Rockford

[Mr. Mike]

People have been nagging me for some time to do reviews of The Rockford Files. Since I was curious about this show, and the local library got new DVDs of the show released by Mill Creek Entertainment (who also released the show on Blu Ray), I put hold on all the sets from the library.

Although Rockford himself is kind of a "charming rogue" type, the quality of the scripts in this series that I have dealt with so far are *very bad*, highly reminiscent of Ironside, where I was only able to complete one season (the first) and a few additional shows. Many of the Rockford scripts are written or co-written by series co-creator Stephen Cannell.

Don't forget that Cannell was the guy who was involved with a reboot of H50 in 1997, except he didn't do his homework very well, seemingly unaware that Chin Ho was knocked off in the show's 10th season – and in the 1997 reboot, not only was Chin around but so was Zulu/Kono, who had been canned at the end of the fourth season.

I have done about half a dozen shows of Rockford, including the pilot episode – see http://www.mjq.net/rockford. I don't know if I will do any more. Another show that I watched yesterday was unbelievably complicated and stupid. But I am like a moth before a flame...

[ringfire211]

Thanks, Mike. Good work on the mini reviews.

However your comment about the scripts in this show being “very bad” is sure to raise many eyebrows. The show is especially known for its sharp writing and great scripts. I tend to agree. But hey… different strokes for different folks.

[ringfire211]

Just to add my 2 cents after reading your reviews.

The pilot episode is absolutely one of my favorite episodes of the series! Love all the twists and turns and the exciting showdown in the desert at the end. Season 1 is my favorite because they used a lot of desert scenes (unlike in the later seasons) which I absolutely love. There’s something eerie and mysterious about those desolate desert roads that Rockford frequently has to travel in the first season. The DUEL-like showdown between Rockford’s little car rental and the Mack truck in “The Dark and Bloody Ground” (another of my favorites) is the single best action set piece of the series! And again - more desert footage! Yes I’ll agree that the book to film copyright plot is confusing but everything else is top rate. Also it was clear who was driving the Mack truck - it was the Linden Chiles character who is in cahoots with Nancy Malone. I don’t think that part was confusing. He was clearly trailing Rockford almost from the start.

Both “The Fourth Man” and “The Family Hour” are top flight season 3 entries. “Oracle Wore a Cashmere Suit” I was never too crazy about.

And season 6 is pretty much my least favorite. I remember very little about “Paradise Cove” aside from it being kinda boring. But again it’s been a long while since I’ve seen it. The highlight from the final season is “Nice Guys Finish Dead” where several memorable guest stars return - Tom Selleck as Lance White, James Whitmore Jr. as Freddie Beamer, and Simon Oakland as Vern St. Cloud. I would definitely recommend that episode, as well as the season 5 introduction to Selleck as Lance White in “White on White and Nearly Perfect”. Also the season 4 premiere “Beamer’s Last Case”. Do check those out!

But my all time favorite Rockford is the season 3 two-parter “The Trees, the Bees, and T.T. Flowers” with the legendary Strother Martin as an old friend of Rocky’s who’s being declared old and senile so that some baddies can get his land. It’s a classic! In fact I think pretty much all the 2-parters on the show are first rate.

As to your complaints about Rockford figuring things out too easily, well, you could level the same criticism at Five-O. How many times did we see McG snapping his fingers and magically drawing a conclusion which in the real world there would be no reason for him to arrive at said conclusion. The script dictates that our hero figure things out. And so he does. Some of these things you kinda have to let slide.

[Mr. Mike]

Ringfire, you are correct, I am getting ahead of myself, I have only seen about half a dozen Rockford shows and already jumping to conclusions about the quality of the scripts, most of which leave a lot to be desired. I think I am dreading that this show will be like my experience with Ironside (see https://www.ironsidetv.com), where I was very disappointed because I was under the impression that this was a "quality show," which it definitely is not.

I was e-mailing this friend in the USA about Rockford recently. He binge-watched the whole thing recently, he has some interesting things to say:

One thing you need to keep in mind while watching Rockford is he is not the ordinary protagonist. He’s an ex-con, lives in a rusty & broken-down trailer in a parking lot, associates with numerous other ex-cons, and is engaged in a profession that is borderline sleazy. The show milks those for all they’re worth, with Rockford often falling into underhanded deals, scams, and cons.

Rockford is not quite a n’er do well, but he is n’er do well adjacent. He’s a 70’s anti-hero. He’s smart and tough, but he’s also badly flawed. He can’t keep $ in his wallet, he gets suckered frequently, and is a softie to a fault. Much of that was Garner’s doing. He wanted to be a different character—one who not always didn’t always win (as McGarrett did), but usually lost. That was the show’s hook—that Rockford was a lovable loser.

As such the show is harder to watch for viewers who were used to episodic TV where each episode had a tidy ending. Rockford often got shafted by his clients or, worse, ended up in jail at the conclusion. It’s jarring to the watcher, but it kept them coming back for more.

I replied to him, saying:

I get all this stuff, that Rockford is a "loveable rogue," but the plots in some of the episodes I have watched so far are just bad, especially the pilot. I can't believe that the average person can deal with some of these plot machinations which rival Shakespeare or other "high-falutin'" ways of writing.

He then replied further:

I can’t disagree with your criticism of some of the writing. It was a Stephen J Cannell production, and in my opinion they were not always known for their quality. In fact, my impression is that Universal was forcing him to just be his own writing mill; his deadlines forced him to just pump out plots over and over again. And not for very much money either. That’s why he broke away at the end of the series and formed his own production company.

And don't forget the 1997 H50 pilot which Cannell was connected with!

[ringfire211]

Yep I think your friend from the USA pretty much hit the nail squarely on the head. That’s the appeal of the show. As for some of the machinations in the writing I guess you kinda have to roll with it. To be honest I was never too bothered by it or found it too unbelievable, no more than Five-O I guess.

As for Stephen J. Cannell I remember that the big deal with him was that he was actually dyslexic and yet became one of the most successful writers and producers in television history. It must have been some special that I watched which highlighted that even with his “handicap” he was able to churn out brilliant television. All things considered I think he did great work!

[John Chergi]

Mr. Mike

I think Cannon or Barnaby Jones deserve an ANAL-YSIS down the road. Solid series. I was particularly surprised on the quality of the Barnaby Jones episodes. Only a few real duds. Most 3-4 Stars ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐. I completed my Barnaby Jones series review on my Twitter X site. Like losing an old friend. I have watched some The Rockford Files over the years and have the Season DVDs. Honestly, I can understand why people enjoy The Rockford Files. Rockford is a fascinating and interesting character. He is somebody a person can root for during the episode. My biggest problem with The Rockford Files is they don't have many memorable villains compared to McGarrett & HFO. McG had some great battles with the equally as brilliant & resourceful Wo Fat. Plus, some other great villains in Alika, Ralston, Stoss, Tokura, etc. They also are talky shows and have Seinfeldian type moments. I wonder if Jerry Seinfeld was a young fan of The Rockford Files. Learning from and watching the great James Garner in action. JC