Thursday, January 05, 2006

"The Rockford Files" The Perfect Tool Update

Why did we enjoy TV's The Rockford Files (1974-1980) so much? Probably because ace Stephen J. Cannell wrote it, James Garner starred in it, and it was an intriguing premise for its audience - a blemished detective who does it right and still manages to get it wrong. Rockford Files became Garner's second major television hit, with Noah Beery Jr. and Stuart Margolin. In 1977 he won an Emmmy for his portrayal.

True to Garner's TV character, however, a combination of injuries and "creative bookkeeping" by Universal Pictures denied him a proportional share of the huge profits the show generated. Garner became disillusioned and the show ended prematurely in 1980.

Jim Rockford was a con man who printed business cards of the moment right in his car. When I saw this product featured seriously at Book of Joe and WebMD, it took little time to recall how useful it would have been to Jim Rockford: Liquid Trust.

Do you remember your favorite episode? My all-time favorite was the one I also considered the funniest. It involved the ATF, the CIA and the FBI: THE BATTLE-AX AND THE EXPLODING CIGAR.

1 Comments:

At 09 January, 2006 08:41, Blogger John deVille said...

Ahhh. Rockford. Or Rockfish as Issac Hayes called him in one episode. My favorite. The wife just bought me the first season. I agree -- the writing was outstanding, and Garner was eminently likable surrounded by great character actors.

 

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