Synopsis
Includes:
The Rockford Files: So Help Me God (1976)
The Rockford Files: Rattlers' Class of '63 (1976)
The Rockford Files: The Family Hour (1976)
The Rockford Files: Piece Work (1976)
The Rockford Files: The Trouble With Warren (1976)
The Rockford Files: The Oracle Wore a Cashmere Suit (1976)
The Rockford Files: The Fourth Man (1976)
The Rockford Files: Feeding Frenzy (1976)
The Rockford Files: Drought at Indianhead River (1976)
The Rockford Files: Coulter City Wildcat (1976)
The Rockford Files: Return to the Thirty-Eighth Parallel (1976)
The Rockford Files: The Becker Connection (1977)
The Rockford Files: The Trees, the Bees and T.T. Flowers, Part 1 (1977)
The Rockford Files: Dirty Money, Black Light (1977)
The Rockford Files: To Protect and Serve, Part 1 (1977)
The Rockford Files: To Protect and Serve, Part 2 (1977)
The Rockford Files: There's One in Every Port (1977)
The Rockford Files: Sticks and Stones May Break Your Bones, But Waterbury Will Bury You (1977)
The Rockford Files: The Trees, the Bees and T.T. Flowers, Part 2 (1977)
The Rockford Files: Just Another Polish Wedding (1977)
The Rockford Files: New Life, Old Dragons (1977)
The Rockford Files: Quickie Nirvana (1977)
The Rockford Files: Crack Back (1977)
The Rockford Files: So Help Me God
This episode is a sobering lesson in civil liberties--or rather, the lack of those liberties when an innocent citizen is brought before a Federal Grand Jury. Much to his dismay, Jim Rockford (James Garner) is repeatedly subpoenaed and harrassed by zealous Federal prosecutor Gary Bevins (William Daniels), who is convinced that the detective knows more than he is willing to admit about the disappearance of union boss Frank Sorvino. When he isn't serving jail time for contempt of court, Jim is kept busy ducking and dodging Sorvino's cronies, as well as someone who is trying to kill him. Though ultimately Jim clears himself, justice has still not been served--and the episode ends with a blistering attack on the iniquities of the legal process as Rockford throws the prosecutor's sanctimonious words right back at him. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Rockford Files: Rattlers' Class of '63
Jim (James Garner) is pressed into service as best man when the redoubtable Angel (Stuart Margolin) gets married to Regin Boyajian (Elayne Heilveil). It is not love but fear that has motivated Angel to walk down the aisle: he figures that by wedding Regina, he will avoid being killed by her thuggish relatives, who have been victimized by Angel's latest scam. Somehow, all this matrimonial intrigue is linked to a 14-year-old unsolved murder, and to a high-profile car salesman (James Wainwright) who will go to any lengths to keep his past life as a street-gang member from becoming public knowledge. Future Simon&Simon star Gerald McRaney shows up in a small role--and listen for the voice of frequent Rockford Files director Jackie Cooper). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Rockford Files: The Family Hour
In a variation on the "Little Miss Marker" theme, Jim (James Garner) and Rocky (Noah Beery Jr.) find themselves taking care of an abandoned child named Marin Rose Gailey. Through no fault of her own, the kid proves to be a major threat to the two Rockfords: it seems that her father Stuart (Burt Young) has a price on her head, and that he is being pursued not only by the Mob but also by a corrupt narcotics agent. When Marin is kidnapped to bring her dad out in the open, Jim cooks up a scam to save the girl and flush out the villains. Trivia note: the role of Marin is played by Kim Richards, better known to contemporary audiences as the aunt of Paris Hilton. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Rockford Files: Piece Work
While investigating an insurance claim on behalf of the posh Brend Air Health Club, Jim (James Garner) finds himself in the middle of a sting operation involving Federal agents and illegal gunrunners. It all begins when an undercover Fed mistakes Jim for a police officer, an error which briefly affords Lt. Chapman (James Luisi) the opportunity to put Jim behind bars for keeps. Of course, our hero manages to wriggle out of this predicament, but his troubles are still far from over! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Rockford Files: The Trouble With Warren
Much against his will (and his better judgement), Jim (James Garner) gets involved in the trials and tribulations of Warren Weeks (Ron Rifkin), the wimpish cousin of attorney Beth Davenport (Gretchen Corbett). Warren was recently fired from his job by a man who later turned up murdered. The principal suspect in the killing is the victim's own boss Perry Lefcourt (Joe Maross)--who happens to be the husband of Warren's current sweetheart Catherine (played by onetime Playboy centerfold Anne Randall). When Lefcourt himself turns up dead, the feckless Warren finds himself facing charges for both murders--and in his efforts to clear Warren, Jim ends up getting arrested no fewer than three times! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Rockford Files: The Oracle Wore a Cashmere Suit
Celebrity psychic Roman Clementi (Robert Webber) gets Jim Rockford (James Garner) in plenty of hot water when he tells his followers that the detective has "inside information" concerning two missing persons, Alison Currie and Rick Richards. With public opinion against him and the police breathing down his neck, Jim tries to find out why Clementi has singled him out--and the trail of clues leads to a duplicitous record producer (Robert Walden), a drug ring and an $80,000 "prize." James Luisi makes his first appearance as Rockford's perennial nemesis Lt. Doug Chapman in this episode, which earned the coveted Edgar Allan Poe award for scriptwriter David Chase. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Rockford Files: The Fourth Man
In the opening episode of The Rockford Files' third season, private eye Jim Rockford (James Garner) can't get the police to believe that his stewardess friend Lori Jenivan (Sharon Gless) is being pursued by a killer. But the fact is that Lori has been vulnerable to attack ever since she made an offhand comment to "frequent flyer" Timpson Farrell (John McMartin), a widely respected rare coin collector. Unfortunately, the girl was the proverbial Wrong Person in the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time--and she has tumbled to the fact that Mr. Farrell moonlights as a professional hit man. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Rockford Files: Feeding Frenzy
Jim (James Garner) tries to help his friend Charly Blaylock (Eddie Firestone) turn over a new leaf by returning the $650,000 that Charly had stolen years earlier from the Seawell Oil company. But when Charly's daughter (and Jim's ex-fiancee) Sandra (Susan Howard) is kidnapped, he must use the money to pay the ransom. Facing some hard time behind bars if he doesn't recover the cash and return it to its rightful owners, Charly must rely upon the ingenuity of his pal Jim--who has problems of his own in the form of a "dirty" cop. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Rockford Files: Drought at Indianhead River
Jim (James Garner) is dumbstruck when he discovers that his former cellmate Angel (Stuart Margolin)--or "Angelo", as he now calls himself--is rolling in wealth and living in a luxurious penthouse. All this happened once Angel became majority owner of something called the Indianhead River Land Development Company. When it turns out that the company is actually a front for mobsters in need of a tax dodge, Angel is put on the spot--and when a woman connected with the crooks is found murdered in Angel's penthouse, Jim tries to save his erstwhile chum from both arrest and assassination by having him committed to a sanitarium! This episode is highlighted by a VERY high-stakes golf game between Jim and the principal villain (Robert Loggia). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Rockford Files: Coulter City Wildcat
Why is someone using violence to force Rocky (Noah Beery Jr.) to sign away his lease to Parcel 334, a supposedly worthless piece of property in Coulter County? And what does this have to do with the case of a missing oil driller? That's what Jim (James Garner) wants to find out before he ends up behind bars on a phony murder rap which is tied in with both the land and the missing person. Perhaps that old codger (John Anderson) living in a bomb shelter near Rocky's property can come up with the answers--and then again, perhaps not! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Rockford Files: Return to the Thirty-Eighth Parallel
Jim Rockford's old Army buddy Al Brennan (Ned Beatty) asks Jim (James Garner) to help Marcy Brownell (Veronica Hamel) locate her missing sister. What Jim doesn't know is that the mercenary Al is using him to pull off an elaborate swindle. The key player in this sordid little drama is an ill-tempered gent named John Stabila (Paul Stevens)--and the "Maguffin" on this occasion is a missing Shan-Yin vase, valued at around three million dollars! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Rockford Files: The Becker Connection
Police detective Dennis Becker (Joe Santos) is suspended after being framed on a heroin-possession charge. Since the drugs in question had been confiscated by the police, it would seem that somewhere in the Department is lurking a "dirty" cop determined to destroy Dennis. In his efforts to prove his friend's innocence, Jim (James Garner) matches wits with a third-rate nightclub comic (Jack Carter) who is acting as go-between for a notorious drug dealer. This is the first of two Rockford Files episodes in which James Garner is reunited with his former Maverick costar Jack Kelly, here cast as the villain of the piece. Also making guest appearances are future Hill Street Blues regular James B. Sikking as a zealous internal-affairs officer, and Bucklind Beery, son of series costar Noah Beery Jr., as a policeman. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Rockford Files: The Trees, the Bees and T.T. Flowers, Part 1
In the first episode of a two-part story, Rocky's somewhat eccentric friend T.T. Flowers (Strother Martin) has been forced off his "Freedom" property, declared mentally incomptetent, and placed in a sanitarium called Horizon's Crest. It's all the handiwork of crooked land developer Jack Muellard (Scott Brady), who unfortunately has gained the confidence of T.T.'s daughter Cathy (Karen Machon) and son-in-law Sherman (Alex Rocco). Realizing that he will never be able to persuade the authorities that T.T. has been victimized, Jim (James Garner) must handle the situation all by himself--beginning with a daring "break-in/break-out" at Horizon's Crest. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Rockford Files: Dirty Money, Black Light
Jim (James Garner) wants to know why his dad Rocky (Noah Beery Jr.), currently vacationing in Hawaii, has been receiving huge sums of money in the mail. The Feds would also like the answer to that question--and there are several other interested parties lurking in the shadows. As usual, Angel (played by episode director Stuart Margolin) is no help whatsoever in extricating Jim from the plotline's deadly complications, but Rocky manages to "repay" Angel with a sublimely unique revenge. Future Magnum P.I. costar Roger E. Mosley appears in this final episode of The Rockford Files' third season as a sinister loan shark who has a remarkable way with words. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Rockford Files: To Protect and Serve, Part 1
In the first half of a two-part story, police detective Dennis Becker (Joe Santos) is harrassed by Lianne Sweeney (Joyce Van Patten), a "police groupie" who monitors the Department's activities via her radio and dogs Dennis' trail during his investigation of a very difficult case. Lianne's interference may also mess up the efforts by Jim Rockford (James Garner) to locate Patsy Fossler (Leslie Charleson), the missing fiancee of lawyer Michael Kelly (Jon Cypher). The situation worsens when Kelly reveals himself as a mob functionary, determined to have Patsy killed lest she blow the whistle on his bosses. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Rockford Files: To Protect and Serve, Part 2
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Jim (James Garner) tries to protect Patsy Fossler (Leslie Charleson) from her mob-connected boyfriend Michael Kelly (Jon Cypher) by stashing the girl with his friend Wes (Lou Frizzell). Unfortunately, Patsy's hiding place is revealed by Lianne Sweeney (Joyce Van Patten), a "cop groupie" who has been pestering both Jim and his police-detective friend Dennis Becker (Joe Santos) throughout the story. Now Jim must somehow rescue Patsy and thwart both Kelly and the mobsters without tipping off the loose-tongued Lianne. Despite all indications to the contrary at the end of this episode, we haven't seen the last of the episode's primary villains Anthony Boy (George Loros) and Syl (Luke Andreas). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Rockford Files: There's One in Every Port
Jim (James Garner) is summoned to the bedside of his old friend Eddie Marks (Howard Duff), who claims to be dying and desperate need of money for his medical treatment. Eddie begs Jim to get him access to high-stakes poker game presided over by Blast Gillette (George Memmoli) in order to acquire the necessary funds. Only after Jim has revealed the location of the big game does he discover that he's been scammed by Eddie, who robs the poker players in order to set up an even bigger scam involving a luxury liner. Left holding the bag for the robbery, Jim turns the tables on Eddie and his equally duplicitious daughter Christina (Joan Van Ark), aided and abetted by several cronies of the irrespressible Angel Martin (Stuart Margolin). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Rockford Files: Sticks and Stones May Break Your Bones, But Waterbury Will Bury You
When three of his fellow private eyes lose their licenses, Jim (James Garner) risks his own to help them. It turns out that the P.I.'s have been victimized by a "mystery woman" (Katherine Charles) working for a huge detective agency which is determined to eliminate all competition--even if means committing murder. To get even with the villains, Jim and his friends stage an elaborately preplanned break-in at the impenetrable Waterbury Building, an undertaking that bears a startling resemblance to the Watergate burglary, right down to a cameo appearance by an ersatz "Deep Throat". Simon Oakland) makes his first series appearance as detective Vern St. Cloud. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Rockford Files: The Trees, the Bees and T.T. Flowers, Part 2
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Jim (James Garner) infiltrates a sanitarium called Horizon's Crest to rescue T.T. Flowers (Strother Martin), who is being victimized by evil land developer Jack Muellard (Scott Brady). But though Muellard is temporarily stopped in his tracks, T.T. still isn't out of the woods yet--and in fact, the poor fellow may be "legally" murdered by a police SWAT team. This episode marks the spectacular demise of Jim Rockford's beloved Firebird 100! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Rockford Files: Just Another Polish Wedding
Jim Rockford (James Garner) arranges for his ex-jailbird "pal" Gandy Fitch (Isaac Hayes) to work as a legman for Marcus Hayes (Louis Gossett Jr.), a private eye who'd once been Jim's parole officer. Gandy repays the favor by horning in on "Rockfish"'s current case, involving the search for a missing heir named Finn O'Herlihy (Jack Collins)--who, as it turns out, is on the lam from the Mob. In the course of their investigation, mismatched Gandy and Marcus (aka "Gabby" Hayes) manage to stumble into a neo-Nazi bar, where, as the only two black men on the premises, they are more than a little conspicuous! Things come to a rousing climax at a Polish wedding where the elusive O'Herlihy is employed as a musician. This episode was intended as the pilot for a possible spinoff series starring Isaac Hayes and Lou Gossett Jr., tentatively titled "Gandy and Gabby" (which, as Jim observes at one point, sounds more like a puppet show!) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Rockford Files: New Life, Old Dragons
On behalf of Vietnamese refugee Mai (Irene Yah-Ling Sun), Jim (James Garner) searches for the girl's brother Vinh (Jim Ishida), who myseriously vanished after leaving a relocation center. It turns out that Vinh has been waylaid by a couple of war veterans (from the "Catering Corps") who want the missing Vihn to lead them to the $500,000 they'd stolen just before the fall of Saigon. Complicating matters is the fact that Mai seems utterly incapable of telling Jim the whole truth. Counterpointing this intrigue is a running gag involving Jim's dad Rocky (Noah Beery Jr.) and his buddy L.J. (Al Stevenson). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Rockford Files: Quickie Nirvana
Jim (James Garner) quickly has good reason to wish that he'd never met overaged hippie Sky Aquarian (Valerie Curtin), who gets him into plenty of trouble by using his telephone for certain questionable transactions. Before long, Jim is being strongarmed by hoodlums demanding that he fork over the $30,000 being held by Sky on behalf of her ex-boss Alan Bayliss (Kenneth Gilman). Perhaps inevitably, Bayliss turns up murdered and both Jim and Sky are placed under suspicion. This episode is distinguished by the presence in the cast of two actors who later went on to greater success as screenwriters: Valerie Curtin and Quinn Redecker. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Rockford Files: Crack Back
While defending pro football player Davy Woodhull (Howard McGillin) on a robbery-murder charge, Beth (Gretchen Corbett) is harrassed by an unknown psycho. Jim (James Garner) must not only protect Beth, but also locate Doreen Carpenter (Sondra Blake), the only person who is able to clear Woodhull. Alas, Doreen is killed just before testifying in court--the first of several clues leading to the inexorable conclusion that Beth's tormentor is much closer to her than she thinks! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
