The Rockford Files

[marlboro]

Wow Garwood!! Thanks for that memory of James Garner and Mariette Hartley in the Polaroid commercials. I remember people thinking they were in a relationship in real life if not married. There was definitely chemistry in that commercial.

KingKC

[KingKC]

GREAT PIC!!!! Thanks Marlboro!!!!

KingKC

[Frodoleader]

I never watched Rockford during its initial run, but my wife did. It always amazed me when we would watch an episode on MeTV and she would point out what was about to happen on the show (Yes, my dear beloved wife is one of those people that have to talk/discuss while watching something on TV). I was always amazed at how well she remembered these episodes from the 70's.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Kind of off topic, but I'll ask anyway.
Does anyone else think that James Garner rarely had chemistry with his female romantic interests? I'm a dude, so I'm not the best judge of these things but there rarely seemed to be a "spark" there. I never really noticed it until I watched Maverick and realized that Jack Kelly was much more believable in the romantic scenes.
I feel the same way about a lot of the romantic scenes in Magnum with TM and his various love interests. Maybe it just takes more than 60 minutes to develop chemistry between two characters.

Hi Marlboro,
I think - in my humble opinion - it wasn't a case of lack of chemistry as much as it being deliberate. Rockford is a stone cynic, about everyone and everything. The justice system, the ultimate expression of Americanism and your rights as a citizen, falsely convicted Rockford and threw him in jail for years!
What could be more damaging to your faith in all "isms" or values or people.
As when his Korean War service is brought up he is usually disgusted by memories of waste and stupid behavior rather than focusing on his heroics or his buddies(just like Garner in real life).
His female clients on the show constantly betray him or dismiss his heroism on their behalf.
Almost all his romances also ended due to women letting him down, at least that's how Rockford recalls them when he runs into old flames.
The women in Maverick(and Rockford is nothing if not Son of Maverick) were portrayed the same way. There is another factor. Garner, like Robert Mitchum was a man's man type who was embarrassed by his "sex symbol" status and rolled his eyes at the idea that his character was scoring a new chick(like Linda Evans!) so often.
Just an aside, but I think Rockford was nuts when he turned down the romantic overtures of Linda Evan's bikini clad grifter character. It was 40 years ago but I vividly recall Evans in that white bikini.
You can have the Mona Lisa, I'd rather have a picture of that.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

removed by Dobie

[ConchRepublican]

Kind of off topic, but I'll ask anyway.
Does anyone else think that James Garner rarely had chemistry with his female romantic interests? I'm a dude, so I'm not the best judge of these things but there rarely seemed to be a "spark" there. I never really noticed it until I watched Maverick and realized that Jack Kelly was much more believable in the romantic scenes.
I feel the same way about a lot of the romantic scenes in Magnum with TM and his various love interests. Maybe it just takes more than 60 minutes to develop chemistry between two characters.

Hi Marlboro,
I think - in my humble opinion - it wasn't a case of lack of chemistry as much as it being deliberate. Rockford is a stone cynic, about everyone and everything. The justice system, the ultimate expression of Americanism and your rights as a citizen, falsely convicted Rockford and threw him in jail for years!
What could be more damaging to your faith in all "isms" or values or people.
As when his Korean War service is brought up he is usually disgusted by memories of waste and stupid behavior rather than focusing on his heroics or his buddies(just like Garner in real life).
His female clients on the show constantly betray him or dismiss his efforts on their behalf even when those efforts result in him being hurt.
Almost all his romances also ended due to women letting him down, at least that's how Rockford recalls them when he runs into old flames.
The women in Maverick(and Rockford is nothing if not Son of Maverick) were portrayed the same way. There is another factor. Garner, like Robert Mitchum was a man's man type who was embarrassed by his "sex symbol" status and rolled his eyes at the idea that his character was scoring a new chick(like Linda Evans!) so often.
Just an aside, but I think Rockford was nuts when he turned down the romantic overtures of Linda Evan's bikini clad grifter character. It was 40 years ago but I vividly recall Evans in that white bikini.
You can have the Mona Lisa, I'd rather have a picture of that.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Just an aside, but I think Rockford was nuts when he turned down the romantic overtures of Linda Evan's bikini clad grifter character. It was 40 years ago but I vividly recall Evans in that white bikini.
You can have the Mona Lisa, I'd rather have a picture of that.[/quote][/quote]

[/quote]

Conch,
The episode I believe was "The Farnsworth Stratagem", though Evans was in 2 or 3 Rockfords and I could be wrong, but I don't think so. I would gladly try to post Evans in her bathing suit shot but I have no idea how to do a screen grab much less put photos or links here. Frankly I am a Luddite.

[ConchRepublican]

Is this it?





A clearer pic can be found here:

http://fanpix.famousfix.com/gallery/lin ... /p30366941

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Is this it?




A clearer pic can be found here:

http://fanpix.famousfix.com/gallery/lin ... /p30366941

Conch,
You are a Great American like George Washington and Peter Lawford and you may have
my first born.
Yes that was the pic I had in mind. Thank you very much.
Dobie

Higgins: As you may have noticed, I've fired the groundskeeper. Until I can find a successor, I'd like you to assume some of the responsibilities.
Magnum: But Higgins, I don't know the first thing about gardening!
Higgins: I assure you, the kind of work I had in mind requires no intelligence what so ever.
Magnum: Like what?
Higgins: Like distributing 1500 lbs. of recycled vegetation that was delivered this morning.
Magnum: Recycled vegetation!? What do you mean 'recycled vegetation'? Recycled how?
Higgins: [smiles] Through a cow.

[ConchRepublican]

Glad to be of assistance!

[Little Garwood]

I recently got S1 of The Rockford Files, and seeing the first disc got me in a big Rockford mood. It also got me ruminating over episodes that I've never cared for (none on S1, however).

There really isn't any "bad" Rockford, though there are a small handful of episodes that I like less than the rest. Still, there are no true stinkeroo episodes and that is testament to the show's high quality. Anyway, for discussion's sake, here are a few episodes that don't stack up to the rest of the series:

I will admit that it was a struggle for me to get through S6's "Love is the Word." Overly serious sometimes works for this show, like "The Hammer of C Block", from S2 which is magnificent, and "So Help Me God", which is chillingly prescient. However, "Love is the Word" is just too sombre and too much of a departure in that the story and tone of the episode falls flat for me. Don't care for "Black Mirror", either; must be the Kathryn Harrold character I don't like.

I used to dislike "The Return of the Black Shadow" simply because it was the first episode of The Rockford Files I had seen in nearly twenty years, and there's just not enough of ol' Jimbo in it for my liking. That and the brutal-for-TV-back-then sexual assault of Coop's virginal sister. However, I've since warmed to the Coop character and actually appreciate the episode for its strengths rather than focus on Jim's lack of screen time.

Meanwhile, I'm not sure I'll ever warm up to back-door pilot "Heartches of a Fool" and its showcasing of the 1970s Country music-CB radio fad.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

[quote="Little Garwood"]I recently got S1 of The Rockford Files, and seeing the first disc got me in a big Rockford mood. It also got me ruminating over episodes that I've never cared for (none on S1, however).

There really isn't any "bad" Rockford, though there are a small handful of episodes that I like less than the rest. Still, there are no true stinkeroo episodes and that is testament to the show's high quality.

Hi Garwood,
I agree with you, except for one episode. That would be the two part "This Case is Closed" with the great Joseph Cotton. There is a nice episode hidden here amongst the dreck, some good scenes but good lord the needless and endless car chases and plain filler. The director must have been some studio hack with no idea how to edit.
Maybe it's just me. After I read all of Hemingway's works save one I couldn't enjoy Dickens big novels anymore.
Hemingway would pare a chapter down to one page, and if he could pare that down to a sentence all the better. No fat in his writings as compared to Dickens who purposely bloated his big novels.
Dickens was a genius who created characters that have stood the test of time, but he padded his novels outrageously in order to serialize his work around the world, a chapter at a time, for big bucks.
Anyway, I guess if you have "This Case is Closed" on DVD you could fast forward past the lame parts. There is a gem of a scene where Cotton's powerful wealthy man character tries to intimidate Rockford and Rockford gives it right back, explaining that as his own boss he doesn't have to take that sort of guff. It's one of my favorites out of the whole series.
Keep up the good work Garwood, it's obvious you have a deep knowledge of tv history.

[Little Garwood]

Keep up the good work Garwood, it's obvious you have a deep knowledge of tv history.

That's most kind. Thank you.

It's nice to know that I'm not always just "posting to myself." Glad that someone reads this stuff, let alone comments on it. It's especially appreciative in that we don't really have many regular posters on here, so one gets familiar with who's ignoring you and who's reading you!

As for "This Case is Closed", that episode is next on my Friday Rockford viewing schedule. It's not an episode I'm familiar with without seeing first; I'll let you know how it goes...

[marlboro]

Controversial opinion: I actually prefer the version of Rocky seen in the pilot episode "Backlash of the Hunter." He was sneaky and conniving which I thought made sense considering how Jim and Aaron Ironwood turned out. The Noah Beery Jr. version was too much of an old mother hen for me.

[Little Garwood]

Hi Garwood,
I agree with you, except for one episode. That would be the two part "This Case is Closed" with the great Joseph Cotton. There is a nice episode hidden here amongst the dreck, some good scenes but good lord the needless and endless car chases and plain filler. The director must have been some studio hack with no idea how to edit.

Anyway, I guess if you have "This Case is Closed" on DVD you could fast forward past the lame parts. There is a gem of a scene where Cotton's powerful wealthy man character tries to intimidate Rockford and Rockford gives it right back, explaining that as his own boss he doesn't have to take that sort of guff. It's one of my favorites out of the whole series.

Just watched this last night. I rate it a 6/10. I don't share your dislike of the episode and I maintain that "Love is the Word" is probably the series' low point, relatively speaking.

I enjoyed the Cotten-Garner scenes--Cotten does have a rather interesting accent--and Beery was his usual charmingly good-natured self. His "Greatest Generation"-era mentality makes for a fine counterpoint to Jim's ex-con, post-Watergate cynicism, which is why I must respectfully disagree with our friend marlboro about "Pilot Rocky" being a better fit than our cherished Beery Rocky. The running gag about the ashtray is pretty funny!

The one bit I didn't get was when Rockford was driven out to almost the middle of nowhere and just...dropped off. What was the purpose of that scene, other than to sort of set up the amusing bit with the cabbie and Rocky? Sharon Gless could have been better used; all she does is watch Rockford down a hot-sauce-covered taco (served by future Officer Billings and Garner crony Luis Delgado).

Enjoyed the nighttime car chase through old L.A. and its atrocious streets; they're all cracked and crumbling. It all adds to the unique atmosphere that makes TRF so great to me. Most shows rely on the Universal Lot, whereas TRF actually "takes it to the streets." The fact they actual film at night is another plus, as it is with most Universal shows.