Actor James Garner

He was always a favorite of mine and I liked The Rockford Files a bunch. Always wanted one of those Firebirds but not sure I was quite old enough to drive then.

Ran across a neat James Garner story I hope you'll enjoy.

Jim Garner is/was one of my favorites. He just seemed like a nice guy.
The clip you posted seems to bear my impression out.
The Rockford Files was a favorite of mine. Angel (Stuart Margolin)was a favorite character.
I'm going to have to search re-runs of the show. I hope it holds up.

He made some good movies as well as Rockford . I just watched "support your local sheriff " a few days ago

Being a fan of Gerald McRainey,, seeing his views on James Garner,, just elevated my opinion even more of James. I always enjoyed James,, and this just proves that not all actors are snobbish, self-centered, "individuals!"

I have been working my way through the old episodes of The Rockford Files recently. It is just about as much fun to see how things were in the 70's and to see the cars as it is to follow the story line.
I always liked Maverick too. He might not have been the fastest gun or the toughest guy but he worked real hard at trying to be the slickest & always stood up & did what was right even when he acted like he didn't want to.

Rockford Files is on twice a day here on GetTV. My wife and I usually watch it if we are home. She never watched it when it was originally on.

He's the original Maverick

I like him a lot more before I realized he was such an extreme liberal.

I bought a 1980 gold Firebird Formula because of that show lol. Saved for a year and a half as a young cop to buy it. Ordered it new took about 3 months to come in I recall.

peachhead said:

I like him a lot more before I realized he was such an extreme liberal.

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Oh well! I have a sister that's a liberal. I still like her.
I think the liberals of before still loved our country, as Garner's military career shows. Modern day liberal/progressives not so much.
Tom Selleck spoke highly of him so there's that.

I'm rewatching the Rockford Files right now. I forget how much I hated "Angel"...

Margolin played the part well. He was a 2 bit, 2 faced, wannabe. He'd tell Jim how he stood up to other "toughs" but in reality he was singing an aria to save his sorry butt.
Yep, a class A rat. .

He did play the part well. On Rockford and on Maverick, he played the same type character. Garner must have really liked him as he was on both shows....he did make me laugh though.

Star43 said:

He did play the part well. On Rockford and on Maverick, he played the same type character. Garner must have really liked him as he was on both shows....he did make me laugh though.

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He was on "Bret Maverick" but not the original "Maverick". He was in "Nichols" which also starred Garner.

FWIW:
Margolin directed TV shows since the early 1970s, including episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show; Sara; The Love Boat; Magnum, P.I.; Bret Maverick; Quantum Leap; Wonder Woman; and Northern Exposure
In addition to acting in the original and 1990s TV movie versions of The Rockford Files, Margolin also directed some episodes: "Dirty Money, Black Light" (1977), "Caledonia – It's Worth a Fortune!" (1974), "The Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play" (1996), "The Rockford Files: If It Bleeds... It Leads" (1998).

Danjet500 said:

He was on "Bret Maverick" but not the original "Maverick". He was in "Nichols" which also starred Garner.

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Yeah, you are correct. It was the Maverick remake that only lasted a season or two. He played the brave Indian scout. Wasn't his character named Philo or something like that? He sure made me laugh. Garner was the ultimate "Maverick" for sure. Great in Rockford too.

epags said:

FWIW:
Margolin directed TV shows since the early 1970s, including episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show; Sara; The Love Boat; Magnum, P.I.; Bret Maverick; Quantum Leap; Wonder Woman; and Northern Exposure
In addition to acting in the original and 1990s TV movie versions of The Rockford Files, Margolin also directed some episodes: "Dirty Money, Black Light" (1977), "Caledonia – It's Worth a Fortune!" (1974), "The Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play" (1996), "The Rockford Files: If It Bleeds... It Leads" (1998).

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Mr. Margolin kind of reminds me of Howard Morris who played Ernest T. Bass in Andy of Mayberry. Ernest T was a wild and crazy character for sure in the Andy show, yet he also was a director on lot of the episodes.

I liked JG as "The Scrounger" in The Great Escape.

I started watching "Laredo," one of Larry McMurtry's Texas novels (Lonesome Dove is another, more widely known one). Garner plays a lead role in that movie.

I like Laredo and Lonesome Dove because, as was true in Texas history, (a) the good guys didn't always win, (b) bad guys and good guys, alike, were brutal, and (c) the women weren't always pretty, rarely cleaned up, and generally as tough as their men. I have pictures of my great grandparents on their farms in central Texas, in their younger days, that affirm my statements.

He and James Coburn were classic in The Americanization of Emily.