The Rockford Files

A '77 tan Firebird, a bad back, and a too kind heart

In the 1970s American television series The Rockford Files, James Garner played Jim Rockford, an ex-con turned private investigator, who lived and worked in the LA region. In fact, he lived on the beach in Malibu - in a white-trash trailer.

Rockford went up against bad people, got conned, punched, suckered until he ultimately prevailed. He rarely or ever got paid his $200 a day plus expenses.

Why bring this up? I was at CFRO FM, the community run radio station in Vancouver, BC, last Saturday for a broadcast of Redeye, our public affairs show, and came across Mike Post's theme song for The Rockford Files in a box of free records.

As I dropped the needle onto the LP I remembered that at 16 I once waved at a tan Firebird as it drove by 6th Ave, near False Creek, with the vague idea I knew this person but just couldn't quite put my finger on who. Until I remembered that it was Jim Rockford, my imaginary friend on TV, who drove one.

I don't often connect with TV characters. I did for Bill McNeal (Phil Hartman) on Newsradio (I couldn't watch the show after Hartman was killed by his wife in her murder-suicide spree) and I did for Jim Rockford.