In police department files everywhere, there exist thousands of cases which have been officially closed, but not resolved to the complete satisfaction of either the police or the other parties involved. Among them are cases involving death by apparent suicide, accident or the so-called “natural causes,” which may not be as natural as they appear. But the pressures wrought on the department by new crimes has precluded as thorough an investigation of each incident as might have been desired, so these cases are written off, stamped closed and relegated to long-term storage, often to be forgotten. James Garner portrays Jim Rockford, a private investigator specializing in closed cases. In almost every instance, he has to deal with uncooperative police departments and a guilty person who must try to thwart his every move. Rockford is not a typical investigator. He has served a five year prison sentence for a crime which he was later cleared and pardoned. He knows how the criminal mind works, is not above fighting dirty and admits to a slight, but human cowardly streak. He has an irrepressibly wry sense of humor that comes to the fore, particularly when he finds himself in a highly dangerous situation. Starring James Garner, Noah Beery Jr. and Joe Santos.
