Season 4, Episode 4)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

When the life of Gandy Fitch's girlfriend is in danger, he turns to Rockfish for help. |

Plot Keywords:

Number In Title | Malibu | Detective | Police | Trailer Home

Cast

James Garner	...	Jim Rockford
Noah Beery Jr.	...	Joseph 'Rocky' Rockford (credit only) (as Noah Beery)
Joe Santos	...	Dennis Becker
Isaac Hayes	...	Gandolph Fitch
Malachi Throne	...	Mr. Shapiro
Tony Burton	...	Joe Moran
Dionne Warwick	...	Thea Moran / Thea Best
Stuart Margolin	...	Angel
Sean Garrison	...	Lanark
Frank Christi	...	Brill
Richard Seff	...	Arnold Rose
Vivi Janiss	...	Pawn Shop Proprietor
Jack Garner	...	Bartender
Milt Oberman	...	Farnum
Janet Dey	...	Secretary
Rudy Diaz	...	Raoul
Luis Delgado	...	Officer Billings
Michael J. London	...	Grazelli (as Michael Jay London)

Directed by
Reza Badiyi

Writing credits
Gordon T. Dawson		writer &
Roy Huggins		creator and
Stephen J. Cannell		creator

Produced by
Stephen J. Cannell	....	supervising producer
David Chase	....	producer
Chas. Floyd Johnson	....	producer
Meta Rosenberg	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Pete Carpenter
Mike Post

Cinematography by
Andrew Jackson		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Jerry Dronsky

Art Direction by
Robert Crawley Sr.		(as Robert Crawley)

Set Decoration by
Robert L. Zilliox

Production Management
Lester Wm. Berke	....	unit manager (as Les Berke)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David Menteer	....	assistant director

Sound Department
John R. Carter	....	sound (as John Carter)
Walt Jenevein	....	sound effects editor (as Walter Jenevein)

Camera and Electrical Department
Charles R. Young	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charles Waldo	....	costumes

Music Department
Morrie McNaughton	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Chris Haynes	....	production driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Juanita Bartlett	....	executive story consultant

James Luisi

...

Lt. Doug Chapman

Directed by
Lawrence Dobkin

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Stephen J. Cannell		creator
Roy Huggins		creator
Marshall Lindemann

Produced by
Juanita Bartlett	....	producer (1978-1979)
David Chase	....	producer (1976-1980)
Jo Swerling Jr.	....	supervising producer (1974-1975)

Cinematography by
Steve Yaconelli

Makeup Department
Dave Grayson	....	makeup artist
Allen Payne	....	hair department head

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Roydon Clark	....	assistant director

Art Department
Craig Binkley	....	property master (88 episodes)

Sound Department
Barney Cabral	....	adr editor
George E. Marshall Jr.	....	boom operator

Stunts
May Boss	....	stunts
Steven Burnett	....	stunts
Mickey Caruso	....	stunts
Roydon Clark	....	stunt coordinator
Jean Coulter	....	stunts
Jeannie Epper	....	stunts
Bob Herron	....	stunts
Regina Parton	....	stunts
Rick Sawaya	....	stunt double
Dick Warlock	....	stunts
James Winburn	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Howard Block	....	camera operator
Reggie Newkirk	....	key first assistant camera
Steve Yaconelli	....	camera operator

Music Department
Pete Carpenter	....	composer: theme music (1974-1980)
Mike Post	....	composer: theme music (1974-1980)

Production Companies

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

Distributors

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1977) (USA) (TV)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor) | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Stage 30, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Roy Huggins-Public Arts Productions

Trivia:

In this episode, Gandolph Fitch calls Rockford by his real name for the only time.

Quotes:

Jim Rockford:This is Jim Rockford. At the tone leave your name and message, I'll get back to you.
Sales Rep.:[Beeep] This is Globe Publications. Our records show you have not returned your free volume of the Encyclopedia of Weather, so we'll be sending you the remaining 29 volumes - you'll be billed accordingly.

Soundtrack:

We'll Burn Our Bridges Behind Us

Rockford or Rockfish?

This is a very entertaining episode with several faces you should recognize, including Issac Hayes, Dionne Warwick, and Tony Burton(Rocky, The Shining), and there are some popular musical acts also mentioned, such as Donnie & Marie and Frampton. This deals with the music industry(as if you couldn't tell)and Theta(Warwick)is kidnapped for some reason regarding an old stereo set, and a very angry Gandy(Hayes), who's in love with her, hires Jim to help him locate her. They make a decent team together, although I don't think Hayes was a great actor, and they're mostly at odds on how to handle things. There are some cool moments, especially how Gandy calls Jim "Rockfish" several times; when he says "Rockford" later in the show, Jim's surprised face is enlightening. Another great moment is at the end when Angel disguises as a record executive, to Gandy no less, and Jim catches him in the con; this is a great scene. Lastly, Jim does his famous J-turn with the Firebird, which is always a plus to this reviewer.