James Garner starred in “The Rockford Files” from 1974 to 1980.
The hour-long NBC drama featured Garner as often-impoverished private investigator Jim Rockford, who famously charged $200 a day plus expenses, lived in a dilapidated mobile home plopped in a parking lot on a Malibu, Ca., beach and avoided fights whenever possible.
Garner, an accomplished auto racer, performed most of his own stunts on the show, including stunt driving in his famous Pontiac Firebird Espirit.
The theme song was released as a single and reached No. 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. It won a Grammy Award in 1975 for Best Instrumental Arrangement.
“The Rockford Files” remains highly regarded for its quality. “Sopranos” creator David Chase wrote several episodes. It has remained popular in syndication for decades. "Rockford” is widely available on streaming services.
Each episode’s opening credits feature a quick answering machine message which gives some insight into Rockford’s life, from bounced checks to people creatively skipping out on paying him. A YouTube video features the answering machine messages from the series’ first season:
My Third Parent 