# RIP James Garner **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 20, 2014, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-james-garner/693591 "2014-07-20T07:42:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-james-garner/693591/81 "2014-07-21T01:52:17Z")
I recall an interview with him in which he said that his favorite movie on which he worked was The Americanization of Emily. I never appreciated that film before. But I will try to give it another look now. I have no qualms about admitting that I truly loved that man and all his work. I never saw anything he did that I didn’t like. If there is any kind of God, He will have taken Jimmy up into Heaven. May God bless him and keep him always. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-james-garner/693591/82 "2014-07-21T14:46:42Z")
[CNN.com](http://CNN.com) has a nice profile: [http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/20/showbiz/james-garner-death/index.html?hpt=hp\_t3](http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/20/showbiz/james-garner-death/index.html?hpt=hp_t3) > [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > …Lots of people took advantage of him during his lifetime… Really? Who? > [@Trinopus](#): > > I was a fan of First Monday, the very short-lived series where he was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. > > It worked! I thought it was a darn fine show. He had the gravitas for the role. Nitpick: it’s “Chief Justice of the United States.” But yes, he was good in that part. Rest in peace, Mr. Garner. You were one of the best. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-james-garner/693591/83 "2014-07-21T15:04:32Z")
Anyone remember the series of [Polaroid commercials](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt82z_GUCKw) he did with Mariette Hartley? They were a cute and charming couple. There are links to the other ones on that YouTube page. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-james-garner/693591/84 "2014-07-21T15:08:06Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > … Even those Polaroid ads with Mariette Hartley, where they had such chemistry that everyone assumed they were married, even years afterwards. > [@SlackerInc](#): > > …He was also memorably good in _Victor/Victoria_; and given also how well he came across in those Polaroid commercials, it’s surprising he didn’t do more leading man roles in romance type films. > [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > I remember him fondly from all those Polaroid commercials. He and Mariette Hartley just seemed like such warm and pleasant people to hang out with. > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Anyone remember the series of [Polaroid commercials](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt82z_GUCKw) he did with Mariette Hartley? They were a cute and charming couple. There are links to the other ones on that YouTube page. Yeah. I’m pretty sure we remember. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2014, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-james-garner/693591/85 "2014-07-21T15:42:31Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Yeah. I’m pretty sure we remember. “I am not James Garner’s child.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f6c823/32.png) [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absinthe_Anecdote)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-james-garner/693591/86 "2014-07-21T16:07:12Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > I demand the thread be retitled James Garner: History’s Greatest Monster That’s a bit extreme, but the guy was quick to go to fisticuffs and was known to be a bully in Hollywood circles. He was a normal guy, with normal problems, it doesn’t make him a monster. However, he certainly wasn’t a saint either. Just because he made a string of sappy Polaroid commercials with some red haired chippy doesn’t mean a damn thing. It is called acting! That wasn’t his real personality you were seeing. Do you realize how many times that the director yelled cut, and that they did those commercials over and over to get them just right? All the hell he was doing was trying sell those shitty 1970s cameras for Kodak. Sorry to trample on fond memories of Jimmy. I’m sure The Lord has him near his side in Heaven, and blaa blaa blaa. And if he were here today, he would probably buy me a beer for setting you all straight, James Garner style. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-james-garner/693591/87 "2014-07-21T16:15:25Z")
> [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](#): > > That’s a bit extreme, but the guy was quick to go to fisticuffs and was known to be a bully in Hollywood circles. > … Can you please provide a cite for that? 'Cause every news story I’ve read paints Mr. Garner as a genuine gentleman and all around nice guy. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-james-garner/693591/88 "2014-07-21T16:33:05Z")
> [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](#): > > That’s a bit extreme, but the guy was quick to go to fisticuffs and was known to be a bully in Hollywood circles… Garner was hardly a wimp but I don’t travel in those “Hollywood circles.” I doubt you do, either. (I guess absinthe really does have unfortunate side effects.) ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-james-garner/693591/89 "2014-07-21T17:00:35Z")
> [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](#): > > And if he were here today, he would probably buy me a beer for setting you all straight No, he’d probably punch you in the mouth. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f6c823/32.png) [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absinthe_Anecdote)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-james-garner/693591/90 "2014-07-21T17:19:23Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Can you please provide a cite for that? 'Cause every news story I’ve read paints Mr. Garner as a genuine gentleman and all around nice guy. _**Garner’s particular ethics of violence may make him less of a bully than some of the bullies he criticizes (including Frankenheimer), but he strikes me as a bully nonetheless, a hothead who cultivated his temper and unloaded on people whenever he knew he could get away with it. Is a wealthy, powerful, and well-liked movie star ever likely to find himself in situations where he has to hit someone? Was socking Tony Franciosa really an act of standing up for defenseless stuntmen (note the oxymoronic aspect of that phrase) – many of whom probably later found themselves on sets where Franciosa had the power to fire them and Garner wasn’t around to intercede – or was it just an ostentatious display of machismo? I still love the television James Garner, the pragmatic, risk-averse “reluctant hero” (Garner’s own term) who made Maverick and Rockford so distinctive and down-to-earth and compulsively watchable. But after reading his book, I wonder whether I would like the real James Garner.**_ > **[James Garner's autobiography](http://newimprovedgorman.blogspot.com/2012/08/james-garners-autobiography.html)** > > A Review from Classic TV History “Didn’t enjoy working with Tony Franciosa, who kept abusing the stunt men. He purposely wasn’t pulling his... ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-james-garner/693591/91 "2014-07-21T17:23:40Z")
> [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](#): > > All the hell he was doing was trying sell those shitty 1970s cameras for Kodak. The only connection Kodak had with Polaroid was paying out zillions when Polaroid sued the bastards. ---
**Author:** ![Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f6c823/32.png) [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absinthe_Anecdote)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-james-garner/693591/92 "2014-07-21T17:25:24Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > No, he’d probably punch you in the mouth. 🙂 Maybe, by his own admission he had a reputation of “decking” people. ---
**Author:** ![Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f6c823/32.png) [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absinthe_Anecdote)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-james-garner/693591/93 "2014-07-21T17:28:52Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > The only connection Kodak had with Polaroid was paying out zillions when Polaroid sued the bastards. Oops! Thanks, I get obsolete brands of cameras mixed up sometimes, despite how charming and heartwarming the the pitchmen were. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-james-garner/693591/94 "2014-07-21T17:57:16Z")
> [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](#): > > _**Garner’s particular ethics of violence may make him less of a bully than some of the bullies he criticizes (including Frankenheimer), but he strikes me as a bully nonetheless, a hothead who cultivated his temper and unloaded on people whenever he knew he could get away with it. Is a wealthy, powerful, and well-liked movie star ever likely to find himself in situations where he has to hit someone? Was socking Tony Franciosa really an act of standing up for defenseless stuntmen (note the oxymoronic aspect of that phrase) – many of whom probably later found themselves on sets where Franciosa had the power to fire them and Garner wasn’t around to intercede – or was it just an ostentatious display of machismo? I still love the television James Garner, the pragmatic, risk-averse “reluctant hero” (Garner’s own term) who made Maverick and Rockford so distinctive and down-to-earth and compulsively watchable. But after reading his book, I wonder whether I would like the real James Garner.**_ > > [Ed Gorman's blog: James Garner's autobiography](http://newimprovedgorman.blogspot.com/2012/08/james-garners-autobiography.html) Ed Gorman? THE Ed Gorman?!? Wow, you really found yourself one hell of a Hollywood insider, there. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-james-garner/693591/95 "2014-07-21T18:20:23Z")
Just saw an article about an-almost fight Garner had with a city council member over a proposed development in the Santa Monica Mountains. The two men were in each other’s face and had to be separated by police. As I opined in my earlier post, Garner was a man who stood up for what he believed in. From the article: > [@](#): > > “Witnesses said the actor, raising his voice, moved toward Rundberg and accused him of … being personally interested in ‘certain developments’ in the mountain area. > > The councilman whirled in his chair.“‘You’re a liar,’ he shouted, his face blanching. ‘I will not be intimidated.’ > > “Stepping still closer, Garner said, ‘I am not a liar and I am bigger than you.’ > > “‘In height, weight or stature?’ the 65-year-old, 6-foot councilman retorted, leaping from his chair. > > “Garner, the words tumbling out, said, ‘Remember, we are the people.’ > > “‘You’re an actor,’ Rundberg shouted.” > > That year, Garner, along with McQueen and Burt Lancaster, became founding members of the Friends of the Santa Monica Mountains conservancy group, according to the book “Transforming California” by Stephanie S. Pincetl. The group played a key role in the 1978 creation of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, which at 153,075 acres is the world’s largest urban national park. > > Rundberg didn’t fare as well. He lost a bid for reelection the year after he tangled with Garner, and he was then appointed to the Harbor Commission. In a harbor scandal, he was convicted in 1968 of accepting furniture from a developer in exchange for a city lease valued at $12 million and was barred from ever again holding public office in California. ---
**Author:** ![Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f6c823/32.png) [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absinthe_Anecdote)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-james-garner/693591/96 "2014-07-21T18:21:17Z")
I’m a little baffled why people find it hard to believe that he had flaws. That he might have bullied people, or been a raging type-A personality who turned into a grouchy old man. He was an actor, Rockford and Maverick were charming roles he played. There are legions of Elvis fans who insist he didn’t do drugs, and there are entire armies of Michael Jackson fans that claim he wasn’t string out on drugs and molesting little boys. I guess in comparison to those two, James Garner wasn’t that bad. Sorry for interrupting your fantasies of a dashing leading man, and beloved Polaroid pitchman. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-james-garner/693591/97 "2014-07-21T18:40:32Z")
> [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](#): > > I’m a little baffled why people find it hard to believe that he had flaws. That he might have bullied people, or been a raging type-A personality who turned into a grouchy old man. Because you kept going on about it while failing to credibly substantiate the idea and now you’re being a jerk. Quit threadshitting or you’ll start getting warnings. ---
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-james-garner/693591/98 "2014-07-21T19:29:35Z")
Loved him in the Americanization of Emily. He and Julie Andrews were great together. I have to echo what has been said before. I’m hard pressed to remember seeing him in anything I don’t like. One of the very few actors I’d post about in a thread such as this. Thanks for all the pleasure you’ve given me and RIP. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2014, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-james-garner/693591/99 "2014-07-21T20:08:40Z")
> [@spifflog](#): > > I’m hard pressed to remember seeing him in anything I don’t like. My old Pappy used to say that! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-james-garner/693591/100 "2014-07-21T21:07:38Z")
Dang. Left a great body of work, thanks! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-james-garner/693591.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-james-garner/693591.md?page=6)