- YOU CAN’T BEAT THE PERCENTAGE
Original Airdate: October 4, 1959
Synopsis. Bart arrives in the town of Arroyo after receiving a letter Myra (played by Karen Steele), a saloon girl whom he met long ago in Missouri. Myra tells Bart that she plans to buy the saloon from Dave Wendell (Gerald Mohr) and that she needs Bart as a business partner. Maverick soon realizes that Myra plans to implicate him in the murder of her husband, a cowboy who has followed her from their home in Texas, so that she will become free to marry Wendell.
Guest stars include Gerald Mohr, the first actor to play Doc Holliday on Maverick, and Karen Steele, who co-starred with Mike Connors in “Point Blank,” the episode that series creator Roy Huggins considered to be the pilot episode of Maverick.
Synopsis. Rockford’s old flame Janet Carr hires him to tail her philandering husband Prentiss. Rockford locates Prentiss at the Bay City Motel, but he finds the man dead—an apparent murder victim. Though Rockford reports the matter to the authorities, he does not tell them that he’s already investigated the scene of the crime (a fact that could implicate Jim and his client to Prentiss’ death). When Lieutenant Furlong and Sergeant Larsen of the Bay City Police report that Prentiss apparently committed suicide, Rockford accuses them of tampering with the evidence. After the cops throw him out of town, Rockford surreptitiously continues to probe. Soon he discovers a link between Prentiss’ death and an embezzlement scheme at the insurance company where Prentiss worked.This episode features character actors Warren Kemmerling and Mills Watson, both of whom were among the early considerations for the role of Dennis Becker in the Rockford Files pilot.
Synopsis. Rocky’s life becomes endangered after he inadvertently witnesses an illegal business transaction between his trucker friend Johnny LoSalvo and LoSalvo’s ruthless boss Hammel, who has plotted to hijack six of his own trucks as part of a master plan to steal an incoming cargo of valuable sable furs. Although Rocky has no idea what’s going on, Hammel wants the old man eliminated simply because Rocky can identify him. LoSalvo tries to save Rocky, but Hammel has him killed. Rockford protects his father from danger—while Rocky helps his son solve the case.
