Episode 123 - Steve and Dave Explain What a Polaroid is to Jon

I went off the board for 50 on this title, somewhat pleased with it.

SEASON SIX!

MARIETTE HARTLEY!!!!

Man the on screen chemistry Garner and Hartley had.

You know, Mariette Hartley's grandfather was John B Watson, of radical behaviourism fame.  OK, maybe that isn't much to you, but he was a big deal in psychology.

Oh the story, it's almost secondary as you get to watch these two actors have so much fun, but the story itself is great.

We've got stuff going back to the 30s.

We've got the government coming after Jim.

We've got a corrupt local official.

We've got probably the best episode of season 6.  Or at least top two or three.

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Episode 121 - If Any Of Us Marches To a Different Drummer It's Jon

I mean hands down right?  Like Steve and I are odd, but then you've got Jonno...

I always felt that this was a bit of a letdown after Boy King, but it is still a fun one.

Lots of 70s weirdness this week, style and decorating wise.

This one is another where the show is trying to teach us something, in an entertaining way.  It is a VERY pro transplant position, a position the three of us of course share.  The almost mugging for the camera talking about how great transplants are is a bit weird.  This was not always the case, and in the late 70s when the idea of signing up to be a donor was new, the concerns about harvesting organs from the living were real (in people's minds) concerns.  The show is telling us 'this is nonsense, in fact, it would involve a conspiracy...' which I like.  A lot.  Now, it's ham fisted at best...

Fun performances this week.

That said, lots happens that we don't know why.

At times you almost forget that there are two idiots trying to kill Jim as well.

Yost's house is the same one from the episode 'Guilt' from earlier this season.

The sheer weaselness of Yost is probably my favourite bit of the episode, but I also liked the quirkiness of rhe Sorel character.  She reminded me a bit of Meredith from Mad Men (surprise)  I think she's more competent than she lets on.  Of course the character isn't as fleshed out, she's a one off from 50 years ago vs a series regular from the prestige tv era.

Sometimes I find Rocky annoying.  I think that's the point.  I imagine Jon finds me annoying sometimes...

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Episode 119 - Never Send Jon to do Dave or Steve's Job

Yes, Steve's job, not Steve Jobs, different dude.

I vividly remember watching this one with my parents.  I also remember the three of us hoping that this was a return of Richie Brockelman Private Eye.  No dice sadly.

This is my favourite episode.

This might be the best episode of the series (both parts).

Originally this was a two hour episode, cut into two for syndication.

The thing of it is is James Garner likes driving race cars.

I think that's a Can Am car.

ROBERT WEBBER!

Jimmy Joe Meeker makes his most memorable appearance.

Many sources claim this episode, and a couple of others, are inspired by 'Shady Deal in Sunny Acres' from season 2 of Maverick.  I watched it and yup.  Also, you should seek that out, it is very good.

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Episode 115 - Steve, Jon and Dave are One More Than a Deuce

Long trip for the title this week.

Both Jon and I have been in the Rockford Fires this week.  Thank you.

Sorry about the Cylon voice, I'll have it sorted by next week, hopefully.....  Here's an update, just after getting off of the call I fixed it.  Here's a podcasting tip, don't update your interface's firmware and control software just before recording.

When I see the name 'Mills Watson' in the credits I'm happy.

This is an episode that doesn't like Mondays.

As expected, and consistent with the character and the actor, Jim Rockford takes his civic duty very seriously.  Or (unlike the actor) he pretends to anyway.

His father on the other hand....

OK, maybe not THAT seriously.

The whole time through this episode I kept thinking of John Bassett, former owner of the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL... (seriously)

Man this is an elaborate plot.

A bit of ickiness from Jimbo this week.

Interrogating someone in a garbage can is a thing of beauty.

This had a long and involved denouement scene as the plot had to be explained.

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Episode 113 - The Academics and the Exploding Fonzie

You gotta be a fan of the podcast to get that title.

We've got the FBI.

We've got the ATF.

We've got the LAPD.

We've got USCG.

Sadly no BB King, BBC or Doris Day.

We've got the DIA, wait, not the CIA?  Well whatever, but we've got an alphabet soup of agencies this week.

Classic bungling federal agencies in a 70s show, a clear sign of the times.

The selling bad weapons thing, that happened, more than once.  Not just weapons either.  There's a subplot in the TV show 'The Americans' about this.  

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Episode 111 - Local Podcasters Eaten by 48 Year Old TV Episode

I'm happy with this week's title, in case you were wondering.

Lots of Sopranos refugees this week.

Coop is always welcome, I like Bo Hopkins.

Jim's working under cover for the National Investigator which is clearly standing in for the National Enquirer.

A couple of nice pulls by Jim this week, one to The Day The Earth Stood Sill and one sort of meta one to Garner's character in The Great Escape.

Augie and Natalie are quite a pair.  A pair of what, I am not sure.

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Episode 109 - No, really Jon and Steve, some blind people have PhDs in psychology

Had to stick with the theme for the title.

We get a lot about multiple personality disorder (or dissociative identity disorder as it is now called).  The three faces of Eve and Sybil were FICTION.

Unlike most two parters, or ones that were double episodes, there is no padding in this one.

Kathryn Harrald, the actor for Megan, eventually did become a therapist!  I wonder if this episode had anything to do with it.

Billings is an unsung hero on this show.

Oh we find out that Megan lost her sight in an accident.

The note at the end from Charlie Martel is gold.

Angel has left the building.

Megan reappears in season 6, and in one of the TV movies.

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Episode 107 - Jon Puts Steve and Dave in an Empty Frame.

As I oft note, not all of my 'clever' titles are good, or even clever.

I adore this one.  

We've got Chapman with no power.

We've got a little Dennis.

We've got Jim GETTING PAID.

We've got this amazing show not giving a shit that two of the main characters in the story are a gay couple.  It's never mentioned, it is not played for laughs (as it was at the time, I'm looking at you Three's Company).  They're just a couple.

This is the first time I will be using a picture that does not have Jimbo in it for the post.  I needed to use Angel in the pool.

You ever cosplay a Kronstadt sailor?

Angel might be at his worst here, except for when he becomes a televangelist in one of the 90s movies.

The 'communists' are pretty funny.

In the end though, the way being gay is treated as just, well, a normal thing, so normal that it is not even mentioned, is super freaking cool FOR TODAY.  In 1978 it's actually revolutionary.

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Episode 105 - Steve and Dave Will Bust Jon From the Sequel

Again, some of my 'clever' titles are better than others.

Special thanks to friend of the show Chris Cooling who went down a rabbit hole with Steve.

Oh man, so much meta commentary on 70s detective shows. Oh, also, join the 70s detectives Facebook group, it's fun!

I love Hector Elizondo in everything he is in.  And that is a lot of stuff, everything from the West Wing to Rockford, hell, he was in a Rockford earlier in the series.

Wait, this one might not have been the right episode.  IMDB has one order, my DVDs have that same order, Steve's DVDs are in a different order.  Hmmm.

Lot's of Bob Newhart Establishing Shots™ this week.

Some good fun this week, and I think some of that is the show making fun of other shows.  I particularly am thinking of Starsky and Hutch.  The 'freeze turkey' line is very S and H.

A couple of weird bits of padding this week.

Not much in the way of news.

Hey, Jim got paid this week!

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Episode 103 - Jon and Steve and Nearly Dave

Easier bad title this week.

Oh man, a Lance White episode.

I sort of wish Lance was spun off rather than Magnum, but I dunno about the character driving a whole series.

Sellick is great in this one.

Of course so is Jimbo.

I think we can call Pope JP 1 a friend of the show.

There are a lot of clocks in this episode.

Not PIRATED CASETTES!

We have to handle this ourselves....

Lance White, walking LinkedIn post.

Confusing plot, but Steve says so was the Big Sleep/

Of all of the stars that broke after being on Rockford I think Sellick is likely the biggest star of the lot.

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Episode 87 - Steve & Dave and the Gang at Jon's Drive In

This week's title pretty much wrote itself.

MILLS WATSON.  You know you're getting quality.  Also, it was just his 85th birthday!

It was just my 60th birthday, for what it's worth.

We get the trope of the drunk writer.

I wonder if Steve teaches people to behave like this....

I couldn't get past chapter four.

James Garner actually did lay carpet for a living for a while!

Steve understands Korsakoff's syndrome!

You have to love Rocky taking a swing at anyone!

I've used too many exclamation points, but I really like this one, but I also don't.  The pacing is off somehow, it's like they had more story to tell.  The performances were great.

Seeing Dennis kick into action, and then...

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Episode 83 - Steve Forces Retirement on Dave

Again, it's the name of the episode, we aren't going anywhere...

LARRY HAGMAN?!

Oh, hey, drop by the watch party on Thursday nights at 8.30 pm EDT :

Oh this one has Beth too, plus and old friend of Beth's.

I like how if this was today, the idea of harvesting kelp and turning it into some sort of green energy would be pretty hot actually.

Any episode where Jimmy Joe makes an appearance is a good one in my book.  To be clear, I have no book.

This is a big day for Beth, but we're going to see less and less of her.

We've also got a lot of Angel in this one.  He is at his Angelest too!

This is not the April Wine podcast.

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