“The Big Ripoff” by Anthony Pizzo
It wouldn’t surprise me to discover that insurance agencies hire most of the public investigators in the US. It does make sense. After all, if you’re a life insurance company, you don’t want to pay out on someone who isn’t dead. Car insurance companies likely want to know who’s responsible for accidents—and that the accidents actually happen. I am no defender of insurance companies, Gods know, but it does make sense that they’d only want to pay out if the events they’re paying out on are real. Jim doesn’t work for an insurance company, but it also makes sense that he’d have dealings with them now and again.
Jim has been hired by Nancy Frazer (Nedra Deen), who believes that her late boyfriend, Steve Nelson (Fred Beir), was killed by his wife, Ginny (Suzanne Somers in her second TV role). After following her to Switzerland, Jim determines that Nelson probably isn’t dead. Frazer doesn’t pay him and disappears, so he figures she’s gone off to meet up with Nelson. He goes to Melvyn Moss (Norman Burton), who works for the company that insured Nelson’s life, and makes a deal to get a percentage of the money if he can prove Nelson isn’t dead. He then finds Frazer in an artsy town in Northern California.
Without giving away too much of the story, it’s nice that Jim actually gets something for his trouble for once. He gets stiffed by a fair few clients, and there are some where he ends up working pretty much for himself. Oh, he gets stiffed all the way around here, but at least there’s something for him in the end. Honestly, I agree with model Marilyn Polonski (Jill Clayburgh) that the paintings aren’t very good. We see one of them, and Anthony is much more talented. We’re told the paintings sell for $2000 each, and I don’t think they’re worth it before inflation.
The scene at the beginning, meanwhile, is charming as all get-out. We can tell that it’s some sort of a con—Jim wouldn’t be there if it weren’t. He also sets it up very nicely. He does manage to arrange things so that she doesn’t have much way to avoid talking to him. It’s a silent film, and Garner’s charisma is every bit as evident in it as it is when he’s allowed to turn up the charm by talking to people. It’s followed by one of those scenes that lets you know how much care he goes to in order not to pad his expense account.
California for the Tourist: We didn’t much go to Northern California when I was a kid. Still, you don’t have to spend much time there to be aware of this kind of town. Really, they’re all along the coast, and most of what varies is how expensive they are. Marilyn says that Almeria is “bulging” with artists, and probably they all think they’re going to be the next big thing. It’s no surprise that she’s able to make a living modeling. At $20 an hour, $23 for “the real her,” Marilyn may actually make more than Jim.
Take Care of Rockford Files: Jim is beaten up to get him to leave town, so badly he collapses and sees recycled footage of the Moon. He then gets a bit of his own back later. He gets punched again then held at gunpoint.