Yes, folks, at the end of this episode, Jim gets paid! He actually gets paid $5,000 and he gets to keep it. No deductions for this, that and the other until there's nothing left or he ends up owing money. I don't even mind that it turns out that he's been stiffed and should have made a lot more. At least, for once, he gets paid.
70s and 80s P. I. shows just loved keeping their heroes perpetually penniless, despite solving cases week in, week out. There was always a reason why they ended up not getting the payout they were owed, which could become frustrating, especially for the poorer viewers - such as myself - who would like to see their TV heroes be able to at least eat the the kind of good food that we can't afford. I watched an episode of original Magnum yesterday where Mags couldn't even repay a $13 debt to one of his friends! It's a good thing he's living rent-free in Robin's Nest.
"Piece Work" is a decent, solid Rockford episode, which means it would a great episode in most other series. Rockford just has higher standards. Michael Lerner is especially good. It's still strange for me to see him so young, though. Before Rockford Files, I'd really only seen his later stuff, from the mid-80s onwards.
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Oh, no. Checking his IMDB bio to make sure that I hadn't seen Michael Lerner prior to the 80s before submitting this review, I've just found out that he passed away in April of this year. RIP, Mr Lerner, and thank you for the entertainment you gave us.
70s and 80s P. I. shows just loved keeping their heroes perpetually penniless, despite solving cases week in, week out. There was always a reason why they ended up not getting the payout they were owed, which could become frustrating, especially for the poorer viewers - such as myself - who would like to see their TV heroes be able to at least eat the the kind of good food that we can't afford. I watched an episode of original Magnum yesterday where Mags couldn't even repay a $13 debt to one of his friends! It's a good thing he's living rent-free in Robin's Nest.
"Piece Work" is a decent, solid Rockford episode, which means it would a great episode in most other series. Rockford just has higher standards. Michael Lerner is especially good. It's still strange for me to see him so young, though. Before Rockford Files, I'd really only seen his later stuff, from the mid-80s onwards.
............
Oh, no. Checking his IMDB bio to make sure that I hadn't seen Michael Lerner prior to the 80s before submitting this review, I've just found out that he passed away in April of this year. RIP, Mr Lerner, and thank you for the entertainment you gave us.