- 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
Ed Robertson
Author ● Journalist ● Radio Host ● Collaborative Writer
Rockford Files The Sopranos
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
This Date in ROCKFORD FILES History: Larry Hagman, Ron Masak, and Denny Miller star in “Forced Retirement,” the episode that marked the first of Rockford’s four appearances as Jimmy Joe Meeker, airing Dec. 9, 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
- FORCED RETIREMENT
Original Air Date: December 9, 1977
Synopsis. Beth asks Jim to investigate the Minerva project, a highly speculative offshore drilling venture whose investors include Beth’s boss.“Forced Retirement” marks the first appearance of Jimmy Joe Meeker, the Oklahoma oilman who’s “smoother than oil on a blister.” Rockford adopts this alter-ego on three other occasions throughout the remainder of the series. As Gigi Garner notes her in her Foreword to 45 Years of The Rockford Files, much of her father’s innate wit “bled through in some of his Rockford funny bits where he played Jimmy Joe Meeker.”
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