James Garner, RIP

[wmenorr67]

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2014/07/20/movie-television-legend-james-garner-dies-at-86/?intcmp=features

Wonderful actor and a Korean War Vet.

[vaskidmark]

Another sad day.  RIP.

stay safe.

[onions!]

Nooooooooooooooooooooo!


He looked...unwell in Space Cowboys.
I hope is last years were peaceful for him.

[HankB]

Always liked Maverick and The Rockford Files. (except for the "Angel Martin" character.)

Support Your Local Sheriff and Support Your Local Gunfighter were my two favorite James Garner movies.

A class act, more talent than most of today's "stars." He will be missed.

[Ben]

Bummer. RIP. He was great in Maverick, and Support Your Local Sheriff is one of my faves as well.

[230RN]

"(except for the "Angel Martin" character.)"  

Well, he was supposed to be a bit of a sleazeball.  Very well done by Stuart Margolin, who in fact won two Emmys for the same role (very rare).

I liked the "Rockford FIles," as well as James Garner generally.

Question:  Was Rockford the PI who obtained a pardon and could then carry a gun?  I just don't remember, offhand.

RIP, James Garner.

Terry

[SADShooter]

Always liked Maverick and The Rockford Files. (except for the "Angel Martin" character.)

Support Your Local Sheriff and Support Your Local Gunfighter were my two favorite James Garner movies.[/b]

A class act, more talent than most of today's "stars." He will be missed.

Mine as well.

[Hawkmoon]

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2014/07/20/movie-television-legend-james-garner-dies-at-86/?intcmp=features

Wonderful actor and a Korean War Vet.

I had no idea he was a Korean War vet. That just raises him a few notches in my already-high estimation of him.

[Perd Hapley]

His Rockford character was also a Korea vet, which seems evident in one of the early episodes, where he cups his hand around his cigarette, on a stake-out.

Question:  Was Rockford the PI who obtained a pardon and could then carry a gun?  I just don't remember, offhand.

He was pardoned, but had no permit to carry. He sometimes carried a gun, anyway. He's been known to tell people that he doesn't carry because he's afraid of guns, or doesn't like them. Probably, he couldn't get one, because most cops hated him. At least, not in the first two seasons. I just started watching Rockford episodes on Hulu.com a few weeks ago, and got somewhere into season 2 when I got distracted by all the early Americana documentaries on the Youtubes. I used to watch Rockford re-runs when I was a kid, and it holds up pretty well, today.

[Monkeyleg]

The Rockford Files was one of my favorite shows, and James Garner was always a favorite actor.

He seemed like a really nice guy, but on some late night talks shows he said he was really an "a hole". (His words).

[brimic]

He seemed like a really nice guy, but on some late night talks shows he said he was really an "a hole". (His words).

Usually when someone describes themselves as an A-hole, they are not...
RIP Mr. Garner.

[MechAg94]

Usually when someone describes themselves as an A-hole, they are not...
RIP Mr. Garner.

My thought also.  More humility than most actors would show I think.

[roo_ster]

RIP

[Jocassee]

One of the first actors I appreciated as a kid thanks to his performance in "The Great Escape." RIP

[Hawkmoon]

Usually when someone describes themselves as an A-hole, they are not...
RIP Mr. Garner.

Sounds like he stayed married to the same woman for 57 years. He must have been doing something right.

[wmenorr67]

A high school gym teacher recommended him for a job modeling Jantzen bathing suits. It paid well, $25 an hour, but in his first interview for the Archives of American Television, he said he hated modeling and soon quit and returned to Norman. There, he played football and basketball, as well as competing on the track and golf teams, for Norman High School. He never graduated from high school, explaining in a 1976 Good Housekeeping magazine interview: "I was a terrible student and I never actually graduated from high school, but I got my diploma in the Army."

Later, he joined the National Guard serving seven months in the United States. He then went to Korea for 14 months in the Regular Army, serving in the 5th Regimental Combat Team in the Korean War. He was wounded twice, first in the face and hand from shrapnel fire from a mortar round, and second on April 23, 1951 in the buttocks from friendly fire from U.S. fighter jets as he dove headfirst into a foxhole. Garner was awarded the Purple Heart in Korea for the first injury. For the second wound, he received a second Purple Heart (eligibility requirement: "As the result of friendly fire while actively engaging the enemy") , although Garner received the medal in 1983, 32 years after his injury. Garner was a self-described "scrounger" for his company in Korea, a role he later played in The Great Escape and The Americanization of Emily.

Wish I had met the man.

[Sergeant Bob]

Jim Garner is one of my favorite all time actors! He taught me how to drive! 

[Monkeyleg]

Jim Garner is one of my favorite all time actors! He taught me how to drive! 

I love doing Jim Rockford u-turns. :)

[Perd Hapley]

One of the first actors I appreciated as a kid thanks to his performance in "The Great Escape." RIP

According to Wikipedia, he really was a "scrounger" while in the service.

[Sergeant Bob]

I love doing Jim Rockford u-turns. :)

Yeah, those are still called "Rockfords".at least by us old guys.

[roo_ster]

Nice writeup of Garner from 2011:
http://www.volokh.com/2011/12/21/the-garner-files-a-memoir/

Beyond that, I think an actor can contribute by making people forget their troubles for an hour or two. Call it relief, escape, diversion . . . I think one of the greatest gifts is being able to make people happy. I like to make people happy.”

So, if anyone asks, “How do you want to be remembered?” I tell them: “With a smile.”

Do read hte whole thing.   It is worth your time.

[Jocassee]

So just on a whim I started watching The Rockford files. It's funny, witty, and as previously mentioned, holds up surprisingly well, when you make allowances for its age and time. Having been born in 1987, I'm enjoying the pure 70's-ness of it all. Especially the Detroit iron.

[Tallpine]

So just on a whim I started watching The Rockford files. It's funny, witty, and as previously mentioned, holds up surprisingly well, when you make allowances for its age and time. Having been born in 1987, I'm enjoying the pure 70's-ness of it all. Especially the Detroit iron.

The good old days ...............

[230RN]

Coat-tailing on "the good old days," I've been watching "Highway Patrol" a lot, seeing what rural CA was like back then, too.  

Interesting tidbit I picked up off Wiki is that Broderick Crawford (the star) had had his DL revoked or suspended, so the shots where we was driving had to be filmed on the ZIF studio lot.

They seemed to like Plymouth Furies and Buicks.

Or that's what they happened to have sitting around to put the Patrol insignia on.

The police procedures shown were ridiculous, considering today's restrictions.  You just walk into someone's house and start picking through their stuff.  The "chain of evidence" concept seemed not to have been invented yet, either.

Oh, and the shooting scenes were laughable.  I mean, like 50 yard shots with Crawford's little snubby without aiming.

I'm trying to remember, but I don't think there was ever a question as to whether someone's gun was registered.

:)

Terry

[TommyGunn]

Coat-tailing on "the good old days," I've been watching "Highway Patrol" a lot, seeing what rural CA was like back then, too.  

Interesting tidbit I picked up off Wiki is that Broderick Crawford (the star) had had his DL revoked or suspended, so the shots where we was driving had to be filmed on the ZIF studio lot.

They seemed to like Plymouth Furies and Buicks.

Or that's what they happened to have sitting around to put the Patrol insignia on.

The police procedures shown were ridiculous, considering today's restrictions.  You just walk into someone's house and start picking through their stuff.  The "chain of evidence" concept seemed not to have been invented yet, either.

Oh, and the shooting scenes were laughable.  I mean, like 50 yard shots with Crawford's little snubby without aiming.

I'm trying to remember, but I don't think there was ever a question as to whether someone's gun was registered.

:)

Terry

Yea.  I picked up the DVDs of the series.  I used to watch it as a kid when it was syndicated;  I lived in Connecticut and didn't get it there but it was on in Alabama and we visited every summer to see my grandparents so I caught it there.
Loved the opening theme.  
I don't think anyone was "big" on police procedure back then.  This was pre-Miranda and they had 26 minutes to do a show so you will not see very many search warrants and the like.  You will see a young Leonard Nimoy, Clint Eastwood,  and a few other upward coming tv/movie stars if you look closely enough.  
Try http://highwaypatroltv.com/  
If the website is still up there's a lot of info there.

Some info on cars from the website:

What cars were used ?
1954 Olds 88, 1955 Buick Century, 1955 Ford four-door (used in Hitchhiker), 1956 Mercury, 1956 Buick Super Riviera four door, 1956 Buick Special, 1956 Dodge Coronet, 1956 Olds 88, 1957 Buick Special, 1957 Dodge Coronet, 1957 Mercury, 1958 Buick Special, 1958 Dodge Coronet, 1959 Dodge Coronet, and a 1959 Plymouth four-door (used in Dan Hostage). Of all these cars, only the '54 Olds 88 and '55 Buick Century actually were real California Highway Patrol cars on loan to ZIV.
A collage of some of these cars is available.

Here's some commentary on the weapons and their amazing accuracy potential:

What guns were used ?
The highway patrolmen packed Smith & Wesson Model 10 Military & Police revolver, with 6" barrel [thanks to Bill Cawthon for this information]. Mathews' gun was a Smith & Wesson Model 10, with 2" barrel (snub nose) 38 Special. It was holstered on his left hip for a right hand draw. The uniformed officers had snap away holsters on their right side. Both revolvers held 6 bullets, which sometimes the show took liberties by extending the amount to 8 or more! The accuracy range on Dan's gun is about 25' or so. However, Dan was a dead eye. He could hit suspects off roofs, from the helicopter and even hiding in the mountains using a one handed grip and no site! He also had a keen ability to "call for the coroner" without even checking the suspect for vitals. The .38 is still a favorite of many officers today - as noted in this NY Times article.
Criminals carried handguns, shotguns, and even a bazooka !