Gretchen Corbett

The Rockford Files is an American television drama series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980, and has remained in syndication to the present day. Garner portrays Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford with Noah Beery, Jr. in the supporting role of his father, a retired truck driver nicknamed “Rocky.”

The show was created by Roy Huggins and Stephen J. Cannell. Huggins created the television show Maverick, which starred Garner, and he wanted to recapture that magic in a “modern day” detective setting. He teamed with Cannell, who had written for Jack Webb productions such as Adam-12 and Chase, to create The Rockford Files.

The show was credited as “A Public Arts/Roy Huggins Production” along with Universal Studios and in association with Cherokee Productions. Cherokee was owned by Garner, with partners Meta Rosenberg and Juanita Bartlett, who doubled as story editor during most of The Rockford Files’ run.

The series theme by composers Mike Post and Pete Carpenter was released as a single and went to #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining on the chart for 16 weeks. and won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement for 1975.