Original Broadcast: September 13, 1974 - July 25, 1980.
Original Timeslot: Friday at 9 pm.
Original Network: NBC.
Number of Episodes: 114.
Cast:
Jim Rockford - James Garner
Joseph "Rocky" Rockford - Noah Beery, Jr.
Det. Dennis Becker - Joe Santos
Beth Davenport (1974-1978) - Gretchen Corbett
Angel Martin - Stuart Margolin
John Cooper (1978-1979) - Bo Hopkins
Lt. Alex Diehl (1974-1976) - Tom Atkins
Lt. Doug Chapman (1976-1980) - James Luisi
What's the Story?
Fresh from a stint in jail for a crime he did not commit, Jim Rockford made it his life's work to solve cases that were considered closed by the LAPD. A private investigator without an office, Rockford was impossible
to track down. The only place he could be contacted was at his home (a trailer by the beach), although he was never there. At the beginning of each show viewers would hear his phone ring and an answering machine pick up (a luxury item back in the '70s). A new message would be heard each week. If he returned your call and agreed to take your case, you would have to shell out a whopping $200 a day plus expenses. Why was this overpriced detective so busy? Because Rockford was the best. Rockford ignored all barriers, legal or otherwise. He would bribe witnesses, impersonate people and even sacrifice his body (usually receiving a pounding by a thug) to help a client. He had all bases covered. If he needed help from the police department, he could rely on Det. Dennis Becker. If it was a shadier contact that Rockford required, he could call his old cell mate, Angel; or perhaps disbarred lawyer John Cooper to gain access to old legal cases. For "off the record" information, he could smooth-talk a source with ease. (Women with information were naturally charmed by this sexy, middle-aged detective.) His past may have been suspect, his ethics questionable and his methods borderline illegal, but Rockford always solved his cases.
Did You Know?
- In 1975, The Rockford Files theme reached #10 on the music charts.
- In 1980, James Garner decided to call it quits because of physical ailments incurred while shooting some of his own stunts.
- In 1979, Tom Selleck's role as rival P.I. Lance White paved the way for his own series, Magnum P.I., a year later.
- Rockford was created by Roy Huggins, who also created Garner's other series Maverick.
- After Rockford ended, Garner sued the show's parent company Universal for money owed. Despite his bitter legal battle Garner agreed in 1994 to work with Universal again for a series of Rockford reunion movies on condition that he was paid in advance. (The movies include: I Still Love L.A., A Blessing in Disguise, If the Frame Fits, Godfather Knows Best, Friends and Foul Play, Crime and Punishment and Murders and Misdemeanors.)
Mike Post & Pete Carpenter