Top-Rated Episodes
S6.E7
The special guest of a P.I. convention dinner is found murdered in the restroom, and Jim unhappily finds himself once more having to team up with flawless Lance White (Tom Selleck), while accident ...
Handsome, charmed PI Lance White (Tom Selleck) may speak lines that sound like they're from a 1940s B movie, but everyone is so attracted to him they hang on his every word. That is, everyone except ...
S4.E21
When a fellow P.I. is killed on the Ventura freeway, Jim and Richie Brockelman team up to find out if it really was an accident.
Paula Patton discusses her new movie Traffik, and the Super Troopers 2 cast share their essential 4/20 movie & TV picks.
Related News
-
‘Killing Eve’ could be first show to field two Best Drama Actress Emmy nominees in 16 years
12 April 2018 | Gold Derby -
Rita Moreno (‘One Day at a Time’) poised for Emmy return 31 years after winning Egot
20 March 2018 | Gold Derby -
The Drowning Pool
13 March 2018 | Trailers from Hell
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: The Rockford Files (1974–1980)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
People who liked this also liked...
Quincy M.E.
(1976–1983)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Mystery
Stars:
Jack Klugman,
John S. Ragin,
Robert Ito
Hawaii Five-O
(1968–1980)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Mystery
Stars:
Jack Lord,
James MacArthur,
Kam Fong
Magnum, P.I.
(1980–1988)
Action
|
Adventure
|
Crime
Stars:
Tom Selleck,
John Hillerman,
Roger E. Mosley
The Six Million Dollar Man
(1974–1978)
Action
|
Adventure
|
Crime
Stars:
Lee Majors,
Richard Anderson,
Martin E. Brooks
The Fall Guy
(1981–1986)
Action
|
Adventure
Stars:
Lee Majors,
Douglas Barr,
Heather Thomas
Simon & Simon
(1981–1989)
Action
|
Drama
|
Mystery
Stars:
Jameson Parker,
Gerald McRaney,
Mary Carver
The Streets of San Francisco
(1972–1977)
Action
|
Crime
|
Drama
Stars:
Karl Malden,
Michael Douglas,
Reuben Collins
Fantasy Island
(1977–1984)
Adventure
|
Comedy
|
Drama
Stars:
Ricardo Montalban,
Hervé Villechaize,
Christopher Hewett
Barnaby Jones
(1973–1980)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Mystery
Stars:
Buddy Ebsen,
Lee Meriwether,
Mark Shera
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (20) »
Storyline
Series about an ex-convict-turned-private-investigator named Jim Rockford who would rather run away than fight and would rather go fishing than work. He isn't a coward, and he isn't lazy -- just rather on the cautious side, that's all. And he bears a very strong resemblance to Western television hero Bret Maverick. Rockford is sometimes assisted (and sometimes deterred) in his cases by friends Dennis Becker (a police detective), Evelyn "Angel" Martin (his cowardly former cellmate) and pretty Beth Davenport (his lawyer). Written by Marty McKee <mmckee@wkio.com>
Plot Keywords:
ex convict | beach | police detective | malibu california | different gags during credits |Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
27 March 1974 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Jim Rockford, Private Investigator See more »Filming Locations:
Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA See more »Company Credits
Production Co:
Roy Huggins-Public Arts Productions, Cherokee Productions, Universal Television See more »
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
(123 episodes)Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
4:3
Edit
Angel Martin: They said they wouldn't do it. They said the last time they were in a con with you, it blew sky high. What does he mean by calling me a halibut?
Jim Rockford: It's a fish that swims at the bottom.
Angel Martin: I don't like him.
See more »
(Main Title Theme)
Written by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
When Rockford pretends to be someone else in order to get information, his phony name is almost always "Jim Taggert". When he is working a con, he usually uses his other favorite alias, Jimmy Joe Meeker. See more »Goofs
Throughout the series, the Los Angeles Police Department responds to calls at Rockford's trailer in Malibu although it is not part of their jurisdiction. The Los Angeles County Sheriff would be the proper agency. See more »Quotes
Jim Rockford: Why didn't you get me 'Little Eddie' or 'The Greek?'Angel Martin: They said they wouldn't do it. They said the last time they were in a con with you, it blew sky high. What does he mean by calling me a halibut?
Jim Rockford: It's a fish that swims at the bottom.
Angel Martin: I don't like him.
See more »
Crazy Credits
The message left on the answering machine at the opening credits changes from episode to episode, usually as some kind of gag. Occasionally it dealt with some part of the forthcoming story. See more »Soundtracks
The Rockford Files(Main Title Theme)
Written by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.Contribute to This Page
Explore popular and recently added TV series available to stream with Prime Video.
As essayed by James Garner, Jim Rockford is one of the best characters in TV history - in, I might add, one of the best series. The Rockford Files never ceased to be entertaining during its '70s run and remains so in syndication. There's something comfortable about the show, probably because of the well-drawn characters that we feel we know.
If we didn't love Rockford so much, I guess we'd call him a loser. But we love him too much and are pulling for him too much to ever call him a loser. He never has any money. He lives in a dilapidated trailer on the beach. He's not married. He was in prison, though he didn't commit the crime and was pardoned. Helluva way to treat one of our ex-servicemen (Korea). His father, Rocky, was a truck driver and wants his boy Jimmy to take it up. It's steady, and he might get beat up less.
Jimmy, however, would rather be a private investigator. In order to do this, he occasionally runs afoul of police lieutenant Chapman and gets his buddy Dennis in trouble for using the power of the police to do him a favor. He also sometimes winds up embroiled with his con friend and former cellmate, Angel Martin, always in trouble and always looking for the main chance. And if attractive attorney Beth Davenport isn't hitting him up for pro bono help, he needs her to bail him out of jail.
It all sounds a little sad but it's endlessly fun, with some really classic episodes and great dialogue. This is also the series that launched Tom Selleck. In two episodes, he played perfect detective Lance White, a man who, unlike Rockford, couldn't take a wrong step and is beloved by every human being with whom he came in contact. The juxtaposition between Rockford and White is hilarious.
As Rockford, Garner is perfect, and the cast uniformly excellent, particularly Noah Berry, Jr. as his dad. If the clothes and the cars are dated, the acting, the relationships, and the story lines are not. The Rockford Files is one of the classics.