The Rockford Files - Series 2 (Box Set) (DVD)

===Review===

The 70s was a hotbed of TV detective shows; we had Starsky and Hutch, Hart to Hart, Kojak, Charlies Angels and Columbo amongst others. In fact it is a surprise that there were enough cases to go around for all of them. On top of that is the sudden realisation that even though I was a young boy in the 70's I remember watching every single one of these shows which means that my entire youth was spent watching detective shows. ...
...one of the six disk set I was taken back to that aforementioned youth when the theme tune filtered through my speakers, and the main title sequence came up on screen. I remembered it all as if it were yesterday, then whilst drifting back to when I was nine years old I sat and watched, but did I enjoy?

For those that don't know, or can't remember Jim Rockford (James Garner) is a private investigator who lives and works from his beach ... more

Review

The 70s was a hotbed of TV detective shows; we had Starsky and Hutch, Hart to Hart, Kojak, Charlies Angels and Columbo amongst others. In fact it is a surprise that there were enough cases to go around for all of them. On top of that is the sudden realisation that even though I was a young boy in the 70's I remember watching every single one of these shows which means that my entire youth was spent watching detective shows. Now there's a worry!

Upon inserting disk one of the six disk set I was taken back to that aforementioned youth when the theme tune filtered through my speakers, and the main title sequence came up on screen. I remembered it all as if it were yesterday, then whilst drifting back to when I was nine years old I sat and watched, but did I enjoy?

For those that don't know, or can't remember Jim Rockford (James Garner) is a private investigator who lives and works from his beach trailer in LA. A likeable ex-con Rockford often skirts on the edges of the law to ensure that he gets his $200 a day (plus expenses) to solve all kinds of mysteries/crimes from fraud and kidnappings to suspicious deaths and robberies, he has a quarter page advertisement in the paper and the show often starts with an answer machine message that usually has nothing to do with the show that is about to start, and he drives a gold Pontiac Firebird.

I think as with all shows of the genre (even with modern shows, but more so back then) that the attraction is the "how" and by that I mean how the cop/detective gets his man, Columbo used to be great at this, with Peter Falk coming across as a scruffy, almost slow witted kind of guy, but we all know that the "let me get this stwait" line was going to come up at some point, and that he had the puzzle solving mind of a mensa genius, he would also always get his man (or woman).

And so it was the same with the Rockford Files, we always new that he would eventually get his criminal and that he will be back in the next show with more witty one liners. The good thing about the Rockford Files is that the main Character was "human" in that he didn't win every single fight; he wasn't a goody two shoes, sometimes even getting involved in the villain's plans. In other words he was flawed, almost an anti-hero in some cases although ultimately his heart was in the right place and he was charming with it, we certainly warmed to him and wished him the best every time.

Other characters that make the show are Sergeant (later lieutenant) Dennis Becker (Joe Santos), his lawyer Beth (Gretchen Corbett), his old cell buddy Angel (Stuart Margolin) and his dad Rocky (Noah Beery). These other characters are crucial to the show and each has their own uses. If they were not there I think the show would have been too one dimensional and probably would not have been the hit show that it turned out to be. But there were there and so flesh out other portions of the Rockford Files that (obviously) could not be done by one man alone.

Becker is used to get information and perform police checks Jim also gets him out of dodgy situations on occasion. If Jim finds himself arrested he often calls on Beth Davenport to get out of trouble, at least for the first four seasons, after that she left the show and Jim had to reply on John Cooper who is a disbarred attorney. His Dad Rocky is often trying to be Jims anchor point and is often found trying to get him out of the PI business and into something respectable such as trucking. Lastly we have Angel, a rather sleazy but again likeable ex-con who used to be Jim's cellmate. Often called in by Jim to help out on a case he is always trying to work something on the side.

Altogether I found it quite fun reminiscing back through these old episodes, some of which I actually remember watching. If you like your TV detectives then this is certainly worth adding to your collection.

Episodes in this season are:

The Aaron Ironwood School of Success
The Farnsworth Strategem
Gearjammers Pt 1
Gearjammers Pt 2
The Deep Blue Sleep
The Great Blue Lake Land and Development Company
The Real Easy Red Dog
Resurrection in Black & White
Chicken Little is a Little Chicken
2 Into 5.56 Won't Go
Pastoria Prime Pick
The Reincarnation of Angie
The Girl in the Bay City Boys Club
The Hammer of C Block
The No-Cut Contract
A Portrait of Elizabeth
Joey Blue Eyes
In Hazard
The Italian Bird Fiasco
Where's Houston?
Foul on the First Play
A Bad Deal in the Valley

Presentation:

This isn't your top of the pile grain free image. Nor your speaker popping 5.1 DTS sound track but let's face it you all know that anyway. Sound wise we have a DD 2.0 soundtrack which is completely adequate for the material without being outstanding, picture wise I think it may have been cleaned up a bit but we still have grain and the occasional jumping where there was some obvious film damage, but in all honesty it all adds to the authenticity of the show.

Extras:

Disk 1
There is a trailer which is made up of a montage of pack shots showing classic shows like the A-team.

Disk 6
James Garner Interview - wow, he is looking old now, James speaks about what he remembers from the show and the character of Jim Rockford.

Stephen J Cannell interview - Stephen was co-writer for the Rockford files and he tells as bit of the history behind the show, and the initial difficulty he had selling it a studio.

Overall:

I really enjoyed going back in time and reminiscing with this boxset, for those that remember the show from back in the day but have not watched it recently will have memories come flooding back, the picture is sometimes damaged and it isn't the best transfer in the world but it is still a superb show and may even be the catalyst for starting a collection of 70's nostalgia purchases. Thoroughly recommended.

© Review is entirely my own work but may have been cross posted elsewhere. Also published under the name stevepeto on Dooyoo and also under sjp1966 on the Digital Lard website to which I am a contributor, as well as cross posted to IMDB external reviews. 2008. 

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