monsoonmartin

Happy birthday to James Garner, who was born 80 years ago today! In honor of this milestone, I’m reaching two and a half years into the past to present a Flashback Forecast. This was written when I was a “Rockford Files” ingénue, having seen a few episodes when I was very young and a bunch more syndicated on WGN weekday mornings one summer. Since then, five of the six seasons of “The Rockford Files” have been released on DVD (and promptly snapped up and voraciously viewed by me), and my knowledge and affection for the series and the man have only deepened.  (I even sent the man a fan letter and received an autographed photo in response!)

When I wrote the forecast below, for example, I had not yet seen what I consider to be perhaps the greatest "Rockford Files" episode of all-time: "Just Another Polish Wedding" from season three, in which guest stars Isaac Hayes (as ex-con Gandolph "Gandy" Fitch) and Lou Gossett Jr. (as shady PI Marcus "Gabby" Hayes) beat up a gang of Neo-Nazis in a bar.

My fondest “Rockford Files” wish—aside from the prompt release of the abbreviated season six and all eight “Rockford Files” TV movies from the 90s—is to procure an authentic license plate for my car like the one on Jim’s Pontiac Firebird. The California plate read “853 OKG” in honor of Garner’s home state (Oklahoma Garner) and Garner’s first paid acting job (August 1953).

There are too many great lines in the series to count, and surely I have made misstatements and incomplete references below. But it’s my little elegy of appreciation for a great show, and a fantastic actor.

Happy birthday, Jimbo!

(Please note that the forecast material presented below is from September 2005.) 

Jim “Monsoon” Rockford’s Private Investigation Forecast

Thursday, 15 September 2005

Rrrrrring! Rrrrrring! “This is Jim Rockford. At the tone, leave your name and message. I’ll get back to you.” Then there would be a message from a bill collector, prospective client, or old flame designed to underscore Rockford’s caddish, unkempt but ultimately irresistible nature. (Some of the most entertaining of these messages are sprinkled throughout the forecast for your edification.) And finally, a series of still photographs of Jim about town and on the job would accompany the unforgettable theme composed by Mike Post: (Bu-da-bum-bum) DE-nau, de ne nau, de ne ne ne ne nauww…like that. (Go to this website  if you’ve never heard it, or want to hear it again.)

Second only to Knight Rider in the pantheon of television adventure-dramas, The Rockford Files ran from 1974 to 1980 and turned the private-investigator genre on its head. Its hero wasn’t a crusader for justice driven to uncover the truth, buoyed by a preternatural intuition. James Scott Rockford (played by two-time Emmy winner James Scott Bumgarner, better known as James Garner) was a washed-up con artist on whom the slime of the underworld still lingered. He served five years of a 20-year sentence at San Quentin before his case was reopened and he was pardoned. Still he was not a favorite of the police due to his shady dealings and even shadier friends.

“Jim, it's Norma at the market. It bounced. You want us to tear it up, send it back, or put it with the others?”

Thurs. 9/15: partly cloudy and still quite humid with a lingering shower or two possible—the remnants of Ophelia begin to ooch by—particularly in the morning. A better chance of sustained rainfall, with locally heavy amounts possible, and a stray thunderstorm toward evening and overnight. High 86, low 67.

Incidentally, I think it's interesting that Hurricane (now Tropical Storm) Ophelia is behaving much like the character in Shakespeare's Hamlet. (In fact, I am certain the seniors I have taught in the past four years are all making this connection as well.) Just like her namesake, Ophelia has been erratic and unpredictable—hugging the coast one minute, changing direction out to sea the next; intense and ferocious one minute, meek and retiring the next. Ophelia is also doling out a lot of rain (in Hamlet, Ophelia cried a lot—it’s a stretch, but stay with me). And finally, similar to the fate met by the character, Ophelia will head out to sea by Sunday, where she will die...

Fri. 9/16: mostly cloudy with scattered showers possible; some could be heavy. Thunderstorms—some severe—are likely at night as a cool front comes in from the northwest. Humidity will likely diminish beginning in the evening and cool, dry air will replace the tropical ick we've been enjoying this week. High 80, low 64.

“Hi, Jim. Thanks for the dinner invitation. I'd love to, but does it have to be the taco stand?”

After his release, Jim made his home in a trailer parked in a lot just behind a Los Angeles-area beach. He often seemed reluctant to take on cases, even though his financial situation was tenuous at best, and made it abundantly clear to those who crossed his path that he would rather be fishing. And his crotchety dad, Rocky (played by Noah Beery), constantly nagged him about getting a real job, and viewed his son’s P.I. dabblings mostly with scorn.

Still, this being a television show, Jim Rockford would inevitably be drawn (seemingly involuntarily) into all manner of odd dealings. Jim’s ingenuity, charm, and ability to see through the prevarications and motives of others are undeniable. There were memorable characters aside from Jim, including Angel (played by Stuart Margolin), Rockford’s dull-witted former cellmate who seemed to be a magnet for trouble; and Dennis Becker (played by veteran character actor Joe Santos), Rockford’s primary police contact, who took flak from his superiors for his relationship with Jim—and often took it out on Rockford as a result—but who was ultimately a good friend to the protagonist.

“It's Laurie at the trailer park. A space opened up. Do you want me to save it or are the cops going to let you stay where you are?”

Sat. 9/17: partly sunny, but clearing in the afternoon. [It is possible that some of the rain from Ophelia could linger into Saturday and make that day wet as well, but I’m convinced at this point that we’ll be clearing out by Saturday.] A gentle wind. Pleasant! High 76, low 53.

“Tompkins at Guaranteed Insurance. About your burglary claim. Major loss all right. Funny you remembered to file, but you didn't remember to pay your premium.”

Sun.9/18: clear and nice. A crisp little autumnal breeze will tickle your nostrils with the promise of fall foliage vistas, jumping in piles of leaves, and of course, that glorious high school caste system- and gender role-affirming ritual, Homecoming. High 77, low 53.

This weather is reminiscent of Malibu and the L.A. coastal regions this time of year (OK, most times of year), where Jim Rockford parked his trailer.

In Norman, Oklahoma, James Garner’s hometown, weekend weather will be hot and humid with highs in the low 90s and lows around 72 all weekend and into next week.

“This is Toby. I forgot what I was calling for. Your recording is so boring. Spike it with some humor, some personality. Something.”

One of the most memorable episodes is 1975’s “The Farnsworth Strategem,” in which Jim Rockford poses as a Texas oil tycoon in order to con (and get even with) a shady underworld type who was swindling an acquaintance of Jim’s. Classic Rockford.

But perhaps as memorable as James Garner’s bravura performance as Jim Rockford, and the eclectic cast of characters with which he surrounded himself, were the dazzling array of guest stars. In several episodes, Isaac Hayes played a no-nonsense ex-con Rockford had known on the inside named Gandolph Fitch who loved to mispronounce Jim’s last name “Rockfish.” Lou Gossett played a character named Marcus “Gabby” Hayes. (There were plans to create spinoffs for both the Gossett and Hayes characters, but these never came to fruition.)

Other notable guest stars who were successful in their own right included James Woods, Linda Evans, Joan Van Ark, Ned Beatty, James Cromwell, Abe Vigoda, Michael Lerner, Gerald McRaney, Jill Clayburgh, Stefanie Powers, Rob Reiner (as a washed-up quarterback, sans hairpiece), Robert Loggia, Larry Hagman, Rick Springfield, Lauren Bacall, Rita Moreno, Tom Selleck, Hector Elizondo, and the incomparable Rene Auberjonois—of Benson and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fame.

Next week: For most of next week, our weather pattern will be relatively stable, unlike Rockford’s erratic former cellmate Angel. Look for low humidity, highs in the mid 70s, and lows in the low to mid 50s. Moderate westerly winds each day. Thursday 9/22 is the autumnal equinox, officially ushering in the fall season.

Long term: I don't see any of this hot, humid craziness in the forecast for the remainder of September. Seriously!

James Garner, who worked in oil fields as a teenager growing up in Oklahoma to help put food on his family’s table, has been just as hard-working in his acting career. Best-known for his roles on the television series Maverick and The Rockford Files, Garner has also had a successful film career, the highlights of which include Murphy’s Romance (for which he was nominated for an Oscar as Best Actor; the underrated romp My Fellow Americans with Jack Lemmon as an ex-president; and The Notebook, in which he gives one of his finest—and most moving—performances. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild earlier this year.

The Rockford Files is currently shown on WGN Superstation—but inconceivably, WGN has shredded several minutes of the original episodes each hour in order to run 10 to 12 minutes of commercials. The result is that it has been difficult to see original episodes of this show, in their original form, as was intended upon the creation of the universe. The good news: Season One on DVD will finally be released December 2005!

Monsoon