Sara Butler: Youre not afraid of him, are you? Jim Rockford: Youre damn right I am. -- Nick Butler: Youre a cop, huh? Jim Rockford: No, what I am sonny, is about fifty pounds heavier and one hell of a lot meaner so you better straighten up your act, I dont think I like you. -- Those two lines, and about half a bazillion more just like that, set the tone on the very first episode of The Rockford Files and I, who at 15, thought I was a master at the art of wisecrackery, was revealed as the rank amateur I really was--and more importantly, really set the tone for what has become an American staple: the funny, flawed, scared, inventive truly human hero who would rather think and talk his way out of a situation, but can brawl if he has to. I have not watched the show in decades, but I think that I could watch 30 seconds of just about any episode and tell you the plot, and perhaps even the name of the episode (when they had titles like Rosa Crantz and Guilda Stern are Dead its hard to forget them). For years, whenever I saw a copper-colored Camaro on the street, Id look to see if there was a tall man with a black pompadour behind the wheel. And Id always be disappointed. Jim Rockford was written specifically for James Garner, and apparently was an accurate reflection of the mans personality. It was a joy to watch. But what is really impressive is when you realize it was NOT a joy for him to perform. Unlike most hour-long episodic dramas, the Rockford Files was about a loner. Jim Rockford had no secretary, no wisecracking buddy, no partner, no real family. Yeah he had his dad Rocky, his prison buddy/snitch Angel, his sometime employer/romantic interest Beth Davenport, and Lt. Chapman, but we only saw them interacting with him, not going out on their own adventures. This meant that James Garner had to be in almost 100% of the scenes for 13 hour-long episodes for six years. And then he found out that his contract was written so that he got a very small fraction of the profits from the show, he stepped away from it. Still, he was one of my favorite actors for a very long time, and I will always remember him fondly. And if I ever get the chance, I just might buy myself a vintage Camaro and get myself an answering machine.
Posted on: Sun, 20 Jul 2014 19:35:32 +0000
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