Even though Tom Selleck overplays Lance White a little on this second time around for the character. this is a must see "Rockford" episode.
Jim is a nominee at the Detective's Association convention where he's seated with Lance and the MC is Vern St. Cloud (Simon Oakland, making his third appearance as the character). Freddie Beamer (James Whitmore Jr.) crashes the convention and stumbles on the dead body of a state senator who was going to make a speech at the convention. Panicked, Beamer flees and thus becomes the prime suspect. It's up to Rockford and Lance White to prove him innocent.
Cannell has once again submitted a superior script--funny, loaded with character and yet some mystery as well. This is a good example of why Jim Rockford has been referred to as "the Jack Benny of private eyes". Everyone kind of treats him with disdain while admiring Lance (especially Lt. Chapman). Cannell spoofs the typical private eye show in his discussion about hunches, clues and Lance's "total recall". A real highlight is the scene in which Lance suggests they put Beamer under hypnosis to learn what the man looked like coming out of the room where he discovered the murderer man (a stocky, bald man in a red shirt and green pants, wearing a hat with a feather in it). Whitmore is great as Beamer, and a whole show in herself is the eye popping Erica Hagen as the hypnotist Brandy Alexander. Strangely this was her last role on record. I for one would certainly have loved to see more of her! (You can in "Soylent Green" where she plays one of the girls that comes with the apartment!)
Garner is great in dealing with his frustrations with Lance and Beamer (two extremes if ever there were) and then going back to try and find where he threw away his coveted Goodhew Award (at the time claiming it means nothing). Simon Oakland is just as gruff and boisterous and wrong as ever. Oakland would make one final appearance on the series, but not as St. Cloud in the dreary "Just a Coupla Guys" episode.
"Magnum" fans in particular should love this episode. It not only features Selleck as White but Larry Manetti, who played Rick Wright on "Magnum". Whitmore also appeared with the two on the series as Billy Jo Bob Little (as well as on "Bret Maverick").
Jim is a nominee at the Detective's Association convention where he's seated with Lance and the MC is Vern St. Cloud (Simon Oakland, making his third appearance as the character). Freddie Beamer (James Whitmore Jr.) crashes the convention and stumbles on the dead body of a state senator who was going to make a speech at the convention. Panicked, Beamer flees and thus becomes the prime suspect. It's up to Rockford and Lance White to prove him innocent.
Cannell has once again submitted a superior script--funny, loaded with character and yet some mystery as well. This is a good example of why Jim Rockford has been referred to as "the Jack Benny of private eyes". Everyone kind of treats him with disdain while admiring Lance (especially Lt. Chapman). Cannell spoofs the typical private eye show in his discussion about hunches, clues and Lance's "total recall". A real highlight is the scene in which Lance suggests they put Beamer under hypnosis to learn what the man looked like coming out of the room where he discovered the murderer man (a stocky, bald man in a red shirt and green pants, wearing a hat with a feather in it). Whitmore is great as Beamer, and a whole show in herself is the eye popping Erica Hagen as the hypnotist Brandy Alexander. Strangely this was her last role on record. I for one would certainly have loved to see more of her! (You can in "Soylent Green" where she plays one of the girls that comes with the apartment!)
Garner is great in dealing with his frustrations with Lance and Beamer (two extremes if ever there were) and then going back to try and find where he threw away his coveted Goodhew Award (at the time claiming it means nothing). Simon Oakland is just as gruff and boisterous and wrong as ever. Oakland would make one final appearance on the series, but not as St. Cloud in the dreary "Just a Coupla Guys" episode.
"Magnum" fans in particular should love this episode. It not only features Selleck as White but Larry Manetti, who played Rick Wright on "Magnum". Whitmore also appeared with the two on the series as Billy Jo Bob Little (as well as on "Bret Maverick").