When a fellow P.I. is killed on the Ventura freeway, Jim and Richie Brockelman team up to find out if it really was an accident.When a fellow P.I. is killed on the Ventura freeway, Jim and Richie Brockelman team up to find out if it really was an accident.When a fellow P.I. is killed on the Ventura freeway, Jim and Richie Brockelman team up to find out if it really was an accident.
Noah Beery Jr.
- Joseph 'Rocky' Rockford
- (as Noah Beery)
John van Dreelen
- Gunderson
- (as John Van Dreelen)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIt's widely (and incorrectly) thought the Richie Brockelman character (played by Dennis Dugan) was introduced here, and would be spun off into the short-lived Richie Brockelman, Private Eye (1978) (premiering three weeks after the original airing of this episode). The character had already been introduced in a pilot film, Richie Brockelman: The Missing 24 Hours (1976), which had aired a year and a half prior.
- GoofsWhen the microphone in Joe Tooley's office is activated by Rockford's entry, it is labeled 35679KLM. When the agent reports it, he says "35679KLW."
- Quotes
Jim Rockford: This is Jim Rockford. At the tone leave your name and message, I'll get back to you.
Operator: Good morning! This is the telephone company. Due to repairs we're giving you advanced notice that your service will be cut off indefinitely at ten o'clock. That's two minute from now...
- Crazy creditsDisclaimer before end credits: "Secret information centers, building dossiers on individuals exist today. You have no legal right to know about them, prevent them, or sue for damages. Our liberty may well be the price we pay for permitting this to continue unchecked. Member, U.S. Privacy Protection Commission"
- Alternate versionsSyndicated repeats are split into two parts, with part 2 containing a longer pre-credit opening sequence that includes excerpts from part 1, instead of the usual 30 seconds of excerpts (previews) of the episode you're about to see, followed by added opening credits.
Featured review
Rockford vs Big Brother
This is perhaps the best Rockford Files I've seen to date, the writing is simply superb, the actors are terrific, and the overall vibe of this episode is riveting. There's a fine ensemble of guest stars, including Jackie Cooper, Pernell Roberts, Dennis Dugan(plays Richie Brockelman), Howard Hesseman, and Simon Oakland, yet they all have important roles revolving around some kind of a computer community(if you will) and the murder of a fellow private investigator who happened to be Rockford's mentor; Jim is suspicious because this man hated the freeway, although the dead body turns out to be some poor guy involved in a truck accident, and the mentor(Tooley)was killed and buried somewhere else. Tooley was hired by Al Steever(Hesseman)to do some research on a shady councilman, who has some dealings with the shady Garth McGregor, brilliantly played by Cooper, who's the mastermind behind the computer development. This episode took place in 1978, and I wonder if the term "computer" had a negative connotation as this evil technology to take over the world; at the end of this episode , there's a short statement or public service announcement regarding how the "computer" may in fact exist and is legal, which I found very odd but I digress. This was a 2hr segment and the finale of season 4 and it was a great conclusion and I'm certain Rockford fans were excited for season 5. There were some fine moments that I need to mention such as the serious discussion Jim and Richie have about being an investigator, and Jim tells Richie that you have to satisfy yourself before you please anyone else; you don't normally see Jim open up like that and it was a welcome sight. Simon Oakland was great as the feisty Vern St. Cloud and much reminded me of his Tony Vincenzo character from Kolchak: The Night Stalker, as he's very easy to lose his temper. The scenery was once again very impressive as there were many beautiful shots, even from a helicopter which kidnaps Jim. Speaking of James Garner, he limps very badly throughout the latter half of the episode(Rockford gets injured diving under his trailer); he had several knee operations because of the Rockford Files, and I bet the limping was indeed due to a bad knee and coincidentally this was the final episode of that season. If I had any qualms, one would be how easy Jim and Richie escape the computer compound and avoid getting shot by security, especially how badly Jim limps, and there's not enough of Dennis. Lastly, I found it difficult to believe that Richie could simply sneak on a helicopter even though there were others on there. That being said, this was as close to perfect as any episode I've seen, and there's many great moments and actors to make this a quality show.
helpful•150
- stones78
- Apr 1, 2011
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Filming locations
- Surfridge, Los Angeles, California, USA(Abandoned neighborhood and House on Willis Ave)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 35 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
- 4:3
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