Starring:
James Garner as Jim Rockford
Noah Beery Jr. as Joseph ‘Rocky’ Rockford
Joe Santos as Det. Dennis Becker
Gretchen Corbett as Beth Davenport
Stuart Margolin as Evelyn ‘Angel’ Martin
Tom Atkins as Lt. Alex Diehl
Special Features:
Includes James Gardner reminiscing about the genesis of The Rockford Files and becoming Jim Rockford
Other Info:
Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Dolby Digital 2.0 Sound
Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 19 Hours 16 Minutes
Synopsis:
The first season of The Rockford Files originally aired in 1974. The following text is from the DVD cover:
“The world’s most unlikely detective comes to DVD for the first time ever in all 23 thrilling Season One episodes of The Rockford Files. Emmy winner James Garner stars as the offbeat Jim Rockford, an ex-con-turned-private-investigator who would rather fish than fight, but whose instinct on closed cases is more golden than his classic Pontiac Firebird. From his mobile home in Malibu, this wisecracking private eye takes on the cases of the lost and the dispossessed, chasing down seemingly long-dead clues in the sun-baked streets and seamy alleys of Los Angeles. Including an interview with James Garner himself, this phenomenal DVD set contains 23 TV hours of classic Rockford action and includes such stellar guest stars as Lindsay Wagner, James Woods, Abe Vigoda, Suzanne Somers and Ned Beatty. The Rockford Files are now open and declassified for mystery fans everywhere!”
The Rockford Files Season One is not rated.
Mini-Review:
It’s been a long time since I last watched an episode of The Rockford Files, so it was fun to revisit it once again on this DVD set. Quite frankly I’m surprised it took this long to arrive on DVD. James Garner makes a great private detective as Jim Rockford. He’s funny, usually in over his head, and not above sucker punching a bad guy. He’s almost like a toned down Fletch. This was emphasized in the opening to each show where he had a different answering machine message detailing various woes. (The great theme song opening each show is one of TV’s most memorable, too.) Garner was joined by a great group of guest stars in the first season including Lindsay Wagner, James Woods, Abe Vigoda, Suzanne Somers and Ned Beatty.
A lot of these TV series DVDs are short changed on the bonus features. Fortunately, this one has a great interview with James Garner himself. It runs 8 minutes long and he talks about how he came on board the show, his stunt driving, the humor, his anti-hero character, and his guest stars. It’s a great look back with Rockford himself.
This DVD is a must-have for fans of the series, fans of James Garner, and anyone that loves detective TV series. The mix of humor, action, and drama make it fun television show.
