Always looked forward to watching the Rockford Files on Friday night with my Dad. My Dad had many of the mannerisms of James Gardner and even sort of looked like him. Great memories! Unfortunately my Dad passed away in 1981. He was only 52 and I was 14. Miss him dearly to this day, but still have great memories of watching this great program
That's so sad about your dad. Rockford reminded me a bit of my dad too, and we also watched it together. Memories of dreaming of sunny weather and fast cars (in grey and rainy England!)
The Rockford File were one of my absolute favorites! I already knew his Bird was a Formula, but a thumb up for depicting it accurately. Rockford was a class act. Those six thumbs down can suck my left exhaust pipe.
Totally my all time favourite show, so sad that James Garner was too ill to continue, he’s my all time favourite actor, a gentleman, great actor, humanitarian, and, DropDead Gorgeous. RIP Mr Garner.💕💕💕💕💕
I grew up in the area of LA that they used in the filming of the show. We would often see studio trailers and crews. To this day it’s still my favorite show.
My wife gave me the complete series on DVD for Christmas. We’ve been watching one show per day ever since. I note that they call the colour of the firebird “gold.” I think my wife expressed it better. Peanut butter.
Thanks for the drive down memory lane. I loved that show. I loved his car I now I understand the history of the look behind it. Thanks!!! His buddy Angel was hilarious too!!!
As a young kid I thought Baretta(Robert Blake) was a PI 🕵🏻♂️ & Jim Rockford was a cop for either LAPD or LA County Sheriffs. I knew the LA sheriffs dept did patrol, LE investigation. Baretta was based on a real NJ narcotics guy named Tova.
I love the episode when Jimmy soaps the restroom floor then knocks out a blackbelt & says "thats the trouble with you guys, you always think the other guy is gonna fighr fair"😂
That was the pilot 2 part episode, The karate guy was played by William Smith who was skilled in martial arts and a fine character actor who fought Clint Eastwood in Any which way you can.
As a teenager back then and living in the UK, the Pontiac Firebird was my first real love for American cars. To this day, this particular shape was the best of the Firebird's in my opinion. Especially the Smokey & the Bandit model with flared wheel arches, Shaker Hood, and rear spoiler. My other favourite was the Ford Gran Torino Starsky & Hutch.
1974 ...18 in the Air Force...Mississippi......Bought my first 'new car'.....74 esprit....Rockford replica.... and yes...' oh the memories....lol" 1977 a truck with a load of bricks turned left across lanes and I T-boned him at 50mph.....I did not get a scratch...but the esprit was done.....maybe the best auto I have ever had....or maybe I was just young....lol....
I used to watch the show when it was on, & in some episodes in the first season, on rare occasions you’d see a earlier Firebird, but you really have to have a trained eye to catch it on the show
I bought all seasons of the show several years ago on DVD and still watch and love them! Would give anything to be able to find a gold Firebird for sale.👍🏻
Funny you should say that. The idea of the Magnum series stemmed from Selleck playing a private detective in some Rockford episodes. So, in a way he was magnum's tv dad ! His name was Lance something and he was a bit of a bungler in the Rockford episodes
So awesome, man!!! As a card carrying JV baseball guy this show and car was def one of my early inspirations when I was a little boy. And James Garner-a class act and Dad-like figure for many of us. :) JV Johnny
So cool to have you fill in the blanks on this car. I also recall reading that James Garner hated the 1979 or 80 front style changes and did not allow that to be his car. On top of that, the man did much of the stunt driving, and claimed that the car was the type that would do “whatever you wanted it to do.” I fully believe that. I love this show so much I still watch it on dvd. So good; so 70’s...... Signature stunt move: The Rockford..... punch it in reverse, spin the car 180 degrees, throw it into drive and take off going forward. 👏👏👏
I was a big fan of this show when I was a kid in the 70's, and always thought that Rockford's car was cool. I never realised though that the car was updated to a newer model during the show's run, or that the actual cars used were disguised higher performance variants of the model that Rockford was supposed to be driving; very informative.
Awesome clip. One piece of missing trivia: No mention of the reverse 180 ( the j- turn ) a.k.a. "The Rockford" because everybody has tried to do it at least once...lols
aDigitalSlave I met a friend in 1980 who said he had burnt up several clutches trying to do the "Rockford" He nearly cried when I told him it takes an automatic transmission.
And vice versa, good catch...the 74's grille bars went vertical and as mentioned used a flat glass. the 75 had horizontal bars and a wrap around rear glass. I was so very lucky to have a gold 74 firebird esprit for a first car. mine had the Pontiac 350 and 223 rear gears...lol I loved that car !
One of the best shows there was, very very funny at times with a angel always getting into trouble and saying the wrong thing, and Jim who always got the ladies too.
Great video, Big Rockford fan here. I have even seen at least one episode of Rockford when both the 74 & the 78 were in the same show. They edited in a long shot of the 74 tooling down the hwy and the close shots were the 78! MyDaMnWoRd 😎🔫
Really great compilation - not just details about the car, but also spot on regarding the unique niche the well-loved show occupied - worldwide in syndication years afterwards. Thanks for posting!
One of my favorite car chases involved a Monte Carlo chasing Rockford in Gear Jammers I think it was. The one where Rockford finally turns and blocks the bad guys and says something to the effect they had offered the best chase he had seen and not losing him. To this day my sister says the Monte Carlo she drove as her first car remains her favorite to this day. I think it was a ‘75 or ‘76. Great channel. Thanks so much!
I saw James Garner talking about selecting the Firebird for the show. I think it was on the PBS program "Pioneers of Television". He got into wheel base and power to weight for doing the stunts. It was great seeing him again. Check it out if you have time.
Jim Rockford … One of the coolest dudes on tv when I was young… And who didn’t want a gold Pontiac!!! I vividly recall practicing the Rockford turns in my early cars …
I had a 77 TA. What a great car for that era or any time. It had a wide and heavy stance. Big tires and that V8 had the greatest sound. I remember how that thick, flat steering wheel felt looking at the metal turned dash. Although the Esprit didn't have a shaker hood, it just felt menacing looking forward even at low speeds. I feel sorry for those who never had a chance to own or drive one. It was certainly one of a kind vehicle. Unfortunately many of today's cars have electric parking brakes where you can't try the "Rockford turn."
One of the many reasons I love the show (and still watch it on the Roku channel) is to see all the old 70's cars in the background. Same with watching CHiPs- a glorious time capsule of old cars
There was a TV Guide interview, many years ago, of the helicopter pilot that was in many of the shows. He was the pilot for the intro/exit scene that showed Rockford driving off into the desert, filmed from the helicopter. The pilot said that they shot that scene several times before they got what the director wanted. Jim Garner would let the camera man get his "close-up" of Rockford's face in the open window of the driver's door. Then he would floor the throttle and just run off and leave the helicopter behind. The pilot said the helicopter would only do about 160 mph and Garner would laugh at him and just leave! It definitely wasn't your average Firebird!
Love the show! Both Rockford and yours! I have every season on DVD and depending on the stunt car and scene there were early cars 70-73 and 79-81 cars used, even if only for a minute. The Rockford 1 hour movie even has one of the Kamback TA wagons 👍🏼 The other reason I always thought he didn't drive a formula or a TA was because he didnt want to draw attention to him self while on a stake out. Though the affordability makes more sense! Well done.
When I watched the show as a kid, never noticed the big cam in the motor until the reruns. Love that loping sound. Thanks for the memories. Didn't he always charge 200 dollars a day for investigation. BTW, it was a drama not a comedy show
Besides wanting that Firebird, I longed for those Tacos!! The way he ate them made them seem like the best Tacos in the world! I had hoped that the place he got them was a real Taco Shop so I could find them myself!!
James Garner chose the Firebird 400 Esprit for her super handling abilities and power-to-weight ratio which made her very agile for certain stunts. In particular, his favorite signature stunt was a reverse U-turn, sometimes referred to as "The Rockford Maneuver", which entailed a quick blast in reverse, then turn hard to one side and pop the automatic into drive after the car's nose breaks loose and swings her around 180°, then floor it leaving the bad guys in the dust!! 😎
4:55 I never considered The Rockford Files to be a sitcom; it was a detective drama that happened to have comedic moments. Also, what Knight Rider did for the third generation Pontiac Firebird/Trans Am is what The Rockford Files and, later, Smokey and the Bandit, did for the second generation.
Growing up in the 80s meant I got to watch the Rockford Files with my dad which was just the best time ever.........RIP pops.
The Rockford Files has to be one of the best TV shows ever always looked forward to the next episode.
Always looked forward to watching the Rockford Files on Friday night with my Dad. My Dad had many of the mannerisms of James Gardner and even sort of looked like him. Great memories! Unfortunately my Dad passed away in 1981. He was only 52 and I was 14. Miss him dearly to this day, but still have great memories of watching this great program
That's so sad about your dad.
Rockford reminded me a bit of my dad too, and we also watched it together. Memories of dreaming of sunny weather and fast cars (in grey and rainy England!)
People thought my dad looked like Garner/Rockford, too!😁
@@billyfoster3223 then your dad was a handsome man as well!
R.I.P. James Garner,,, always the gentleman..and a great actor.. Rockford Files,, another walk into memory lane.. thanks for the video.
The Rockford Files was TV at its best. Even the opening theme was a classic. Nice to see a video covering one of the most iconic cars of the 70's.
terrywho22 always love his car... My reason for watching the series
Agree...Kojak too... great TV
The Rockford File were one of my absolute favorites! I already knew his Bird was a Formula, but a thumb up for depicting it accurately. Rockford was a class act.
Those six thumbs down can suck my left exhaust pipe.
Totally my all time favourite show, so sad that James Garner was too ill to continue, he’s my all time favourite actor, a gentleman, great actor, humanitarian, and, DropDead Gorgeous. RIP Mr Garner.💕💕💕💕💕
I grew up in the area of LA that they used in the filming of the show. We would often see studio trailers and crews. To this day it’s still my favorite show.
JG was just fun to watch in all of his TV shows. He was a master subtle comic.
@4862cjc I remember that episode! That was pretty funny.
Grew up watching Rockford Files Love this show to this day.
Loved the car chases and the famous Rockford 180 spin!
Love me some Rockford Files. True classic.
The first time I saw the show was in 2008 when I was still a kid... it's been my favorite show ever since.
Rockford Files was absolute legend of TV show. Thank you for uploading of old memory.
Used to watch it with my grandmother. She loved this show.
A true sleeper Formula in an Esprit . Never knew, Nice.
Wow, what a great story on the show and the car.......T.V will never be the same ....R.I.P Jimmy, we love and miss you.......Husky Boy.
Classic show,remember it well.I loved the opening of the show with answering machine messages,great action,chase scenes.
Great memories. We always looked forward to the next Rockford episode.
My wife gave me the complete series on DVD for Christmas. We’ve been watching one show per day ever since. I note that they call the colour of the firebird “gold.” I think my wife expressed it better. Peanut butter.
Loved that car, and Jim Rockford! One of the real treats of growing up in the 70s.
Cool car. Plain and simple. Not too flashy. 👍
I bought my oldest son a gold '74 his sophomore year in high school. He graduated in '81 and it was still intact.
Re watching all 5 seasons right now. Easily THE best P.I. show ever made. Great stories, great car.
RUNS NOW ON GET TV NETWORK EVERYDAY
I loved the Rockford Files. Angel, Dad, Becker the whole bunch.
Not many people have a car stunt move named after your TV character! " The Rockford Turn". He was so cool!!! Just Saying.
Jim was the best on and off the screen and a veteran with 2 purple hearts a real hero
Thanks for the drive down memory lane. I loved that show. I loved his car I now I understand the history of the look behind it. Thanks!!! His buddy Angel was hilarious too!!!
Thanks for the interesting history of a show I never missed watching when I was a kid.
This was my very favorite cop show/ private eye. James Garner was a class act! He also was a great actor in the great escape!
As a young kid I thought Baretta(Robert Blake) was a PI 🕵🏻♂️ & Jim Rockford was a cop for either LAPD or LA County Sheriffs. I knew the LA sheriffs dept did patrol, LE investigation. Baretta was based on a real NJ narcotics guy named Tova.
I still call his reverse spin around as a Rockford turn to this day.
Wunnerful, wunnerful. Thank you. Like Mash and a handful of other shows, Garner and his character - and the Firebird - will never die.
I love the episode when Jimmy soaps the restroom floor then knocks out a blackbelt & says "thats the trouble with you guys, you always think the other guy is gonna fighr fair"😂
That was the pilot 2 part episode, The karate guy was played by William Smith who was skilled in martial arts and a fine character actor who fought Clint Eastwood in Any which way you can.
William Smith was great. Check him out in the series, 'Laredo'. With Neville Brand and Peter Brown.
Yeah, done that10z+@Rita -knockouts
As a teenager back then and living in the UK, the Pontiac Firebird was my first
real love for American cars. To this day, this particular shape was the best of
the Firebird's in my opinion. Especially the Smokey & the Bandit model with
flared wheel arches, Shaker Hood, and rear spoiler. My other favourite was the
Ford Gran Torino Starsky & Hutch.
I think that started afted the the late 60's but it all comes around
BTW How are things in the UK?
My first car was a 77 Glacier blue Firebird with a 305. Absolutely loved that car!
Ron B my first car was handed down to me from my dad in 84. A orange 77 Buick limited Edition. Lol
Ah the memories in that boat.
1978 Formula 400... should never have sold it.
My first car was a 1973, esprit, 350 4 barrel Rochester, goldish/ silver, loved that car! Oh the memories-
1974 ...18 in the Air Force...Mississippi......Bought my first 'new car'.....74 esprit....Rockford replica.... and yes...' oh the memories....lol" 1977 a truck with a load of bricks turned left across lanes and I T-boned him at 50mph.....I did not get a scratch...but the esprit was done.....maybe the best auto I have ever had....or maybe I was just young....lol....
One of the old greats! Still watch reruns today.
Miss that show. Rockford identified with the common man trying to get by.
I love that car and it took a beating on the show. I own the series on DVD and I watch it all the time. A classic show that is timeless.
That was my dad's favorite tv show.
Rockford Files was/is my all-time fav tv series. Rocky, Dennis Becker, Beth, Angel Martin and all other supporting characters were so believable too.
I used to love watching this as a kid and ive always loved the car
The '77 went up for sale with all the doc's, on ebay a few years back. It was cool to see.
I don't recall the selling price, but it was definitely more than a regular '77.
I used to watch the show when it was on, & in some episodes in the first season, on rare occasions you’d see a earlier Firebird, but you really have to have a trained eye to catch it on the show
I just watched entire 6 seasons and I want the 1990 made 4 tv shows! He was great in this show
For some reason, I always liked the car chase scenes with Rockford being chase by these big American luxury cars.
THEY R SO GOOD
I grew up watching this great show. Great actors, great writing, great car!
AMEN
I love the Rockford files, all time great TV. I own the entire DVD collection. Great show!!
Just bought my set 🍻
Always loved the Firebirds!!!
I bought all seasons of the show several years ago on DVD and still watch and love them! Would give anything to be able to find a gold Firebird for sale.👍🏻
I probably watched almost every episode as a kid.....
A great TV series, a great man and a proper attitude for Americans...
Working Dude!
Luved his office / home...
Ugly, rusted. ,,,beat up....
I did
Have 3 of the 5 1/2 seasons on dvd. I want them all DAMMIT...!
I’ve probably watched every episode as a kid and adult lol. It was on Netflix until a few years ago. Great show.
I loved to watch that show, thanks for the background on the car, I never knew they were the Formula model.
This show was before my time, but am catching it now on Amazon Prime and I really like it, especially the Firebirds!
The going hard in reverse and flip a 180 is called the rockford by all of us with respect to Jim.
Great Appraisal. One of my favourite shows .
Been watching the series for the last couple of days when this popped up. Always have loved the series.
I always imagined that Jim Rockford was secretly Thomas magnums dad
Funny you should say that. The idea of the Magnum series stemmed from Selleck playing a private detective in some Rockford episodes. So, in a way he was magnum's tv dad ! His name was Lance something and he was a bit of a bungler in the Rockford episodes
My thoughts exactly... My mom turned down a date with Jim at Norman high school in Oklahoma in the fifties. Silly mom.😂
I bet Rockford didn't pay insurance on his cars.
Lance White Investigations.....call Lance, he'll do the job...It's Easy!
Tom Selleck was on Rockford Files at least one episode.
So awesome, man!!! As a card carrying JV baseball guy this show and car was def one of my early inspirations when I was a little boy. And James Garner-a class act and Dad-like figure for many of us. :) JV Johnny
went through university watching this on reruns on A&E during the late 90's with my rommates, all of us still look fondly back on this show and Jimmy.
I love the Rockford files and I love the firebird that he used classic
So cool to have you fill in the blanks on this car.
I also recall reading that James Garner hated the 1979 or 80 front style changes and did not allow that to be his car. On top of that, the man did much of the stunt driving, and claimed that the car was the type that would do “whatever you wanted it to do.”
I fully believe that. I love this show so much I still watch it on dvd. So good; so 70’s......
Signature stunt move: The Rockford..... punch it in reverse, spin the car 180 degrees, throw it into drive and take off going forward. 👏👏👏
One of my all-time favorite tv shows :>)
I was a big fan of this show when I was a kid in the 70's, and always thought that Rockford's car was cool. I never realised though that the car was updated to a newer model during the show's run, or that the actual cars used were disguised higher performance variants of the model that Rockford was supposed to be driving; very informative.
Awesome clip. One piece of missing trivia: No mention of the reverse 180 ( the j- turn ) a.k.a. "The Rockford" because everybody has tried to do it at least once...lols
aDigitalSlave I met a friend in 1980 who said he had burnt up several clutches trying to do the "Rockford" He nearly cried when I told him it takes an automatic transmission.
aDigitalSlave - On Canada’s Worst Driver they call it a “reverse 180” turn. It’ll ALWAYS be a “ROCKFORD” turn to me! 🚀
Love the old 400. Had one in my 68' Bonnie.
My favourite detective show of all time.
I'm there with you and I must be about the same age (52) so this was my stuff back then.
Can't believe you went the whole video without mentioning the most icon element of the show's stunts: The Rockford Turn, aka the J-Turn. Iconic.
And vice versa, good catch...the 74's grille bars went vertical and as mentioned used a flat glass. the 75 had horizontal bars and a wrap around rear glass. I was so very lucky to have a gold 74 firebird esprit for a first car. mine had the Pontiac 350 and 223 rear gears...lol
I loved that car !
One of the best shows there was, very very funny at times with a angel always getting into trouble and saying the wrong thing, and Jim who always got the ladies too.
Great video, Big Rockford fan here. I have even seen at least one episode of Rockford when both the 74 & the 78 were in the same show. They edited in a long shot of the 74 tooling down the hwy and the close shots were the 78!
MyDaMnWoRd 😎🔫
Dave Manning. That was "This Case Is Closed", from Season # 1. Holy continuity errors, Batman!
Really great compilation - not just details about the car, but also spot on regarding the unique niche the well-loved show occupied - worldwide in syndication years afterwards. Thanks for posting!
Very cool. Thanks!
I don't know about the Firebird, but the title song to the Rockford Files was the best to ever grace a television show.....
Yes, absolutely! When I clicked on this video I assumed I'd hear at least a small clip from that great theme, but alas ....
Branon Fontaine
That and the Magnum PI theme song, both were done by Mike Post who graduated high school with Tom Selleck.
Branon Fontaine ...With ROUTE 66 (Nelson Riddle) and INSPECTOR MORSE (Barrington Pheloung) neck-and-neck for PLACE 😎😉
One of my favorite car chases involved a Monte Carlo chasing Rockford in Gear Jammers I think it was. The one where Rockford finally turns and blocks the bad guys and says something to the effect they had offered the best chase he had seen and not losing him. To this day my sister says the Monte Carlo she drove as her first car remains her favorite to this day. I think it was a ‘75 or ‘76. Great channel. Thanks so much!
I saw James Garner talking about selecting the Firebird for the show. I think it was on the PBS program "Pioneers of Television". He got into wheel base and power to weight for doing the stunts. It was great seeing him again. Check it out if you have time.
Currently watching the Rockford Files on the Peacock app.
A truly great show...back in the day when America made its own cars !
Jim Rockford …
One of the coolest dudes on tv when I was young…
And who didn’t want a gold Pontiac!!!
I vividly recall practicing the Rockford turns in my early cars …
I had a 77 TA. What a great car for that era or any time. It had a wide and heavy stance. Big tires and that V8 had the greatest sound. I remember how that thick, flat steering wheel felt looking at the metal turned dash. Although the Esprit didn't have a shaker hood, it just felt menacing looking forward even at low speeds. I feel sorry for those who never had a chance to own or drive one. It was certainly one of a kind vehicle. Unfortunately many of today's cars have electric parking brakes where you can't try the "Rockford turn."
coolest car of the 7os 8os love love rocford files show
Back in those days, to Me, Rockford and His Car were the coolest of cool! Nothing Cooler!!
That color was beautiful, sort of a copper-gold combination
For all the performance those cars had, he sure had a lot of trouble out running the dozen or so 4 door LTD sedans throughout the series !
One of the many reasons I love the show (and still watch it on the Roku channel) is to see all the old 70's cars in the background. Same with watching CHiPs- a glorious time capsule of old cars
There was a TV Guide interview, many years ago, of the helicopter pilot that was in many of the shows. He was the pilot for the intro/exit scene that showed Rockford driving off into the desert, filmed from the helicopter. The pilot said that they shot that scene several times before they got what the director wanted. Jim Garner would let the camera man get his "close-up" of Rockford's face in the open window of the driver's door. Then he would floor the throttle and just run off and leave the helicopter behind. The pilot said the helicopter would only do about 160 mph and Garner would laugh at him and just leave! It definitely wasn't your average Firebird!
Love the show! Both Rockford and yours! I have every season on DVD and depending on the stunt car and scene there were early cars 70-73 and 79-81 cars used, even if only for a minute. The Rockford 1 hour movie even has one of the Kamback TA wagons 👍🏼
The other reason I always thought he didn't drive a formula or a TA was because he didnt want to draw attention to him self while on a stake out. Though the affordability makes more sense! Well done.
Got to have em on DVD they won't let us watch one episode here the bastards
When I watched the show as a kid, never noticed the big cam in the motor until the reruns. Love that loping sound. Thanks for the memories.
Didn't he always charge 200 dollars a day for investigation.
BTW, it was a drama not a comedy show
awesome video ... i still remember the show ... great !!!
Thanks
i obsessed over rocky's truck. and can we talk about the theme song?
Besides wanting that Firebird, I longed for those Tacos!! The way he ate them made them seem like the best Tacos in the world! I had hoped that the place he got them was a real Taco Shop so I could find them myself!!
You should’ve shown the Rockford 40 mph in reverse u-turn 180 - it was famous!
I can't believe that after digging up footage and all of those stills you didn't include Rockford's trademark reverse 180. Unbelievable
What was it called? The Rockford Reverse? lol
The j turn. There's another term , can't recall it though
@@wufongtanwufong5579 bootleggers turn
it was simply called "The Rockford"!
@@naybur74 Rockford Turn no?
Love your videos, mate. Keep up the good work.
My favorite Rockford car is the '74 Firebird
Great video, as usual. Thanks!
James Garner chose the Firebird 400 Esprit for her super handling abilities and power-to-weight ratio which made her very agile for certain stunts. In particular, his favorite signature stunt was a reverse U-turn, sometimes referred to as "The Rockford Maneuver", which entailed a quick blast in reverse, then turn hard to one side and pop the automatic into drive after the car's nose breaks loose and swings her around 180°, then floor it leaving the bad guys in the dust!! 😎
great video, thanks!
I love those show when I was a kid.. brings back some good memories
4:55 I never considered The Rockford Files to be a sitcom; it was a detective drama that happened to have comedic moments.
Also, what Knight Rider did for the third generation Pontiac Firebird/Trans Am is what The Rockford Files and, later, Smokey and the Bandit, did for the second generation.
The 3rd gens were ugly, the beginning of the bland 1990s jellybean styles soon to come. The last TA Firebird was 81