It was my dad's favorite show and I was nine years old when it started and I watched the entire run sitting next to him every Friday night, and also Wednesday night. I think it moved a couple of times through its run
I couldn't agree with you more, bro. Along with "Columbo," "The Rockford Files" was a significant cut above all the other "cookie-cutter" crime and detective dramas that were oversaturating the airwaves throughout the seventies.
The script writers deserve the credit but delivery is a talent Some lines are realistic, others are out of place and naff . When a team can read each other the effect is natural .
If you know Hollywood🎞🎞 or tv 📺📺 companies they will try and remake anything that been a success Movie tv series if it makes money 💰💰💰💰💰 from the start even early silent movies were all remade in sound And so it goes on a on there s big money in repeating old as new
I loved watching Rockfish!!! It was such a classic. The first episode was just as good as the last episode!! Forty-three years after it ended, it's still a great series.
Oh that theme song! 📺 Rockford was not playing the Playboy role; his character always respected women on the show. Too bad his knees gave out in the end...
Gabby & Gandy, two black detectives with one buttoned down & one a loose cannon, didn’t get picked up by the network probably because they were black. But make them white & make them brothers to explain their partnership and you got an 80s hit. Simon & Simon!
Would've loved a spinoff with Gabby & Gandy. 😔 Also, three cheers for "The Rockford Files" for never being bad. Plus, it's fun looking at how a middle age guy from the 50s & 60s was dealing with the various horrors of late 1970s American life. James Garner was a genial guide.
Didn’t get to see the show during its first run, but it was on reruns after I got done school every day. My dad and I watched every episode multiple times I think. Great memories and a really good show.
Rockford Files theme music makes me think its bedtime. I can still hear it playing in the living room as mum tucked me in. Which is odd as it would have only run for a few months a year.
Dermot Mulroney as Jim Rockford, Alan Tudyk as Dennis Becker, Beau Bridges as Rocky, its hard to say if the new series would have lasted, probably not, you can't beat the original, James Garner will always be Jim Rockford.
This was terrific, really enjoyable. Only one minor quibble: you forgot to mention that the two characters (and the actors that played them Greg Antonacci and Gene Davis) from "Just a Coupla Guys" appeared first in an earlier RF episode, "The Jersey Bounce". In their first appearance, however, their characters Micky and Eugene are the villains. I've always thought "This Case Is Closed" is the weakest Rockford episode, partly because it was originally broadcast as a tv movie, and then was subsequently recut as two one hour episodes for syndication, with lots of car and landscape shots added to fill out the missing 30 minutes. Anyway, great job!
The fact that Louis Gossett/Isaac Hayes thing didn't get picked up isn't surprising. I know there was a Huggy Bear spin off that tested well, but didn't go anywhere either. I think after the Shaft tv movies weren't a hit, they just said "Well, black TV detectives/action heroes don't sell. We tried." Too bad there wasn't a Norman Lear on the dramatic tv side to really push for it. The only other lead black cop/detective thing was Tenafly which I don't think even lasted a season on that NBC mystery wheel. It seems the networks were only cool with a black principle character if they were a partner or part of an ensemble.
Excellent video. You can really see how much Garner’s knees were hurting, especially toward the end. Almost every clip shows him limping or trying to avoid knee pain. He almost clutches his left knee in one scene. I’ve read (no source, sorry) that he used cannabis medicinally for his knee pain. Makes sense when you see him off-screen in his always-tinted glasses. One of my all-time favourite actors.
I got the entire dvd collection, as well as the made-for-tv movies. I even visited paradise cove, California in 2011. I ordered a meal of burger and french fries from the famous diner sat outside in the beautiful sunshine. I even used the restroom out in the car park. Still looked the same, with the whale craving at the top. We stayed for about a couple of hours, walked along the beach. Took a million photos and videos. A visit that l'l never forget.
Sounds like a magic trip. Sadly the TV movies can't be found on DVD or BluRay currently (here in Germany). Can they convey some of the charm of the series - sunny California, likable guy, funny comebacks, beautiful cars, respect towards women?
@@androod6211 In a sense Magnum was a spin off of Rockford. They pitched Tom Sellik in a few episopde trying to get a spin off but rewrote the character a lot.
Rockford Files Fun Fact: James Garners dislike of the redesigned Firebird for 1979 resulted in Universal Studios never replacing the 1978 Esprit. The gold color of the Pontiac Firebird was a special shade ordered by Universal at the beginning of production in 1974 and not the Aztec Gold, that was only offered on the Firebird Trans Am for model years 1978 and 1979. How do I know this? My uncle worked at the GM F-body plant in Van Nuys, CA. during the 1970s and ‘80s as the liaison for the Hollywood studios that needed GM vehicles.
So many arguments in my life could have been silenced with Stephen Cannell writing a sarcastic and witty return quip. The show was a success due to brilliant casting, Cannell's writing, and Garners' acting style. One very important aspect was the camera shooting. Filmed in a conversational style with multiple angles, and cuts. For each conversation there would be a mix of wide angle, close ups, over-the-solder back and forth. They must have used multiple cameras or multiple takes. It's a stubble element that adds a signature style to the show, and kept it interesting.
Fun Fact: Tom Selleck did a special two episode appearance on Rockford Files as a sharp younger Private Eye. That lead directly to the Magnum PI series. The one spin off that worked...
If someone were to even attempt it again, it would have to be a 1970's period piece. It doesn't work as a modern show, and as everyone says, you can't do it without James Garner.
@@Flip-3206 They wanted to do it back in the day and fortunately it failed. I still believe the only way it would've worked is if Garner joined the new show as a Rocky type character helping out his own son in the pi business. But Jim doesn't have any kids! Well, he was obviously a smooth operator back then so you just write it that he actually did have a son that he didn't know about for a few decades. That also provides more fodder for plots as the two of them get to know one another.
Thanks, but this one was written by Mike Schuster, who also edited it. Nick Nadel produced it. Tim Finn is the Executive. I did the voice-over -- and suggested a line about why private eyes were so hot after Viet Nam and Watergate.
Fun fact .. in a scene on Magnum PI, there were two cops sitting in their cop car, and one says to the other "hey did you see Rockford last night ? It was great ... " 😊
I remember there was a followup episode with the two Jersey guys where they moved in next to Rocky and framed Rockford for a murder trying to get in good with a mob boss. Rockford cracked "Abbot and Costello meet the Godfather!"
@@bobjohnson205 Gene Davis is an incredible actor though. His performance in the Charles Bronson vehicle 10 to Midnight is just amazing. The movie itself is sleazy as hell but Gene shines as the psychopathic killer based on Richard Speck.
What a great show, although my knees ache just watching James Garner trying to move faster than a slow walk. Such iconic cars too, the Esprit, Rocky's Sierra classic and Beth's Porsche 914.
this was great. Unofficial back door spinoff, of course, was Tom Selleck's appearance as young P.I. Lance White in Season 5 Ep 4 (the episode directly after The Jersey Bounce). The character's not Magnum but let's face it, Magnum is Hawaiin Rockford, ultimately. What should have been a spinoff character: Bo Hopkins as lawyer John Cooper, the replacement for Gretchen Corbett's Beth Davenport. "Coop" debuted in, yes, The Jersey Bounce, and for my money was a far more interesting character than the two goombas. Hopkings invested so much in "Coop" right from that first episode it's some kind of reverse miracle that they didn't spin him off into his own show.
Rita Moreno and Gretchen Corbett are the only two remaining actors from the show still alive. Garner died less than ten years ago at 86. Very funny actor. Great show and very entertaining
Outstanding video on Rockford Files. I am 58. I watched the entire series from 1974 until 1980 and the tv movies as broadcasted. I love the series to this day.
Mty favorite Rockford line...In the 1977 episode of The Rockford Files, "Quickie Nirvana", Sky asks "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" . Later, Gordon Borchers slaps Sky for informing on him, and Jim says "That's the sound of one hand clapping".
That was one of several excellent Rockford Files shows intelligently dealing w/ideas in 1970s culture. And integrating them into the plot. Im into my consciousness-Sky Your never conscious!-Rockford
Having grown up on the East Coast I was surprised that on my first visit so much of the LA area looked familiar. Not deja vu, but the result of having paid close attention to Rockford Files. To be fair, same phenomenon on first trip to Rome thanks to I Spy
4:12 Thank you for getting this right! I just watched another video where they said the maneuver became called "The Jim Rockford Turn Around". I almost spit out my cereal. If I'd been eating any. Ti this day everyone I know and have ever talked to EVER has called it "A (Or The) Rockford". As in "Jim Rip the car over the south bound corner and then when you get to the store Hit the brakes Do ""A Rockford"" and come back here".
He was wounded in ww2 and suffered damage to his legs and could barely walk in later lifetime. He sued the studio because he was supposed to get A percentage of profits, but was told there was no profit. Won in court and was paid a settlement.
Since James Garner was born in 1929, he would have been too young for WW2. He was however injured in the Korean conflict when he caught shrapnel in his butt from an American bomber taking out nearby Chinese fighters. After recovering from his injuries, he was reassigned to the military’s postal department.
I think he said in an interview that the Rockford show ruined his knees. I guess Rockford got beaten to the ground by gangsters too often not landing nicely on the knees. - I sometimes thought I would prefer a Rockford show without gangsters, just the man cruising sunny Los Angeles having a good time.
I remember seeing Just A Coupla Guys when it originally aired and as a kid I didn't know what backdoor pilots were. I was very confused by how we see Jim getting beaten up in an aiport and then almost don't see him anymore. It was very confusing.
The guy at 13:20 was the heavy creator and Director of Adam Sandler films in the 90s in 2000s and still do some riding for him. But did you know he was the only survivor in The Howling?
The Rockford Files had excellent writers, directors and producers. Many supporting characters were also top caliberer actors. James Garner had much charisma with excellent acting skills. Most detective shows were too scripted and often somewhat predictable. The Rockford Files was probably one of the best network detective shows of the 1970's. The character development and scripts were certainly more realistic too. I watch old reruns of the Rockford Files but never watch new television shows.
First time to the channel. This was great fun and a idea. Loved Rockford, I really thought Magnum PI was going to be one of them, though the characters are different I am sure the idea for the series and a show for Tom came from working with him here.
That Brochelman actor was also shoe horned into a Columbo episode. The producers thought Columbo needed a sidekick. Wisely Peter Falk talked them into giving him a dog instead.
Excellent video. Could you do a video on the failed ROCKFORD FILES reboots (the 2010 unaired pilot with Dermot Mulroney as Rockford) and the long-stalled feature that was to star Vince Vaughn as Rockford?
I wish Beth and Jim had got engaged..settle down like Rocky wanted at the end. I know the character of Rockford is romantically distant..but they seemed to need each other. Replacing Rockford with a spin-off was impossible.
Spin-offs are so hard to pull off. I personally would prefer the series to extrend a few seasons with the newer popular characters. Kind of like how The Closer morphed into Major Crimes.
I used to hate the sleazy "Angel" character, but now I love him! His speedy, sleazy episodes are the best. He's always getting Jim into trouble in funny ways.
I've never developed an appreciation for Angel. He would betray Rockford so readily it didn't make sense that Rockford would remain loyal to him. The relationship always seemed like a plot device.
@@WilliamHerlihy-p4g My own brother did way more horrible things to me than Angel did to Rockford, would trade him in any time. But I see your point and thought the same, until it occured to me: It was only about usually little amounts of money, and Rockford is barely driven by money. He could count on Angel on many occasions when he brilliantly potrayed characters Rockford needed for a plan. And the guy was a weasel, but a funny one.
The idea of Dennis Dugan as the lead actor in any sort of TV or film enterprise still gives me a laugh. A less appealing performer rarely has stepped in front of a camera.
As we all know, Dugan ultimately found a second career behind the scenes cranking out big screen Adam Sandler comedies. Aside from his memorable role as ill-fated urban crimefighter Captain Freedom on "Hill Street Blues," Dugan's recurring role as earnest, blue-jeaned, college-educated gumshoe Richie Brockelman remains his best known on-camera role.
Ever since I found your series on Backdoor pilots, I’ve been hoping you’d get around to this. I thought there was more than 3. Seemed like Tom Selleck was set up for a show. To me it seems like there was another buddy one with Clevon Little and Marv (?). Especially since this Marv’s return. The theme to Richie’s show was awful, made it seem like a sitcom. Great job, loved this so much. Plus, I’ve never knew about Switch.
I've heard they changed the name of Selleck's character, moved the series to a new location, and tweaked the character a little. And it became a bigger hit than Rockford Files. But then I hear other things that say Magnum had nothing to do with Lance White.
@@toddnolastname4485 I read where it did but in more of a roundabout way. The studio was looking for something that Selleck could shine in and Lance showed he could do it.
Still watch The Rockford Files all the time! This and Columbo are the two best detective shows ever made!
I bought the entire series on DVD last Christmas and spent several wonderful weekends binging the show and loving it so much!!!!
I had some VHS THEN got th DVDs. I will watch Rockford until I'm dead. James Garner is a GOD. His personal life outshines any of his roles!
I love the one where he puts a air horn under that guys car.
Hey Rockfish
Come on man help a brother out, let me borrow that collection for a week. :)
Same here! Great entertainment. I still use a few of his lines 🙂
As a child, Rockford Files was my favorite. It was the only detective show that I would sit down and watch from beginning to end.
My era was MANNIX, but I watched em all. Rockford, never missed an episode.
It was my dad's favorite show and I was nine years old when it started and I watched the entire run sitting next to him every Friday night, and also Wednesday night. I think it moved a couple of times through its run
Very few shows of this era hold up as well as Rockford. So well acted, so well written.
Well said
I couldn't agree with you more, bro. Along with "Columbo," "The Rockford Files" was a significant cut above all the other "cookie-cutter" crime and detective dramas that were oversaturating the airwaves throughout the seventies.
Any man who can work in a Swing Kids reference so effortlessly earns an instant subscription.
Rockfish! It was a show you could watch with your Dad. It helped knowing what a great guy James Garner was too.
You've summed it up beautifully with these two lines.
Gambi was the character that called Rockford, Rockfish.
I always watched Rockford with my dad. That is my memory too.
Twas Gandalf @@dand3975
@@dand3975 Gandy.
As someone who’s never watched a moment of Rockford this serves as a great primer for the series.
Enjoy!!
Think I’ll rewatch myself.
al I'm going to saying, listen to answer machine at the beginning, it not just part of the tittle reel?
Also: "Mannix"
"Cannon"
"Banacek"
Those dudes were also detective era smoothness.
Absolutely stunning. Great editing. Thank you so much.
Thanks. Mike Schuster wrote and edited this one. His videos are always top-shelf with beautifully crafted jokes. And this one is a real labor of love.
You can't beat Rockford's quick sarcastic reactions to all the situations that he lands into.
But they can beat you when you add to them his laissez-faire attitude and smirk… and you’re only 16 🤣🤣
The script writers deserve the credit but delivery is a talent Some lines are realistic, others are out of place and naff . When a team can read each other the effect is natural .
I loved The Rockford Files. The whole family liked it, even my uncle who usually only watched old westerns.
There should never be another attempt of Rockford. James Garner was Jim Rockford. Just like Tom Selleck was Tom Magnum.
If you know Hollywood🎞🎞 or tv 📺📺 companies they will try and remake anything that been a success
Movie tv series if it makes money 💰💰💰💰💰 from the start even early silent movies were all remade in sound
And so it goes on a on there s big money in repeating old as new
And there lies the problem, Hollywood desperate as ever. All originality long gone!@@patdoyle3686
And William Shatner was Captain Kirk
Lance White was the man.
James Garner was Maverick, his best role ever.
“Lazy but still the smartest guy in the room and good at his job” also applies to Brett Maverick
Rockford files was one of the best series ever made
I loved watching Rockfish!!! It was such a classic. The first episode was just as good as the last episode!! Forty-three years after it ended, it's still a great series.
Dude, I'm absolutely LOVING your videos! Your editing, delivery and sly sense of humor is nothing short of polished. Keep it up, Abe!
That first pilot would be a hit series today
Would be be set in 70s or modern day?
@@robshimer Definitely the 70s
@@sejejo7565it's so sad that Jim AND William Smith are gone now! Eastwood outlived them all...
Hey that Malibu trailer would be like worth 500k nowadays
Jim would have a second & a third mortgage, and Angel would have suckered Jimmy of 15%.
They really have those ?
You HAD to love ROCKFORD. I did. And I wasn't even a detective show fan back in the day.
The character Angel Martin, and the actor who played him, where the best weasel ever.
.
Stuart Margolin.
My dad was a major fan of this show. He used to say, you can tell what time it was when Jim Rockford would get beat up by the bad guys.
One of the best channels on TH-cam!
Thanks!
Absolutely! I couldn't agree with you more!
R.I.P. Louis Gossett, Jr.
Oh that theme song! 📺 Rockford was not playing the Playboy role; his character always respected women on the show. Too bad his knees gave out in the end...
You didn't mention the Rockford/Brockelmen 2hr episode Never Send A Boy King to Do A Man's Job. Just as good as House on Willis Avenue .
James Garner could win emmys making lawn mowing videos , he was the show in every production he was involved in
Gabby & Gandy, two black detectives with one buttoned down & one a loose cannon, didn’t get picked up by the network probably because they were black.
But make them white & make them brothers to explain their partnership and you got an 80s hit.
Simon & Simon!
Would've loved a spinoff with Gabby & Gandy. 😔
Also, three cheers for "The Rockford Files" for never being bad. Plus, it's fun looking at how a middle age guy from the 50s & 60s was dealing with the various horrors of late 1970s American life. James Garner was a genial guide.
I don't think they were ready for 2 bald headed Brothers yet LOL !!!!!
They were scared of two black men 😂
This was great, I didn't know about any of these. Always been a Rockford fan, thank you.
I had great fun watching that, Atomic Abe.
Didn’t get to see the show during its first run, but it was on reruns after I got done school every day. My dad and I watched every episode multiple times I think. Great memories and a really good show.
huge favorite of my parents, too.
You’re lucky to have memories like that! ❤️
Rockford Files theme music makes me think its bedtime. I can still hear it playing in the living room as mum tucked me in. Which is odd as it would have only run for a few months a year.
I've heard of this show but never seen it. I have to find it. I liked Simon and Simon so this seems up my ally.
You will love Rockford.
Dermot Mulroney as Jim Rockford, Alan Tudyk as Dennis Becker, Beau Bridges as Rocky, its hard to say if the new series would have lasted, probably not, you can't beat the original, James Garner will always be Jim Rockford.
Its seems to the old hollywood formula -lookalikes in all the roles ,and sometimes is works usually not
This was terrific, really enjoyable. Only one minor quibble: you forgot to mention that the two characters (and the actors that played them Greg Antonacci and Gene Davis) from "Just a Coupla Guys" appeared first in an earlier RF episode, "The Jersey Bounce". In their first appearance, however, their characters Micky and Eugene are the villains. I've always thought "This Case Is Closed" is the weakest Rockford episode, partly because it was originally broadcast as a tv movie, and then was subsequently recut as two one hour episodes for syndication, with lots of car and landscape shots added to fill out the missing 30 minutes. Anyway, great job!
The fact that Louis Gossett/Isaac Hayes thing didn't get picked up isn't surprising. I know there was a Huggy Bear spin off that tested well, but didn't go anywhere either. I think after the Shaft tv movies weren't a hit, they just said "Well, black TV detectives/action heroes don't sell. We tried." Too bad there wasn't a Norman Lear on the dramatic tv side to really push for it. The only other lead black cop/detective thing was Tenafly which I don't think even lasted a season on that NBC mystery wheel. It seems the networks were only cool with a black principle character if they were a partner or part of an ensemble.
Excellent video.
You can really see how much Garner’s knees were hurting, especially toward the end. Almost every clip shows him limping or trying to avoid knee pain. He almost clutches his left knee in one scene. I’ve read (no source, sorry) that he used cannabis medicinally for his knee pain. Makes sense when you see him off-screen in his always-tinted glasses.
One of my all-time favourite actors.
As per a quote on IMDB, he said it eased his arthritis pain.
He also said it cleared his mind.
They often had other characters ask him what was wrong, and he would say he walked off a pier etc
Garner wrote about his cannabis use in his autobiography 'The Garner Files'. His use predated his knee pain.
@@blindriv3r Or tripped on a skateboard!
The Rockford files as somewhat of a comfort show for me. My family watched it in the 70s when I was a kid.
I got the entire dvd collection, as well as the made-for-tv movies. I even visited paradise cove, California in 2011. I ordered a meal of burger and french fries from the famous diner sat outside in the beautiful sunshine. I even used the restroom out in the car park. Still looked the same, with the whale craving at the top. We stayed for about a couple of hours, walked along the beach. Took a million photos and videos. A visit that l'l never forget.
Sounds like a magic trip. Sadly the TV movies can't be found on DVD or BluRay currently (here in Germany). Can they convey some of the charm of the series - sunny California, likable guy, funny comebacks, beautiful cars, respect towards women?
than sounds wonderful. thanks for sharing it -- and inspiring people to do that trip.
Funny but jumbo usually had a taco
Rockford was truly the spiritual successor to Maverick.
Garner said so in an interview.
... and Magnum was the spiritual successor to Rockford.
And all three (Thomas, TC and Rick) appeared in Rockford Files.@@androod6211
@@androod6211 In a sense Magnum was a spin off of Rockford. They pitched Tom Sellik in a few episopde trying to get a spin off but rewrote the character a lot.
Rockford Files Fun Fact: James Garners dislike of the redesigned Firebird for 1979 resulted in Universal Studios never replacing the 1978 Esprit. The gold color of the Pontiac Firebird was a special shade ordered by Universal at the beginning of production in 1974 and not the Aztec Gold, that was only offered on the Firebird Trans Am for model years 1978 and 1979.
How do I know this? My uncle worked at the GM F-body plant in Van Nuys, CA. during the 1970s and ‘80s as the liaison for the Hollywood studios that needed GM vehicles.
Garner was right, the 1978 model has a beautiful front, while the1979 model's looks awful.
Fantastic work. This is Network TV quality. A+
So many arguments in my life could have been silenced with Stephen Cannell writing a sarcastic and witty return quip. The show was a success due to brilliant casting, Cannell's writing, and Garners' acting style. One very important aspect was the camera shooting. Filmed in a conversational style with multiple angles, and cuts. For each conversation there would be a mix of wide angle, close ups, over-the-solder back and forth. They must have used multiple cameras or multiple takes. It's a stubble element that adds a signature style to the show, and kept it interesting.
Making this took real dedication to your art.I salute you.
You can’t reboot Rockford without James Garner. It’s like rebooting Sanford and Son without Redd Fox
Terrific content! Bravo!!
Rockford and Columbo were the Best TV Detectives EVER, from my point of view!
I remember Cannon, whatever happened to that series ?
Fun Fact: Tom Selleck did a special two episode appearance on Rockford Files as a sharp younger Private Eye. That lead directly to the Magnum PI series. The one spin off that worked...
I think his name was Lance White. I really enjoyed those episodes.
The episode is white on white, and possible the best one of the series.
Magnum not a spin off.
Only in the sense the same actor played a P.I. the character was pretty different
They should have named him Magnum instead of Lance
Good stuff! Can never redo Rockford, right time, right tech, no cell phones, no computer cars. A certain naivete no longer found.
If someone were to even attempt it again, it would have to be a 1970's period piece. It doesn't work as a modern show, and as everyone says, you can't do it without James Garner.
@@Flip-3206 They wanted to do it back in the day and fortunately it failed. I still believe the only way it would've worked is if Garner joined the new show as a Rocky type character helping out his own son in the pi business. But Jim doesn't have any kids! Well, he was obviously a smooth operator back then so you just write it that he actually did have a son that he didn't know about for a few decades. That also provides more fodder for plots as the two of them get to know one another.
Another super episode, Kevin!
Thanks, but this one was written by Mike Schuster, who also edited it. Nick Nadel produced it. Tim Finn is the Executive. I did the voice-over -- and suggested a line about why private eyes were so hot after Viet Nam and Watergate.
@@atomicabe well I salute them too. I love when I get a new Atomic Abe notification.
8:33 One of the best lines from Rockford is at the end of this episode..."Gabby and Gandy...sounds like a puppet show".
Rockford had so many good lines -- but that one is great. Excellent delivery by Garner.
Magnum p.i was kinda a spin-off of Rockford , granted via six degrees of separation.
Fun fact .. in a scene on Magnum PI, there were two cops sitting in their cop car, and one says to the other "hey did you see Rockford last night ? It was great ... " 😊
I remember there was a followup episode with the two Jersey guys where they moved in next to Rocky and framed Rockford for a murder trying to get in good with a mob boss. Rockford cracked "Abbot and Costello meet the Godfather!"
Just a coupla guys.
That was the first episode with the two. It was briefly mentioned in this video.
@@bobjohnson205 Gene Davis is an incredible actor though. His performance in the Charles Bronson vehicle 10 to Midnight is just amazing. The movie itself is sleazy as hell but Gene shines as the psychopathic killer based on Richard Speck.
Rockford Files, Mannix and Cannon, and The Maltese Falcon convinced me for a time as a kid that I could make a living as a private "eye."
What a great show, although my knees ache just watching James Garner trying to move faster than a slow walk.
Such iconic cars too, the Esprit, Rocky's Sierra classic and Beth's Porsche 914.
Lots of elegant coupes all over the show, unlike Kojak mainly showing clunky land yachts.
this was great.
Unofficial back door spinoff, of course, was Tom Selleck's appearance as young P.I. Lance White in Season 5 Ep 4 (the episode directly after The Jersey Bounce). The character's not Magnum but let's face it, Magnum is Hawaiin Rockford, ultimately.
What should have been a spinoff character: Bo Hopkins as lawyer John Cooper, the replacement for Gretchen Corbett's Beth Davenport. "Coop" debuted in, yes, The Jersey Bounce, and for my money was a far more interesting character than the two goombas. Hopkings invested so much in "Coop" right from that first episode it's some kind of reverse miracle that they didn't spin him off into his own show.
"Gabby & Gandy" (starring Louis Gossett, Jr. and the late Isaac Hayes) would've been f**king awesome as all hell!
Yes, it's really a shame it didn't become a series.
I couldn't agree with you more! Thanks for commenting, @@atomicabe!
I would've watched "Gabby & Gandy" instead of "Just A Coupla Guys" any day, @@atomicabe!
I always thought they were trying to spin off the Tom Selleck character
Rita Moreno and Gretchen Corbett are the only two remaining actors from the show still alive. Garner died less than ten years ago at 86.
Very funny actor. Great show and very entertaining
James Whitmore Jr. aka Freddie Beamer is still around and could of been another one who had a spin off.
Tom Atkins is still alive.
See the very funny Moreno/Muppets skit.
Outstanding video on Rockford Files.
I am 58. I watched the entire series from 1974 until 1980 and the tv movies as broadcasted.
I love the series to this day.
it holds up. Garner is fantastic in the role.
Mty favorite Rockford line...In the 1977 episode of The Rockford Files, "Quickie Nirvana", Sky asks "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" . Later, Gordon Borchers slaps Sky for informing on him, and Jim says "That's the sound of one hand clapping".
ha! Great line. And I can totally hear James Garner's delivery.
That was one of several excellent Rockford Files shows intelligently dealing w/ideas in 1970s culture. And integrating them into the plot.
Im into my consciousness-Sky
Your never conscious!-Rockford
Laughs in Tom Selleck. BTW, I'm such a fan of Rockford, I purchased a 1978 Firebird years ago and am restoring it as a tribute.
Wow! Post a video when it's done. Btw, don't make the mistake of painting it that awful and wrong colour that many do.
@@bobjohnson205 Right. The color they used was created for a Cadillac anyway.
@@kurtvanluven9351 I hope that's the colour that you're using.
@@bobjohnson205 Sierra Gold Is my information. Still available by GM code.
Having grown up on the East Coast I was surprised that on my first visit so much of the LA area looked familiar. Not deja vu, but the result of having paid close attention to Rockford Files. To be fair, same phenomenon on first trip to Rome thanks to I Spy
Angel & Gandy should've had a show, or just a Truck Turner series.
I agree. Angel should have had his own show
Angel and Izzy from Miami Vice, the funniest sidekicks since Pancho (Cisko Kid), Tonto (Lone Ranger) and Asta (Thin Man).
4:12 Thank you for getting this right! I just watched another video where they said the maneuver became called "The Jim Rockford Turn Around". I almost spit out my cereal. If I'd been eating any. Ti this day everyone I know and have ever talked to EVER has called it "A (Or The) Rockford". As in "Jim Rip the car over the south bound corner and then when you get to the store Hit the brakes Do ""A Rockford"" and come back here".
He was wounded in ww2 and suffered damage to his legs and could barely walk in later lifetime. He sued the studio because he was supposed to get
A percentage of profits, but was told there was no profit. Won in court and was paid a settlement.
Since James Garner was born in 1929, he would have been too young for WW2. He was however injured in the Korean conflict when he caught shrapnel in his butt from an American bomber taking out nearby Chinese fighters. After recovering from his injuries, he was reassigned to the military’s postal department.
I think he said in an interview that the Rockford show ruined his knees. I guess Rockford got beaten to the ground by gangsters too often not landing nicely on the knees. - I sometimes thought I would prefer a Rockford show without gangsters, just the man cruising sunny Los Angeles having a good time.
I remember Tom Selleck played Lance White...good memories.
I remember seeing Just A Coupla Guys when it originally aired and as a kid I didn't know what backdoor pilots were. I was very confused by how we see Jim getting beaten up in an aiport and then almost don't see him anymore. It was very confusing.
I went back to Germany in 1989. " Detectiv Rockford" was in re runs on German TV.
Stephen j Cannell was A MASTER of Crime Television.
60s and 70s produced some of the best tv shows ever made.
I enthusiastically concur!
first episode of Sopranos they are watching Rockford Files in the retirement village
Its beyond sad that almost the entire cast AND the related industry people are gone!
Also that the 70s are gone, an underrated decade.
Anytime I see or hear the name I now think immediately of Ben Folds Five. “Serial litterbug” I love it but he didn’t litter. It lands on the pile
The Rockford Files was My favorite show a long time, but I never knew there were any spinoffs, so they must have been pretty insignificant!
The guy at 13:20 was the heavy creator and Director of Adam Sandler films in the 90s in 2000s and still do some riding for him. But did you know he was the only survivor in The Howling?
I totally forgot Dennis Dugan co-starring in the werewolf thriller "The Howling"! Thanks for the reminder!
Noah Beery Jr. was my favorite TV daddy.
Wow he actually drove the car , cant say that about any of the FAST CAST
The Rockford Files had excellent writers, directors and producers. Many supporting characters were also top caliberer actors. James Garner had much charisma with excellent acting skills. Most detective shows were too scripted and often somewhat predictable. The Rockford Files was probably one of the best network detective shows of the 1970's. The character development and scripts were certainly more realistic too. I watch old reruns of the Rockford Files but never watch new television shows.
I love watching The Rockford Files!
Why didnt they have more action showing clearly that it was him actually driving, never knew he did his own wheel work.
That camera work would be hard to do with a Firebird on steroids I guess.
First time to the channel. This was great fun and a idea. Loved Rockford, I really thought Magnum PI was going to be one of them, though the characters are different I am sure the idea for the series and a show for Tom came from working with him here.
That Brochelman actor was also shoe horned into a Columbo episode. The producers thought Columbo needed a sidekick. Wisely Peter Falk talked them into giving him a dog instead.
Ritchy Brocleman, was a Rockford Files spinoff.
Excellent video. Could you do a video on the failed ROCKFORD FILES reboots (the 2010 unaired pilot with Dermot Mulroney as Rockford) and the long-stalled feature that was to star Vince Vaughn as Rockford?
Richie Brockoman instead of Gabby and Gandy, NBC bombed big time
Great...have The Rockford Files on DVD...best purchase ever
I liked Richie Brockelman, Private Eye
I wish Beth and Jim had got engaged..settle down like Rocky wanted at the end. I know the character of Rockford is romantically distant..but they seemed to need each other.
Replacing Rockford with a spin-off was impossible.
Spin-offs are so hard to pull off. I personally would prefer the series to extrend a few seasons with the newer popular characters. Kind of like how The Closer morphed into Major Crimes.
Greg Antonacci, who played would-be Jersey wiseguy Eugene, actually appeared in nine episodes of “The Sopranos”.
He also co-starred on the short-lived disco sitcom "Makin' It," starring David Naughton ("An American Werewolf In London")!
I used to hate the sleazy "Angel" character, but now I love him! His speedy, sleazy episodes are the best. He's always getting Jim into trouble in funny ways.
Yes, I had the same experience. I have an appreciation for Angel now.
I've never developed an appreciation for Angel. He would betray Rockford so readily it didn't make sense that Rockford would remain loyal to him. The relationship always seemed like a plot device.
@@WilliamHerlihy-p4g My own brother did way more horrible things to me than Angel did to Rockford, would trade him in any time. But I see your point and thought the same, until it occured to me: It was only about usually little amounts of money, and Rockford is barely driven by money. He could count on Angel on many occasions when he brilliantly potrayed characters Rockford needed for a plan. And the guy was a weasel, but a funny one.
Dugan's character appeared in another 2 part story with Rockford.
i love a good d&d alignment drop in
I really would have loved to have seen Gabby and Gandy. I love me a good Blaxplotation crime solving story. At least a TV movie.
Such a great show.
I love what you do🏆😂👏🏾
The idea of Dennis Dugan as the lead actor in any sort of TV or film enterprise still gives me a laugh. A less appealing performer rarely has stepped in front of a camera.
I was thinking the same. Networks try to bring in new and younger actors thinking it might help widen the audience. Who knows.
As we all know, Dugan ultimately found a second career behind the scenes cranking out big screen Adam Sandler comedies. Aside from his memorable role as ill-fated urban crimefighter Captain Freedom on "Hill Street Blues," Dugan's recurring role as earnest, blue-jeaned, college-educated gumshoe Richie Brockelman remains his best known on-camera role.
Ever since I found your series on Backdoor pilots, I’ve been hoping you’d get around to this. I thought there was more than 3. Seemed like Tom Selleck was set up for a show. To me it seems like there was another buddy one with Clevon Little and Marv (?). Especially since this Marv’s return. The theme to Richie’s show was awful, made it seem like a sitcom. Great job, loved this so much. Plus, I’ve never knew about Switch.
Lance was a great character and it did always seem spinny- offy to me. Selleck had the gravity to make it work...
I've heard they changed the name of Selleck's character, moved the series to a new location, and tweaked the character a little. And it became a bigger hit than Rockford Files. But then I hear other things that say Magnum had nothing to do with Lance White.
@@toddnolastname4485 I read where it did but in more of a roundabout way. The studio was looking for something that Selleck could shine in and Lance showed he could do it.
Richie Brockelman:
There is not an actual fire here but there is an actual crime.
Great show....Jim Rockford. only $200 per day
Plus expenses!
@@susanmcguire3442 In theory, Beth neveer acknowledged the toothpaste.