- A DEADLY MAZE
Original Air Date: December 23, 1977
Synopsis. Facing a serious cash flow stoppage, Rockford agrees to find a man’s missing wife—a case he’d normally decline. Jim doesn’t realize that his client, Eric Von Albach (played by Larry Linville), is a behavioral scientist who is using him as a guinea pig in a government-funded study to determine how monetary reinforcement influences certain people’s ability to complete their work under stress. The “missing wife” case was part of the charade Von Albach concocted to measure Rockford’s reactions. The experiment hits a snag, however, when the woman Von Albach hired to play his wife ends up dead.
Larry Linville was an inspired choice to play the cold, calculating, eccentric, and ever scientific Professor Von Albach. At the time of this episode, Linville had just completed his five-year stint as Major Frank Burns on M*A*S*H.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
James Garner
This Date in MAVERICK TV History: Marj Dusay, Keye Luke, and Anthony Eisley star in “The Yellow Rose,” an episode of BRET MAVERICK, airing Dec. 22, 1981. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press
- THE YELLOW ROSE
Original Airdate: December 22, 1981
Synopsis. Maverick wins a Chinese girl in a poker game, but when he decides to free her, the girl doesn’t want to leave.
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: Ned Beatty stars in “Profit,” Part 1 of the two-part episode “Profit and Loss,” airing Dec. 20, 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
- PROFIT AND LOSS (Part 1: PROFIT)
Original Air Date: December 20, 1974
Synopsis. Computer programmer Alec Morris comes to Rockford for protection upon discovering that his employer, the powerful corporation Fiscal Dynamics, Inc., has been forging information on its annual report to carry off plans to purchase another corporate giant. Rockford witnesses two men abduct Morris—but after reporting the matter to the police, Jim not only finds Morris safe and sound, but faces a false report charge when Morris denies that anything ever happened. In addition, CEO Leon Fielder (played by Ned Beatty) threatens to sue Rockford for $10 million unless he stays out of FDI’s affairs. Noted character actor Ned Beatty (Deliverance, Network) makes the first of his two appearances on The Rockford Files. Beatty, who also played a former Army commander of Rockford’s in the third season episode “Return to the 38th Parallel,” later starred with James Garner in Streets of Laredo, the 1995 miniseries based on the novel by Larry McMurtry.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: William Reynolds stars in “A Cure for Johnny Rain,” airing Dec. 20, 1959. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press
- A CURE FOR JOHNNY RAIN
Original Airdate: December 20, 1959
Synopsis. Johnny Rain (played by William Reynolds) is a hero to the townspeople of Apocalypse—the type of man who saves children from runaway horses, mends broken legs, and rides thirty miles through a blizzard to get a doctor for an ailing old woman. He’s also responsible for a series of stagecoach robberies totaling $45,000 (including $5,000 from Bret). Johnny, however, is a heavy drinker who suffers blackouts—he only robs while he’s drunk and has no recollection of what he’s done once he sobers up. Hoping to recover the stolen money (and collect a 25-percent reward for himself), Maverick prescribes a “cure-all” tonic—80 percent of which is alcohol!—so that Johnny can lead him to the money.
William Reynolds, whom we last saw in the second season’s “Holiday at Hollow Rock,” made his film debut as Laurence Olivier’s son in Sister Carrie. Earlier in 1959, he starred as a jazz concert player who doubled as an amateur detective in Pete Kelly’s Blues, a short-lived series produced by Jack Webb (and based on Webb’s 1955 film of the same name). In the 196os, he co-starred in series with two Maverick alumni: he played opposite Diane Brewster in The Islanders, then later joined Efrem Zimbalist Jr. on The F.B.I.
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: Blair Brown stars as “The Girl in the Bay City Boys Club,” airing Dec. 19, 1975. This was the only episode (or, for that matter, the only film of any kind) directed by James Garner. 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 GIRL IN THE BAY CITY BOYS CLUB
Original Air Date: December 19, 1975
Synopsis. A man named Phelps hires Rockford to determine if the weekly Thursday night poker game held at the Bay City Boys Club is fixed. Rockford doesn’t realize that his client is Burton Kimball, a prominent deputy district attorney heavily in debt to racketeer George Welles, who founded the club as a front to his operation. Kimball, who has been blackmailed by Welles into fixing cases, needs evidence against Welles to escape his grasp. When Kimball is later found dead, Jim deduces that the D.A. was close to obtaining the proof he needed. With the help of fellow investigator Kate Doyle, Rockford tries to put Welles and the Bay City Boys Club out of business by determining how the game was rigged.“The Girl in the Bay City City Boys Club” marked the directorial debut of James Garner. The episode asked a great deal of the actor (particularly when it came to staging the complicated foot chase near the end of the episode), and he acquitted himself well. Nevertheless, Garner chose not to direct again.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: Arthur Shields and Arch Johnson star in “The Bold Fenian Men,” airing Dec. 18, 1960. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press
- THE BOLD FENIAN MEN
Original Airdate: December 18, 1960
Synopsis. The Irish Revolutionary Brotherhood, also known as the Fenians, are trained soldiers sworn to free Ireland from British rule. The Fenians have gathered in Dakota City (under the banner of the First Annual Convention of the Sons of the Shamrock Chowder and Marching Society) to plan a march into Canada—they want to hold a small part of that British property hostage in exchange for Ireland’s freedom. After England pressures the United States to intervene, a shrewd Army colonel “blackmails” Beau Maverick into infiltrating the Fenians’ ranks.
The Fenians really existed. “They came to the United States at the time of the Civil War,” Maverick producer Coles Trapnell said in an interview for Maverick: Legend of the West. “They fought on both sides—some for the Confederacy, some for the Union. After the war, they drifted up to the Northeast United States, and hatched their plot to take over Canada. The U.S. Secret Service nipped it in the bud, arrested all the Fenians, and deported them back to Ireland.”
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: Michael Lerner, Jack Bannon, and Simon Scott star in “Piece Work,” airing Dec. 17, 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
- PIECE WORK
Original Air Date: December 17, 1976
Synopsis. Hired by an insurance company to investigate a suspicious accident at the Brent Air Health Club, Rockford stumbles onto a gun-running operation masterminded by club owner Ciro Lucas. Although arrested by federal agents (and, later, hassled by Lieutenant Chapman), Rockford finds his biggest threat is Murray Rosner, an incredibly paranoid informant who has been working with the FBI on the Lucas operation for more than eight months. Rosner thinks Jim is an undercover agent hired by the feds to avoid paying him for information.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: “The Queen of Peru,” Gretchen Corbett’s final appearance as Beth Davenport, airs on Dec. 16, 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
- THE QUEEN OF PERU
Original Air Date: December 16, 1977
Synopsis. An insurance company hires Rockford to assist in the recovery of a stolen diamond worth more than a million dollars.“The Queen of Peru” marks Gretchen Corbett’s final appearance as Beth Davenport. We discuss the circumstances surrounding her departure from Rockford in our overview of the fifth 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
This Date in MAVERICK TV History: “Anything for a Friend,” an episode of BRET MAVERICK, airs on Dec. 15, 1981. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press
- ANYTHING FOR A FRIEND
Original Airdate: December 15, 1981
Synopsis. Bret and Tom protect a wounded Billy the Kid from bounty hunters by hiding the outlaw at The Lazy Ace.
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: “Just a Coupla Guys,” an episode that David Chase reportedly revisited when he began to develop The Sopranos, airs on Dec. 14, 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
- JUST A COUPLA GUYS
Original Air Date: December 14, 1979
Synopsis. Renee Lombard flies Rockford to Newark, New Jersey to help her father Joe, a prominent member of the Catholic Church (and, unbeknownst to Rockford, a former mobster). Tony Martine, the lord of New Jersey crime, wants Joe to convince the Archdiocese to reverse its decision barring Martine’s late brother Vincent from receiving a full Catholic burial. The Church will not allow Vincent, an unrepentant murderer, to be buried on consecrated grounds.Originally designed as a pilot for a possible spin-off series called The Jersey Bounce, “Just a Coupla Guys” later provided the foundation for a far more successful venture. According to an interview with David Chase that was published in 2004, the origins of The Sopranos are partly rooted in this episode.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