200 Dollars a Day Plus Expenses - A Rockford Files Podcast: Recent Episodes
Dave Brodbeck and Steve Cloutier
You know next week's will be 'To Steve and Dave', just saying.To quote my partner 'oh great another two parter with an annoying af character'.
She's really good at being annoying though. The 'she' in that sentence refers to Joyce Van Patten. One of the best ever Sopranos episodes, Pine Barrens, was directed by Tim Van Patten, Joyce's brother.
Speaking of the Sopranos, this one is a David Chase joint, and boy can you see his fingerprints. In a good way. Chase is a master at making you uncomfortably laugh, and sometimes just lol, but still be uneasy.
If Emergency (!) has taught Steve anything, it is that there are also firefighter groupies. It's probably true. I wonder if there are prof groupies? Well not for Steve and me anyway.
Again, I'm not sure this needed to be a two parter.
Lianne is ChatGPT.
We get a lot of Lt. Chapman in this one. I like Chapman better than Diel.
We'll be back next week for the exciting conclusion.
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Well I mean I AM older than Steve.Hey, this one has one of our favourite Black Sheep actors, Charles Napier.
More importantly, it has friend of the show, Clyde Kusatsu, who of course was the spotlight artist this week. We both really love his work. (He's also a pretty great twitter follow if you are interested).
This one talks about the aftermath of Vietnam.
There are some 'Asian' tropes here as well.
Thins were pretty crazy as Saigon fell, I wonder how much stuff people got out with that wasn't really theirs.
Irene Ya-Ling Sun puts in a credible performance as well.
Hey, did Jim get paid this week?!
LJ!!!!! It's like seeing Dale in Mad Men.
We aren't taking about that thing that happened this week.
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Not a bad title.Sorry we've been away, things.
This is a backdoor pilot for a potential Gossett and Hayes show! I wonder how it would have gone.
Indeed, I wonder how it would have affected Gossett's career especially.
As it is a backdoor pilot, we don't get too much of Jim, or less than usual.
Punching Nazis, it's what you are supposed to do!
Watching Isaac Hayes beat up Nazis is extra fun.
I normally wouldn't use two screenshots for the post, but I needed to have one of all three of the guys, and one where Nazis are being beaten up.
'I read Downbeat' is perhaps one of the best lines in the series.
There's a LOT about race this week as you might guess. Enjoy Steve and I talking about it!
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Hey a special guestJeff Andrews of 70s TV detectives now joins Oliver Rockside, Anthony Marco, Mike Cowgill and, of course, Carlos the Jackal as an official 'friend of the show'.
Also, what the hell is Jack Carter doing in this episode?
There's some really strong acting in this one from Joe Santos.
Dennis as a jerk is a twist, usually his jerkiness is driven by Jim, this time it's driven by Internal Affairs.
In fairness to Dennis, I'd be a jerk in this situation as well.
We have Angel in this one, I love a good Angel montage.
The show is confident enough in itself now that they can do an episode that doesn't focus as much on Jim and it really fills out the character of Dennis nicely. I really like this one.
Oh and thanks Jeff!
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Well I mean once I wrote the title for the previous episode that meant this was the title for this one. That might be the most poorly constructed sentence I have ever written...OK, we still have freaking TT and all that, but you know what? This episode was better than the first part. Usually part 2 sucks, this time it is good!
It's always nice seeing the bad guys get theirs.
Steve and I are both very sympathetic to TT's ideas and such, but TT is simply an ass.
The 'Freedom' stuff is beyond annoying.
Hell, TT is beyond annoying.
You just pulled a Brubaker.
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Two parter!This is a fairly political one. That said, it's a bit, and by a bit, I mean a lot, one the nose
I am not sure this had to be a two parter.
I liked Rocky in this one. Steve too. I mean I liked Rocky, I also like Steve...
Some good guest stars as well.
'You're Rocky's Boy!'
THEY'RE SELLING FREEDOM!
Just generally, lots more animal behaviour and cognition in this episode than you'd expect.
He's got chronic brain syndrome!
What's the deal with TT? He doesn't pay his taxes, for example. I'm not entirely sure I like TT. That said, I think that is what the writers were going for.
TO BE CONTINUED.
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Took me a bit of time to get the title here.Oh man what a group of guest stars!
General Moore?
Sherriff Bart?
Quite a few characters are introduced here, indeed the character of 'Odette' plays a big role in the season 4 finale (along with Vern St. Cloud). These recurring characters really give you a sense that Jimbo lives in a real place.
I'm not sure if 'Yves St. Lawrence' or 'Sir Guinevere' is better.
There's some really great subtext in this episode about the beginning of Reaganism.
Oakland is a lot of fun here. He is so different than his general Moore character on that other show we do a podcast about.
Big corporations crushing the little guy is an increasing theme on the show.
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The obvious funny title here is 'There's a Dave in Every Steve' but I made an editorial decision.Scamming the scammers is always fun.
JOAN VAN ARK again!
STEVE LANDESBERG!
JACK RILEY!
(Admiral Nimitz from Black Sheep).
The whole dual registry thing is a thing. At least it was a thing.
It all hinges on Angel. And it works!
Jimmy, Jimmy, is that you Jimmy?
It's like a room full of 70s tv people or something.
The somewhat subtle dig at the US medical system is nice.
The poker game being hit is totally a Sopranos scene twenty five years later.
Angel's accent is the best. It's the worst, but it's somehow believable.
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Which is way better than the Trouble With Tracy.This one plays with stereotypes of geeks. Warren is a chess and flute geek, and while that doesn't seem like the kind of thing I'd be into, it's no better than being into the LA Rams or fishing.
This one came out on Christmas Eve 1976, so we have something a little special to play at the end.
Some pretty great work by James Luisi as Chapman in this episode. Especially when he runs into 'Jim Taggart'.
That said, Jimbo's improvisation skills are on full display.
Look, I'll say it, a convoluted plot in this one. I don't care, I still loved it!
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Yes yes, lame title.This one just drips 1970s.
Hey, Michael Lerner again! He's always great. He plays straight up weasels so well. Also, the whole thing about the clothes and how he dresses well is funny. I mean look, in 1976 that was pretty fashionable I suppose. (What I'm saying here is I have pictures of my parents in this era, and this is not far off).
Jim goes to the gym.
We've got Lt. Chapman, so it's a good one even with the flaws.
Flaws? Too much padding, and sometimes the story is a bit convoluted.
Dennis got a promotion!
Still, it's Rockford, and it's got a Michael Lerner guest appearance, we're good.
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Easy title this week.Hey, another Korean War reference. Garner deserved those, could make as many as he wanted as far as I'm concerned.
Wait, Ned Beatty again?! YES!
We see perhaps the worst car ever, the AMC Pacer, in this episode.
This one has, in essence, a train chase.
Also Dennis is in this one.
Oh yeah, Rocky too!
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I went in a bit of a different direction for today's title.Last episode was super intense, and serious. This one, well, it's got Angel running a scam. A perfect palette cleanser after 'So Help Me God'.
This episode has a rather complicated plot. It works, but it is complicated.
Wait, it's an Angel episode!
It's got Angel getting married!
It's got Beth!
Rocky!
Dennis!
Goons, but not hired goons, this time it's related goons.
OK, fine it's a good one. It's not serious so much, but pretty great.
I don't think those outside LA get the pervasiveness of the Armenian diaspora in LA.
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No this isn't about Jim, Rocky, Beth or Angel.It's not even about Chapman or Diel.
I did talk about Rockford in the podcast though!
This is from a new podcast I'm doing with my brother Dan! It's called 'We Have the Technology' and it's about the classic 70s show the Six Million Dollar Man.
Every month or so Dan and I will talk about a couple of episodes. You know, like with Steve, except Dan isn't Steve as much as he's Dan Brodbeck, recordist.
We talked toys.
We talked bad effects.
We talked Farrah Fawcett.
We wondered who would want an Oscar Goldman doll.
Generally we just had fun.
Oh, yeah, a link to the site (still under construction, I haven't even bought the domain yet) might be nice....
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I've been waiting for this one. It might be the best episode of the series. I'm pretty sure it is the best one we have watched so far.William Daniels just plays pretentious jerk so well.
This one is overtly political. Oh and that's a good thing.
This one is so important that I clipped in a couple of Jimbo's speeches.
We have Dennis.
We have Angel.
We have Rocky.
We have Beth.
This also talks about a really important issue in the US, the use, and misue, of grand juries. Other liberal democracies got rid of them, ages ago.
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Man did I have to reach for that title!Nice callback to Gearjammers.
Rocky!
Beth!
Spotlight on Russ Mayberry this week.
Boy, Rocky getting roughed up was, at least for me, really tough to watch. Perhaps it's because I am getting closer to being an old man than a young one, I dunno.
How many episodes overall are about oil? It's lots. I wonder if the energy crisis of the early 70s made an impact here.
I've noticed more gunfights this season.
Pete's champagne, it's just Sprite and Blue Nun.
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Awful title, I apologize to all titles everywhere.First one done on my new computer!
Oh man, this one is an Angel episode.
It has Robert Loggia.
It is a Bethisode.
It's got Dennis.
It's got Rocky. I don't think we get the core four in a scene though.
Some killer lines in this one. 'Have you seen Angel Martin? ' 'He died, tomorrow, Wednesday at the latest'.
Hey it's the week Jimmy Carter was elected.
Brad is a groovy dude.
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You know, I came up with this lame title about 30 seconds ago and thought 'man I can't use that' and then realized 'who the hell are you kidding Brodbeck, half of the titles for this podcast are awful'. At least half.Steve makes a fair point about horrible music, we're going to make all of you suffer.
This Charlie guy seems more concerned with is reputation than, well, anything.
Criminals are supposed to claim their earnings as criminals on their taxes, just saying.
The statute of limitations on robbery in California must be pretty short.
Some great guest stars as usual.
The entire point of the Rockford Files might be that Dennis gets offended by Jim.
Guns and kidnapping are frowned upon by the authorities.
Also, a Bethisode, and Dennis plays a big role.
Skating, such as it was, was not really that great.
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Wait, Burt Young? In his Rocky year? Yes, before he did Rocky, he did this Rockford.Boy children's services in LA in 1976 work fast...
Rocky is way too trusting.
Starsky and Hutch? No, just goons, hired goons.
I suppose this one takes place before Kim Richards' character moved to Portland with some guy named Larry.
I had a crush on Km Richards back then BTW (WHICH WAS TOTALLY APPROPRIATE WE ARE THE SAME AGE SAVE YOU EMAILS)
The 'Family Hour' was a thing, it was also unconstitutional.
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I'm guessing on Steve's suit game, but I think it's a fair assumption. Hell, I don't know how to tie a tie.ROBERT WEBBER.
Plus, Bethisode, Dennis, and Rocky.
The slams at psychics are gold.
Webber is so wonderful in roles like this. Even when he says weirdly racist stuff...
We've got Robert Walden just before Lou Grant.
The music business is fuelled by cocaine, or at least it was in the 70s (probably still).
Jim calling Clementi 'swami' is gold as well.
'Realism is not reality' Dr. Steve Cloutier.
'Canada Geese are confused and seething', Dr. Dave Brodbeck.
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Damn that title is a reach.SEASON 3!!
Sharon Gless! Of course playing a different character than in her last appearance in 'This Case is Closed'. Garner loved working with actors he was familiar with.
John McMartin as Timson Farrell was pretty great.
Look, we've got Angel, we've got Beth.
Oh and Rocky.
Wait, that means we have a grand slam!
'Rick Wakeman and his cape'.
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Wow, we are at the end of season 2!The best thing about this is that I do not have to come up with a 'clever' title.
The second best thing is Mike from Battle of the Network Shows sending us a little bit on hats that we forgot to talk about last week.
What was 1976 like?
Hell, what was season 2 like?
Well we had guest stars, we had the introduction of a couple of recurring characters.
We had Beth.
We had Angel.
We had Dennis.
There is a Vietnam war episode of Love Boat, just putting that out there (S2E18-19).
Look, just listen to the episode.
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Hey, he's not just some guy, he's one of the hosts of the 'Battle of the Network Shows' podcast! Pretty awesome that Mike came on, thanks man! Oh, Steve set that up BTW, I had nothing to do with it other than, you know, being me.Lee Strassberg had a daughter, and she's in this one.
She likes a big hat.
Hell it was 1976, everyone liked a big hat! Actually, I remember 1976 quite well, and I don't think that's true, anyway...
Another case of Jimbo has no idea what's going on.
This is a Bethisode.
Also, that case the funny money is in, that's Beth's briefcase if I am not mistaken.
We get some car chase action of course.
We've got counterfeit money, a scam, double crosses left and right, goons, hired goons, tennis goons who look like a jacked up Karl Malden, it's got everything!
Thanks again Mike! Check out Battle of the Network Shows.
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Yup, I'm like that.This one has a great guest star, Louis Gossett Jr (in a hairpiece). So of course Steve's Spotlight this week is about Lou.
Point shaving!
Firebird intervention!
Piping a dipso.
Steve and I will be releasing our first hip hop album under the name 'Lil' DJ Six Degrees of Awesome'.
Eventually an attempt was made to spin Lou's character off with Gandy (Isaac Hayes), we'll get there in season 4.
This one has a pretty good car chase.
This one has a lot of sarcasm, even more than usual.
Getting near the end of season 2!
If anyone hands you a business card, be sure to check if the ink is dry.
The NBA (and all major league sports really) was not nearly the big deal it is today. Indeed, the league almost folded in the late 70s.
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Yes yes, I am aware it should be 'are'...A fun one this week, as we don't know what is going on.
Lots going on in the news, though the Aussies are still on about some guy's car.
This one touches on some good 1970s issues. Those include women working in traditional 'male' jobs, 'urban renewal' and gentrification.
Rocky is good in this one.
Charles Blackthorn makes a guest appearance.
We get a car chase of sorts, and a good fake out by throwing out those smokes.
Oh and Lt. Diet is not a complete ass in this one.
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Some of the titles are easier to come up with, just saying,Come for the Rockford, stay for the rants.Steve and I wish everyone a Happy Easter, if you're into that. Today is Good Friday. Yesterday was half decent Thursday. Tomorrow is Fair to Middling Saturday.
Wait, more exciting guest stars?
How about William Daniels, the man who I have aways described as 'John Astin without a sense of humour, and with a mid Atlantic accent'.
How about people that have been on MASH and Project UFO!
When Jim knows what's going on and nobody believes him it is fun. In this one we get the 'Jim doesn't have a clue, and neither do we' and that's fun too.
Wait, Ron Silver?
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Damn, that title took me at least five minutes to come up with, and it is as lame as this sentence.Joseph Campanella is one of those 70s guys that was everywhere. I don't remember him getting his own show, but he always was working. (Well, he did host 'Science International/What Will They Think of Next' but that's not an acting gig). Oh his brother is in this one too. Indeed, it is their last onscreen performance together.
Wait, Beth is in jail? No problem, that makes it a Bethisode and that pleases both of us.
Rocky wants a new truck. In other news, the sky is blue.
It's a Jackie Cooper directed one, which usually means a sort of workmanlike, competent piece of TV, but he took some cool chances this week.
We see recurring character Solly the bail bondsman in this one.
Of course the good guys/gals win in the end, but it was a satisfying one.
That pool bit at the end was gold.
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I apologize for the title.Wait, did the show have a title before they signed the guest star?
Angel is great in this one.
Hey, a Bethisode!
Some classic '70s guest stars this week, and a Star Trek connection.
Oh we also get Lt. Chapman, but not Lt. Chapman.
Some good mob names this week, Sweet Tooth, Joey Blue Eyes etc.
Oh we get a car chase too of course.
The honour among cons theme shows up again this week.
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That was an easy title to come up with!Some great 70s character actors this week.
We go deeper into the Beth and Jim relationship this week.
We've got Lt. Diel (whose hatred of Rockford is borderline pathological in my opinion) and Agent Shore, who seems to know he's putting on a show when talking to Jim.
'Stop calling me honey'.
I think we see a combination of jealously and caring for Beth with a bit of needling your best friend all at once in Jim's behaviour towards Beth.
Corbett and Garner are at times literally great in this one.
Oh, it goes without saying, this is a Bethidsode!
We do get some fun stuff this week, what with Saxon knowing martial arts.
Steve and I await the new podcast, 'A Rocky Shore', coming to your earholes any day now.
The end of this one is very touching.
I missed lots of stuff this week...
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The title sounds like Dave is talking about Dave in the third person. Rest assured, Dave hates that.ROB REINER!
DICK BUTKUS!
Also it's a Bethisode!
The backdrop this week is all of the weird startup rebel leagues of the 1970s. The WHA, the ABA and of course, the WFL. The Southern Illinois Warriors sounds like a dumb name for a team, well so was the southern California Sun and The Hawaiians.
Jim increasingly is getting into situations where he clears his name and doesn't get any moeny s, well, there's no money in that.
You don't wear a suit with a gun to a pool party.
Oh this one also focusses on tapes. Tapes, watergate etc. Tapes became a big plot device in the 1970s. With good reason, you know, the president and all.
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After a couple of good titles, no.Parts of this one have aged like milk. The attitudes about spousal assault are, with 2024 eyes, pretty gross. Frankly, some of it was even with 1976 eyes.
ISAAC HAYES.
There was a plan to eventually spin Isaac Hayes and Louis Gusset Jr off into their own show.
There is a lot of nice commentary on social issues and the differences between now and then (now being 1976, then being 1955).
Oh yeah, we are in to 1976! The greatest hockey game ever played was played on New Years' Eve 1975 by the Montreal Canadiens and the Central Red Army Sports Club. It was a 3-3 tie, though Montreal outplayed the Russians at every turn.
Some cool choices by the director here, especially the shot with the jackboots.
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Ooh Bay City is a great setting, with a lot of history!It has nothing to do with a certain Scottish band.
I am pleased with my title this week.
Some great guest stars, including Molly Dodd herself!
Not much in the way of car chases, but a nice foot chase near the end.
Corrupt city officials eh? Ahh the 70s.
We welcome Carlos the Jackal to the show.
Car chases are really just fast following when you think of it.
Oh it's an Angel episode too.
Garner directed this one!
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Two weeks in a row where I'm happy with the title.This one is a classic 'woman in distress' episode.
This one has, of course, goons, hired goons.
It's also got our favourite fed, agent Shore.
Some more good guest stars this week, classic 70s character actors.
We, of course, get some car chases too!
I've said it before, but whenever Jimbo does a bit of scamming to take down the bad guys, I'm in.
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I'm quite pleased with my title this week.Oh man, I love a scam episode, be it Rockford pulling it (better) or one he uncovers and blows up (almost as good).
In what other podcast do you get Pink Lady and Jeff references?
There's an episode of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' from 1958 just like this episode. I've seen it other places too.
This one has some nice 70s themes. Not trusting law enforcement, stagflation, things changing and people being left behind. It's done subtly, which is the best way to do such things.
The Montreal Alouettes are Grey Cup champions.
This one is a Bethisode, and Dennis is there in the tape bit at the beginning. Still no grand slam though.
That 50s Chrysler cop car is gold. It reminded me a lot of the TV movie 'The California Kid' which starred the first Latino president of the United States....
We get a couple of returning cast members this week, though they aren't playing the same roles or anything.
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Easy title this week.Steve and I have noted over the podcast that Korea gets forgotten a lot. It doesn't by James Garner though.
You get a sense of how Jim was as a solider in this one.
It seems that Jimbo was not unlike a character in a movie about a certain Oflag in WW2.
Gee, that Provost Martial can just call for a chopper whenever he wants!
We get a car vs jeep and a regular ol' car vs chopper chase.
The cynical view of the US armed forces from the 70s is really noticeable here.
Francisco Franco is still dead.
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Better title this week.The actual title of the episode is a good one.
This is a classic Angel episode.
Look, when you open on Angel stuffing cash into the Firebird's door without Jim's knowledge, you know you are in for a good one.
The ex con's code is on display in this one.
The fact that Angel works at his brother in law's paper is a big plot point this week. They seem to remember he works there every couple of episodes.
Angle mostly tells the truth in this one, and nobody believes him.
Some great 1970s mobsters in this one.
Look up Vince Howard.
Would this one qualify as a Bethisode?
The shell game bit is great, as is the eulogy for Angel.
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By saying I'm not commenting on this week's title I am, in fact, commenting on this week's title.Joan van Ark returns!
They used that opening with the new guitar lick again.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was in the news the week this one was on
You can't sleep on the other guest stars this week either. Hell, John Lawlor was even in Breaking Bad. Plus you have Admiral Nimitz from War and Remembrance.
BOAT CHASE!
Another one with a chopper.
Whenever you see Jimbo break out the printing press it's good.
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Jesus this one is the worst title yet.It's Canadian National Day of Podcasting, and here's our contribution.
Oh, also, special guest, Anthony Marco joins us!
Look, we have Stefanie Powers, we could kinda just stop there and it would be fine.
I doubt any of the characters are related to former LA King Tomas Sandstrum.
This one also has Bruce Kirby, he's always fun. In an evil way.
Pete Finch is an enigma, wrapped inside a riddle, with a rich caramel centre.
Remember that time Lee Majors had a styrofoam dildo?
Thanks again for dropping in Anth!
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As is my custom, I will comment on the lame title. Sorta works this week.SNL debuted this week!
Dana Elcar! You might recognize him from such shows as Baa Baa Black Sheep.
I have a feeling this was written with Stuart Margolin in mind but they couldn't get him so they introduced Fast Harry. As Steve notes, imagine Harry and Angel together!
They've gone after the land speculation and worthless real estate scam a few times on the show. It must have been prevalent then. (Spoiler alert, it was).
There are entire scenes in this one, whenever Elcar and Garner are together especially, that are basically just Maverick. It's like the show is trying to remind you 'THIS IS MAVERICK WITH A FIREBIRD'.
Car and helicopter chase? Sign me up!
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Obligatory comment about how lame this title is.Ooh this one has the whole gang. It's a Bethisode, it has most of the CORE FOUR (tm).
Also, Robert Hays, surely you can't be serious.
I swear 'Clarke Fashions' is just a university building from about 1971.
Robert Webber, you have to love any episode with him. He was the Jack Cassidy of Rockford guests.
I'd watch a show with Robert Webber and Jim Garner walking around solving crimes and being sarcastic.
Hey, our victim has a Firebird too!
Janet MacLachlan steals every scene she is in in this one. Killer performance.
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I'm sticking with the title bit.It's part 2 of Gearjammers!
It's another week where Gerald Ford didn't have an assassination attempt.
It's also the premiere week of the funniest movie ever made.
Part 2 has a bit of padding, but you kind of needed a 5 minute long 'previously' because no VCRs or PVRs.
Rocky is pretty frustrating at times in this one, but the payoff at the end makes it worth while.
At what point is that no longer Jim's car, in a ship of Theseus sense.
Do Dennis's stakeouts ever work?
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Jesus what a bad title...Whereas, the title to this two parter (we'll cover part 1 this week) is great.
This two parter earns it as far as I am concerned.
Love seeing Rocky.
DRAMATIC IRONY!!
We get our first J turn too,
Steve has been through a riot with guns and such in Africa.
This one has lots of trucking stuff, which makes sense as it is Rocky centric.
We've got mobsters.
We've got tuck hijacking.
Oh and the Thrilla in Manilla was this week!
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It's a Bethisode. In fact, as Steve would say, this is a grand slam! We've got Beth, Dennis, Angel and Rocky! (If we got Robert Webber here I think I'd probably have a heart attack or something).
Damn do I love the con episodes. When Jimbo pulls these things off, it reminds me a lot of one of my other favourite tv shows, Mission Impossible. I think this is the first big con episode like this we've seen. It becomes a thing much more later in the series.
I do wonder if that is Garner's natural accent actually, he's from OK.
We see Dennis's wife for the first time, played by Pat Finley, who also played Bob Hartley's sister in the (and Howard's fiancé) Bob Newhart Show.
Linda Evans shows up again, different character this time, but pretty great.
Dennis saying 'we need you Jimbo' is really poignant.
Too many montages in this episode for my liking, but it didn't take away from me liking this one a great deal.
Notallrichpeople
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Hey, we both have PhDs, we could totally do this!On to season 2.
The theme has changed. For the better I'd say.
'Now that you're worth 200 million maybe you'll pay your bill on time' is a fine line from Beth.
Also, I love a Bethisode. This is what I am calling Beth episodes.
So this Aaron dude, he lived with Jim and Rocky when he was a kid, interesting back story.
So it's alll a Ponzi scheme eh? Not unlike the WHA or the NASL really....
Prisoners should 'Dare to be free!'
Oh the month this was aired had two, count 'em two assassination attempts on Gerald Ford.
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Hey, no need for a clever title!We are joined by friend of the show, and, head of our complaints department Oliver Rockside.
Please address all complaints to Oliver.
What was the best episode?
What was the most 1970s thing this season?
Who was your favourite character, other than Jimbo obviously.
What will we talk about? Honestly, I don't know, I'm writing this 2 hours before we record...
Thanks Oliver! Check out his other podcasts.
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Weak title.Now, a roundabout reminds me of a carousel, or a wheel. But it's not a wheel, it's a time machine.... Sorry, blacked out there for a bit.
Vegas!
Hey, it's the season 1 finale!
We'll do a season 1 wrap up in a couple of weeks.
I'll take Jim Rockford in a VW Beetle over goons, hired goons in a mid 70s behemoth every day of the week.
In the news this week, the North Vietnamese have started a major offensive in the central highlands, I think it might be a bit of a big deal.
Some really great 70s guest stars this week as well.
You know that's Wayne Newton's ranch in this one!
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Tougher trip for the 'clever' title today.What's the deal with demolition derbies?
Hey this one has a Boyington's Bstrds connection!
Lots of Polish names this week.
Getting to the end of season 1 (one left!)
Man, did any of this week's guest stars ever show up in a LOT of stuff.
What's with the stop and start stuff at the beginning of the episode?
It's a Sgt. Garvey episode. The last one we think.
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I will cop to it. This is my worst title ever. I thought very long about it, like at least 45 seconds too.We've got Lt. Diel.
We've got Dennis.
We've got Stuart Margolin, so that means we've got Angel.
Angel is always fun.
We've got dirty LA Cops.
We've got a montage.
We've got a car chase.
We've even got a second car chase!
We've got the Rockford Files.
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No this isn't about Rockford.
We have a new project and we thought we'd force you to listen to it. It's about the Black Sheep Squadron and it's right here.
| | | VMAF 214 Patch today |
Yes yes, you knew it was coming.We've dropped enough hints.
Hell, on the retro TV podcast I am a part of I covered this show on my third episode.
Anyway yes, it's the Black Sheep Squadron/Baa Baa Black Sheep, the story of famed US Marine fighter squadron, the Black Sheep, and their first commander, Major Greg, 'Pappy' Boyington. Originally they were to be called 'Boyington's Bastards', which obviously is where we got the name for our little show.
Oh and by the way, if this is in your Rockford or Mad Men feed yeah, it will happen once. Look, what did you pay for the podcast? Nothing, that's right. We'd like a case of Scotch and two crates of .50 cal ammo.
You can see the squadron's unit patch today honours the originals.
There is some truth in this episode. You know, WW2 happened for example...
We still deal with some serious WW2 stuff this week, as of course Steve and I would.
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As is my custom, I will now comment on my attempt at a clever title. Not bad. Pretty easy.Diana Muldaur is in this one.
Bunky means bruh we figure.
He doesn't say it this week.
Some Beth is always nice.
Some really good work by Joe Santos in this one too.
Steve educates me about Wodehouse, so we have that as well.
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We're not going anywhere, it's just one of my classic clever titles.We jump right into the action with this one, a shooting, some guy named Ricky.
This one features a couple of classic 70s tv stars, Pamela Hensley and Hector Elizondo. Most of the 70s aesthetic in this one is not too obtrusive. Like you think, 'hey that doesn't look that bad'. Don't worry, we eventually get there...
James Garner was actually in the 5th RCT in Korea.
Not much in the news this week, but we do have a pretty great song.
Steve's Spotlight!
This is the first episode of the series that made me tear up a bit at the end.
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Man that's my weakest title in 100 Mad Men podcast episodes and now 20 of these.Who cares, it's LINDA EVANS!
The irony of the opening phone call was not lost on either of us.
Jim sure does have a lot of girlfriends, but, to his credit, he's not a love 'em and leave 'em sort.
This podcast is a Thatcher Free Zone.
\Linda Evans pulls off the 70s look better than most women, makes sense.
Hey, this one has Jackie Cooper!
The Jim and Dennis relationship is complicated as ever.
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Hey, it's another one with a woman co star who will go on to something big (Mary Frann in this case, who later was on Newhart).Also, you might recognize her apartment, as it was used in last week's episode.
Any episode with Angel is aces to me.
I got a real laugh out of Jim in the drawing class.
There's a porn theatre in this one. Happily, one of the things the internet did was basically get rid of porn theatres, so we have that going for us.
Angel playing a role in a scam is always so funny.
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Is this the best episode of the series? I dunno. Is it the best of season 1? Not sure. Is it my favourite episode? No. Is it the best so far? Yes, probably. That said, the episode itself is quite different than you normally get from Rockford. This is much more intense, and much more dark than we're used to from our hero.This one is based on the novel 'Thin Air' as was a 1982 Simon and Simon episode. Hey wait, Gerald McRaney was in both!
It's nice seeing Jim as a sort of family man, with the kid. I found that very sweet. Garner played it super convincingly.
Indeed, Garner's performance in general in this one is really strong.
Hey, the guy who played Abe Mencken in Mad Men is in this one!
This one could easily have been feature length or a two parter.
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I'm happy with this week's title.Hey, it's Lindsay Wagner! I wonder if this would have become a more permanent gig for her if she had not started to play the Bionic Woman.
Happy New Year 1975! It's the International Year of the Woman!
Lots of flounder jokes, oddly.
Jackie Cooper directed this one. He shows up a few times in the show as an actor (in a couple of episodes from now actually) and a director.
Of course this week there's a Steve's Spotlight.
Hey this one has Robert Webber. Another common 70s and 80s actor. Hell, he was in Midway! Why does this excite me? I just watched it again the other day.
Jim doesn't like art made by a guy that played Sara's brother in another episode. Look, it would creep me out too ok.
Lots of electric piano this week.
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Considering last week's clever title, this one was easy.Lotsa padding early on.
Some really good Rocky moments too.
'Damned suspension'.
One of my favourite things in this episode is watching Jim watch other people drive. He likes it and it's like he's taking notes.
There are some real 1970s gems in this one!
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Hey a two parter!They loved the two parters in the 70s.
This one has Ned Beatty!
It's also quite prescient, what with the computerized trading and the behind the scenes stuff that is at best shady.
Some good guest stars in this one generally.
There's a Steve's Spotlight this week, not sure what it is yet, because I write these basically generic posts before we record....
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A bit more difficult to come up with a title this weekShelley Fabares!
Stuart Margolin (though not as an actor, he directed this one).
Lots of classic 70s actors in this outing.
Jim Rockford, the only honest man in California.
I still can't figure out what that sheriff is doing in California considering his accent is pretty much, I dunno, Alabama or something. I guess maybe he moved there and won an election.
I knew they were his chickens!
Nice twist at the end.
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OK, the titles are getting easier to make up.Hey, first off, nice shout out from the Official James Garner Fan Page on facebook, thanks!
Here's another episode where someone guest stars just before their big break. In this case it is Linda Kelsey. Three years later she stars in Lou Grant as Billie Newman.
Here's another Vegas episode. It's like the show worked for the Vegas tourism board. My parents went to Vegas in '74, maybe you'll see them in the background. My Dad had a horrible moustache...
At times this one feels disjointed a bit. They were still finding their sea legs, or Rockford legs, at this point I think.
Also, reciprocity of influence.
We have decided that Rockford is part of the Mad Men extended universe.
There's a car chase in this one.
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OK, this title was easier to come up with than the last few weeks.Carol Thorne looks like someone we both know, someone Steve often podcasts with. To me anyway.
Jim hasn't paid the bill for his answering machine.
There's a car chase in this one, and Rockford's awesome driving.
Jim scamming the scammers and the scammers scamming Jim is always fun.
We see some classic Rockford sarcasm.
There's lots of Stephanie Tyler content this week, let's say that.
This one, more than most of them, could be a Maverick episoes.
Stealing the USMC payroll is likely not a great idea.
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These titles are still more difficult to come up with than they were in our other podcast.This one has some great guest stars, just before they became a big deal. Paul Michael Glaser and Joan Van Ark. To me, at least, Van Ark does an excellent job with the role. I have no idea what Steve thinks because, well, I write these things before we record....
This is classic Rockford, taking the form and flipping it on its heels.
Some great giant cars in this one.
'Feds still wear narrow ties' is one of my favourite Rockford things. He figures out these are goons, and, he's a bit of a smartass about it.
Not much in the news this week, but there's a reggae gem hitting number one in the UK.
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Yup, I took a long trip to get to that title.Yes, we've been away for a bit. Life gets in the way. What did you pay for this anyway?
Early on in this episode you see some really cool directorial choices being made.
Is that Monaco? Switzerland?
Wait, Suzanne Summers in a cameo and Jill Clayburgh throughout?
Music charts were not awesome, though not horrible, on this day.
Flights, and airport security, have changed in 50 years.
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Look, I'm committed to the title bit.So on to part 2 of this extra long episode that is split up in syndication.
If you are watching this in syndication, which you are, you probably have this as a two parter, and you probably noticed a hell of a lot of driving where nobody goes anywhere. That's called 'padding' kids.
Indeed, much of the driving you see in part 2 is actually from a 1977 episode. Check out how the headlights change scene to scene.
Anyway, we get Jimbo getting tacos. We've got Sharon Gless and Joseph Cotten again, we've got Rocky, and we've got a case!
When Jim puts on his seatbelt, you know it is serious.
Also, a trattoria is not a steak house.
Prop fence.
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Look, I started the clever title putting our names into it doing SCDS and it's not going to change.This is split up as a two parter in syndication, so we're doing part 1 here, stay tuned next week for part 2.
Some pretty great guest actors this week. Joseph Cotten and Sharon Gless are both really good. It is a tad off putting seeing Gless as a bit more, I dunno, helpless isn't the right word, but it'll do. I'm used to seeing her on Cagney and Lacey being tough.
Back to a little music this week in 'what was going on in 1974'.
Jimbo's being chased by the mob, the feds, basically the whole world.
One wonders if that was an early version of the Soprano crew.
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Gee, the 'clever titles' are not that clever, look, it's a work in progress ok?Jim works for a woman who works at a newspaper. Seems a lot of crimes happen that have to do with newspeople.
We see the portable printing press Jim carries in the Firebird for the first time.
Also, she is super thin, it's a 70s thing.
Man they tease us with potential car chases in this one.
He says out title again, that's seven.
More trains in this episode than you might expect.
Jimbo plays at least three different characters in this one.
This week, it's a UK election!
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Still working on the clever title thing, not unhappy with this one.Sometimes Steve does Pete Barbutti deep dives.
Prentiss Carr, I wonder if he's any relation to Jimmy Carrr or Emily Carr or, umm, someone else with that last name.
We've got more bad cops in this one. Seems a running theme, makes sense. That said, it is sort of gutsy for a show in 1974.
It's also another blackmail episode. It seems like this was an epidemic in the mid 70s.
'Stay our of Bay City' is something that should have been said to the Rollers.
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I still haven't found a clever title sort of theme yet.Carl's pants must be explained.
Seafood based excuses come up.
Andy Kim big on the charts this week, as well as the 1974 Canada (WHA) vs the USSR in hockey.
I just assume Mike spells his last name Ryder because of hockey.
They rarely use the term 'mafia' in the show if ever. Organized crime, and 'the syndicate' were always used instead. Not until the Godfather did anyone say 'the Mafia'.
Look, I'm still confused by Carl's pants.
When Jim calls someone 'sport' that's when he's extra condescending. I approve.
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Clever title game is not strong currently.When this episode came out, everybody was Kung Fu Fighting.
BETH!
We get a bit more about Jim's background.
'Becker, sometimes you sound just like a cop'.
Jim rents a Vega. Probably did that because Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce Cutler Gleason and Chaugh worked on that car.
Some good car chases in this one.
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Hello all you mutants.We're now into the series itself, as this is Season 1 episode 1.James Woods! Both Steve and I think he's a hell of an actor, and we also think that we wouldn't really get along too well with him.
This one has the real Rocky.
We get more Dennis in this one.
This was the week that Evel Knievel tried to jump a canyon.
Steve and I hate piano bars.
That flicking a cigarette trick works fifty percent of the time apparently
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Still trying to figure out a theme for the clever titles.Needles to say, the case gets solved.
We talk a bit about Watergate and the indictments.
Jimbo has some classic lines, including 'the problem with karate Jerry, is that it's based on the assumption that the other guy will fight fair'.
Jerry is the worst thug ever.
It's not poison, it's knockout drops.
We get something odd here, Jim falling for a client, that happened now and then, but not that much.
Nobody ever reloaded their guns in the 70s.
What did I miss? Nope, it's what did Steve miss!
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Hello everyone and welcome to our new podcast! He's Steve Cloutier and I'm Dave Brodbeck. We're both really into TV (we watched Mad Men and recorded our analysis and such about that show in another podcast) and we both have projects with others that we do as well (listen to the end of the episode to get a list).We're now taking on 'The Rockford Files' which is a favourite of both of ours, from our childhoods. That's with good reason by the way, this is one of the most important action/PI shows in the history of TV.
Today begin this, well, multi year, journey with Jimbo, Angel, Rocky, Beth, a ton of high profile guest stars, oh and me and Steve. We're starting with the pilot of the series, which is often split into two on DVD sets and syndication.
The podcast will grow and change and morph as things go on. There will be some constants. James Garner's humanity, cool driving, the 1970s and Angel.
We're also going to give you a little bit of historical context about the time. For example, when the pilot aired it was days after the end of the OPEC oil embargo.
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