The Rockford Files (season 4)
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| Country of origin | United States |
|---|---|
| No. of episodes | 22 |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | September 16, 1977 – February 24, 1978 |
The fourth season of The Rockford Files originally aired Fridays at 9:00-10:00 pm on NBC from September 16, 1977 to February 24, 1978.
Episodes
| No. overall |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 68 | 1 | "Beamer's Last Case" | Stephen J. Cannell | Teleplay: Stephen J. Cannell Story: Booker Bradshaw & Calvin Kelly |
September 16, 1977 |
| Rockford learns that someone stole his identity. | |||||
| 69 | 2 | "Trouble in Chapter 17" | William Wiard | Juanita Bartlett | September 23, 1977 |
| An author believes a feminist group is plotting her murder. | |||||
| 70 | 3 | "The Battle of Canoga Park" | Ivan Dixon | Juanita Bartlett | September 30, 1977 |
| Once again, Jim Rockford is a suspect in another murder case-and a crazy militia group tries to kill him! | |||||
| 71 | 4 | "Second Chance" | Reza Badiyi | Gordon Dawson | October 14, 1977 |
| The girlfriend singer of Rockford's penitentiary pal Gandolph Fitch (Isaac Hayes) is abducted. Malachi Throne plays Mr. Shapiro | |||||
| 72 | 5 | "The Dog and Pony Show" | Reza Badiyi | David Chase | October 21, 1977 |
| A former mental patient says someone is following her. | |||||
| 73 | 6 | "Requiem for a Funny Box" | William Wiard | Teleplay: James Crocker Story: Burt Prelutsky |
November 4, 1977 |
| A comedian asks Rockford to protect him from his bad-tempered ex-partner. This 1977 episode is notable for its depiction of the efforts high profile gay men and their families would go to, to keep a gay man's sexual orientation secret during that era. | |||||
| 74 | 7 | "Quickie Nirvana" | Meta Rosenberg | David Chase | November 11, 1977 |
| The ultimate flower child, Jane Patten, aka Sky Aquarian aka Gopi aka Hester (Valerie Curtin), uses Jim's mailing address. She was supposed to deliver a package for her employer, but forgot. The package contained $30,000 and they think she stole the money and send thugs after her. | |||||
| 75 | 8 | "Irving the Explainer" | James Coburn | David Chase | November 18, 1977 |
| A woman tricks Rockford into helping her find stolen art. This was James Coburn's only credit as a director. | |||||
| 76 | 9 | "The Mayor's Committee from Deer Lick Falls" | Ivan Dixon | William R. Stratton | November 25, 1977 |
| Men try to make Rockford commit a murder. | |||||
| 77 | 10 | "Hotel of Fear" | Russ Mayberry | Juanita Bartlett | December 2, 1977 |
| Angel is put in protective custody for testifying against a hit man. Unfortunely for Angel, the Hitman is acquitted and ANGEL becomes the hitman's next target! At the end after Angel attempt to exploit this experience fails {As usual} and grumbles that everyone but him got something out of this, Jim remarks Angel does have something-although not much value-his life! | |||||
| 78 | 11 | "Forced Retirement" | Alexander Singer | William R. Stratton | December 9, 1977 |
| Rockford investigates a rather suspicious undersea-research project. | |||||
| 79 | 12 | "The Queen of Peru" | Meta Rosenberg | David Chase | December 16, 1977 |
| Rockford searches for a stolen barbecue grill. | |||||
| 80 | 13 | "A Deadly Maze" | William Wiard | Juanita Bartlett | December 23, 1977 |
| Rockford's latest client doesn't seem desperate to find his missing wife. Larry Linville guest stars as a Frank Burns type psycholigist | |||||
| 81 | 14 | "The Attractive Nuisance" | Dana Elcar | Stephen J. Cannell | January 6, 1978 |
| Rockford doesn't seem too happy with his father opening an eatery. | |||||
| 82 | 15 | "The Gang at Don's Drive-In" | Harry Falk | James Crocker | January 13, 1978 |
| Anthony Zerbe plays a writer friend, Jack Skowran, who hires Jim to do background research for a book on his high school class of 1962, but Jim finds out that the book is really about the 16-year-old murder of a teenage girl by a spoiled rich kid, followed by an expensive coverup. When Jim is getting too close, Stan Collier (Mills Watson) hires a hit man to take care of him. | |||||
| 83 | 16 | "The Paper Palace" | Richard Crenna | Juanita Bartlett | January 20, 1978 |
| Rita Capkovic (Rita Moreno) is a prostitute who appears in three Rockford Files episodes. She is Dennis Becker's (Joe Santos) snitch and meets Rockford in this episode. She hires Jim to investigate two French Canadian Ottawa Senators hockey players who broke into her apartment while she and Jim were there. She is afraid they are going to kill her. She stays with her friend Maggie Gillson (Shirley O'Hara), and the same two Canadians break into Maggie's apartment when Rita is away and kill her. But were they trying to kill Rita or Maggie? At the end of the episode Rita learns that she has inherited $300,000 from Maggie. | |||||
| 84 | 17 | "Dwarf in a Helium Hat" | Reza Badiyi | Stephen J. Cannell and David Chase | January 27, 1978 |
| A killer calls Rockford by mistake. He tells him his dog is dead and that he and his lady friend, Carol Lansing (Rebecca Balding), will be next. Jim looks in the phone book and sees that "Jay Rockfelt" is the listing directly above his. He goes to the address and hears a dog whimpering pitifully and carries it to his car and drives it to a veterinary hospital. Jim rushes back to Rockfelt's house in time to see Carol being attacked by two men and manages to rescue her. Jim and Carol go to meet Jay Rockfelt (John Pleshette) at a "Paris at Dawn" party, and he is a piece of work! Selfish and self centered beyond belief! | |||||
| 85 | 18 | "South by Southeast" | William Wiard | Juanita Bartlett | February 3, 1978 |
| Rockford gets involved with a Federal undercover operation against con artists. Inspired by North by Northwest. A case of mistaken identity. The Feds think Rockford is their agent Terence Halsey and they fly him to some Spanish speaking country. In his limited Spanish he asks the two characters who pick him up at the airport what country it is, their opaque answer goes on for 5 minutes, and he says "OK. Thank you." Like Cary Grant in North by Northwest he slips into character and starts doing Terence Halsey's job. The operation involves rescuing an heiress, Christine Van Deerlin (Dorrie Kavanaugh). She is essentially a prisoner, and her husband is the warden. In a reference to Notorious she is being poisoned by her husband, and Jim takes her to the hospital. | |||||
| 86 | 19 | "The Competitive Edge" | Harry Falk | Gordon Dawson | February 10, 1978 |
| Rockford must find an alleged embezzler, Barry Brauder (Jim McMullan), who went missing after posting bail. Barry's wife Joyce (Neile Adams) hires Jim to find him. After investigating the Alphian Way, an exclusive club that Barry belonged to, Jim ends up imprisoned in a psych ward. Inspired by One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Sure enough Barry is in there too. Jim organizes a "prison break." | |||||
| 87 | 20 | "The Prisoner of Rosemont Hall" | Ivan Dixon | Teleplay: Stephen J. Cannell and David Chase Story: Chas. Floyd Johnson and Maryann Rea |
February 17, 1978 |
| Brothers planning more than just hazing abduct a fraternity pledge. | |||||
| 88/89 | 21/22 | "The House on Willis Avenue, (Parts 1 & 2)" | Hy Averback | Stephen J. Cannell | February 24, 1978 |
| Rockford continues his murdered friend's investigation of a councilman. Co-stars Jackie Cooper. | |||||
