The Battle-Ax and the Exploding Cigar (12 Jan. 1979)

Ignorant that he's been driving a hot Cadillac with an illegal stash of guns in the trunk, leads Jim into rubbing shoulders with the FBI and the Company.

Director:

Ivan Dixon

Writers:

Rogers Turrentine (teleplay), 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 (credit only)
Marge Redmond	...	Eleanor Bateman
Sully Boyar	...	Bernard L. Petrankus
Lane Smith	...	CIA Agent Donnegan
Charles Weldon	...	Watkins
Lawrence P. Casey	...	Echo Seven (as Lawrence Casey)
Glenn Corbett	...	FBI Agent Spelling
Mitzi Hoag	...	Margaret
Dawson Mays	...	ATF Agent Tony Musia
Nancy Burnett	...	Jill (as Mary-Nancy Burnett)
Lindsay V. Jones	...	Susan
Antonie Becker	...	Stacy Hutchins
Roscoe Born	...	Tallafero

Storyline

Ignorant that he's been driving a hot Cadillac with an illegal stash of guns in the trunk, leads Jim into rubbing shoulders with the FBI and the Company.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 January 1979 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Stage 30, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, 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?

Trivia

The character listed as "CIA Agent Donnegan" in the credits, as well as others, and on screen titling in various scenes, were actually referred to as National Intelligence Agency several times in dialogue and in the on screen titling.

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Quotes

Jim Rockford: This is the federal government, huh? Now I know why my old man got a hundred medicare cards sent to him. Not one of them had his name on it!

User Reviews

Stuck in the middle with Rockford

I will probably have to watch this episode again to get it through my thick head, as it moved very fast, with many different levels of federal government, including the ATF, FBI, and CIA, and how our hero gets himself caught in this mess revolving around stolen guns. Rockford's driving a Cadillac this time around with an older guy named Petrankus, who ends up setting up Jim by stashing guns in the trunk, while the car was reported stolen; the cops eventually throw the pair in jail, while Petrankus(a name annoyingly uttered throughout the episode)is set free and poor Rockford is the fall guy once again. Lane Smith plays a crooked agent convincingly, as he was the most recognizable guest star I noticed. Marge Redmond, who reminded me of Hyancinth from Keeping Up Appearances, also has a very big role as Mrs. Bateman, another big wig in the government bureaucracy who asks too many questions and gets herself in trouble, and it seems that the other agents want her silenced; she accidentally gets involved with Rockford and he figures that helping her will also help clear his name as well. Rocky has a nice scene with Marge and Jim drinking wine in Rocky's house, and we all know seeing Jim's dad adds to any episode. Be on the lookout for a serious pimp mobile driven by Watkins(Charles Weldon), working undercover for the government trying to nab Petrnakus. There was a moment that I didn't totally buy, and that was when Rockford was held at gunpoint, then soon after, Jim says "hi!" to the dude with the gun, and then knocks him out with a punch. You're slick and street smart, Jimbo, but that's too much of a risk of getting shot and killed. Other than that quick moment, this is a solid episode, maybe a bit confusing, but that's only because I need to see certain episodes more than once to get the full gist, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this episode to any fan of the show. This was a late season 5 episode and there were about 20 more to go before the end of this terrific show. There's one more aspect I forgot to mention and I believe was a first for this show; look for the Dragnet style of typed words on the screen during Rockford's questioning about the car and guns, and subsequent imprisonment. It got tedious at times and I felt was overkill, as it didn't really add to the show in my opinion, but detract. Like I said before, this is still a solid and well written episode to enjoy, and the good guys win of course.