# Did Jim Rockford carry a gun? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [April 3, 2015, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-rockford-carry-a-gun/716737 "2015-04-03T19:41:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2015, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-rockford-carry-a-gun/716737/41 "2015-04-06T00:53:45Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > What I love is how helicopters and planes always exploded - just _after_ they crash out of sight behind a convenient hilltop. > > I love the old Rockford Files for car-spotting - so many classics in their prime on that show. Even as a kid, what I loved even more was the entire preposterous-ness of a helicopter chasing an automobile (without shooting down at it!!) I used to say, “Just ignore it, what can it possibly do to you?!” In fact I figured that if a car slammed against the helicopter’s landing skids hard enough it was more likely to cause the chopper to crash\*!\* Being a fan of GM cars I loved later watching reruns and being able to see the obvious differences in the newer & newer Firebirds he drove without him ever officially buying a new one (and every one always being gold). I later owned a couple and there were significant headlight & taillight changes on Firebirds throughout the 70s. There was even an episode where his car was blown up, and right before you can clearly see it’s a much older model (like a '71!) that they blew up to save money. Rockford not carrying a gun was part of his whole persona in the series. He lived in a crappy trailer, he never carried a gun, he never got paid, he always got beat up, and he (almost) never got the girl\*!\* ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-rockford-carry-a-gun/716737/42 "2015-04-07T03:59:46Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > . > > Rockford not carrying a gun was part of his whole persona in the series. He lived in a crappy trailer, he never carried a gun, he never got paid, he always got beat up, and he (almost) never got the girl\*!\* Jeez! I just realized, _I’m Jim Rockford!_ ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-rockford-carry-a-gun/716737/43 "2015-04-07T04:47:31Z")
In the episode I watched today, the client asked Rockford if he carried a gun and he said, “Nope, in fact I’m scared of guns.” ---
**Author:** ![MsKaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@MsKaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsKaren)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-rockford-carry-a-gun/716737/44 "2015-04-07T05:04:03Z")
I love Rockford Files. I recall his neighbors getting together and complaining about the noise, gunshots and dangerous activity around his trailer. They got him and Rocky thrown out of the trailer park if I recall correctly. Of course none of the gunshots were by Jim. I think one neighbor had a tape of squealing tires and gunshots, and said something like “And this was on Christmas Eve!” ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-rockford-carry-a-gun/716737/45 "2015-04-07T05:29:06Z")
> [@MsKaren](#): > > I love Rockford Files. I recall his neighbors getting together and complaining about the noise, gunshots and dangerous activity around his trailer. They got him and Rocky thrown out of the trailer park if I recall correctly. Of course none of the gunshots were by Jim. I think one neighbor had a tape of squealing tires and gunshots, and said something like “And this was on Christmas Eve!” Rocky didn’t live at the trailer park. He had his own home, (the one Jim grew up in), but he spent a lot of his time fixing Jim’s trailer up, getting together with him to fish, occasionally nursemaiding him when he got injured. And it was mainly one of Rockford’s neighbors who had a grudge with him who was trying to get Rockford thrown out, but he wasn’t successful. The rest of his neighbors didn’t have anything against him. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-rockford-carry-a-gun/716737/46 "2015-04-07T07:36:27Z")
> [@MsKaren](#): > > I love Rockford Files. I recall his neighbors getting together and complaining about the noise, gunshots and dangerous activity around his trailer. They got him and Rocky thrown out of the trailer park if I recall correctly. Of course none of the gunshots were by Jim. I think one neighbor had a tape of squealing tires and gunshots, and said something like “And this was on Christmas Eve!” Season 6, episode 1, _Paradise Cove_; C.C. Calloway, a retired former sheriff, is trying to get Rockford run out of the neighborhood. He has even won a civil judgment against Rockford for an injury he suffered, although Rockford thinks he’s faking. It turns out that Calloway was corrupt, and he’s trying to get Rockford out of the neighborhood so he can dig up some gold that’s buried under Jim’s trailer. Mariette Hartley (of the Polaroid commercials) played a receiver appointed by the court to evaluate Jim’s business. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-rockford-carry-a-gun/716737/47 "2015-04-07T15:21:29Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Ya know, Magnum always carried a big old .45, and _still_ got his ass kicked on a fairly regular basis as well. Shot a lot, too. [higgins]Ah, Magnum. I see you’ve been beaten up again.[/higgins] ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-rockford-carry-a-gun/716737/48 "2015-04-07T16:00:29Z")
> [@SirRay](#): > > but was much more likely to take a gun from the villains (one Rockford way or another) and use that to threaten the criminals, persuade them to surrender, etc. without firing it. “OK, everybody out of the pool!” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-rockford-carry-a-gun/716737/49 "2015-04-09T19:38:15Z")
> [@SirRay](#): > > And yes, there were cookies in the cookie jar, and one supposed reason Jim kept his gun there (given much later in the series) was to reduce the effects of the corrosive salt ocean air on it. Actually, in the episode “The Big Ripoff,” Rockford told a local sheriff he kept his gun in a can of freeze dried coffee to keep the moisture from the ocean climate from rusting it. ---
**Author:** ![Salisbury62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Salisbury62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salisbury62)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2024, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-rockford-carry-a-gun/716737/50 "2024-03-13T06:05:04Z")
He carried a gun in the first episode. It was hidden in a sock in a coffee can. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2024, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-rockford-carry-a-gun/716737/51 "2024-03-15T01:14:59Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > It’s a crack up watching those old boats bounce around during the chases.They sure don’t make suspensions like they used to! I just realized this is a zombie, but I think I remember an episode where Jim is working with/for a (female?) race car driver who comments on his car’s crappy handling. Jim then disses Rocky’s vehicle, and Rocky notes it’s no worse than the Firebird. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2024, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-rockford-carry-a-gun/716737/52 "2024-03-15T02:34:05Z")
> **["The Rockford Files" Profit and Loss, Part 2: Loss (TV Episode 1974) - Quotes...](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0688034/quotes/?ref_=tttrv_sa_3)** > > Profit and Loss, Part 2: Loss: Directed by Lawrence Doheny. With James Garner, Noah Beery Jr., Ned Beatty, Sharon Spelman. Rockford discovers the investment firm Fiscal Dynamics is a financial fraud and its president Leon Fielder will do anything to... Jim Rockford: You better lose that guy or we’re gonna have a black and white at every intersection… . Drive a race car huh? Doris Parker: Lousy damn suspension… ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2024, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-rockford-carry-a-gun/716737/53 "2024-03-15T12:56:23Z")
Sharon Spelman played three different characters on Rockford. Can you imagine the ire of today’s continuity zealots? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2024, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-rockford-carry-a-gun/716737/54 "2024-03-15T13:12:24Z")
According to IMDb, Jack Garner (James’s brother) was on the show 23 times. He played unnamed police offficers and bartenders (among others) until settling into the role of Capt. McEnroe in the show’s final season. I think _Law & Order_ would really make the zealots’ heads explode. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen someone familiar on that show, looked them up on IMDb, and discovered that I recognized them from another episode of _Law & Order_. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2024, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-rockford-carry-a-gun/716737/55 "2024-03-15T13:15:57Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > According to IMDb, Jack Garner (James’s brother) was on the show 23 times. He played unnamed police offficers and bartenders (among others) until settling into the role of Capt. McEnroe in the show’s final season. Did not know that. Very good bit of TV trivia. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2024, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-rockford-carry-a-gun/716737/56 "2024-03-15T13:38:28Z")
It was mentioned upthread that the pilot episode featured Lindsay Wagner as Rockford’s client, and Bill Mumy as her brother (who worked in a drugstore and was having his school tuition paid for by the woman they were investigating). There was another episode with Lindsay Wagner, either late S1 or early S2 where she played the same character. Bill Mumy was also in this episode, but wasn’t her brother, just some artist selling his paintings on the street. That one had me scratching my head. It’s funny how the same actors will show up just a few episodes apart as completely different characters. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2024, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-rockford-carry-a-gun/716737/57 "2024-03-15T13:45:30Z")
On that note, there were two different Firebirds used during the show’s run, I believe a 76 model, then later a 77-79 one. After the producers procured the latter the former would still constantly show up in stock footage. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2024, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-rockford-carry-a-gun/716737/58 "2024-03-15T13:51:51Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > It’s funny how the same actors will show up just a few episodes apart as completely different characters. It’s been common practice in TV dramas. Look at the credits for Bruce Dern, in his early career he played multiple parts on The Fugitive, 12 O’Clock High, The Virginian, Wagon Train, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Naked City, and a couple of others. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2024, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-rockford-carry-a-gun/716737/59 "2024-03-15T14:02:21Z")
It’s not like it was a secret at the time or that no one noticed. They just didn’t care. The staff of the show appreciated an actor that they liked personally and were reliable. Obviously tv watching has changed. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2024, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-rockford-carry-a-gun/716737/60 "2024-03-15T14:14:01Z")
This was also long before we had seasonal much less even show-long arcs, in which case such substitutions would become VERY glaring. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-rockford-carry-a-gun/716737.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-rockford-carry-a-gun/716737.md?page=4)