Rick guests on "200 Dollars a Day" to talk "Rockford!"

We mentioned this in the Top Ten this week, but I want to make a standalone post, too, hyping the podcast thanking the guys for having me: Friends of the Show Steve and Dave invited me to join them on 200 Dollard a Day this past weekend to talk about The Rockford Files.

http://www.200adayplus.com/2025/04/episode-80-dave-steve-jon-and-rick.html

I had a great time discussing the episode "Irving the Explainer," a fourth-season effort written by David Chase. This one has all kinds of stuff worth talking about, and as always, the guys do a fine job diving into everything. Check it out, and tell 'em BOTNS sent you!

(And you can still listen to Mike's appearance on the podcast right here:
http://www.200adayplus.com/2024/04/episode-48-steve-and-some-guy-named.html

Power Rankings: The Rockford Files!

We're going through the big shows we covered this season on the podcast and sharing our exclusive Power Rankings, and this week it's time to look back at The Rockford Files, that beloved NBC P.I. show that kicked off our ninth season.

Remember how this works: I look and think, if these characters all squared off in my rumpus room in Oswego, who would win? With that said, let's get to it.

(Note that for the purposes of this list, characters had to be featured in at least two episodes)

1) Jim Rockford: No brainer here. James Garner created one of the most popular characters in TV history.

2) Dennis Becker: Sure, Dennis doesn't always act the way we want--at first--but he usually comes through despite getting yelled at by his superiors. Overall he's a great pal for Jim, and I gotta feel for the guy when things go south for him, which is about every other episode.

3) Beth Davenport: Another one of those characters who it just seems had to have been in more episodes than she was (33), Beth is practical, assertive, and a great match for Jim. She makes each episode better.

4) Rocky: I didn't totally "get" Jim's dad (not to be confused with Jim's Dad from American Pie) until watching a bunch of episodes, but he's an essential part of the series. It clicked for me seeing The Four Pound Brick recently, which is probably my favorite Rocky episode.

5) Lance White: Tom Selleck's "charmed life" rival PI makes only a couple appearances but remains one of the show's most memorable figures.

6) Rita Kapkovic: Rita Moreno won an Emmy for prostitute with a heart of gold Kapkovic. OK, I am selling the show and the character way short with that glib description. She's a likable and charismatic guest star who has great rapport with Rockford and seems to have had potential to become a semi-regular.

7) Marcus "Gabby" Hayes: This smooth-talking PI may be one of the more underrated things Louis Gossett Jr. has done in his career. I would love to see more than just the two times he showed up to make life difficult for Rockfish--uh, Rockford. I'm looking ahead to...

8) Gandolf "Gandy" Fitch: The episode "Just Another Polish Wedding" shows what the proposed Gabby and Gandy show would have been like, and you know what? It would have been fun! Isaac Hayes is tough to look away from as the troubled Fitch, and his calling Jim "Rockfish" never gets old, but let's be honest: The character is an a-hole at best and a felon at worst.

9) Richie Brockleman: Admit, he kind of grows on you, right? He did get his own spinoff, and it didn't work, but don't blame Dennis Dugan. You can blame him for Big Daddy.

10) Angel Martin: When I researched the series for the podcast, I got the impression that Angel was a much more divisive character than I had expected. I put myself in the "little goes a long way" camp while enjoying his occasional appearances. A list like this without him would be incomplete, though.

Also receiving votes: Chapman, Diehl, "Anthony Boy" Fred Beamer

Inside the Guide: TV Guide previews "Rockford Files" in 1974

TV Guide previewed the subject of our newest podcast, The Rockford Files, in its 1974 Fall Preview issue.  Here is its spotlight:

Also a display ad NBC bought:

And finally, the listing for the premiere episode on Friday, September 13, 1974:

The thing that stands out to me is the reference to the other gimmick detectives on TV like Cannon. It makes it sounds like Rockford is another one of those and, I believe, shortchanges the quality of the program.

Also, the "Best Bets" column with picks for each day of the week does not mention Rockford but does single out fellow NBC program Sanford and Son and also mentions Chico and the Man as a likely hit. The only other show mentioned? CBS' Planet of the Apes, which author Stephen Scheur says is silliness saved somewhat by Roddy McDowall.

You Tube Spotlight: NBC 1974

Welcome back to YT Spotlight, where we take a clip from our latest video playlist and showcase it in its own post. We put a lot of stuff into this week's Rockford Files tribute, and one of the intriguing promos is this hype for NBC's 1974 season:

What an odd jingle! At one point it's like, "Yeah, you never heard of this stuff, but you didn't know Sanford and Son until you actually watched it!"

As the commenters point out, this turned out to be another sorry season for the Peacock Network despite new hits like Rockford and Little House and Police Woman. However, it was still an improvement over the 73-74 campaign, and NBC even beat out ABC for second place while CBS won the season.

The Rockford Files video playlist is now live!

We started our ninth season with a tremendous show, The Rockford Files, and of course we loaded up this week's playlist with great stuff! After you enjoy the podcast, click below to see promos, interviews, and more! See all that and Serpico! James Hong telling his favorite joke! And Gretchen Corbett as Wonder Woman (sort of)!

And remember you can always visit our official YouTube channel for past podcasts and episode-specific playlists for each one!

Show Notes: Episode 9-1: The Rockford Files "The Oracle Wore a Cashmere Suit"

*We give special thanks to all of our listeners as we kick off our ninth season!

*Thanks also Ed Robertson's invaluable book about the series, 45 Years of the Rockford Files, available here in its latest edition.

*The Rockford Files aired 6 seasons on NBC, March 27, 1974 (when the pilot aired; the series proper began Fall 1974) to January 1980 (when the sixth season was cut short, as we discuss on the show). It ran for 123 episodes and won an Emmy in 1977 for Best Drama. Robertson says in his book that he learned the episode "Quickie Nirvana" (Season 4) was the one submitted for consideration that season.

*"The Oracle Wore a Cashmere Suit" is the second episode of The Rockford Files' third season. The series 

*The character Mike mentions, Lew Archer, had a short-lived TV series in 1975, and you can catch the intro in this week's YouTube playlist.

*Robert Mitchum narrated the "Beef: It's What's for Dinner" campaign in 1992, and contrary to what I suggested on the podcast, he came after James Garner's "Real Food for Real People" spots, which ended after the latter star had quintuple bypass surgery!

*Harry O with David Janssen aired two seasons on ABC, 1974-1976.

*Serpico with David Birney lasted one season on NBC (1976).

*You can see clips from the above series and a whole lot more in this week's video playlist.

*Guest star Robert Webber amassed his staggering list of credits in the Fifties, Sixties, Seventies, and Eighties before dying too young at 65 in 1989. He played Maddie Hayes' father in multiple episodes of Moonlighting.

*The late Joe Santos is in 7 episodes of The Sopranos as Angelo Garepe, Carmine's consigliere.

*The episode that bested this one for the Edgar award for writing: James John Sweeney's "Requiem for Murder." It's not Quincy, but The Streets of San Francisco.

*Some other episodes we mention and recommend on the podcast:

*"Irving the Explainer" is in Season 4.
*Rita Moreno first appears in Season 4's "The Paper Palace," and please give us credit for not picking her episode for the sole purpose of making her Batty-eligible and BEGOT-eligible.
*The rock and roll/mob episode Mike mentions is Season 6's two-part "Only Rock and Roll Will Never Die," also written by David Chase.
*Isaac Hayes' Gandy Fitch first appears in Seasons 2's "The Hammer of C Block." Season 3's "just Another Polish Wedding" is the backdoor pilot for the proposed Gabby and Gandy series with Hayes and Louis Gossett, and it's one of the best backdoor pilots you'll see.

*The Rockford Files is currently on Peacock (the free tier) and Roku Channel.

*BOTNS' discussion in this episode is not an endorsement of the use of illicit substances in the recording industry nor the use of mentalism in law enforcement.

Episode 9-1: The Rockford Files "The Oracle Wore a Cashmere Suit"

In our season 9 premiere, we investigate one of the quintessential detective shows "The Rockford Files." Rockford butts heads with a celebrity psychic, the police, a manic drummer, and a slick music executive in David Chase's first "Rockford" teleplay.

Check out this episode!

Tomorrow on Battle of the Network Shows...