The Rockford Files: Foul on the First Play (1976)
Season 2, Episode 21
7/10
"You hired me to take a beating"
10 December 2014
Lou Gossett, Jr. who co-starred with James Garner in The Skin Game makes the first of two appearances as Marcus Aurelius O'Brien, Jim Rockford's former parole officer. He's no longer a parole officer although that's a fact he's concealing for the moment from Garner.

He hires Garner to find out who has been muscling him and of course Gossett lies like a rug as to what exactly he's involved in. It turns out there's a war on for the rights to a new minor league basketball franchise and one of the bidders is playing rough and rough with Gossett.

Eventually Garner gets the truth out of Gossett after he's been staked out like a clay pigeon and gets a beating in order to find out who they work for. I like the fact that it's Gossett who in turn gets to be the bait when the two finally get to the bottom of things. Also there's a real murder along the way.

Gossett's a slick piece of work. I'm not sure if Angel Martin taught him or Angel studied under Gossett. Turns out Gossett is a private investigator like Jim Rockford, but likes to live on the high side with fancy office, limousine, all the perks thereof while Rockford lives and works out of his trailer.

Gossett may be a conman, but he's slick and engaging.
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