The Rockford Files — Season 5
This is Jim Rockford. At the tone leave your name and message, I'll get back to you.
About this season
Cranky but likable L.A. PI Jim Rockford pulls no punches (but takes plenty of them). An ex-con sent to the slammer for a crime he didn't commit, Rockford takes on cases others don't want, aided by his tough old man, his lawyer girlfriend and some shady associates from his past.
Episodes (22)
1. Heartaches of a Fool
8.0Aired 22 September 1978 • 43 min
Jim finds that a country music star, corrupt union boss and Chinese triad all have one thing in common with why Rocky ended in hospital after his rig was forced off the road: sausages.
2. Rosendahl and Gilda Stern Are Dead
8.0Aired 29 September 1978 • 44 min
A doctor's murder has direct connections to the Mob, and Jim comes to the assistance of hooker friend Rita Capcovik (Rita Moreno) when she finds herself entangled in it.
3. The Jersey Bounce
9.0Aired 6 October 1978 • 48 min
Wrongly accused of beating a man to death, Jim discovers the best legal advice he can find is from disbarred lawyer John Cooper.
4. White on White and Nearly Perfect
9.5Aired 20 October 1978 • 43 min
Handsome, charmed PI Lance White (Tom Selleck) may speak lines that sound like they're from a 1940s B movie, but everyone is so attracted to him they hang on his every word. That is, everyone except Jim.
5. Kill the Messenger
9.5Aired 27 October 1978 • 43 min
When an already overly stressed Dennis Becker is lumped with the unwelcome task of finding out who murdered Deputy Chief Towne's unfaithful wife, Jim decides to lend a hand in the investigation.
6. The Empty Frame
Aired 3 November 1978 • 47 min
At a swank party, attended by some of LA's high society and police dept. VIPs, in honor of Angel's brother-in-law, Aaron, being made Chief of Police, a robbery takes place, while Lt. Doug Chapman is in charge of security. Desperate to get back into good graces with his superiors, Chapman swallows his pride and asks Rockford to help him.
7. Three Day Affair with a Thirty Day Escrow
Aired 10 November 1978 • 47 min
After being strong-armed by an Arab sheik and his goons, and getting no help from the police, Jim decides to track down the two people who caused his trouble: a soft-voiced gigolo and the sheik's naive daughter.
8. A Good Clean Bust with Sequel Rights
Aired 17 November 1978 • 48 min
Jim is forced to babysit Chicago ex-cop, now celebrity, "Frank Falcone," who has a television show and toy line. Falcone isn't easy to babysit, and things get dicey when some old Chicago "friends" of Falcone show up to complicate things.
9. Black Mirror: Part 1
Aired 24 November 1978 • 48 min
A blind psychologist, who is being terrorized by an unknown stalker, turns to Jim for help.
10. Black Mirror: Part 2
Aired 24 November 1978 • 48 min
Rockford's investigation of psychologist Megan Dougherty's stalker leads him to one of her patients who may have a split personality - one of which is a paid killer.
11. A Fast Count
Aired 1 December 1978 • 43 min
Jim puts up his dukes and steps forward to help a boxing coach who has been framed with bribery and murder.
12. Local Man Eaten by Newspaper
Aired 8 December 1978 • 48 min
Jim could use some saintly guidance when he goes undercover on a scandal rag that is getting confidential medical information on a doctor's famous, and infamous, patients.
13. With the French Heel Back, Can the Nehru Jacket Be Far Behind?
A fashion model friend of Jim is found dead on the ground below her balcony. The police believe it's suicide, but having gotten a desperate phone call from her, Jim believes it's murder.
14. The Battle-Ax and the Exploding Cigar
Aired 12 January 1979 • 43 min
Ignorant that he's been driving a hot Cadillac with an illegal stash of guns in the trunk, leads Jim into rubbing shoulders with the FBI and the Company.
15. Guilt
Aired 19 January 1979 • 48 min
Jim finds his guilty conscience being manipulated by a former fiancee, who asks him to find out who is threatening her life.
16. The Deuce
Aired 25 January 1979 • 43 min
Having Jim doing jury duty leads to a mistrial and his being hired to investigate the case of pedestrian hit by a drunk-driver that brought the accused to court.
17. The Man Who Saw the Alligators
Aired 10 February 1979 • 49 min
If having the IRS wanting to do an audit isn't bad enough, a gangster Jim helped put in prison is out on parole and wants a pound of his flesh in revenge.
18. The Return of the Black Shadow
Aired 17 February 1979 • 49 min
A gang of bikers beat up Jim and assault John Cooper's sister, leading Coop to seek vengeance by returning to a darker period in his past when he was in a biker gang.
19. A Material Difference
Aired 24 February 1979 • 49 min
Jim finds himself being dragged into a complicated situation when Angel's con job as a hit man for hire goes awry.
20. Never Send a Boy King to Do a Man's Job: Part 1
Aired 3 March 1979 • 49 min
Richie's father has been swindled by a man named Coombs. Jim assembles together a disparate group of con-artists in a complicated scheme using Coombs' anxieties, and even the "Curse" of King Tut, to save Mr. Brockelman from ruin.
21. Never Send a Boy King to Do a Man's Job: Part 2
Aired 3 March 1979 • 49 min
The con continues and proves successful when one of the fellow con-artists appears to make of with the check.
22. A Different Drummer
Aired 13 April 1979 • 43 min
While in hospital after a car accident, Jim stumbles across a black market for vital organs.