Created by Ken Harris Well, it had to happen... COVID has hit the Shamus Game. And it hit Baltimore P.I. STEVE ROCKFISH particularly hard--what with lockdowns, mask laws and unruly mouthbreathers, nobody's hiring private eyes or anyone else, and nobody's going out, which means spouses prone to straying are staying home, and behaving themselves. It's … Continue reading Steve Rockfish
Tag: The Rockford Files
My Scrapbook: James Garner on the Cover of TV Guide
James Garner as Jim Rockford TV Guide (June 2, 1979) One of the most popular actors in film and television for a couple of decades, James Garner naturally graced the cover of TV Guide numerous times--he was, after all, James Garner. He appeared as the star of Maverick and The Rockford Files, of course, but he … Continue reading My Scrapbook: James Garner on the Cover of TV Guide
What Hath Rockford Wrought?
The Other Eyes of The Rockford Files Much like Maverick, Rockford co-creator Roy Huggins' other hit show starring James Garner, The Rockford Files delighted in poking fun at its own genre, seeding the show with numerous cock-eyed takes on the private eye. Here are the most memorable: Gandolph "Gandy" Fitch Created by Gordon Dawson … Continue reading What Hath Rockford Wrought?
Richie Brockelman (Richie Brockelman, Private Eye)
Created by Stephen J. Cannell & Steven Bochco “What the hey? The detective wore tennis shoes? The thing of it is, RICHIE BROCKELMAN can best be described as a younger, less cynical version of Jim Rockford. Played by Dennis Dugan, he comes across, in his jeans and tennis shoes, as being rather young and naive, … Continue reading Richie Brockelman (Richie Brockelman, Private Eye)
My Scrapbook: When Harry Met Jimbo
My Scrapbook Harry Tenafly meets Jim Rockford. It never happened, but what if it did? James McEachin starred as Los Angeles area private eye Harry Tenafly in the short-lived NBC Mystery Movie offering Tenafly in 1973-74. As a P.I., Harry was everything the television private eye of the era definitely wasn't: a happily married, middle-class family … Continue reading My Scrapbook: When Harry Met Jimbo
Marcus “Gabby” Hayes & Gandolph “Gandy” Fitch (Gabby & Gandy)
Gandolph Fitch created by Gordon Dawson Marcus Hayes created by Chas. Floyd Johnson, Dorothy J. Bailey & Stephen J. Cannell "Gabby and Gandy--sounds like a puppet show." --Jim, on learning of the proposed new partnership, in "Just Another Polish Wedding" I loved the original Spenser for Hire, but have always wanted to see a crime show … Continue reading Marcus “Gabby” Hayes & Gandolph “Gandy” Fitch (Gabby & Gandy)
Lance White (The Rockford Files)
Created by Stephen J. Cannell "Hunches don't come from any place, Jim, they're just hunches. That's how we solve our cases. We get hunches, they turn out to be right, and the case gets solved. Gee, I don't know how you survive as a private investigator, Jim. You don't seem to know any of this … Continue reading Lance White (The Rockford Files)
“This is Jim Rockford…”
Some memorable messages left on Rockford's answering machine... One of the all-time great opening gimmicks for any TV show has to be Jim Rockford's answering machine. Every episode would open with the camera focussing on the machine, with someone (a telephone solicitor, Rocky, Angel, a collection agency, a wrong number) leaving a message, usually … Continue reading “This is Jim Rockford…”
The Return of Magnum P.I.
Really? Well, it had to happen. As the increasingly cynical wusses of film and television industry continue to strip mine the past for any licensed tidbits worth resurrecting, I knew it was only a matter of time before they got around to the Mustachioed One. Not that the new edition of perennial eighties cheese-fest Magnum … Continue reading The Return of Magnum P.I.