This is Jim Rockford. At the tone, leave your name and message. I'll get back to you.“ This is how every episode of the series focusing on private detective Rockford (first broadcast in Germany on 11.03.1976 on ARD) started.

Jim Rockford (portrayed by James Garner) is a private investigator who lives and works in Malibu. His trailer lies on the beach in Malibu. The exact address is 29 Paradise Cove Road, Malibu, CA 90265. On a side note, the original trailer is still there. Jim Rockford does not only live in this trailer, it also serves him as an office.

 

Voicemail was still a rarity in the 70's (long time ago - at that time answering machines were hardly known in Germany and cell phones phone were still in the distant future.). So this answering machine was still a real luxury which he could not really afford.

 

Jim Rockford solves his cases with great ingenuity. Through his oratorical skills and his intuition, he succeeds again and again into bringing important details to surface. Useful in his investigation is a small and mobile printing press, which he uses to quickly and simply establish a cover for his activities. These false identities often provide him access to important information.

 

Jim Rockford – The Prisoner

He is said to have committed a bank robbery and was sentenced though innocent. He served his time in San Quentin State Prison. He spent 5 years there and met his future friend and fellow inmate Angel Martin who later often provided him help solving his cases.

 

After his rehabilitation Jim settled in Malibu, where he lives on the beach in a parked trailer.

 

Jim Rockford – The Man

He is a likeable and good-natured man. In addition, he is shy and makes the impression that he would be reserved. A klutz, who at times puts his foot in his mouth. Because of his appearance and his empathy, he is very popular with the women.

 

Jim Rockford – The Private Detective

After his experience with the justice system, Rockford cares mostly about the cases that were already closed by the police. In order to rehabilitate his clients, he is always looking for the real culprits.

 

His fee is $200 plus daily expenses. Since Jim's clients are mostly out of money, he rarely gets paid, though. However, he literally rips out a leg to solve a case.

 

Although Rockford owns a weapon, he avoids using it. Since he has no permit for the weapon, he has it on him only rarely and keeps it in a coffee can in his kitchen. When asked, he often says that the coffee would protect the weapon against the salty sea air.

 

In the series, Jim drives a gold Pontiac Firebird with the license plate 853 OKG. A case for business cards is one of the special features of the Firebird.

 

In the movie, Jim drove with spinning tires on the solid center line of a road. This scene with the 180-degree turn became known as a "Rockford-turn" in U.S. parlance slang and is rarely missing from any car chase.

 

In solving his cases, Jim is assisted by his father, Joseph "Rocky" Rockford. The crook Martin Angel helps Jim with occasional helpful hints, brings him new business but sometimes also gets him into trouble. Jim's girlfriend Beth Davenport also helps him again and again. Since Rockfard sometimes stretches the law just a bit too far in order to get information, it is fortunate that Beth is a lawyer.

 

Of course, the amiable police detective, good friends with the detective, cannot miss from the American crime series. Dennis Becker grants Jim often access to police records and is always stressed out and overworked. Becker also fears for his job because he knows that the methods through which Rockford gains his information are unconventional, to say the least.

 

Although detective Rockford is rather an anti-hero, his research leads him almost always to the goal. In the German series Jim Rockford was dubbed by Biederstaedt Claus.

 

Among others, James Woods, Linda Evans, Isaac Hayes, John Saxon, Ron Silver, Burt Young, Larry Hagman, Robert Loggia, Lauren Bacall and Tom Selleck participated in the show as guest stars.

 

 

You may find the The Rockford Files episode guide here.