The Rockford Files - Season Five
by James Garner, Richard Crenna, James Coburn, Harry Falk, Lawrence Dobkin
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DVD details
Actor: James Garner, James LuisiDirector: Harry Falk, James Coburn, James Garner, Lawrence Dobkin, Richard Crenna
Brand: Rockford
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 1101 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-01-15
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Universal Studios
DVD Reviews of The Rockford Files - Season Five
DVD Review: Rockford's Best Season
Summary: 4 Stars
I think this 1978-79 Season of this detective drama was the best and probably the most successful season of them all throughout Rockford's whole 6-year run on NBC along with the fact that this was also the last full season of THE ROCKFORD FILES since Rockford's 6th Season was only a half season since this private detective drama was cut short all of the sudden in January of 1980, due to James Garners chronic back & knee problems.
Therefore, Garner was getting tired and Rockford was running out of steam along with the fact that THE ROCKFORD FILES started becoming overshadowed by THE DUKES OF HAZZARD when the Dukes made their debut on CBS on January 26, 1979 which conflicted with Rockford's 9PM Friday night time-slot on NBC which resulted in Rockford losing a lot of viewers thru the Dukes along with the fact that Rockford was huffing & puffing while Bo and Luke Duke were humming along.
Additionally, this is the season when Rockford's often irritated cop buddy Dennis Becker(Joe Santos) from the LAPD gets promoted to lieutenant as well as the first season without Rockford's foxy attorney girlfriend Beth Davenport(Gretchen Corbett)since Beth departed from the show in the 2nd half of Rockford's Fourth Season due to the fact that the inclusive Gretchen Corbett had unfortunately left the show in the Winter of 1978 due to a salary dispute over her contract with Universal leaving us mourning the loss of Beth which unfortunately gave Becker's hard-nosed superior officer Lt. Doug Chapman(James Luisi) a.k.a. "Chappy" an advantage over Rockford whenever he got busted, since the drop-dead gorgeous Beth wasn't around to back Rockford up anymore like she did in the first 4 seasons after Beth made her last appearance in January of 1978 in "The Attractive Nuisance" episode, plus I also noticed that Rockford's con-artist buddy Angel Martin(Stuart Margolin) started coming out less and less in this season as well as the 4th and 6th Seasons of THE ROCKFORD FILES and I'm just kind of surprised that Beth's departure from this private detective show didn't make the ratings go down, at least not to the point where NBC had cancelled Rockford right away or even right after completing a successful 5th Season of THE ROCKFORD FILES on NBC either.
Rockford's 5th Season was also the season when Rockford met and befriended disbarred lawyer and ex-biker John Cooper(Bo Hopkins), whom ends up helping Rockford nab the culprits who framed Rockford for murder in "The Jersey Bounce" episode and then helps Rockford infiltrate the motorcycle gang that raped Cooper's sister(Laurie Jefferson) and clobbered Rockford in the "The Return Of The Black Shadow" episode.
It's just too bad that they didn't provide a bonus episode from The Rockford Files Sixth Season on this 1978-1979 Season DVD of Rockford like The Rockford Files-Season Four DVD had a bonus episode from the Fifth Season, by adding the "White On White & Nearly Perfect" episode on it, because it would've been cool if they would've at least provided one bonus episode from the 1979-80 Season of Rockford on THE ROCKFORD FILES-Season Five DVD.
As a matter of fact, it would've been awesome if they would've added the "Nice Guys Finish Dead" episode from Rockford's 6th Season on this 1978-79 Season DVD of The Rockford Files since it was probably the best episode from the Sixth Season, just like the "White On White & Nearly Perfect" episode was probably the best and most intriguing episode in the Fifth Season, especially since the "Nice Guys Finish Dead" episode is the episode when Rockford reunites with the eccentric hot shot private investigator Lance White(Tom Selleck) at a private eyes convention where a murder ends up taking place at leaving Rockford teaming up with the almost perfect Lance White again to solve the homicide leading Rockford to be outclassed by the impeccable Lance White again, since the goody two shoes Lance White ended up stealing the show again at Rockfords expense since the astounding Lance White ended up making all the leads and finding all the clues and being the hero again for being the private investigator who solved the case practically K.O.ing Rockford in the process, just like Lance White did in the "White On White & Nearly Perfect" episode, except the stellar Lance White ended up getting the trophy for being private investigator of the year in the "Nice Guys Finish Dead" episode, which Rockford had won originally at the beginning of that episode, which of course was before the Senators death took place there.
In addition; Rockford's Fifth Season also had some interesting guest stars in it too such as
-Tom Selleck in the "White On White & Nearly Perfect" episode before his co-starring days as the Hawaiian beach-bum private detective(Thomas Magnum)on MAGNUM, P.I.
-Jerry Douglas in the "A Good Clean Bust With Sequel Rights" episode during his earlier co-starring days as John Abbott on THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS
-Sorrell Booke in "The Jersey Bounce" episode before his co-starring days as the corrupt Hazzard County Commissioner(Boss Hogg) on THE DUKES OF HAZZARD
-James Sikking in the "A Good Clean Bust With Sequel Rights" episode before his co-starring days as Lt. Howard Hunter on HILL STREET BLUES
-Carl Franklin in the "Black Mirror" episode before his co-starring days as the overzealous Col. Deckers sidekick(Capt. Crane)on THE A-TEAM
-Richard Moll in the "A 3-Day Affair With A 30-Day Escrow" episode before his co-starring days as the tall bald baliff(Bull Shannon)on NIGHT COURT
-Dennis Holahan in "The Battle Ax & The Exploding Cigar" episode before his co-starring days on GENERAL HOSPITAL
-Bo Hopkins in the episodes "The Jersey Bounce", "Man Eaten By Local Newspaper", and "Return Of The Black Shadow" before his co-starring days on DYNASTY
-Oscar nominee(Rita Moreno) making a recurring role in the "Rosendahl & Gilda Stern Are Dead" episode
-Ken Tigar in the "Local Man Eaten By Newspaper" episode before his co-starring days on DAYS OF OUR LIVES, DYNASTY, & DALLAS
In fact, I found it amusing seeing Richard Moll getting beat up by Rockford after a lowlife hoodlum called Ludes(Richard Moll) caught him off guard and broke into Rockford's trailer in Malibu in the "Three Day Affair With A Thirty Day Escrow" episode, plus I find it intriguing that I didn't quite notice Sorrell Booke with the mustache as Rockford's new attorney in "The Jersey Bounce" episode along with the fact that THE DUKES OF HAZZARD premiered on CBS 3 months later after Sorrell Booke's guest starring appearance on THE ROCKFORD FILES.
Unfortunately, THE DUKES OF HAZZARD K.O.'d THE ROCKFORD FILES in the ratings and you could say the Dukes were killing Rockford since the Dukes had outclassed Rockford big time, because for one thing Jim Rockford was outclassed by the Duke boys, since Bo(John Schneider) & Luke(Tom Wopat) were both eyecandy and a lot younger, a lot spunkier, more energetic, and more attractive than Rockford(James Garner)was especially since Garner was already an old-fart why Wopat and Schneider were still young-farts just getting started in their showbiz career.
For another, the General Lee had outclassed Rockford's bronze Firebird.
For another THE DUKES OF HAZZARD was a lot more hilarious than THE ROCKFORD FILES was along with the fact that this show was already passed its honeymoon phase while the Dukes were just starting their honeymoon phase of the show.
Therefore you could say that John Schneider(Bo)and Tom Wopat(Luke)were peaking while James Garner(Rockford)was creaking since Garner had ran out of gas & reached a saturation point with his Rockford character getting tired of resuming that role which became more & more obvious since you can tell that Rockford started to limp & drag more & more in the last 2 seasons of THE ROCKFORD FILES as opposed to the Dukes since Bo & Luke Duke were full of lots of energy and steam and years ahead of them during Rockford's last 2 seasons and cancellation on NBC in early 1980 when THE DUKES OF HAZZARD was in the middle of its 2nd Season on CBS.
Therefore you could say that the Dukes were killing Rockford as well despite the fact that it was mostly health issues that prevented James Garner to proceed with doing THE ROCKFORD FILES any longer, not low ratings although THE DUKES OF HAZZARD easily added fuel to fire in terms of Rockford's cancellation in the Winter of 1980 after the Dukes premiered in the Winter of 1979.
So now that Universal has had Rockford's 5th Season on DVD for a while since the beginning of 2008 and since Univeral already has all 8 Seasons of MAGNUM out on DVD and Warner Bros. already has all 7 seasons of THE DUKES OF HAZZARD on DVD, I can hardly wait till THE ROCKFORD FILES 6th Season finally gets put on DVD, which I'm hoping will be released on DVD by the end of this year so it can at least be released in time for a X-Mas present by the end of 2008 along with the fact that Rockford's 1979-80 Season was also the last and final season of this show as well as the shortest season of them all since James Garner(Rockford)had to quit doing the show, due to illness.
Therefore, Rockford's short-lived 1979-80 Season led us to the conclusion that Rockford had some unfinished business on the show leaving us wondering if Rockford was still making his living as a private investigator or not, but Joe Santos had later on became a part-time co-star on MAGNUM, P.I. as Magnum's cop buddy(Lt. Nolan Page)in that shows last 2 seasons.
It was also wonderful being able to watch all these episodes of Rockford complete & uncut like they were shown on their original air-dates on NBC as opposed to how they were shown in reruns on A&E, TNN, TV Land, and WGN which deleted too many scenes & had too many commercial disruptions.
Rockford's 5th Season also takes me all the way back to memory lane when NBC's motto was "NBCSee Us", which was NBC's motto from the Fall of 1978 thru the Spring of 1979 when I was still living in the unpopular Imperial Valley.
In the meantime, I've got some wonderful news for all you classic private detective drama fans out there that are underway for the Spring of 2010.
The detective drama MATT HOUSTON-Season 1 is scheduled to be released on DVD Tuesday March 9th, 2010 and SIMON & SIMON-Season 4 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday April 6th, 2010 and are now both available for pre-order as we speak.
Description of The Rockford Files - Season Five
James Garner returns in his Primetime Emmy®-winning role as detective Jim Rockford, an ex-con whose instinct for solving cases is as cool as his Pontiac Firebird. From his mobile home in Malibu, this wisecracking private eye takes on the cases of the lost and the dispossessed.Bestsellers in DVD
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