The Rockford Files

What the hell kind of a detective is this? The guy's not strong jawed, self-righteous and brave, and he seldom even carries a gun, much less shoots anyone. Since he consistently gets stiffed by his clients, he has to live hand to mouth in a cheesy trailer in a parking lot. (The trailer, incidently, is only crummy on the outside. Inside, it's comfortable, well furnished and clean, much like Rockford's character.)

Even the cops in this excellent series are presented as human, not as cardboard heroes. They've got the same pecking order problems at work that most of us have. In fact, ALL of the characters in this series seem to have some depth.

One of the most amazing things about the show's plots is that they hardly ever had to be resolved by gunfire because the writers were too lazy to come up with anything else.

Jim Garner's charm was a big part of the show's success, but it was the superb writing that made "The Rockford Files" so consistently entertaining. Many of the stories would have made first rate movies, particularly some of the two parters.

I'll never forget Angel begging Rockford for help after getting himself thoroughly enmeshed with the mob through his own stupidity and greed. Rockford chews him out, explains exactly why he ought to let him go right down the drain, and challenges him to come up with one good reason he should help him.

"Because you're my friend," Angel says, leaving Rockford without a comeback.

A friend like that, I could use.

I grew up watching this show, and it's still on cable. I can watch it over and over and still be entertained. Rockford has bad luck, gets hurt, and Chapman at the police office hates him. Somehow, through cons, dirty tricks, smarts, and very slick moves James finds a way to survive. The humor in this show is great. Like the time he soaps the bathroom floor. 10/10

This was probably the greatest part James Garner ever played. He was essentially playing himself, an easy going guy caught in oddball situations mainly brought on by loony clients or by his former ex-con friends. The character of Jim Rockford was not unlike his other defining role of Bret Maverick. Also, the supporting cast was great as well. Noah Beery Jr. was perfect as Rocky, Jim's father, who was always trying to get his "Sonny" to give up the detective business and join him in the trucking business. Joe Santos was great as Dennis, Jim's main contact on the LAPD who reluctantly helped Jim by giving him information on various cases. Gretchen Corbett was great in her role as his girlfriend/lawyer Beth Davenport who would always be there to get him out of a jam. But, perhaps the most memorable character was Angel, played by Stuart Margolin. Angel was, and still is, the biggest weasel in television history. He would often be responsible for getting Jim into the odd predicaments he would get into.

Also of note, this was the first hit from the mind of Stephen J. Cannell after years of writing for Adam-12. Cannell is probably one of the greatest writers in television history and this is where it all began.

I remember my father watching "The Rockford Files" when it first came on the air, I was too young to remember it then, but was able to catch it on re-runs on A&E a few years back, and it is currently shown on two channels here in Canada. James Garner is the easy-going, laid back Jim Rockford. He has a big heart, yet always seems to come out on the short end of the stick. Garner does an excellent job as Rockford, and while I haven't seen much of his other work, he seems to play the same character. Some great supporting actors as well. Noah Beery as the worried father Rocky, Joe Santos as his put-upon cop buddy Dennis. One of my all-time favorite characters has to be Angel Martin, played perfectly by Stewart Margolin, the con "buddy" of Jim's. Very clever opening to each show, with the answering machine message. Obviously dated by the styles and settings, but still an excellent series that stands up well today. I'd give the series as a whole a solid 5 out of 5 stars.

Although this series may look like just another private eye series from the 1970's, it is so much more. The show has great one liners, interesting cases, maybe one or two too many car chases, but above all, the show has some great characters. Every episode has interesting, unusual, complex characters running through it. Jim Rockford himself is a private detective but also a former con man and he is not above pretending to be another person or pulling a con in order to help solve his cases. The writing and acting were always top notch and it is no wonder that alumni from this show went on to do such projects as "Magnum, P.I.", "Wiseguy," and "The Sopranos." Enjoy, you will laugh, you will be surprised and you will be impressed.