- THE BATTLE-AX AND THE EXPLODING CIGAR
Original Air Date: January 12, 1979
Synopsis. Down and out after a brutal gambling trip to Las Vegas, Rockford bums a ride back to L.A. from a man named Petrankus in exchange for doing most of the driving. But Jim’s troubles only multiply: the Vegas police arrest Rockford and Petrankus on auto theft charges, then search the car and discover a horde of stolen weapons inside the trunk. The matter worsens in Los Angeles when Rockford discovers that not only has the FBI released Petrankus, apparently no record of Petrankus’ arrest even exists. After he manages to post bail, Rockford sets out to clear himself—and eventually stumbles onto a bizarre government conspiracy to sell defective weapons to third world nations.
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
Shady Deal at Sunny Acres
This Date in ROCKFORD FILES History: “Deadlock in Parma,” the final episode of the NBC Rockford Files series, airs on Jan. 10, 1980. 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
- DEADLOCK IN PARMA
Original Air Date: January 10, 1980
Synopsis. Jim vacations in nearby Parma with his friend John Traynor, a member of the city council who is about to vote on an initiative that would legalize gambling in Parma, as well as allow for the development of a natural wilderness area into a vast hotel and casino complex. Traynor, who must cast the deciding vote on the issue, feigns illness, then cons Rockford into acting as his proxy. What Rockford doesn’t realize: Traynor sold himself out to both the land developers (who have gangland ties) and the town mayor (who was bought off by a Las Vegas corporation that wants the measure defeated in order to stifle any competition). The matter becomes even uglier when Rockford discovers Traynor dead in the woods. “Deadlock in Parma” was not only the last original episode of Rockford to air on NBC, but the last to be filmed.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: Joan Van Ark, Howard Duff, John Dehner, Steve Landesberg, and Jack Riley star in “There’s One in Every Port,” airing Jan. 7, 1977. This was the second of three Rockfords that borrowed the premise of the classic Maverick episode “Shady Deal at Sunny Acres.” 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
- THERE’S ONE IN EVERY PORT
Original Air Date: January 7, 1975
Synopsis. Another con artist acquaintance plays Rockford for a chump. Jim is told that Eddie Marks could die of a kidney disorder unless he’s treated with a $50,000 dialysis machine. But Eddie has only $10,000, and he doesn’t qualify for welfare because of his prison record. Eddie’s daughter Christina begs Rockford to raise the money by playing in a high-stakes poker game, using her father’s money as a stake. Rockford gets into a game run by racketeer Blast Gillette. When three gunmen interrupt the game (and steal the $200,000 kitty), Blast suspects Rockford of orchestrating the robbery and threatens to kill him. When Jim realizes that Eddie and Christina set up the heist, he counters with an elaborate scheme designed to recover the money—and sting Eddie.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.