- 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.
Ed Robertson
Author ● Journalist ● Radio Host ● Collaborative Writer
Neva Patterson
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.
This date in ROCKFORD FILES history: Dennis Dugan, Harold Gould, Kim Hunter, and Robert Webber star in “Never Send a Boy King to Do a Man’s Job,” airing Mar. 3, 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
- NEVER SEND A BOY KING TO DO A MAN’S JOB
Original Air Date: March 3, 1979
Synopsis. Ruthless sports promoter Harold “Jack” Coombs (played by Robert Webber) strongarms Richie Brockelman’s father (Harold Gould) into selling the family printing plant, which he plans to turn into a race track. Coombs not only bought the family business for a fraction of its worth, but soundly humiliated the elder Brockelman in the process—first by buying off the City Council and City Zoning Commission, then by bribing Brockelman’s lawyer, and finally by having the old man brutally beaten. An angry Richie implores Rockford to intercede. Like “There’s One in Every Port,” “Never Send a Boy King to Do a Man’s Job” borrows from the classic Maverick episode “Shady Deal at Sunny Acres” in that Rockford hires several expert grifters as part of an elaborate sting operation designed to upend the unscrupulous Harold Jack Coombs. The expanded two-hour length provides viewers with a glimpse at some of the preparation that goes into running such a con (including a sequence that finds Rockford holding a “casting call” for some of the grifters), which adds a sense of realism to the proceedings.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: Neva Patterson stars in “Just by Accident,” airing Feb. 28, 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
- JUST BY ACCIDENT
Original Air Date: February 28, 1975
Synopsis. Demolition derby driver Billy Jo Hartman’s plans to retire from the field and move onto dirt racing are cut short when his car is pushed off a cliff by a man named Duane Bailey. Although the police classify the death as accidental, Billy Jo’s mother Louise (played by Neva Patterson) hires Rockford to investigate.Guest star Neva Patterson previously co-starred with James Garner and Stuart Margolin in Nichols.
“Just by Accident” was the last episode filmed for the first season. That, in turn, makes it the last episode of Rockford Files produced by Roy Huggins. We discuss the matter of Huggins’ departure from the series in our review of the second 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: “The Mayflower Women’s Historical Society,” an episode of BRET MAVERICK that reunited James Garner with NICHOLS co-star Neva Patterson, aired on Feb. 2, 1982
THE MAYFLOWER WOMEN’S HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Original Airdate: February 2, 1982
Synopsis. A research librarian for a historical society coerces Maverick into signing a contract that grants her organization exclusive rights to produce goods that bear our hero’s likeness.
The third of three attempts to revive Maverick in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Bret Maverick (NBC, 1981-1982) saw James Garner reprise the role that originally made him a star. This episode features Neva Patterson, Garner’s co-star in Nichols (NBC, 1971-1972), the short-lived turn-of-the-nineteenth-century Western that Garner also produced for Warner Bros. Television.