The Rockford Files

The Rockford Files
Title card with Noah Beery Jr. in photograph
GenreDetective fiction
Created byRoy Huggins
Stephen J. Cannell
StarringJames Garner
Noah Beery Jr.
Joe Santos
Gretchen Corbett
Stuart Margolin
Theme music composerMike Post
Pete Carpenter
ComposersMike Post
Pete Carpenter (co-composer with Post)
Artie Kane (two episodes)
Dick DeBenedictis (one episode)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons6
No. of episodes123 (+ pilot + 8 TV movies) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersStephen J. Cannell
Meta Rosenberg
Production locationsParadise Cove - 28128 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Police Department, Hollywood Station - 1358 Wilcox Ave, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Apartments, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California
Running time60 minutes
Production companiesRoy Huggins-Public Arts Productions
Cherokee Productions
Universal Television
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 13, 1974 (1974-09-13) –
January 10, 1980 (1980-01-10)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

The Rockford Files is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network from September 13, 1974, to January 10, 1980. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investigator Jim Rockford, with Noah Beery Jr. in the supporting role of his father, Joseph "Rocky" Rockford, a retired truck driver. The show was created by Roy Huggins and Stephen J. Cannell. Huggins had created the television show Maverick (1957–1962), which starred Garner, and he wanted to create a similar show in a modern-day detective setting. In 2002, The Rockford Files was ranked No. 39 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.[1]

  1. ^ "TV Guide Names Top 50 Shows". cbsnews.com (Press release). April 26, 2002.