The Rockford Files: Punishment and Crime (1996)

Laid-back private eye Jim Rockford and his brown Pontiac Firebird become embroiled in another case when he runs across an old flame, blind psychologist Megan. Her no-good playboy cousin ... See full summary »

Director:

David Chase

Writers:

Stephen J. Cannell (created by), David Chase

Stars:

James Garner, Kathryn Harrold, Joe Santos

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Garner	...	Jim Rockford
Kathryn Harrold	...	Megan Dougherty Adams
Joe Santos	...	Lt. Dennis Becker
Bryan Cranston	...	Patrick Dougherty
Vladimir Skomarovsky	...	Gennady Koblets
Ramy Zada	...	Festa
Richard Kiley	...	Frank Dougherty
Stuart Margolin	...	Angel Martin
Ilia Volok	...	Boris
Lena Zhanik	...	Ykaterina (as Elena De'Burdo)
Grace Una	...	Molly
Johnny Williams	...	Johnny Zeps
Jack Garner	...	Captain McEnroe
Lyndsay Riddell	...	Young Josie
John Christian Graas	...	Daniel

Storyline

Laid-back private eye Jim Rockford and his brown Pontiac Firebird become embroiled in another case when he runs across an old flame, blind psychologist Megan. Her no-good playboy cousin Patrick is involved with the Russian Mob, which puts everyone's life in danger. The weary Rockford must also deal with his old friend Angel, who is painting Jim's trailer to work off a debt.

---

Plot Keywords:

russian | pontiac firebird | trailer | cousin cousin relationship | attempted murder | 

---

Taglines:

Rockford rekindles a hot romance and faces some ruthless stone-cold killers.

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery

---

Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian Spanish

Release Date:

18 September 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Rockford Files: Night Fishing

Filming Locations:

Paradise Cove - 28128 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

MGB Productions, Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Because James Garner's original production company, Cherokee Productions ceased operations after1980, due to Garner's lawsuit with Universal Studios, Garner formed a new production company to produce the 1990's Rockford movies. The name of the new production company was MGB Productions. MGB was a British-made sports coupé, manufactured by MG, fitting in with Mr Garners love of automobile, and also fit in nicely with the names the initials stand for; "M" for Meta Rosenberg, "G" for James Garner,, and "B" for Juanita Bartlett. Meta Rosenberg was his long-time agent/producer, who also directed a few episodes of the original series. Juanita Bartlett was also a long time writer, producer during production of The Rockford Files (1974), who started writing for Garner shows all the way back during Nichols (1971).

---

Goofs

In the scene where Garner and Harrold enjoy morning-after glow in his father's cabin, she wistfully notes, "You hear that one bird, the high one? It goes exactly every 17 seconds." It's a 50 second scene with one irrelevant edit, and the bird sings only 4 times (around her observation), at 14-, 12-, and 10-second intervals.

---

Quotes

Evelyn 'Angel' Martin: Boy, you got some brass p-pitts makin' a friend work off a promissory note.
[pressure washing Jim's place]
Jim Rockford: You think I wouldn't rather have a qualified painter?
Evelyn 'Angel' Martin: I had to have some periodontal work done, okay? Some I happen to be one of the eighteen million people unemployed right now, without a safety net. What am I supposed to do? Let the teeth rot?
Jim Rockford: You don't have a safety net because you haven't worked for Wrigley Brothers or any other kind of gainful employment for over ten years.
Evelyn 'Angel' Martin: With my ...

---

Connections

Follows The Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play (1996)

---

Soundtracks

(I Know) I'm Losing You
(uncredited)
Written by Norman Whitfield, Eddie Holland and Cornelius Grant
Performed by The Faces

User Reviews

Outstanding

This Rockford come back is the best of the eight. It plays like a motion picture with a beginning, a middle, and an ending. You don't need to have been a Rockford fan or to have seen an episode of the original series to enjoy this teleplay.