Original subtitles

A sentimentalist.

How strange.

I did that bank job.

[automatic weapon firing]

What are you going to do?

Kill somebody else?

Shut up.

Would you look at that?

He's back in the pokey, again.

[screeching brakes]

You've got to be one of the dumbest

looking apes I ever saw.

Hahh!

[phone ringing]

[click]

JIM (ON RECORDING): This is Jim Rockford.

At the tone, leave your name and message.

I'll get back to you. [beep]

BILLINGS (ON PHONE): Billings, LAPD.

You know, Thursday is Chapman's 20th year.

And we're giving a little surprise

party at the Captain's. I think you should come.

By the way, we need $5 for the present.

[theme music]

[phone ringing]

Jerry, telephone.

Yello?

Hello, Jerry.

It's Millie.

Yeah, I was just about to call you.

I think we're in trouble.

Hey, you--

Huh?

Got to get off or pay for the return trip.

We're at the beach.

I got to meet somebody.

I got to stay here until he gets here.

Don't make me throw you off.

[carnival music]

[choking]

That's fine, Mr. Butler, just right.

Yeah, beautiful.

Now, you ju-- just relax.

Yeah, yeah.

[thud]

You done good, Mr. Butler, just right.

Now, everything is going to be all right now.

Some of these cases are still possibles.

I don't have enough time to talk to the people

listed on the AR reports.

Look, I don't like it any better than you do.

But we don't have time to screw around on dead-enders.

OK, OK.

How about this prosti, Janet Memphis?

You got anything good on that one?

Well, at first, we thought that the pimp was good for it.

But he's got an alibi that won't quit.

Maybe it's a john. I don't know.

Dump it.

How about this wino they found under the pier, Butler,

what's with him?

Well, that looks like a mugging except for one thing.

He had a pretty good bauble on his finger,

a wedding ring with a half carat stone.

We had it appraised for $200.

Some diamond.

Probably wouldn't scratch glass.

I got a hunch that it's more than a mugging.

Let me hold onto it for a couple more days.

You got anything solid?

I got a feeling. I got a hunch.

I got--

Dump it.

[music playing]

I settled up with Mort.

He's got the cabinet all stuffed with scotch.

Geez, we could really have ourselves a hooch, son.

What do you got that's so important you can't

go fishing with your old man?

I ain't been a good father or something?

Come on, Rocky, don't get personal.

You're broke, right?

Aw, you should have took over my rig, Jimmy.

You'd have made a heck of a good trucker.

But no, you got to be Sam Spade or something.

You're a vicious old coot.

$10 Says its a bill collector.

Make it $20, plus welching privileges.

Are you James Rockford?

- Oh, yes, I am. - My name is Sarah Butler.

I'd like to speak with you if I may.

Sure, come in.

I bet you're the Miss Butler from the bank, right?

I beg you're pardon.

This is my father, Joseph Rockford.

How do you do?

Is this your office?

Yeah, it's cheap.

It's tax deductible, earthquake proof.

When I get a job out of town, I take it with me.

Well, I'd like to hire you, Mr. Rockford.

Eh, I'll be at Mort's cabin.

You got the number.

And don't forget the welching privileges.

I won't.

Nice to met you.

He

He just lost a bet.

I gave him the right to renegotiate the loss.

He get me drunk and will settle for $5.

You want a cup of coffee?

No, thank you.

I hope you can afford me.

I'm sorry, what?

I like to get the business out of the way up front.

I don't want to shock you, Miss Butler.

But I cost $200 a day plus expenses.

$200?

Plus expense.

And I only handle criminal cases that are closed.

I get myself messed up in a LAPD active file,

I can get my can shot off.

Tell me how you got this wonderful finishing school

approach, Mr. Rockford.

People come to me all the time.

And they all have problems. Sit down.

I used to be softhearted.

And I'd sit and listen.

But they couldn't pay the freight.

So they'd leave and be all depressed.

And I'd be depressed.

It was turning me off my own business.

So now, I do it this way.

Well, if $200 is the price, that's fine.

Money doesn't happen to be my particular problem.

I have enough money to hire a platoon of people like you.

That's Rockford with a K.

Now, may I assume I have your attention?

What is it I can do for you, Miss Butler?

My father was murdered.

And the police don't seem to think it was very important,

just a Skid Row killing.

Skid Row?

My father was a wino.

Two years ago, my mother died.

And after she died, it seemed to be all over for him.

I tried to make him forget.

But he started drinking and ended up a bum.

Now, two months ago, somebody killed him.

And nobody seems to care who did it but me.

Aren't the police on it?

SARAH: There was a Detective Becker working on it.

But they closed the case.

So he recommended I come to you.

Well, if homicide can't solve it,

there's a pretty good chance I can't either.

Well, I-- I've just learned something

that I think changes that.

Did you tell the police?

Yes, but they still don't think there's anything

they can do.

What is it?

Well, I'd like you to meet my brother.

He can tell you.

Could you wait outside, Miss Butler?

I'd like to make a phone call.

Does that mean you'll take the case?

Well, we'll talk to your brother first.

Then I'll let you know. I'll be right out.

Hi, I'd like to run a credit check on a Miss Sarah Butler.

Now, that's dumb, Sarah.

I mean, that's just plain dumb.

Look, I don't want to talk to you, mister.

So you and my sister can just take a hike.

I'm not talking to anybody about my father.

He was just a drunk.

The hell with him.

Oh, he treated you like a queen, bought you presents,

told you how pretty you were.

I got to carry his golf bags on Saturday

and take out the garbage.

So you go ahead, Sarah, you have sympathy.

But sympathy's an emotion that's counterproductive.

Would you rather I take Mr. Rockford

to meet your Mrs. Elias?

- You wouldn't. - Come on, Mr. Rockford.

There's someone I'd like you to meet.

Sarah, wait a minute. You can't do this!

Watch me!

You're a cop, huh?

No, what I am, sonny, is about 50 pounds heavier

and one hell of a lot meaner.

So you better straighten up your act.

I don't think I like you.

Yeah, OK.

But just don't bother Mrs. Elias.

I mean, it's not even important. Sarah thinks it's a big deal.

But it's not.

Well, tell me about it anyway.

This lady that I make deliveries to

got kind of interested in me.

She heard about my mother dying and my father getting killed.

She found out I wanted to be a doctor.

That's all.

That's not all, Nick.

Tell him everything.

She's offered to put me through medical school.

That's all?

I told you it wasn't much.

Will you tell him the rest?

She orders her pharmaceuticals from this drugstore

and has them delivered to her house in Bel Air.

- You see? - No.

Well, why would she deal with this drugstore?

There's 15 or 20 that are closer to her.

Look, she just does.

Sarah, don't blow this for me.

How many times does a guy get a chance to be

put through medical school?

Don't mess it up.

The medical profession needs more sweet guys like you.

All right. Yeah.

All right.

Thank you.

[deep sigh]

What's wrong?

I was just beginning to like you.

I like you too.

While we were out slapping your brother around,

I had somebody run a credit check on you.

Guess what I found out?

What?

You laid some bad paper on me.

People who like each other hardly

- ever do that sort of thing. - Oh, how stupid of me.

That's my household account. Oh, I'm sorry.

I wrote it on the wrong bank. I can--

Knock it off, Sarah.

These guys tell me that you're the only one in town

with worst credit than me.

Look, I had to do that.

This is important to me.

He was my father.

Now, somebody killed him. They choked him with a necktie.

They took his shoes. And they left him on the beach.

And they're not going to get away with it.

Not if I have anything to say about it!

I'm sorry about that check, but nobody would listen to me!

Will you please take this case, Mr. Rockford?

Don't you see how strange it is?

Why would she deal with that pharmacy?

It doesn't make sense.

Yeah, but what's that got to do with your father's death?

I don't know. But it is strange, isn't it?

Admit that.

All right, it's strange.

But it's not that strange.

Now that you seen Nick, how many women do you think

would be interested in sending him to medical school?

Well, we haven't seen Mrs. Elias yet.

She may look like she got dredged up out of the LA River.

Nick says Mrs. Elias is very attractive.

All right, Sarah.

I'd say that is a little odd.

But it's still pretty thin.

I don't see how I can help you.

What is it with you? Are you independently wealthy?

Or are you just on some kind of a big case or something?

Well, what do you do for a living

when you're not writing bad checks?

I have a small bikini shop.

How much do you make?

- $200 a week after expenses. - So you really can't afford me.

No!

Look, if I don't think I can solve this case and I go ahead

and take everything you make in one

week for one day of my time, what does that make me?

I don't think that's your problem.

Well, I think it makes me an unprincipled jerk.

And since I don't have any real close friends,

I have to get along with myself.

So I don't take cases where I think I'm wasting my time

or your money, if you had any.

Wait a minute.

Now, what are you doing for dinner tonight?

What?

Well, I know this restaurant out in the valley.

And-- and it's really very lovely.

If you're free, I can ca--

Sarah, don't do that.

All right.

I'll look into it for an hour or so, just for fun.

No charge.

If it looks like it's going to develop, I'll take it on.

Good

Here.

Uh, don't drop it.

It may bounce up and hit you in the chin.

Funny, very funny.

Oh, I don't know, JImmy.

Don't figure it.

I mean, if I didn't have to keep this job, I'd quit.

So quit.

Yeah, you don't know what it's like being on parole.

You got sprung by the governor.

Me, I got to check in once a week with some fish

named Norman Carter.

Then, I got to telling how it's a-going.

I mean, if my brother-in-law didn't own this paper,

I'd have never gotten out of it.

Nay, I'm stuck, baby.

I'm stuck.

I'm sorry to hear it, Angel.

Eh, well, I probably had it coming.

(WHISPERING) Did that bank job.

JIM: Yeah?

When we were in prison, you must have told me 100 times

you were innocent.

Well, I wasn't.

How 'bout you?

Did you do that thing?

No, no.

I was bad rapped.

Sure, sure.

Look, I told you.

Come on, be straight with me.

You were in on that robbery, right?

Wrong.

I don't believe you.

Nobody ever did.

Look, did you find what I wanted?

Yeah, I looked through some old society columns.

And I came up with this stuff on that Elias twitch.

There you go.

Take a look at that.

That's kind of strange, huh?

Yeah, it sure is.

When did her husband die?

What's the date?

Uh, it was June of last year.

Here it is.

Thank you, Angel.

Let's have dinner, huh?

[laughs] Can't.

It's a condition of parole.

I can't hang around with anybody I didn't time with.

Oh, well, when you get off then.

Hey, Jimmy, just between us, you were dirty, right?

You did that thing?

No.

Come on! I'm not going to tell anybody.

What the hell?!

I just want to know for myself.

No, I never pulled that job.

All right, that's the way you want to be about it,

I didn't do the bank job either.

I never thought you did.

Well, I didn't.

See ya, Angel.

File is closed.

I thought it was a mistake.

I'm getting a homicide a night down here.

And I've got to devote all my time

to the ones that look solvable.

Well, Dennis, uh, let me have a look at the file, will ya?

I can't do that, Jim.

I can't even tell you about it.

Let's face it, every time you get lucky

and you solve one of these dead cases, it makes us look stupid.

My captain hates you.

Look, Dennis-- Dennis, look, if you-- if you could tell me,

what would you say?

If I could tell you, I'd probably

tell you that the guy had a $200 diamond on his finger.

And for my money, that doesn't check out as a robbery.

That's if I could tell you.

I see.

Well, I-- uh-- think I'm going to poke around a little.

If you get anything solid, you'll let me know, right?

Right.

And thanks for nothing.

I thought you said this place is informal.

What are you laughing at?

Nothing.

Listen, I thought we could work out a deal.

I'm sorry.

I don't have specials anymore.

It's $200 a day plus expenses.

- Why so expensive? - It's not expensive.

It's just a little less than a good plumber would make if he

doesn't work on the weekends.

And besides, it's dangerous.

The strange thing about unsolved cases--

there's always someone in the shadows

who doesn't want them reopened.

Hm, you'd be surprised how nasty they can be.

What if I paid you on the installment plan?

Oh, I did that once and got stiffed,

- ended up in small claims court. - Would you care for cocktails?

Scotch and water, please.

Uh, make that two.

I'm trying to hire you.

But I guess you just don't want to work for me.

You're not trying to hire me. You're trying to chisel me.

How big an installment?

$25 a week.

Is that all?

I'll pay you, Mr. Rockford.

I promise.

That means, if I worked for you for one day,

you owe me $25 a week for eight weeks.

Are you sure that's what you want to do?

Mm-hm.

OK.

We got a deal.

Why did you take it?

Oh, I looked into Mrs. Elias' background.

And I found something strange.

Three years ago, she was a dancer here in LA,

did a lot of TV variety shows.

Why is that strange?

Well, she married a man by the name of William Elias.

Now, Mr. Elias was 68-years-old and looked like he'd been

dumped out of a vacuum cleaner.

But he had $10 million.

So they were married in Las Vegas.

And on their wedding night, he croaked.

Hm, but I don't see how that ties in with my father's death.

I don't either.

Didn't even happen within 10 months

of when your father was killed.

But Nick's medical school offer- that's also strange.

And I don't like coincidences.

So I'll look into it for a day or so.

Thank you, Mr. Rockford.

My father is Mr. Rockford.

I'm Jim.

Thank you, Jim.

Yeah, well, I don't mind telling you

that his widow, Mrs. Elias, was treated

very badly by the authorities.

They felt that she had killed him because of the amount

of money involved and also because she

was 30 years younger, the fact that he died on their wedding

night.

It all sounds pretty reasonable.

Yes, well, maybe.

But you should have seen his respiratory system.

His arteries were hard enough to pound

through two inches of concrete.

There is no way it could have been induced by electric shock

or drugs or something?

No.

As I said, Mr. Rockford, Mr. Elias

had a cousin who was trying to cut himself into the will.

He had four different doctors examine the body after I did.

They all came to the same conclusion.

Mr. Elias died a very natural and inevitable heart attack.

Thank you.

Uh, Mr. Rockford, are you planning to reopen the case?

Well, because if you are and you're

interested in a medical opinion, you're wasting your time.

Well, thank you for see me, Doctor.

[phone ringing]

Hello?

Hello, uh, Mrs. Elias-- yes-- I-- I

don't know if you remember me.

But uh-- uh-- this is Dr. Seelman.

Oh, yes, of course I remember-- uh-- Doctor.

You did the autopsy on William.

DR. SEELMAN (ON PHONE): I-- I didn't want to bother you.

But, uh, there's a man up here who

seems quite interested in the coroner's report I filed.

Oh, how strange.

Yes, I-- I felt very badly about the way you were

- treated when your husband died. - Oh, thank you, Doctor.

Uh-- you-- uh-- wouldn't happen to have his name?

Uh, yes, I do.

I have his card.

James Rockford.

It says that he's a private investigator who

specializes in closed cases.

But there's no address on the card.

I see.

Well, thank you very much, Doctor.

Um-- uh-- Mrs. Elias, if you ever get up to Las Vegas-- uh--

I hoped we might see each other.

Well, yes, of course, Dr. Seelman.

I still have your number.

Uh, let's make a date and plan on it.

Could I call you back later?

Of course, yes.

Uh, I'm always in the office.

OK, thank you very much, Doctor.

Good-bye.

[music playing]

Ha!

- Yep. - Ha!

- Ha! - Yep.

Ha!

Jerry, telephone.

Yello?

Hello, Jerry.

- It's Millie. - Where's this week's check?

Forget the check. It'll be there.

I've got to see you.

Hi.

Just got back from Vegas.

The coroner who did the autopsy says that Mr.

Elias died of a heart attack.

He swears it's legit.

There is no possibility it was induced.

Well, if there were some connection

between my father and Mr. Elias, maybe he's lying.

JIM: Why?

Well, maybe she paid him.

There were four other doctors involved.

If you want my opinion, it's a dead end.

Does that mean you're off the case again?

Yeah.

Look, I didn't charge you for the time-- 10 hours

driving up to Vegas and back.

I just-- uh-- put in $0.07 a mile and the gas and the time

I spent working on it up there and the two phone calls here.

It comes to $75.

It's tax deductible.

This is you receipt.

What kind of a jerk are you?

My own kind, I guess.

Look, Sarah, I'm sorry.

I-- I know you want to find out who killed your father.

But-- well-- if you want to take the advice of a friend,

forget it.

Look, even if you find out who killed him,

he'll still be dead.

And you won't feel any better about it.

Believe me.

You don't know anything about it.

You're standing there with your $0.07 a mile

and your two phone calls, and you're trying

to tell me about my father.

Well, I'm going to find out who killed him.

[loud sigh]

It was nice knowing you, Sarah.

I think you'd better bury your father before he buries you.

[door closing]

[music playing]

[phone ringing]

- Yes? - Uh, this is Jim Rockford.

Look, I-- I was thinking, there's still one

other thing I could look into.

What's wrong, Jim?

You just figure out you're overdrawn at the bank?

Well, you don't have to get smart.

Naw, I might take a look at Mrs. Elias.

If she's sending eight other guys through medical school,

maybe you'll give up on all this.

How about it?

If that's the case, we got a deal?

Are you there?

Yes.

Say, what I'll do-- I'll-- uh-- make this half price.

Thank you, Jim.

But don't-- don't hurt Nick's chances for medical school.

JIM (ON PHONE): Damn it.

What's wrong?

I tore my picture.

I'll call you later.

[music playing]

You don't look much like a dean of admissions?

Oh, what do I look like?

You look like a truck driver in a suit.

Well, I'm-- I'm not.

Actually, being a dean of admissions

is quite a challenging job.

Most people don't realize it but,

at Mahler, we have at least 1,200

applications for every opening.

Oh, 1,200.

What a job you must have screening them out.

I had no idea.

Most of those are multiple applications.

That means they are people who are also applying

to other medical schools.

I see.

Well, what is it you want of me, Dean-- uh--

Simpson-- Carter Simpson.

Well, it says that you're the one

who's going to pay for Nicholas' education at Mahler.

And since you're not related to Nicholas Butler,

we just wanted to make sure that you're willing to pay

for the full four years.

Well, what we're trying to determine

is just how deep your interest in Nicholas really is.

Oh, I-- I don't think that came out the way I wanted it.

Nick Butler is a very bright young man, whose mother

and father are both dead.

I'm very wealthy.

So I've decided to do this boy a favor.

Does that answer your question?

Well, y-- yes, almost-- almost.

There's just one other thing.

Uh, the school would like to know

if you could set up some sort of trust

to guarantee the full four years.

Believe me, it's not that we don't trust your word.

It's just, we have to have certain guarantees.

After all, it's going to come to almost $15,000 a year.

Here.

Call my attorney.

He'll take care of all the arrangements.

Oh, that's wonderful.

Thank you.

You know, Miss-- Mrs. Elias, since you are interested,

we have other needy applicants.

Perhaps you'd be interested in helping some of them.

No, Nick is my only charity case.

Goodbye.

It's-- it's a lovely, lovely pool.

MILLIE: It is.

It must be comfortable on a warm day like this.

Goodbye, Dean Simpson.

Call my attorney.

Ahh!

Oh!

What was he doing here?

What are you doing here?

No, you don't even know who he is, do you?

Yes, I do. His name is Simpson.

- He's dean of-- - His name is Rockford.

And he's the man you sent me to follow.

SARAH: What is this $8.62?

That's tax.

There's no sales tax on a personal service.

It's not a sales tax.

It's a federal tax. It's part of the fee.

I just break it down separately for my own records.

Oh.

Who's buying the hot dogs?

- Me. - I have to tell you something.

You certainly have been a new experience for me.

Sarah, if Mrs. Elias had said anything I could sink my teeth

into, I would have kept on. But I called her attorney.

And he's setting up the trust.

I don't know what her interest in Nick is,

but I'm at a dead-end.

I even tried to get friendly.

But she wasn't buying.

Maybe your rates were too high.

Hm, no need to get nasty.

This is the second time you've quit.

And I'm still getting these little slips of paper from you.

I'm not even sure you're really off this case.

I'm not sure either.

You go home.

I'll call you later.

Hey!

[music playing]

- Hello, Jim. - How are you, Harry?

The usual?

Yeah, please.

[applause and cheering]

What you going to have?

Bourbon and water.

[applause and cheering]

[music playing]

[applause and cheering]

Hey, pal-- pal, I got myself a real problem.

Could you loan me $20?

Look, I-- I'm with this girl out here from the office?

I-- you know, I put enough booze in her,

let her watch those acrobatic dancers, I can make a score.

But I'm running out of dough.

I put 10 scotch-and-sodas in that broad.

And she's drinking me under the table.

Just let me have the $20.

Give me your address, huh?

I'll mail it to you.

- I'm awfully sorry. - Well, I'm good for it.

Everybody knows I'm good for it, pal!

[music playing]

[applause and cheering]

[drum roll]

[applause and cheering]

You got to be one of the dumbest looking apes I ever saw.

Of course, you big muscle-bound guys,

you're usually compensating for feelings of inadequacy.

Meaning?

You know-- queer.

Well, it's fine, mister.

It's just right.

Everything's going to be all right.

Haa!

Ahh!

Ugh.

[theme music]