- THE BATTLE-AX AND THE EXPLODING CIGAR
Original Air Date: January 12, 1979
Synopsis. Down and out after a brutal gambling trip to Las Vegas, Rockford bums a ride back to L.A. from a man named Petrankus in exchange for doing most of the driving. But Jim’s troubles only multiply: the Vegas police arrest Rockford and Petrankus on auto theft charges, then search the car and discover a horde of stolen weapons inside the trunk. The matter worsens in Los Angeles when Rockford discovers that not only has the FBI released Petrankus, apparently no record of Petrankus’ arrest even exists. After he manages to post bail, Rockford sets out to clear himself—and eventually stumbles onto a bizarre government conspiracy to sell defective weapons to third world nations.
LEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES, featuring more than sixty new pages of never before published information about both the original Rockford Files and the CBS reunion movies, including twenty new interviews and six new appendices. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES will be donated to The James Garner Animal Rescue Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help rescue organizations, shelters, individuals, fosters, and veterans with emergencies, evacuations, medical care, adoptions, training, pet supplies, shelter, rehabilitation, boarding, transportation, food, and other pressing needs. JGARF is one way for Garner fans to honor Jim’s memory and extend his legacy. Plus… if you order 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES directly from Black Pawn Press, you will receive an exclusive bonus gift. Go to Rockford45.com for more details.