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February 1975TV Guide cover featuring James Garner as Jim Rockford of The Rockford Files

Jim Rockford is a fictional character on the television series The Rockford Files. The character, played by James Garner, is different from the average fictional P.I. in many ways. Instead of being an ex-cop, he is a former convict, albeit one who was falsely imprisoned, who actually works for himself. Instead of being a loner, he has a close relationship with his father, "Rocky", his friend in the LAPD, Det. Dennis Becker, and has a large group of friends. He enjoys fishing and would rather spend time doing that than working. He often describes himself as "chicken" though often his actions speak otherwise. He lives in a small trailer on the beach.

The detective story writer Stuart Kaminsky has written two books with Jim Rockford as the main character, entitled "The Green Bottle" and "The Devil on My Doorstep".

The show is famous for its opening segment featuring the answering machine of James Garner's character. The title scene began with this line: "This is Jim Rockford. At the tone, leave your name and message - I'll get back to you." Throughout the series, fictional characters from the show would call Jim and leave comical messages on his machine. Some of the messages are also published in the book: "This is Jim Rockford...".

Jim Rockford was referenced in ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, under the question "Which of these television detective characters is an ex-convict?".

On the television series Supernatural, the main characters find each other when they're separated by going to the first motel in the local yellow pages and registering under the name Jim Rockford (episode "The Usual Suspects").

The band Ben Folds Five refer to "The Rockford Files" in their song "The Battle Of Who Could Care Less", which is featured on their 1997 album Whatever And Ever Amen.

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