Believing her stockbroker brother's been abducted by the mob, a bookkeeper hires Rockford. But once he's on the case, Rockford finds himself the object of another investigation, the feds'.Believing her stockbroker brother's been abducted by the mob, a bookkeeper hires Rockford. But once he's on the case, Rockford finds himself the object of another investigation, the feds'.Believing her stockbroker brother's been abducted by the mob, a bookkeeper hires Rockford. But once he's on the case, Rockford finds himself the object of another investigation, the feds'.
- Joseph 'Rocky' Rockford
- (as Noah Beery)
- Dennis Becker
- (credit only)
- Maid
- (as Louise Fitch)
- Whitlaw's Thug
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe first episode in which the new intro is used instead of the previous arranged version. This theme would be used until the end of the series' run.
- GoofsThe phony agent Bettingen's car is described as a green Ford 2-door. This car was actually a 1974 Mercury Montego.
- Quotes
Jim Rockford: [pretending to be late for an appointment] Why is it every time there's a car wreck on the other side of the divider, all the cars on your side get out to look at it? Are they expecting to see blood?
The episode begins late at night, with a phone call awaking Angie. It's a phone call from her brother. He sounds panic stricken, and he tells Angie he needs her to do some things.
He wants her to open the safe in his house (which she lives at), remove a package, and to bring it somewhere. He tells her she must not go to the police.
With ominous sounds getting closer to Tom, he tells Angie he's going to give her the safe's combination, and she asks him to hold whilst she gets a pen.
With Angie looking for a pen, a car screeches to a stop by Tom, he is roughed up by two men, and appears to be thrown in their car.
When Angie gets back on the phone, Tom is gone. The only sound she hears (which she later tells Jim) are from someone breathing into the phone.
Angie jumps into a car, but, we see she's being followed.
Rocky and Jim are fast asleep at Jim's trailer, having fallen asleep with the TV still on.
They're woken by the phone ringing – Angie is at a drugstore, found Jim's number in the phone book, and had called him, because she's scared of the man who is following her.
Jim tells Angie to meet at a bar, and when he gets their, he asks her where the man is. He goes over, and after the man produces a fake FBI agents identification Jim slams his head into the table.
After this, Jim starts to talk business with Angie, and when he mentions his cost, she takes on a very childish tone and says she's not going to pay that amount, she doesn't make that much, and she thinks he's only worth $25 and says shall give it to him,
She digs through her purse, and only finds $23 and change.
Though Jim repeatedly tells her to just forget it, Angie - who's already emotionally highly- strung - flings it, angrily at him, and exits the car.
It quickly becomes apparent to Jim that dealing with Angie – who is not only young chronologically, but still seems to be childlike emotionally - and it would not be a good idea for him to work on this, so, he tries to end this arrangement, and he offers to find her a safe place, and then end it.
As the episode goes on, it becomes readily apparent that it's more than likely Ange's brother has been murdered, but she angrily refuses to acknowledge this very real possibility, and goes so far as to repeatedly tell Jim to stop saying it.
Angie's only willing to see her brother as he was to her as a little girl; a 'knight in shining armour,' who took his baby sister under his wing when both their parents died within a short period, during Angie's childhood.
Jim tries to get Angie to understand that - not only is it more-than-likely Tom's dead, but, contrary to being a blemish-free, heroic type, he was mixed up in something very dangerous; false stock certificates, and swindles, and, it's because of this, that he's almost certainly dead.
Midway, Angie breaks down, she can't come to grips with this - reality. To her, her brother IS alive, and is STILL her saviour.
But, Jim fears that, if Angie continues to believe this fantasy, and not deal with the very dangerous reality she's in now, she might not survive, either.
Might not survive this ordeal, and might not survive living in the real world, without her brother, there to be her 'rock.'
Elayne Heilveil appeared in a lot of series during this period, as a sort of waif, and her performance here, is exceptional, because, it's due to her making Angie 'real' for us, we first find her to be a petulant, slightly snobbish, childlike, and a bit prima-donna-ish. We - I - find her annoying, but, it's a defence mechanism, and Jim - at first, he, too, finds her annoying, and such, but, he tries his best to help her grow up, because, if she doesn't, her life - if she even survives - will be full of pain and torment.
A lot of credit for the power of this episode goes not just to the fine performances of Mr. Garner, and guest star Ms. Heilveil, but, to the writers, who happen to be series co- creators, Steven J. Cannell, and Roy Huggins.
It's not just a typical(ly great) Rockford, with something criminal lurking, it's also about life, and how hard it is for someone who'd been so sheltered from its harsh realities, trying to come to grips with it, all during a devastating loss, and with the possibility they, too might not fare well, if they don't try to blossom.
I can't think of someone better than Jim Rockford as a person, as a man, who has the toughness, but, the sensitivity to help someone through - not just having to grow up (and fast) - but, such trauma, and I really wish I, too, had Jim Rockford in my life, when I had to grow up.
- UNOhwen
- Aug 18, 2015
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Filming locations
- Courtyard Marriott - 21101 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA(Exterior - Holiday Inn, Rockford on the roof and stopped by the police and the feds in the parking lot.)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro