- SO HELP ME GOD
Original Air Date: November 19, 1976
James Garner as Jim Rockford in “So Help Me God”
Synopsis. Rockford sees the judicial system at its worst when he is subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury investigating the alleged kidnapping of union official Frank Sorvino.“So Help Me God” held a special place in James Garner’s heart on two counts. Not only was the show among his personal favorites, it was the episode for which he won the Emmy for Best Dramatic Actor for the 1976-1977 season.
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
Ed Robertson
Author ● Journalist ● Radio Host ● Collaborative Writer
Roy Huggins
This Date in ROCKFORD FILES History: “Irving the Explainer,” the homage to old Hollywood that also marked James Coburn’s only effort as a director, airs on Nov. 18, 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
- IRVING THE EXPLAINER
Original Air Date: November 18, 1977
Synopsis. A woman who is apparently writing a biography of controversial film director Alvah Korper hires Rockford to help her research the book. Rockford doesn’t realize that his client is Korper’s daughter Katarina, who hopes that the private investigator will lead her to a priceless painting by seventeenth-century artist Antoine Watteau that Alvah Korper allegedly purchased and hid during the 1940s. Rockford soon finds himself thrust into a convoluted mess involving French police officers and German spies (both of whom also want to find the painting) and the long-unsolved murder of Korper’s wife, which may hold the key to the entire puzzle.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 MAVERICK TV History: Efrem Zimbalist Jr. makes his first appearance as Dandy Jim Buckley in “Stampede,” airing Nov. 17, 1957. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press
- STAMPEDE!
Original Airdate: November 17, 1957
Synopsis. Bret teams with Dandy Jim Buckley to settle the score with Tony Cadiz, a cadaverous gambler who took the both of them for $12,000 (and left Bret for dead). Cadiz is traveling to the South Dakota mining town of Deadwood, where he plans to make a fortune by showcasing Battling Kreuger, the bare-fisted pugilist whom he manages. Cadiz offers to pay 2-to-1 odds to any man who can last ten rounds with “the Battler.” After staking themselves to $4,000 (their reward for recovering two bags of gold stolen from the Wells Fargo Bank), Bret and Jim meet Noah Perkins, a giant of a man who seems the perfect opponent for Battling Kreuger. Bret and Jim set up a high-stakes showdown between Noah and Kreuger. When Noah bows out at the last minute, however, Maverick must take his place.
Roy Huggins originally intended Dandy Jim Buckley as a one-shot character, but he ended up bringing him back four more times because he so thoroughly enjoyed what Efrem Zimbalist Jr. brought to his portrayal. Zimbalist, for his part, considered working with James Garner to be among the highlights of his career.
LEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West, featuring more than 100 pages of new information about the show that made James Garner a star. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of the third edition 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. The revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West is available through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.
This Date in ROCKFORD FILES History: Hector Elizondo stars in “A Good Clean Bust with Sequel Rights,” airing Nov. 17, 1978. 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 GOOD CLEAN BUST WITH SEQUEL RIGHTS
Original Air Date: November 17, 1978
Synopsis. Jim becomes a temporary “babysitter” for Frank Falcone (played by Hector Elizondo), a superstar cop from Chicago whose legendary exploits have spawned a best seller, a major motion picture, a popular network TV series, and a new line of toys. While protecting the rambunctious celebrity, Rockford learns that Falcone may be the target of a contract killer. According to the writer of this episode, Rudolph Borchert, the Hector Elizondo character in “A Good Clean Bust” was loosely based on David Toma, the New Jersey undercover detective whose exploits provided the basis for both the Toma and Baretta series. There is, of course, a direct line between Toma and the creation of The Rockford Files.
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 MAVERICK TV History: Bethel Leslie stars in “The Thirty-Ninth Star,” airing Nov. 16, 1958. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press
- THE THIRTY-NINTH STAR
Original Airdate: November 16, 1958
Synopsis. Bart celebrates the Fourth of July in a western territory that hopes to qualify for statehood.
More often than not, any script during the Roy Huggins era that featured just one Maverick was doled out to whichever actor was available, be that James Garner or Jack Kelly (although, as a rule, Huggins had always his scripts written with Garner in mind). According to series writer Marion Hargrove, however, “The Thirty-Ninth Star” was one of the few Huggins shows that was specifically written as a vehicle for Jack Kelly.
The episode also features one of the most famous Pappyisms of all: “Work is fine for killing time, but it’s a shaky way to make a living.”
LEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West, featuring more than 100 pages of new information about the show that made James Garner a star. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of the third edition 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. The revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West is available through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.
This Date in ROCKFORD FILES History: Tom Selleck, Larry Manetti, James Whitmore Jr., and Simon Oakland star in “Nice Guys Finish Dead,” airing Nov. 16, 1979. 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
- NICE GUYS FINISH DEAD
Original Air Date: November 16, 1979
Synopsis. The United Association of Licensed Investigators honors Rockford with the coveted Goodhue Award for his work in a case that set precedent in the field of accident insurance. But the ceremony is cut short when the keynote speaker—a state senator whose legislation banning the use of surveillance devices could adversely affect the P.I. industry if passed—is found dead in the men’s bathroom. When Fred Beamer, who discovered the body, panics and runs away, he becomes the leading suspect. Rockford tries to clear Beamer while also contending with his nemesis Lance White.
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: Lee Purcell, Linda Kelsey, and Tim O’Connor star in “The Dexter Crisis,” airing Nov. 15, 1974. 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
- THE DEXTER CRISIS
Original Air Date: November 15, 1974
Synopsis. Wealthy entrepreneur Charles Dexter (played by Tim O’Connor) hires Rockford to locate his mistress, Susan Parsons (Lee Purcell), but doesn’t disclose his true motives until much later (Susan ran off with over $250,000 of Dexter’s money). Rockford joins forces with Susan’s roommate, law student Louise Adams (Linda Kelsey), who thinks there’s a connection between Susan’s disappearance and the driver of a car that had been following Susan for several days.Because Jim Rockford is essentially Bret Maverick in modern dress, it seems only fitting that he is as much an expert games of chance as his TV Western ancestor. Rockford displays his knowledge of how to play roulette in a scene with Susan Parsons (guest star Lee Purcell).
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 MAVERICK TV History: Edgar Buchanan, Nita Talbot and Pippa Scott star in “Easy Mark,” airing on Nov. 15, 1959. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press
- EASY MARK
Original Airdate: November 15, 1959
Synopsis. Outside the desert of Santa Fe, Bart encounters Cornelius Van Rensselear Jr., a Harvard graduate and the son of a railroad magnate. Corny takes Bart for more than $1,000 in poker, but offers him double his money back if Bart agrees to impersonate him for a few days. Corny is traveling to his father’s company in St. Louis for an important shareholders meeting (his father faces the danger of being bought out by a rival named Hardiman), but he also needs to complete a paper on cacti that he must deliver to a horticultural society. Maverick takes the job—and immediately finds himself the target of henchmen dispatched by Hardiman to derail Corny.
LEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West, featuring more than 100 pages of new information about the show that made James Garner a star. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of the third edition 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. The revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West is available through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.
This Date in ROCKFORD FILES History: “Coulter City Wildcat” airs on Nov. 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
- COULTER CITY WILDCAT
Original Air Date: November 12, 1976
Synopsis. Rocky wins a parcel of land in Kern County in a public auction sponsored by the federal government. Two men pistol-whip Rocky into signing away all oil and mineral rights to the property, even though he’d sold back the land for $2,000 two weeks before. A curious Rockford intervenes. Together with his father, Jim discovers that Rocky’s parcel is worth a fortune in oil, and that the auction was part of a plan to cheat the government out of a valuable oil lease.
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 MAVERICK TV History: Maverick pokes fun of Bonanza in “Three Queens Full,” airing Nov. 12, 1961. Guest stars include Jim Backus, Merry Anders, Kasey Rogers and Allyson Ames. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press
- THREE QUEENS FULL
Original Airdate: November 12, 1961
Synopsis. In this loose parody of the popular Western series Bonanza, wealthy rancher Joe Wheelwright (played by Jim Backus) hires Maverick to chaperone the three brides he purchased for his sons Henry, Moose, and Small Paul. Bart soon discovers that the women are linked to Wheelwright’s rival Brazo, who hopes to use the women to buy his way into the family fortune.