S4.E21

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The House on Willis Avenue

Episode aired Feb 24, 1978
TV-PGTV-PG
1h 35m

IMDb RATING

8.7/10

286

YOUR RATING

James Garner and Dennis Dugan in The Rockford Files (1974)

Crime Drama Mystery

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.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.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.

IMDb RATING

8.7/10

286

YOUR RATING

Director
- Hy Averback
Writers
- Roy Huggins
- Stephen J. Cannell
Stars

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11User reviews

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Photos17

Howard Hesseman in The Rockford Files (1974)

James Garner, Dennis Dugan, and Howard Hesseman in The Rockford Files (1974)

Pernell Roberts in The Rockford Files (1974)

Nancy Conrad in The Rockford Files (1974)

Simon Oakland and Pernell Roberts in The Rockford Files (1974)

Simon Oakland in The Rockford Files (1974)

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
It's widely (and incorrectly) thought the Richie Brockelman character (played by Dennis Dugan) was introduced here, and would be spun off into the short-lived Richie Brockelman, Private Eye (1978) (premiering three weeks after the original airing of this episode). The character had already been introduced in a pilot film, Richie Brockelman: The Missing 24 Hours (1976), which had aired a year and a half prior.

Goofs
When Rockford's car is shot with the shotgun on the highway, it has a clear hole in the passenger's door. a minute later after Richie and Rockford drive up and over the big hill next to the highway and over to the entrance ramp, the car speeds the wrong way down the entrance ramp and you can clearly see there is no hole in the passenger's door. Also, as the yellow sedan chasing them drives off the road and begins to go up the grass hill in pursuit, the camera switches to the inside of the yellow car and it's a shot of them driving on the highway not the grass. But the yellow car had been off road climbing the hill in the previous shot.

Quotes
Jim Rockford: This is Jim Rockford. At the tone leave your name and message, I'll get back to you.
Operator: Good morning! This is the telephone company. Due to repairs we're giving you advanced notice that your service will be cut off indefinitely at ten o'clock. That's two minute from now...

Crazy credits
Disclaimer before end credits: "Secret information centers, building dossiers on individuals exist today. You have no legal right to know about them, prevent them, or sue for damages. Our liberty may well be the price we pay for permitting this to continue unchecked. Member, U.S. Privacy Protection Commission"

Alternate versions
Syndicated repeats are split into two parts, with part 2 containing a longer pre-credit opening sequence that includes excerpts from part 1, instead of the usual 30 seconds of excerpts (previews) of the episode you're about to see, followed by added opening credits.

Connections
Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Goldie Hawn/Buck Henry/Dennis Dugan (1978)

Soundtracks
The Rockford Files
(Main Title Theme)
Written by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter

User reviews11

Review

Featured review

9/10

Ahead of it's time

This is a great 2-part episode with a lot of great characters. Simon Oakland does a fine job playing the obnoxious Vern Saint Cloud. Pernell Roberts from Bonanza plays an understated part as a bald bad-guy boss of a shady operation. As others have pointed out,Dennis Dugan as Richie Brockelman is the only flaw in this multi-faceted gem of an episode. A little tweaking of the Richie Brockelman character would have worked wonders to improve the whole show. His annoyingly childish 'gee whiz' demeanor gets old quickly and eats up a lot of valuable screen time. If they simply had the Brockelman character talking less it would be a big improvement. It was indeed a treat to see Paul Fix,(from 'the rifleman') play a small part. Chances are you will recognize many of the other actors also. All-in-all it is a great 2-part episode of a truly great tv series. Watch and enjoy !

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