Top-Rated Episodes
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 ...
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 ...
S6.E1
Jim's Malibu neighbourhood becomes the site of a treasure hunt for a stash of gold bullion, stolen fifty years earlier.
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Title: The Rockford Files (1974–1980)
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Cast
| Complete series cast summary: | |||
| James Garner | ... | Jim Rockford 122 episodes, 1974-1980 | |
| Noah Beery Jr. | ... | Joseph 'Rocky' Rockford 121 episodes, 1974-1980 | |
| Joe Santos | ... | Dennis Becker 112 episodes, 1974-1980 | |
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Plot Summary
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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 »
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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 »
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
(123 episodes)Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
4:3
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Harry Smick: It was fixed last week.
Electric Larry: Tell that to the customer drinking scotch and air.
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(Main Title Theme)
Written by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Rockford's friends had several nicknames for him. His father, Joseph "Rocky" Rockford (Noah Beery Jr.) called him "Sonny", sergeant/lieutenant Dennis Becker (Joe Santos) called him "Jimbo", Beth Davenport (Gretchen Corbett) called him "Jim", Angel Martin (Stuart Margolin) and Rita Capkovic (Rita Moreno) called him "Jimmy", and Gandolph Fitch's (Isaac Hayes) nickname for him was "Rockfish". He was comfortable with all of the nicknames, except for "Rockfish", also a remnant from his prison days, which he hated, and told Gandy so several times. See more »Goofs
Even though Jim Rockford always drives a current model Firebird, many episodes feature stock footage shot with older models, especially in the 1975-77 seasons. See more »Quotes
Electric Larry: Harry, the soda machine at the bar is busted again.Harry Smick: It was fixed last week.
Electric Larry: Tell that to the customer drinking scotch and air.
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. Frequently the voice was of supporting actors on the show, either as themselves or as a completely unrelated character. See more »Soundtracks
The Rockford Files(Main Title Theme)
Written by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter
See more »
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.