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When I was a child my grandfather and I
bonded over several things: Clint Eastwood films, James Bond and The Rockford Files. Some of my fondest
memories I have of him are watching an episode of the latter whenever I would
stay at my grandparents’ house. My grandfather loved the show. Even though he
never verbalized it to me, I think he admired private investigator James Rockford
(James Garner) as a stand-up kind of guy with the ability to talk his way out
of almost any situation, often with a good sense of humor and played fair even
when those that conspired against him did not. He was an honest man in a profession
not known for it.
The show was created by producer Roy Huggins and writer Stephen J. Cannell, originally conceived of as being about a
private investigator who only took on closed cases. Huggins assigned Cannell to
write the script who then proceeded to tweak the clichés and conventions of the
genre. Garner signed on to the project and NBC agreed to finance the pilot
episode. The show ran the gamut of the crime genre as Rockford investigated
murders, blackmail, missing persons, finding stolen money and so on.
Rockford is an ex-convict (wrongly
convicted) turned private investigator who worked the Los Angeles area in his
gold-colored Pontiac Firebird with his base of operations a mobile home located
on the beach. He doesn’t even have a secretary – just an answering machine
(immortalized in the opening credits) to take his messages. His father, Joe “Rocky”
Rockford (Noah Beery) is a retired trucker who constantly gives his son grief
over his profession. Detective Dennis Becker (Joe Santos) delights in giving
him a hard time but helps out when he really needs it. Santos is an
underappreciated character actor who was the ideal foil for Rockford as the
street-smart cop. He is definitely set in the same mold as the frumpy Andy
Sipowicz that Dennis Franz would later make popular on NYPD Blue.
“The Girl in the Bay City Boy’s Club,” showcases
Rockford’s ability to recognize and deal with potential conflict as he sorts
out someone doing a poor job of tailing him while also stopping at a nearby
Jack in the Box for food. When it turns that the person following him is a
potential client (Blair Brown), he confronts her. This episode features an
early, memorable appearance by Evelyn “Angel” Martin (Stuart Margolin), a
lovable ex-con cum con man that occasionally helps out Rockford when he’s not
hitting him up for cash or getting him in trouble, much to his friend’s chagrin.
Like many shows, some of its most memorable
episodes feature appearances by notable guest stars. Case in point: Isaac Hayes in “The Hammer of C Block.” He plays Gandy Fitch, an ex-convict and Rockford’s
former cellmate. It seems that Fitch served 20 years for killing his wife but
claims that he didn’t do it.
Rockford owes him a favor and Gandy has
come to collect, asking him to find the real killer. Hayes brings a gruff
edginess to the role of a surly ex-con who keeps calling Jim, “Rockfish,” much
to his chagrin. Hayes brings an authentic, tough guy swagger that plays well
off of Garner’s laid-back nature.
Occasionally, Rockford would play hard
to get if he felt a case could be solved by the police unless the money was
right and the potential client made a compelling argument like in “The Real
Easy Red Dog,” when a woman (Stefanie Powers) is convinced that her sister’s
suicide is actually murder. Rockford would rather eat a sandwich he just
prepared and watch a football game but she finally wears him down. The woman
turns out to be a rival private investigator and her job offer is just a smoke
screen. This puts him at odds with Lieutenant Diel (Tom Atkins), a gruff police
officer with a thing for P.I.s, specifically Rockford. The playful banter
between Rockford and his female counterpart is a joy to listen to with Garner
and Powers looking like they’re having fun with it.
Garner brings a considerable amount of
charm and leading man good looks to his role. He has a snarky sense of humor
but knows when to play it serious when the situation warrants it. I like that
Rockford solves cases through good ol’ fashion legwork – searching for clues,
reading and questioning people and using his smarts to solve the case. The show
is set up so that we figure things out along with him. We’re rooting for
Rockford as we like him and that’s down to Garner’s amiable take on the private
investigator. It’s easy to root for him as he’s the perpetual underdog, often
at the mercy of dangerous and powerful crooks that have no qualms about hurting
or punishing him, but he keeps plugging away, using common sense, intuition and
his wits to survive.
The Rockford Files is also
a fascinating snapshot of Los Angeles in the mid 1970s: drive-in diners on the
beach, rotary style phones, big cars and so on. The show certainly wasn’t
groundbreaking, adhering to the tried and true crime/mystery format but doing
so in a very entertaining way with well-written scripts that are well-acted by
the reliable cast. Watching an episode of The
Rockford Files is the equivalent of reading a really good mystery novel,
albeit condensed into one hour. It was a prime time hit with a strong six-year
run, enjoying a cult following in the 1980s thanks to syndication and this led
to a series of made-for-television movies from 1994-1999.
For me, there is something reassuring
and almost comforting about watching The
Rockford Files. It is like revisiting an old friend. There is a lot of
enjoyment in watching Rockford’s noble pursuit of the truth over the course of
a given episode with Garner’s genial take on the private investigator guiding
us through his character’s various misadventures. Sometimes he won, sometime he
didn’t but it was always enjoyable to see what kind of case he was mixed up in.
