The Rockford Files

[Little Garwood]

Well, season 6 was pretty lousy overall…

In your opinion, of course.

Not my opinion. FACT! And I'll not hear any dissenting opinions on this topic. Topic closed!

Only Rock and Roll Will Never Die is among my all-time favorite episodes. I like that it skewers 1970s culture, social mores, and so-called philosophy; “The Gang at Don’s Drive In” did a similar number on the 1950s.

I think “Quickie Nirvana” stuck it to the ‘70s best, but there are plenty of amusing instances in “Only Rock and Roll”: The perpetually dissatisfied Whitney Cox and Eddie Lo Presti, the comments about Disco being a blight on music, Whitney’s declaration that the traditional masculine rock sex symbol was a dinosaur, and the fact that the 1970s were being left behind (both chronologically as well as culturally).

There is also the “artist” that is Tim Richie, though all three guest-starring characters are not reduced to being punchlines or two-dimentional people. Tim has that hilarious-to-me throwaway line about Patty Hearst, but he shows genuine sadness at the loss of his friend Brian and still honors those early days of their rock and roll obsession. Tim even listens to what Rockford had to say about high school reunions. Who says rock and rollers don’t care about the little people?

[Pahonu]

Well, season 6 was pretty lousy overall…

In your opinion, of course.
I think S6 is pretty solid, outside of the aforementioned “Love is the Word” and the back-door pilot(?) “Just a Coupla Guys.” I’m also a fan of John “Coop” Cooper (Bo Hopkins) and Richie “The Thing About It Is Is” Brockelman (the “legendary” Dennis Dugan) from those later seasons.

Hi Garwood,
I am sure you know the following but I thought I'd share it for other people:
The would be pilot "Just a Coupla Guys" (and the earlier "Jersey Bounce") featured Greg Antonacci as Eugene and Gene Davis as Mickey, though Rockford somehow doesn't recall meeting them
earlier in the 5th season episode. These two episodes were of course writer David Chase's failed and not too well done genesis for his later hit The Sopranos. Eugene is like a early version of Silvio
and Mickey is Paulie Walnuts. Antonacci did appear later on The Sopranos. I thought Antonacci was terrible on Rockford, he wouldn't last a day in Newark, heck even nuns there on the way
to McDonalds would have shook him down for lunch money. And his crap attempt at a Jersey accent was laughable, I just kept hearing New York City coming through the butchered Jerseyese.
Okay, I made up "Jerseyese" but you guys get my meaning.

Nun shakedowns. LMAO!

I didn’t really understand this until I audited a course in college about organized crime, but the mob presence in LA was actually pretty limited. They never really got a foothold in the union rackets, and mostly bootlegged during Prohibition. When East Coast families tried to step in, LAPD’s notorious “Gangster Squad” was created and used essentially illegal activities in response. Judge that how you will, but the end result was far less influence in what became the second most populous city in the country, with the largest port complex on this side of the Pacific, even bigger than NY/NJ.

After learning this I began to notice how many Rockford episodes featured the mob and it started to seem odd to me. Later when David Chase created the Sopranos and I connected him to Rockford, it all came together. There were actually far more lucrative Asian organized crime rackets here when Rockford was filmed, and there still are. I don’t think most of the country had any idea that was so, and certainly the mafia was topical at the time with The Godfather films. The many mob stories still seems unrealistically normal for LA, but I see where they came from, and good writing is good writing.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Hi Garwood,
I am sure you know the following but I thought I'd share it for other people:
The would be pilot "Just a Coupla Guys" (and the earlier "Jersey Bounce") featured Greg Antonacci as Eugene and Gene Davis as Mickey, though Rockford somehow doesn't recall meeting them
earlier in the 5th season episode. These two episodes were of course writer David Chase's failed and not too well done genesis for his later hit The Sopranos. Eugene is like a early version of Silvio
and Mickey is Paulie Walnuts. Antonacci did appear later on The Sopranos. I thought Antonacci was terrible on Rockford, he wouldn't last a day in Newark, heck even nuns there on the way
to McDonalds would have shook him down for lunch money. And his crap attempt at a Jersey accent was laughable, I kept hearing New York City coming through the butchered Jerseyese.
Okay, I made up "Jerseyese" but you guys get my meaning.

Nun shakedowns. LMAO!
I didn’t really understand this until I audited a course in college about organized crime, but the mob presence in LA was actually pretty limited. They never really got a foothold in the union rackets, and mostly bootlegged during Prohibition. When East Coast families tried to step in, LAPD’s notorious “Gangster Squad” was created and used essentially illegal activities in response. Judge that how you will, but the end result was far less influence in what became the second most populous city in the country, with the largest port complex on this side of the Pacific, even bigger than NY/NJ.
After learning this I began to notice how many Rockford episodes featured the mob and it started to seem odd to me. Later when David Chase created the Sopranos and I connected him to Rockford, it all came together. There were actually far more lucrative Asian organized crime rackets here when Rockford was filmed, and there still are. I don’t think most of the country had any idea that was so, and certainly the mafia was topical at the time with The Godfather films. The many mob stories still seems unrealistically normal for LA, but I see where they came from, and good writing is good writing.
[/quote]

Hi Pahonu,
You make an insightful and interesting point in regards to all the many Mafia story lines on Rockford, it's the Chase Effect. I never connected it before you pointed it out.
I for one salute the "Gangster Squad" given this one off situation of stopping these parasites from polluting California and through their activities leveling unseen taxes on all sorts of
items. Such as the green garnish almost every restaurant suddenly put on everything 60 years ago. The Mob made a fortune just from that alone as they controlled the market and unlike drugs it
didn't attract the attention of John Law. It was a deceptively simple and beyond brilliant gambit and it still goes on to an extent.
Pahonu, do you think Rockford Files could be remade today? I think James Garner would be a very hard act to follow.

[Pahonu]

Hi Garwood,
I am sure you know the following but I thought I'd share it for other people:
The would be pilot "Just a Coupla Guys" (and the earlier "Jersey Bounce") featured Greg Antonacci as Eugene and Gene Davis as Mickey, though Rockford somehow doesn't recall meeting them
earlier in the 5th season episode. These two episodes were of course writer David Chase's failed and not too well done genesis for his later hit The Sopranos. Eugene is like a early version of Silvio
and Mickey is Paulie Walnuts. Antonacci did appear later on The Sopranos. I thought Antonacci was terrible on Rockford, he wouldn't last a day in Newark, heck even nuns there on the way
to McDonalds would have shook him down for lunch money. And his crap attempt at a Jersey accent was laughable, I kept hearing New York City coming through the butchered Jerseyese.
Okay, I made up "Jerseyese" but you guys get my meaning.

Nun shakedowns. LMAO!
I didn’t really understand this until I audited a course in college about organized crime, but the mob presence in LA was actually pretty limited. They never really got a foothold in the union rackets, and mostly bootlegged during Prohibition. When East Coast families tried to step in, LAPD’s notorious “Gangster Squad” was created and used essentially illegal activities in response. Judge that how you will, but the end result was far less influence in what became the second most populous city in the country, with the largest port complex on this side of the Pacific, even bigger than NY/NJ.
After learning this I began to notice how many Rockford episodes featured the mob and it started to seem odd to me. Later when David Chase created the Sopranos and I connected him to Rockford, it all came together. There were actually far more lucrative Asian organized crime rackets here when Rockford was filmed, and there still are. I don’t think most of the country had any idea that was so, and certainly the mafia was topical at the time with The Godfather films. The many mob stories still seems unrealistically normal for LA, but I see where they came from, and good writing is good writing.

Hi Pahonu,
You make an insightful and interesting point in regards to all the many Mafia story lines on Rockford, it's the Chase Effect. I never connected it before you pointed it out.
I for one salute the "Gangster Squad" given this one off situation of stopping these parasites from polluting California and through their activities leveling unseen taxes on all sorts of
items. Such as the green garnish almost every restaurant suddenly put on everything 60 years ago. The Mob made a fortune just from that alone as they controlled the market and unlike drugs it
didn't attract the attention of John Law. It was a deceptively simple and beyond brilliant gambit and it still goes on to an extent.
Pahonu, do you think Rockford Files could be remade today? I think James Garner would be a very hard act to follow.
[/quote]



Thanks for the compliment. Your insights are always interesting as well.

I don’t want to say never regarding a remake, but it would be tough to find an actor who could play the character like Garner. There was apparently an attempt several years ago to do so starring Dermott Mulroney that was a bomb and not picked up. I understand that many actors can be typecast in roles and difficult to separate from their character, like our beloved Selleck as TM, however I don’t think Garner was really typecast in a role. He had a remarkably long and varied career in both TV and film. What he brought to the character of Jim Rockford and many of his roles was an ability to react, not so much as act. Rather than commanding attention and chewing up the scenery, as they say, he reacted to his costars performances with incredible wit and charisma. This, I think is a talent often absent in performances. It made him both curmudgeonly and endearing at the same time… a tough thing to pull off I think.

[Little Garwood]

Just a Coupla Guys

Terrible “Jersey”-organized crime wannabe episode with Rockford seemingly literally limping behind in pursuit of the episode. Simon Oakland is in this but not as the hilarious Vern St. Cloud, whom he had played multiple times already, including just four episodes before in Nice Guys Finish Dead.

I can still hear the flat, monotonous tones from the poor performances of Antonacci and the other guy. This episode even looks more drab than other episodes…was this intended as some sort of “Jersey Effect”?

Outside of a few amusing moments (“National Express” travelers checks) this is one I won’t be revisiting anytime soon.

My Rating: 3/10

[Little Garwood]

My least-favorite TRF episode is the ultra serious “Love is the Word” (S6). It doesn’t help that I dislike Kathryn Harrold’s performance—she’s a poor woman’s Katharine Ross. It is by no means an awful episode, as even the least of TRF is superior to many shows’ “best”, but “Love is the Word” is easily Rockford’s lowest point.

I’ve warmed considerably to “Love is the Word” and the Jim-Megan relationship, so it’s no longer anywhere near my least-favorite episodes even if it isn’t a favorite, either.. Garner brilliantly played the final scene of Rockford’s visible sorrow at having lost Megan. I appreciated the “through Megan” handshake between Rockford and Jeffrey Smith.

There was also a pretty funny and very Rockford Files-esque scene involving Jim and Megan’s future brother-in-law, the drug-addled Randy. Jim’s drug references as it related to Randy were hilarious.

Kathryn Harrold was gorgeous! Plus, I find her performance to be better than I remembered, so I hope she forgives me for my previous and since-recanted harsh words about this episode.

My Rating: 7/10

[Pahonu]

Just a Coupla Guys

Terrible “Jersey”-organized crime wannabe episode with Rockford seemingly literally limping behind in pursuit of the episode. Simon Oakland is in this but not as the hilarious Vern St. Cloud, whom he had played multiple times already, including just four episodes before in Nice Guys Finish Dead.

I can still hear the flat, monotonous tones from the poor performances of Antonacci and the other guy. This episode even looks more drab than other episodes…was this intended as some sort of “Jersey Effect”?

Outside of a few amusing moments (“National Express” travelers checks) this is one I won’t be revisiting anytime soon.

My Rating: 3/10

Like the episode Just Another Polish Wedding with Gandy and Gabby, this episode was another attempt at a back door pilot, I believe. This attempt at spinning off another show by creating new characters within a popular series had become quite common in the 70’s and 80’s. I believe one of the earlier successes was The Andy Griffith Show spinning off Gomer Pyle this way, though Jim Neighbors was introduced and appeared in quite a few episodes before getting his own show. MPI tried it with Two Birds of a Feather and J Digger Doyle. Miami Vice even tried it with a final season episode. All of these, like Rockford’s were failures. Richie Brockelman is a unique set of circumstances and doesn’t quite fit this description. The champion of back door pilots was Happy Days, which not only spun off regular characters like Joanie and Chachi in the traditional method, but created the characters of Mork, and Laverne and Shirley in single episodes, then launched them into successful series.

[Little Garwood]

I would have watched a Gandy and Gabby series!

Richie Brockelman had a 1976 pilot film, which was not picked up as a series. Then he did get a series in early 1978 as a mid-season fill-in for Rockford Files. After the series failed, Brockelman appeared in a couple of S5 Rockford episodes. I’ve always liked the character and the few episodes on YouTube are fairly entertaining. Lisa Eilbacher—who also has Five-0 and Simon & Simon credentials— is especially fetching in her episode. The Beach Boys (Brockelman’s theme song “boasts” a Beach Boys/Mike Love soundalike vocal).


youtu.be/tE5cbfVsr0A

All in the Family spun off—back door or otherwise— Maude (which in turn spun off Good Times), The Jeffersons, Gloria, Archie Bunker’s Place, and 704 Hauser.

[Pahonu]

I would have watched a Gandy and Gabby series!

Richie Brockelman had a 1976 pilot film, which was not picked up as a series. Then he did get a series in early 1978 as a mid-season fill-in for Rockford Files. After the series failed, Brockelman appeared in a couple of S5 Rockford episodes. I’ve always liked the character and the few episodes on YouTube are fairly entertaining. Lisa Eilbacher—who also has Five-0 and Simon & Simon credentials— is especially fetching in her episode. The Beach Boys (Brockelman’s theme song “boasts” a Beach Boys/Mike Love soundalike vocal).


youtu.be/tE5cbfVsr0A

All in the Family spun off—back door or otherwise— Maude (which in turn spun off Good Times), The Jeffersons, Gloria, Archie Bunker’s Place, and 704 Hauser.

I would have definitely watched Gabby and Gandy too, and thanks for the link!

The reason I brought up Richie Brockleman is because after the failed pilot, as you wrote, his character actually appeared in Rockford before the summer replacement series. It was the final episode of season 4, the prescient for today, The House on Willis Avenue, and then they aired the five Richie Brockleman episodes instead of rerunning all of the Rockford episodes. So it was kind of a back door pilot (if you ignore the first pilot movie) because he’s “introduced” in Rockford and then goes to his own series. It still didn’t gain a following but they brought him back for a season 5 episode Never Let a Boy King Do a Man’s Job. They REALLY tried with that character! Someone at NBC must have liked it a lot.

I happened to see a rerun of the original Richie Brockleman pilot on TV many years ago (25-30 I’m thinking) and really liked it. I had no idea it existed and only knew his character from Rockford. I secretly hoped he might return in one of the Rockford movies in the 90’s as he would have been the middle-ages PI then. After doing a little research, as in the library, I learned about the brief series. I never forgot about it and maybe 10-12 years ago I bought some bootleg DVD’s I found online. Every once in a while I’ll pull them out and watch them all. It’s just a really fun show for me.

I also saw the original pilot for David Janssen’s Harry-O way back then and never forgot about it. Eventually Warner Bros. released it and I got both seasons about 10 years ago. It’s probably my second favorite show after Rockford, followed by MPI.

I love All in the Family and it’s many spin-offs, except Gloria. I saw the episode of Archie Bunker’s place where they spin it off and didn’t care for it. I found a few more episodes online and liked it even less. Maude is fantastic, along with Good Times. I liked The Jeffersons more as a kid but it’s still pretty solid. I remember hearing about 704 Hauser and was intrigued by it having John Amos. It came and went quickly but I may try to find it. It also had Maura Tierney, who was great in the very underrated News Radio.

[Little Garwood]

The reason I brought up Richie Brockleman is because after the failed pilot, as you wrote, his character actually appeared in Rockford before the summer replacement series. It was the final episode of season 4, the prescient for today, The House on Willis Avenue, and then they aired the five Richie Brockleman episodes instead of rerunning all of the Rockford episodes. So it was kind of a back door pilot (if you ignore the first pilot movie) because he’s “introduced” in Rockford and then goes to his own series. It still didn’t gain a following but they brought him back for a season 5 episode Never Let a Boy King Do a Man’s Job. They REALLY tried with that character! Someone at NBC must have liked it a lot.

Maybe Stephen J. Cannell wanted Brockelman to be a success…Thanks for the reminder on the Brockelman debut; I forgot that it was from the end of season 4. Now that I’m done watching S6, I’m onto a Richie Brockelman marathon. The House on Willis Avenue has an impressive cast: Paul Fix, Jackie Cooper, Robert Hogan (recently RIP), Howard Hesseman, Pernell Roberts (a couple years before “Trapper John, MD”), and the always-great Philip Sterling.

”The thing of it is is…”

[Pahonu]

The reason I brought up Richie Brockleman is because after the failed pilot, as you wrote, his character actually appeared in Rockford before the summer replacement series. It was the final episode of season 4, the prescient for today, The House on Willis Avenue, and then they aired the five Richie Brockleman episodes instead of rerunning all of the Rockford episodes. So it was kind of a back door pilot (if you ignore the first pilot movie) because he’s “introduced” in Rockford and then goes to his own series. It still didn’t gain a following but they brought him back for a season 5 episode Never Let a Boy King Do a Man’s Job. They REALLY tried with that character! Someone at NBC must have liked it a lot.

Maybe Stephen J. Cannell wanted Brockelman to be a success…Thanks for the reminder on the Brockelman debut; I forgot that it was from the end of season 4. Now that I’m done watching S6, I’m onto a Richie Brockelman marathon. The House on Willis Avenue has an impressive cast: Paul Fix, Jackie Cooper, Robert Hogan (recently RIP), Howard Hesseman, Pernell Roberts (a couple years before “Trapper John, MD”), and the always-great Philip Sterling.

”The thing of it is is…”

“The thing of it is, is…”
Enjoy the marathon!

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Pahonu wrote:
Like the episode Just Another Polish Wedding with Gandy and Gabby, this episode was another attempt at a back door pilot, I believe. This attempt at spinning off another show by creating new characters within a popular series had become quite common in the 70’s and 80’s...The champion of back door pilots was Happy Days, which not only spun off regular characters like Joanie and Chachi in the traditional method, but created the characters of Mork, and Laverne and Shirley in single episodes, then launched them into successful series.
[/quote]

Hi Pahonu,
I think you are right as to Happy Days being the King of Back Door pilots, as defined by you, by spinning off characters that appeared on it to start with.
The Danny Thomas Show begat Andy Griffith and the Bill Dana show, with characters spun off as you define them above. But the Danny Thomas Show was the undisputed
world wide king of existing in a Universe connected to other TV shows,11 series, including itself.
From the It Got By The Censor/In Jokes thread here at Magnum Mania:

1) The Danny Thomas Show
2) The Andy Griffith Show
3) Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
4) Mayberry R.F.D.
5) Joey Bishop Show
6) The Bill Dana Show
7) The Dick Van Dyke Show
8 I Love Lucy
9) Superman
10) Private Secretary
11) Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour

In the episode "Lucy and Superman" of I Love Lucy, Superman (George Reeves) guest stars as himself, the Man of Steel. The producers didn't want to ruin the illusion for the millions of
kids tuning in and treated Superman as being for real. In "Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana" from the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, Ann Southern appears as Susie McNamara, her role from Private Secretary.
Since Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour was indeed separate from I Love Lucy, I'm counting the above tie-ins as two more connected series.

[Pahonu]

Pahonu wrote:
Like the episode Just Another Polish Wedding with Gandy and Gabby, this episode was another attempt at a back door pilot, I believe. This attempt at spinning off another show by creating new characters within a popular series had become quite common in the 70’s and 80’s...The champion of back door pilots was Happy Days, which not only spun off regular characters like Joanie and Chachi in the traditional method, but created the characters of Mork, and Laverne and Shirley in single episodes, then launched them into successful series.

Hi Pahonu,
I think you are right as to Happy Days being the King of Back Door pilots, as defined by you, by spinning off characters that appeared on it to start with.
The Danny Thomas Show begat Andy Griffith and the Bill Dana show, with characters spun off as you define them above. But the Danny Thomas Show was the undisputed
world wide king of existing in a Universe connected to other TV shows,11 series, including itself.
From the It Got By The Censor/In Jokes thread here at Magnum Mania:

1) The Danny Thomas Show
2) The Andy Griffith Show
3) Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
4) Mayberry R.F.D.
5) Joey Bishop Show
6) The Bill Dana Show
7) The Dick Van Dyke Show
8 I Love Lucy
9) Superman
10) Private Secretary
11) Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour

In the episode "Lucy and Superman" of I Love Lucy, Superman (George Reeves) guest stars as himself, the Man of Steel. The producers didn't want to ruin the illusion for the millions of
kids tuning in and treated Superman as being for real. In "Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana" from the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, Ann Southern appears as Susie McNamara, her role from Private Secretary.
Since Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour was indeed separate from I Love Lucy, I'm counting the above tie-ins as two more connected series.
[/quote]






That’s quite a list! I don’t know the details about many of them, but I do know that I Love Lucy was a radio program called My Favorite Husband before transitioning to TV. Many changes were made of course, including Lucille Ball’s insistence that Desi Arnaz replace the actor playing her husband, against the network’s wishes. I don’t see how it could be considered a spin off of another TV show then. That actor was Richard Denning who would later play the Governor on Hawaii Five-O and appear in The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

[Little Garwood]

An appreciative Rockford Files article from last year. It serves as a nice introduction to anyone who isn’t familiar with the series.

Falling in Love with The Rockford Files—All Over Again

Re: season 6

Garner really plays up Rockford’s limp more than ever in this season. I wonder if it was for real, as Garner had been suffering from leg injuries during that time, which IIRC led to his requesting a hiatus which in turn led to Universal pulling the mid-season plug on TRF.

Couldn’t they have just done another Richie Brockelman series while Garner was on the mend?

[Pahonu]

An appreciative Rockford Files article from last year. It serves as a nice introduction to anyone who isn’t familiar with the series.

Falling in Love with The Rockford Files—All Over Again

Re: season 6

Garner really plays up Rockford’s limp more than ever in this season. I wonder if it was for real, as Garner had been suffering from leg injuries during that time, which IIRC led to his requesting a hiatus which in turn led to Universal pulling the mid-season plug on TRF.

Couldn’t they have just done another Richie Brockelman series while Garner was on the mend?

I read that article some time ago. It’s a very good introduction like you said.

My understanding is the limp was for real. He had surgery in the off-season and was recovering.

More Richie Brockelman would have been awesome! From what I have read however, NBC basically gave Cherokee Productions an ultimatum: finish the season or it’s canceled. That was that, sadly. I’m glad Garner made the right decision for his health.

Ed Robertson has authored several editions of a book about the series. My wife got me the first in the 90’s, and a new one came out in the last year with about 60 new pages of material. It’s well done.

I’ve also been listening to a fun podcast called Two Hundred a Day: A Rockford Files Podcast that has done well over half of the episodes over about four and a half years. It’s quite well done, I think. They really analyze the excellent storytelling and character development aspects of the series.