The Paper Palace (20 Jan. 1978)

A prostitute hires Jim to find out who has been sending her death threats.

Director:

Richard Crenna

Writers:

Juanita Bartlett, 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 Luisi	...	Lt. Doug Chapman
Bruce Kirby	...	Sid Loft
Pat Finley	...	Peggy Becker
Rita Moreno	...	Rita Capkovic
David Lewis	...	Burton Woodruff
Patricia Donahue	...	Eleanor Loft
René Assa	...	Jeannot Tunier (as Rena Assa)
Shirley O'Hara	...	Maggie Gillson
James Jeter	...	Officer McRainey
R. Norwood Smith	...	Henry Helpern (as Norwood Smith)
Gene Scherer	...	Rudy Ganse
Jack Garner	...	Alfred Guello / Restaurant Manager

Storyline

A prostitute hires Jim to find out who has been sending her death threats.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 January 1978 (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?

Goofs

In the scene where Jim and Rita are staking out The Canadian American Trading Company, when Mr. Woodruff comes out of the building and gets in his limo, Jim reaches for something, seemingly to start his car so as to follow Woodruff, and the sound of an engine starting is clearly heard, the keys/ignition are clearly visible, but Jim does not touch the keys before or while the engine is heard to start.

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Quotes

Jim Rockford: This is Jim Rockford. At the tone leave your name and message, I'll get back to you.
Mrs. Owens: [Beeep] This is Mrs. Owens with the Association for a Better Malibu. Thanks for your contributions. We've made great strides, but it would help, dear, if you could move your trailer.

User Reviews

Too much Rita

This episode has the special guest star as Rita Moreno, who does a commendable job as a prostitute, but my biggest qualm is that she becomes the lead character as most scenes revolve around her, and Jim almost seemed a secondary character to me. I'll assume Moreno had the star power in 1978, but I prefer Rockford performing some scenes on his own, which doesn't happen here often, if at all. The subject matter has to do with a hockey team, and an old lady friend of Rita's(named Maggie) who's husband owned part or all of the team. After a botched attempt on Rita's life occurs by 2 French goons, she moves in with Maggie, who herself gets murdered by the same men. It's solid writing as usual, but I cringed when I saw Moreno's name(she may be a solid actress)because she usually takes over as the lead; I believe she stars in 2 other episodes as the same character. A few scenes worth seeing is the funny dinner scene at the Becker's(funny comments by Bruce Kirby), and when Jim and Rita drive to the hockey party/convention; the drive is along this scenic road with palm trees. I'm a sucker for the great outdoor shots as it has this cool mellow feeling.