175:. One episode tells that because of the carelessness of his parole officer, Rockford had to hire an attorney to be free of parole requirements. Although he was innocent of the charge for which he was imprisoned, in several episodes it is suggested that Rockford had at one time been a mostly successful con artist. Except when being specifically threatened by hoods he gets along amicably with them, better than he does with high ranking police officers, who almost without exception despise him.
361:), who appeared in this TV movie. In a conversation about their relationship, Kit alludes to the idea that the marriage ended because both Jim and Kit were very independent and stubborn people. In later TV movies, it is established that they were a couple by 1985 at the latest, and that Kit left the marriage in 1987. However, it is unknown when they were married, or for exactly how long. They had no children.
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officials (frequently using the pseudonym "Jim
Taggart"), he sometimes invents preposterous characters and scenarios to confuse people, which usually gets them to reveal some valuable information. He has a portable printing press, which he keeps in his car and uses to prepare business cards that lend credibility to his guises. He is adept at using a lockpick, illegal to possess.
203:, he seldom actually receives. Over the years he was involved in several cases for which his investigative efforts should have gained him significant bonuses, but he was never able to collect them. He is consistently shown to be short on money, or trying to keep creditors at bay; he typically wears sport coats and low-priced off-the-rack suits and his lone indulgences are an
346:), whom Jim was said to have dated seriously before the series began, and appeared to casually date on several occasions during her appearance on the show (1974 through 1978). Later in the show's run, during 1978 and 1979, he had an open but still serious relationship with psychiatrist Megan Dougherty (
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Frank
Nichols. Rockford was usually unarmed (he occasionally carried an unlicensed pistol – which he kept in a cookie jar in his home – but hardly ever used it) and, despite trying to avoid trouble and use reason and negotiation to solve problems, would sometimes be pressed into a fistfight as a last
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His contact inside the police department is his friend, sergeant (later lieutenant) Dennis Becker, who will on occasion, albeit grudgingly, run car license plates and do criminal record checks for him. Rockford in return gives information on criminal activity he digs up to Becker, allowing him to get
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in Busan and stealing a Major
General's car. He also forgot to return his service pistol and gets a call from the army about it after 23 years. A running gag is that, whenever Rockford gets involved with cases connected to members of his old Division, Jim is usually in trouble. (The reference to the
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Rockford’s investigative style is to use his wits and a good measure of deception to get useful information from those he interviews. In one episode he is derisively described by a rival private investigator as “the con bull artist”. In addition to posing as insurance investigators and government
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cases and small-time insurance scams. At one time, in addition to other clients, he worked on a retainer basis for a major insurance company, but the company scrapped the deal when a case went sour, and
Rockford lost the annual income. He charges a flat rate of $ 200 a day plus expenses for each
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Esprit automobile, traded in each year of the series for the newest model. (Garner did not like the look and handling of the 1979 model, so the 1978 was reused for the final season in 1979–80; this was an apparent use of
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Though Jim is generally reluctant to engage in potentially dangerous situations and often describes himself as "chicken", when there is a need to act heroically, his actions often speak otherwise.
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TV movies filmed and set in the 1990s, Jim still lives in the same location, but owns a newer and much larger trailer that is nicer and well-appointed compared to his trailer of the 1970s.
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in the series.) Rockford is an outstanding driver, on several occasions getting out of tricky situations when being followed merely by skillfully maneuvering his vehicle away.
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on the beach at
Paradise Cove, Malibu; though its exterior is decidedly ramshackle and something of an eyesore, inside it is relatively comfortable and homey. In the
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next to a restaurant. To avoid confrontations with the LAPD, he will not take on open police cases. He also refuses to do domestic cases. He specializes instead in
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in many episodes; a running gag is that Angel's hare-brained schemes and con jobs invariably land Jim in some kind of trouble, often without his knowledge.
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television-movies, "The
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area. Rockford is the principal character of the series, and Garner was the only actor to appear in every episode of the series.
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so his encircled unit could escape; however he was soon busted back to PFC when it was discovered he was running a string of
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and sometimes has them for breakfast. During the run of the original series, Jim lives in and works out of a single wide
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Unlike many other fictional "private eyes", Rockford is an ex-convict, albeit one who was falsely imprisoned (at
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Jim enjoys fishing, and would rather spend time doing that than almost anything else. He is a fan of the
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24th
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Rockford shared many personality traits with the lead characters of two of Garner's previous series,
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This article is about the fictional television character. For the
American football player, see
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During the series, it is also revealed that
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Jim
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At some time between the end of the series proper (1980) and the first of the
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of the 24th Infantry Division, a.k.a. "Taro Division" during the Korean War.)
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Rockford operates a small private investigation service out of his beachside
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Many, including "Jim Taggart" and "Jimmy Joe Meeker" (two used most often).
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has written two books with Jim Rockford as the main character, entitled
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ranked him # 25 on its 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time list.
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Fictional character on the television series The Rockford Files
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concert. Jim is frequently seen eating Mexican food, usually
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The Rockford Files 3/9 "Return to the Thirty-Eighth Parallel"
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Mars Investigations: The (In)Complete Guide to Veronica Mars
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