I haven’t talked about the opening gag before. We always get a message on Jim’s answering machine—a fairly new innovation in 1975, and in fact Jim mentions a service at least once as though everyone has forgotten that he has a machine. As it happens, I cannot find any connection to James Garner and The Thomas Crown Affair. However, the message from today is from a Thomas Crown School of Dance and Contemporary Etiquette. This is clearly a reference, but beyond Jim’s not being terribly suave, I don’t know to what.
Some years ago, Jim was engaged to Claire Prescott (Linda Evans). She walked out on him. Now, she says people are trying to kill her. She’s particularly worried about Charlie Manning (uncredited). Jim agrees to ask around. Two thugs (definitely Lane Smith and maybe M. P. Murphy) are following her. Jim gets hauled in by Captain Willett (Jackie Cooper). Manning is an undercover cop, and things with Claire are clearly a lot more complicated than she’s told Jim. Rocky doesn’t trust her and is certain she’s just going to get Jim in more trouble. Rocky is not wrong.
One of the best things about this show is Jim’s relationship with Rocky. He loves his dad; what’s more, he likes his dad. They’re friends. Now, maybe they wouldn’t be if they weren’t father and son; they do seem to drive each other crazy a lot of the time. But you come for Rocky, Jim’s coming for you. He’s going to take care of his dad; it’s just that simple. He wants to help Claire, but protecting his dad is more important to him, especially given she walked out on him all those years ago.
This is the same year that Linda Evans was sleeping with Mitchell. Jim is obviously miles above him, as indeed who is not. Still, she does seem to have done several crime dramas in the ’70s. It was a popular genre at the time, and it was probably easy work for a relatively attractive blonde. Get in a few car chases, flirt with a few detectives, disappear at the end of the story. That doesn’t mean she deserved to have Joe Don Baker inflicted on her.
Minor Actor Alert: Jackie Cooper also directed today’s episode; this was solidly in his own basic TV career, both acting and directing. What’s interesting, though, is that this means there are two Perry Whites in today’s episode. Lane Smith was just starting his decades-long career as a character actor at the time. He would go on to be a pretty good Perry White on Lois and Clark, too.
Take Care of Rockford Files: Car chase. Held at gunpoint. Gets punched a few times. Another car chase. Jim and Rocky get shot at then chased down by Rocky’s truck then shot at again.