"The Rockford Files" To Protect and Serve: Part 2 (1977)

Director:

William Wiard

Writers:

David Chase (writer)
Roy Huggins (creator) ...

TV Series:

"The Rockford Files" (1974)

Original Air Date:

18 March 1977 (Season 3, Episode 20)

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)
Joe Santos	...	Police Det. Dennis Becker
Joyce Van Patten	...	Lianne Sweeny
James Luisi	...	Lt. Doug Chapman
Leslie Charleson	...	Patsy Fossler
Jon Cypher	...	Michael Kelly
George Loros	...	'Anthony Boy' Gagglio
Lou Frizzell	...	Wes Wesley
Luke Andreas	...	Syl
Angus Duncan	...	John Fossler
Bucklind Beery	...	Off. Al Mazursky
Douglas Ryan	...	Deputy
Charles Bateman	...	1st Detective
Jack Lucarelli	...	Bowling Alley Customer

Trivia:

If Patsy had married Michael Kelly, she'd be Patsy Kelly, the name of the great movie comedienne and character actress - kind of an "in joke" by writer David Chase.

Quotes:

Jim Rockford: This is Jim Rockford. At the tone leave your name and message, I'll get back to you.
Anonymous Woman: This is incredible! Do you know I had one of my dreams last night? I dreamed that if I called you you wouldn't be home - and you're not!

Better Than Part One

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

If part one of this two parter was a bit too much exposition, part two is a nice payoff, and is packed with action and good moments.

The episode begins with Rockford stashing Patsy (soap star Leslie Charleston) aboard a boat in Oxnard with Wes Wesley (Lou Frizzel), yet another old prison buddy (if he really wanted her to be protected, shouldn't he have left her with Gandy?). He tries to con both his client Michael Kelly (Jon Cypher, who would later become Chief Fletcher on "Hill Street Blues") into thinking the mob has Patsy and the mobsters (George Loros as Tony and Luke Andreas as Syl) into thinking he's turned her over to Kelly. His plan almost works--except when cop groupie Leeann Sweeney (Joyce Van Patten) gets in the way.

This episode has a rare scene between Rockford and Patsy in which Jim reminisces how he got through prison by acting tough (and makes a veiled reference to sharing a cell in C Block with Gandy). Chase also gives Charleston some nice moments on the boat when she realizes the man she loves is actually out there to kill her. Dennis and Chapman both get effective scenes chewing out LeeAnn at the end (though both are a little out of their jurisdiction in Oxnard!) And George Loros is terrific as he questions Joyce Van Patten in Rockford's trailer. He's never been more menacing or effective in this series.

Noah Beery's son Bucklind returns as Officer Mazursky and he gets more dialog than usual in a series of phone calls with LeeAnn.

Maybe as a two parter this is a little stretched out, but this second half is really a lot of fun to watch.