Ed Robertson
Author ● Journalist ● Radio Host ● Collaborative Writer
45 Years of The Rockford Files
This date in ROCKFORD FILES history: Rockford leads a field trip to a funeral in “Friends and Foul Play,” the fifth of the eight reunion movies that James Garner produced for CBS, airing Apr. 25, 1996. LEARN MORE in 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES, available in softcover paperback and now as an eBook through Black Pawn Press
- FRIENDS AND FOUL PLAY
Original Air Date: April 25, 1996
Synopsis. Rockford tries to help his friend Babs Honeywell, a waitress at the Sand Castle, prove that her son was killed by mobster Happy Cartello. When Babs herself is murdered, Jim goes through her diary, hoping to find clues that could link the two deaths. Rockford is on the verge of cracking the case when Chapman orders him banned from the investigation. But when Rockford learns that Chapman is teaching a course on criminology—and that the captain has incorporated the Honeywell case into the curriculum—he immediately enrolls in the class himself so that he can study the matter first hand.Friends and Foul Play features two actors who previously guest-starred on the original Rockford Files. Murray MacLeod appeared in the second-season episode “Where’s Houston?” while Marcia Strassman starred in the sixth-season two-parter “Only Rock ’n’ Roll Will Never Die.”
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.
This date in ROCKFORD FILES history: Rita Moreno and Hal Linden star in “If It Bleeds… It Leads,” the eighth and final Rockford reunion movie, airing Apr. 20, 1999. LEARN MORE in 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES, available in softcover paperback and now as an eBook through Black Pawn Press
- IF IT BLEEDS… IT LEADS
Original Air Date: April 20, 1999
Synopsis. Rita Capkovic (played by Rita Moreno) turns to Rockford one last time when her husband Ernie Lansdale (Hal Linden), a respected school teacher, is wrongfully suspected of being the West Side Rapist, the perpetrator of a series of brutal child molestations. When a police sketch of the rapist is leaked to the media, Ernie is immediately hounded by reporters because of his striking resemblance to the suspect depicted in the sketch. With Ernie’s reputation in tatters, Rockford’s only hope of restoring his friend’s good name is to find the real culprit. The Rockford Files ended its run on CBS with a surprisingly strong finish, earning the second-highest household rating (10.3) and share (16.0) among all network programs that aired on Apr. 20, 1999, the night it was originally broadcast. The movie drew 14,480,000 viewers, finishing a close second to the 14,540,000 viewers who tuned in to Dateline NBC. (Dateline that night devoted its entire hour to its coverage of the tragic shootings at Columbine High School in Denver, Colorado, which had occurred earlier that day.)If It Bleeds… also finished tied for fifteenth place in the overall Nielsens for the week. That marked the first time a Rockford reunion movie landed in the Top 20 since November 1994, when I Still Love L.A. placed fourth with a whopping 28 share.
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.
This date in ROCKFORD FILES history: Roger E. Mosley guest stars in “Dirty Money, Black Light,” airing Apr. 1, 1977. LEARN MORE about this episode in 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES, available in softcover paperback and now as an eBook through Black Pawn Press
- DIRTY MONEY, WHITE LIGHT
Original Air Date: April 1, 1977
Synopsis. Beth hires Jim to find a woman who allegedly could clear her client, pro football player Davey Woodhull, of first-degree murder charges. Meanwhile, just as Woodhull’s trial begins, Beth is harassed by crank phone calls, stalkings, and a series of sexually explicit gifts sent to her through the mail. When Woodhull’s mystery woman is murdered shortly after Rockford locates her, Jim suspects Woodhull of masterminding an insidious scheme that covers all bets in case he’s convicted—by showing that Beth was distracted, Woodhull could appeal on the basis that she could not render an effective defense. Rockford must prove that Woodhull orchestrated the harassment. The second of two episodes directed by Stuart Margolin, “Dirty Money, Black Light” features some very effective P.O.V. shots. For example, the sequence where Angel is being questioned by the two federal agents is shot from Angel’s perspective: the agents are filmed with the camera tilted slightly upward, as if the viewers are looking at the agents from where Angel is seated. Also, because Angel speaks quickly and acts very nervously throughout this scene, the camera frequently cuts back and forth from one agent to the other.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.
This date in ROCKFORD FILES history: Lindsay Wagner, Bill Mumy, Nita Talbot, and William Smith star in “The Rockford Files,” the 90-minute pilot for the classic TV series, airing Mar. 27, 1974. LEARN MORE in 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES, available in softcover paperback and now as an eBook through Black Pawn Press
JAMES GARNER
in
THE ROCKFORD FILES
An NBC World Premiere Movie
Original Air Date: March 27, 1974
Synopsis. Rockford reluctantly agrees to investigate the death of Harvey Butler, an elderly derelict whose body was found beneath the Santa Monica pier two months ago. (Although the police consider the case unsolvable, Butler was strangled to death by a man named Jerry Grimes, a karate expert with a mean streak.) Butler’s daughter Sara (played by Lindsay Wagner) thinks there’s a connection between her father’s death and socialite Mildred Elias (Nita Talbot), who has been putting Sara’s brother, Nick (Bill Mumy) through medical school. Although his initial investigation leads him nowhere, Rockford becomes curious when he discovers Grimes tailing him shortly after the private eye interrogates Mildred Elias.
The sequence in which Rockford literally upends Jerry Grimes (William Smith) not only demonstrates how Rockford will often use elemental means to work his way out of trouble, it also showcases the character’s droll sense of humor. It’s an important scene that encapsulates what The Rockford Files is all about. As is the case with many of the other staples of the series, the development of that sequence was the collaborative effort of Roy Huggins and Stephen J. Cannell.
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.
This date in ROCKFORD FILES history: Joseph Mascolo and Conchata Farrell star in “Crack Back,” airing Mar. 25, 1977. LEARN MORE about this episode in 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES, available in softcover paperback and now as an eBook through Black Pawn Press
- CRACK BACK
Original Air Date: March 25, 1977
Synopsis. Beth hires Jim to find a woman who allegedly could clear her client, pro football player Davey Woodhull, of first-degree murder charges. Meanwhile, just as Woodhull’s trial begins, Beth is harassed by crank phone calls, stalkings, and a series of sexually explicit gifts sent to her through the mail. When Woodhull’s mystery woman is murdered shortly after Rockford locates her, Jim suspects Woodhull of masterminding an insidious scheme that covers all bets in case he’s convicted—by showing that Beth was distracted, Woodhull could appeal on the basis that she could not render an effective defense. Rockford must prove that Woodhull orchestrated the harassment.We mentioned earlier that James Garner was an avid fan of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders. As a teenager, he played linebacker and punter for Norman High School in Norman, Oklahoma.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.
This date in ROCKFORD FILES history: Susan Strasberg stars in “A Bad Deal in the Valley,” airing Mar. 19, 1976. LEARN MORE about this episode in 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES, available in softcover paperback and now as an eBook through Black Pawn Press
- A BAD DEAL IN THE VALLEY
Original Air Date: March 19, 1976
Synopsis. Rockford dates Karen Stiles (played by Susan Strasberg), whose father Sam Stiles served time with him at San Quentin. Karen, a real estate agent, asks Rockford to deliver a suitcase containing escrow papers for a major property transaction—but doesn’t tell him that the suitcase actually contains $100,000 in phony money. Later, after Rockford’s release from jail, Karen is apparently abducted. But when Jim learns that Karen’s father was a premier plate artist, he deduces that Karen staged her abduction so that the authorities would not suspect her of the counterfeit money fiasco. After linking Karen’s real estate deal to a $500,000 jewel theft, Rockford tries to trip up Karen by recovering the jewels himself and collecting the finder’s fee.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.
This date in ROCKFORD FILES history: Louis Gossett Jr. stars in “Foul on the First Play,” airing Mar. 12, 1976. LEARN MORE about this episode in 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES, available in softcover paperback and now as an eBook through Black Pawn Press
- FOUL ON THE FIRST PLAY
Original Air Date: Mar. 12, 1976
Synopsis. Rockford learns that his conniving parole officer Marcus Hayes (played by Louis Gossett Jr.) has become a private investigator (after he was fired by the Parole Board). Marcus was hired by NBA Commissioner Bob Tremayne to find out which of the three prospective bidders of the Santa Monica expansion franchise has been using pressure tactics to influence the Commissioner’s decision on who will get the new team. To get a lead on the case, Marcus tricks Rockford into acting as a decoy—but when Jim catches on, he forces Hayes to surrender half of his $10,000 fee. When Tremayne is found dead on the night before the announcement of the final decision—and one of the bidders implicates Marcus—Rockford must clear Hayes of the charges.The cagey Marcus Hayes was tailored specifically for Emmy and Oscar winner Louis Gossett Jr. (Roots, An Officer and a Gentleman), who had previously co-starred with James Garner in the 1971 Western satire Skin Game.
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.
This date in ROCKFORD FILES history: “To Protect and Serve,” the two-parter that introduced George Loros as “Anthony Boy” Gaglio, airs on Mar. 11, 1977. LEARN MORE about this episode in 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES, available in softcover paperback and now as an eBook through Black Pawn Press
- TO PROTECT AND SERVE (Part 1)
Original Air Date: March 11, 1977
Synopsis. New York attorney Michael Kelly hires Rockford to locate his fiance Patsy Fossler, who apparently fled to Los Angeles after she abruptly canceled their wedding a few days earlier. After two thugs from the East Coast who are also looking for Patsy break into Rockford’s trailer and beat him up, Jim tries to quit the case. Kelly, however, not only refuses to let Rockford quit, but threatens to kill him if he can’t find Patsy within twenty-four hours. The matter becomes clearer to Rockford once he tracks down Patsy. Kelly represents New York crime lord Joseph Manett, who was recently acquitted of jury tampering charges. Because Kelly told Patsy about many of the Manett family dealings, Manett wants her silenced for his own protection. Rockford must therefore protect Patsy from both his client and Manett’s goons. Complicating the situation: Lianne Sweeney, a meddlesome “police buff” whose efforts to assist the investigation nearly get Rockford and Patsy killed. This episode marks George Loros’ first appearance as East Coast mobster “Anthony Boy” Gagglio, the character that David Chase has since said was a prototype for New Jersey mobster Tony Sopranos in The Sopranos (HBO, 1999-2007). Loros, who had a recurring role as Raymond Curto on The Sopranos, reprised Anthony Boy in the fifth-season episode “The Man Who Saw the Alligators.” Loros also played another tightly-wound bad guy in “The Dog and Pony Show,” as well as a good guy in “Only Rock ’n’ Roll Will Never Die.”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.
This date in ROCKFORD FILES history: “Roundabout,” the episode with perhaps the slowest chase in the history of television, airs on Mar. 7, 1975. LEARN MORE about this episode in 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES, available in softcover paperback and now as an eBook through Black Pawn Press
- ROUNDABOUT
Original Air Date: March 7, 1975
Synopsis. An insurance company hires Jim to deliver a $10,000 check to Nancy Wade, the sole beneficiary of her late mother’s policy. Rockford travels to Las Vegas, where Nancy works as a lounge singer. There, Jim discovers that Nancy’s manager, Tom Robertson, who has been using her money to fund business ventures owned and operated by the syndicate. After he is attacked and robbed of the check by some of Robertson’s men, Rockford schemes to turn the tables on the slick operator. Aiding him in the cause is Japanese electronics executive Kenneth Mamato, another victim of Robertson’s maneuvers. Filmed partly on location in Las Vegas, “Roundabout” features one of the slowest chases in the history of prime time television (and quite possibly, in all of film). In Act IV, Rockford is wired for sound when he meets Robertson outside Hoover Dam. As soon as Rockford says the code word (“Geronimo!”), FBI Agent Hanzer and the rest of the police are supposed to converge on the scene. But Robertson panics and dashes inside, forcing Rockford to chase him on foot throughout the entire Hoover Dam building and grounds.Because Rockford, unlike most private eyes, is a little out of shape, it doesn’t take long for him to become winded. However, Robertson is not in great condition, either—in fact, both men are gasping and chugging by the time Rockford finally catches up to Robertson and tags him (“I got you!”). As the two men both sit down and catch their breath, the camera pulls away, enabling the viewer to see that Rockford had chased Robertson to the bottom of the dam.
Lou Antonio, who directed this episode, took us behind the scenes of “Roundabout” in a 2018 interview on TV Confidential.
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.