Rockford Files Season 2

Fans were ecstatic when "The Rockford Files" finally was released after many long delays. The first season was great and the second cemented James Garner and his pals as weekly visitors into our homes for years to come.

James Garner's laconic charm as Jim Rockford kept us coming back for more each week and finally won him an Emmy in 1977. Garner, who would have been a star in any era, and sometimes seemed as if he would have fit more into films of the 1940's, had finally found the perfect role on television as Jim Rockford, an ex-con given a full pardon when it was discovered he was innocent after all. Working as a P.I. and parking his gold Firebird in front of his trailor on the L.A. beach, Rockford could never quite shake the ex-con tag, nor could he shake his old cellmate, Evelyn "Angel" Martin.

Stuart Margolin was simply fantastic as the scheming Angel, always with an angle, and always certain to get Rockford into trouble when it backfired. Like Rockford, you just couldn't stay mad at Angel, no matter what con had blown up in his face or how much trouble he would get our favorite TV detective in from time to time. Rockford and Angel remained friends because of that unspoken bond all ex-cons have, and because deep down, Angel was a stand-up guy, though you couldn't always tell it from looking at the surface.

Except for the 90 minute pilot episode, "Backlash of the Hunter," starring Lindsay Wagner as Sarah Butler, who would resurface in another episode from that first season, "Aura Lee, Farewell," Noah Beery Jr. portrayed Rockford's lovable dad, Rocky. Rocky was a retired trucker who loved to fish, and passed on the hobby to Jim. It was the little moments like fishing that were really the heart and soul of this show when you stop to think about it. There were always a few slice-of-life moments mingled in with the great car chases, glorious con games, and other assorted mischief, as Rockford tried to solve a closed case and stay out of jail at the same time. Some weeks he was just trying to stay alive. Rocky would always give Jim that "look" if he had to come post bail.

Joe Santos was Rockford's often exasperated police pal, Dennis Becker. He was the buffer between Rockford and Becker's superiors, who hated Rockford and wanted any excuse to pull his P.I. license. Becker was a pal, but could only do so much for Jim as he had to stay out of hot water himself. He had a wife and kids to support, and for some strange reason, that sometimes took priority over helping Rockford out of a complicated jam.

Last, but by no means least, was Gretchen Corbett as lawyer Beth Davenport. The relationship between she and Rockford was complicated. They both had a deep affection for each other, which was sometimes complicated by the attorney-client relationship. Her efforts to keep Jim out of trouble with the cops took up a lot of her time. There was a romance of sorts between the two, but it never matured into something that would lead to marriage.

The second season, just like the first, had some great guest stars, in addition to the already mentioned Lindsay Wagner. That original pilot episode is included this time. Guest stars from the second season include: Linda Evans, Michael Conrad, Stefanie Powers, Blair Brown, Isaac Hayes, Rob Reiner, Dick Butkus, John Saxon, Michael Ansara, Joseph Campanella, Louis Gossat Jr., Susan Strasberg, and Veronica Hamel.

There were some fine episodes the second season, in addition to the 90 minute pilot finally included. Those episodes are as follows: THE AARON IRONWOOD SCHOOL OF SUCCESS --- THE FARNSWORTH STRATAGEM --- THE GEARJAMMERS --- THE DEEP BLUE SLEEP --- THE GREAT BLUE LAKELAND AND DEVELOPMENT COMPANY --- THE REAL EASY RED DOG --- RESURRECTION IN BLACK AND WHITE --- CHICKEN LITTLE IS A LITTLE CHICKEN --- TWO INTO 556 WONT GO --- PASTORIA, PRIME PICK --- THE REINCARNATION OF ANGIE --- THE GIRL IN THE BAY CITY BOY'S CLUB --- THE HAMMER OF 'C' BLOCK --- THE NO-CUT CONTRACT --- A PORTRAIT OF ELIZABETH --- JOEY BLUE EYES --- IN HAZARD --- THE ITALIAN BIRD FIASCO --- WHERE'S HOUSTON? --- FOUL ON THE FIRST PLAY --- A BAD DEAL IN THE VALLEY

Stephen J. Cannell and Roy Huggins created this wonderful series and Juanita Bartlett wrote some of the finest scripts ever done for television. James Garner was absolutely perfect as Jim Rockford, and it has become difficult as the years have passed to separate the two in our minds. Garner was, and is, a great actor and screen presence who made everything look easy. This was a terrific show and one of the best ever to be beamed into our homes once a week.

This DVD sets of "The Rockford Files" have been too long coming, but now we all can wax nostalgia a bit, remembering shows like "The Rockford Files" which entertained with quality. Everyone loved "The Rockford Files" and couldn't wait to hear Mike Post's great theme music each week. It was recorded and turned into a radio hit it was so good.

Once again we will get to listen to all those crazy messages left on Jim Rockford's answering machine. Fans never missed the opening of the show because a smile or a good laugh might be missed. You don't want to miss it either.

"This is Jim Rockford. At the tone, leave your name and message and I'll get back to you."

James Garner is probably the hardest working television

actor of them all. My favorite shows are Columbo, Mission: Impossible and the Rockford Files, but as an actor, Garner outclasses them all. As good as Columbo is, Peter Falk is puts in uneven performances. In Mission:Impossible, the focus continually shifts from one character to another, so no one

actor is on the spot all the time. In "Rockford Files", the story revolves around Jim so he is on screen much of the time,

yet he NEVER puts in a bad performance, in spite of what must

have been an exhausting schedule, putting out a new show week after week. Of course, the outstanding writing and directing add to the charm of the program. I was in college in Southern California while the show was being produced so I can attest to how well the show reflected the slightly wacky society of the time and in the various odd types of people Jim encounters.

When I was 6 or 7 this was my favorite show, and it's so nice to see these again and realize that it's even better than I'd imagined. Watching it now as an adult it seems funny that as a child a show like this appealed to me, but that testifies to the show's balance.

I miss the days of this kind of television that seem, alas, long gone. But I guess even then this show was something very special.

I'm positively delighted that Season 2 is coming out.

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