who played the lawyer in the rockford files

by Alejandra Tromp 3 min read

Who played the father of Jim Rockford in the Rockford Files?

Noah Beery Jr. as Joseph "Rocky" Rockford, Jim's father, a retired truck driver. (The role was played by actor Robert Donley in the 1974 pilot episode.)

Who are some famous people that have appeared on Rockford Files?

It also hosted MANY big names in the industry, like Bill Mumy of Lost in Space fame, Abe Vigoda from Barney Miller, the Bionic Woman herself Lindsay Wagner, and even Tom Selleck; later on, Magnum characters would reference an episode of Rockford Files, the same one its star appeared in!

Who was Anthony Anthony on the Rockford Files?

Anthony had previously been a frequent extra and occasional bit part player on The Rockford Files from 1976 to 1979. The series Richie Brockelman, Private Eye was a spin-off of The Rockford Files.

Who is the Rockford Files'John Garner?

Huggins had created, written for and produced Garner's breakthrough series Maverick in 1957 and envisioned The Rockford Files as presenting a similar character as a modern private investigator rather than a gambler in the American Old West.

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Who plays Jim Rockford's father?

Garner portrays Los Angeles–based private investigator Jim Rockford, with Noah Beery Jr. in the supporting role of his father, Joseph Rockford, a retired truck driver nicknamed "Rocky". The show was created by Roy Huggins and Stephen J. Cannell.

Who played Freddie Beamer in Rockford?

Rockford has a few heated words with would-be private eye Freddie Beamer (James Whitmore Jr. ). Producers Roy Huggins and Stephen J. Cannell devised the Rockford character as a rather significant departure from typical television detectives of the time, essentially Bret Maverick as a modern detective.

Why did Garner leave Rockford?

The show went into hiatus late in 1979 when Garner was told by his doctors to take time off because of numerous knee injuries and back trouble, as well as an ulcer. He sustained the former conditions largely because of his insistence on performing most of his own stunts, especially those involving fist fights or car chases. Because of his physical pain, Garner eventually opted not to continue with the show some months later, and NBC cancelled the program in mid-season. It was alleged that Rockford had become very expensive to produce, mainly due to the location filming and use of high-end actors as guest stars. According to sources, NBC and Universal claimed the show was generating a deficit of several million dollars, a staggering amount for a nighttime show at the time, although Garner and his production team Cherokee Productions claimed the show turned a profit. Garner told a story to Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show that the studio once paid a carpenter $700 to build a shipping crate for a shoot-out on a boat dock, though there were shipping crates on the dock. The script often called for Garner to damage his car, so the car could be sold, repaired, and repurchased for each episode.

How many Rockford Files reunion movies were made?

After several long-running contractual disputes between Garner and Universal were resolved, eight Rockford Files reunion TV movies were made from 1994 to 1999, airing on the CBS network (whereas the original series aired on NBC) and reuniting most of the cast from the original show. Beery died on November 1, 1994, so the first of these films, which aired later that month, stated, "This picture is dedicated to the memory of Noah Beery, Jr. We love you and miss you, Pidge." ("Pidge" was Beery's nickname.)

What truck did Rocky drive in Firebird?

Joseph "Rocky" Rockford drove a GMC Sierra Classic pickup truck throughout the series. In the course of the storylines Jim often borrowed Rocky's truck when his own Firebird was being repaired from its frequent major damage sustained during cases, or was too "hot" (i.e., the LAPD, which knew Jim well, was seeking to bring him in.) Rocky's truck had a 400-cubic-inch engine, Turbo 400 automatic transmission, and a four-wheel drive factory setup. The custom exterior paint was silver with maroon panels and orange pinstriping. Additionally, the truck sported various after-market accessories added by noted California customizer and off-road racer, Vic Hickey, including the winch, brush guard, hubcap covers, sidestep bed plates, auxiliary gas tanks, custom steering wheel, rear roll bar, Cibié headlamps mounted on the front bumper/rear roll bar, and Pace CB radio. In several Season 5-6 episodes, Rocky drives a candy-apple red 1980 GMC C-10 Short Box pickup when his original vehicle is said to be in the shop for repair of damage from one of Jim's earlier adventures.

When did the Rockford Files air?

( 1980-01-10) The Rockford Files is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974, and January 10, 1980, and has remained in syndication to the present day.

What car did Beth Davenport drive in the show?

Beth Davenport drove a yellow 1973 Porsche 914 in Season 1, before switching to an orange 1975 model in Season 2 (though in episode 202, "The Farnsworth Stratagem" she drove a 1972 Audi 100 C1) and using it through the first half of Season 3, last appearance in episode 311, "The Trouble With Warren". In Season 3, she switched to a Mercedes-Benz 450SL. Police cars used during the series was usually the 1972-1973 AMC Matador, in real life in use by the LAPD during the 1970s. From the third season, the 1974 second-series, "coffin nose" Matador was also used, which was also the last AMC model used by California law enforcement agencies.

Who plays Beth Davenport's daughter on Rockford Files?

Remember Beth Davenport from 'The Rockford Files'? Here Is Her Grownup Daughter Winslow. February 01, 2020 | by Aby Rivas. Gretchen Corbett, better known for her role as attorney Beth Davenport on the NBC series “The Rockford Files,” is the proud mother of a grownup daughter who is now following her steps into the acting industry.

What is the name of the play that Corbett directed?

In 2013, she landed a recurring role on the IFC series “Portlandia,” and also directed the play “Bo-Nita” at Portland Center Stage. Her most recent acting role was in the Hulu series “Shrill” in 2019. Corbett is also the creative director of the Haven Project, a theater workshop for under-served children in Portland.

Who plays Elaine Robinson in The Graduate?

Winslow, who maintains a strikingly youthful appearance, built a name for herself in the theater community with her performance of Elaine Robinson in several stage versions of “The Graduate.”. She has an impressive resume in theater, with plays like “The Importance of Being Earnest,” “The Foreigner,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” “Amadeus” ...

What series did Corbett appear in?

Later, Corbett moved to L.A as part of a contract with Universal Studios, and made appearances in series like “Kojak,” “ Columbo ,” “Gunsmoke,” and “Marcus Welby, M.D.”.

Portrayal

Elizabeth "Beth" Davenport was an accomplished lawyer who was idealistic and tenacious.

Background Information

Beth had a childhood friend named Susie Adams, who changed her name to Margo when she started modelling.

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Overview

Cast

Listed in the opening credits:
• James Garner as Jim Rockford
• Noah Beery Jr. as Joseph "Rocky" Rockford, Jim's father, a retired truck driver. (The role was played by actor Robert Donley in the 1974 pilot episode.)

Premise

Producers Roy Huggins and Stephen J. Cannell devised the Rockford character as a rather significant departure from typical television detectives of the time, essentially Bret Maverick as a modern detective.
In the series storyline, James Scott "Jim" Rockford had served time in California's San Quentin Prison in the 1960s due to a wrongful conviction. Afte…

Credits

The show's pilot was written by Cannell, who also wrote 36 episodes and was the show's co-creator. Juanita Bartlett, one of the show's producers and Garner's partner at Cherokee Productions, wrote 34 episodes. She also wrote for Scarecrow and Mrs. King, The Greatest American Hero, and In the Heat of the Night. David Chase wrote 16 episodes; he later went on to Northern Exposure and The Sopranos. The show's co-creator, Roy Huggins, also wrote for the sho…

Vehicles

Familiar to viewers was Jim Rockford's gold Pontiac Firebird Esprit car. One oft-recurring element of the show was the famous "Jim Rockford turn-around" (also known as a J-turn or a "moonshiner's turn" - commonly employed as an evasive driving technique taught to Secret Service). Garner explained the move in his 2011 autobiography The Garner Files: "When you are going straight in reverse about 35 miles an hour, you come off the gas pedal, go hard left, and pull on the emerge…

Theme song

The show's theme song titled "The Rockford Files" was written by noted theme music composers Mike Post and Pete Carpenter. It appears at the opening and ending of each episode with different arrangements. Throughout the show's tenure, the theme song went through numerous evolutions with later versions containing a distinct electric guitar-based bridge section played by session guitarist Dan Ferguson. The theme for #1.7 "This Case Is Closed II", also has the guitar section fr…

Answering machine introductions

Telephone answering machines, previously rare, were becoming increasingly common during the period of the show. Unlike more conventional TV private detectives, who often employed attractive secretaries to handle calls, Rockford had to rely on the tape machine.
Each episode began with the image of Rockford's answering machine, and the opening title sequence was accompanied by a message on a Dictaphone remote Ansafone 660. As the camer…

End

The show went into hiatus late in 1979 when Garner was told by his doctors to recuperate from numerous knee injuries and back trouble, as well as an ulcer. He sustained the former conditions largely because of the daily grind of an extremely physically demanding show, performing most of his own stunts for realism, especially those involving fist fights or car chases. Because of the toll on his body, Garner was ordered by his doctor to immediately take time off some months later, a…