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Are you a Rockford Files or James Garner fan? Then pick up THE definitive guide to the ever-popular Rockford Files. Thank you to author Ed Robertson for allowing us to reprint this excerpt from Thirty Years of the Rockford Files.
He looked like Steve McGarrett. He dressed like Joe Mannix. But he acted like no other private detective prime time television had ever seen. When he threw a punch, Jim Rockford (James Garner) was more likely to hurt his own hand than his opponent.He rarely carried a gun (he didn’t have a permit), and on those occasions when he did, he was more likely to point the weapon than fire it.
Rockford hated trouble, wouldn’t hesitate to quit in the middle of a case if things got too rough, and had no qualms about telling you why (“You’re damned right I’m afraid!”). But he did like money: he charged $200 a day, plus expenses, so he’d hang in there no matter what if he could smell a fat check down the road. “I won’t kill for money, and I won’t marry for it,” he once said. “Other than that, I’m open to just about anything.”
Most private eyes—at least, the ones we see portrayed in movies and on television— have a lieutenant friend on the police force with whom they trade information in the course of a given case.
But because Rockford was an ex-con (he was unjustly convicted of armed robbery and served five years in prison before receiving a full pardon), he didn’t always trust the police. For that matter, nearly everyone in the Los Angeles Police Department despised Rockford because he had a propensity for solving cases that the cops had either closed or considered unsolvable. In fact, whenever Rockford showed up at headquarters with a broken nose or a bloody lip, morale in the department automatically went up ten percent!
The one cop willing to stand up for our man Jimbo was the overworked and grossly underappreciated Sergeant Dennis Becker (Joe Santos), who genuinely liked Rockford even though he was occasionally embarrassed by their relationship, particularly whenever it interfered with his police duties. Rockford had a lot of other characteristics that TV audiences could identify with. He had a paunch (he had a weakness for Oreo cookies). He also liked to drink beer and eat fast food (in one episode, Becker calls him “the taco king”). He preferred watching baseball and basketball games over the theater or opera. He didn’t like to exert himself (if he could, he’d spend all day fishing on the beach). He didn’t like going to the dentist (he once put off a root canal appointment four times). He’d go to any lengths (even asking for a note from his doctor) to avoid jury duty.
Rockford could be a rascal—he was once considered one of the finest grafters in the business. But he also had a sweetness that particularly came across in his relationship with his father, Joseph “Rocky” Rockford (Noah Beery), a retired truck driver who doesn’t quite understand what his son does for a living. Rockford had a big heart (sometimes, despite himself), which explains why he occasionally worked pro bono for his friend and attorney Beth Davenport (Gretchen Corbett). But he also had a limited amount of patience, which was often exhausted by the exasperating antics of his former cellmate Angel Martin (Stuart Margolin).
Fueled by excellent writing, memorable characters, and the star power of James Garner, The Rockford Files enjoyed a solid six-season run on NBC (1974- 1980), and remains one of the most beloved television programs of all time. Winner of five Emmys, including Best Actor (Garner) and Best Dramatic Series (1978), Rockford came back with a splash in 1994 as a series of two-hour movies on CBS. Reruns of the original NBC series have played continuously in syndication and on national cable TV over the past 25 years, while the reunion movies from CBS have been a staple of Court TV and the Hallmark Channel since early 2001.
Of course, in some ways, Jim Rockford wasn’t original at all: he was Bret Maverick reincarnated, the folksy, quasi-con man who would change his mind in a minute if he thought it would get him out of trouble. Like Maverick, Rockford was a man much smarter than he let on, and who couldn’t care less about being a hero.
All of which was deliberate. The Rockford Files first sprouted from the fertile mind of Roy Huggins, the creative force behind The Fugitive and 77 Sunset Strip, as well as the man who had helped make Garner a star years before on Maverick. Huggins understood Garner’s uncanny knack for playing wry, understated humor like few others. That Garner’s greatest successes on television are tied directly to Huggins is no coincidence.
About the Author
Ed Robertson is a freelance author, editor, and consultant, He collaborates with book publishers, book packagers, literary agents, individual authors and companies in a number of different capacities, including ghostwriting, book doctoring, developmental editing, and project management. 
He works with a variety of professionals across the country, including athletes, attorneys, psychologists, psychiatrists, journalists, educators, engineers, entrepreneurs, public speakers, and celebrities. Other books include Maverick: Legend of the West, and The Fugitive Recaptured.
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