The Rockford Files

Sentimental is now strange.

I did that bank job.

What are you going to do?

Kill somebody else?

Shut up.

Will you look at that?

He's back in the pokey again.

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

This is Jim Rockford.

At the tone, leave your name and message.

I'll get back to you.

Billings, I'll APD.

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 five bucks with a present.

Jerry, telephone.

Hello, Jerry, it's Millie.

Yeah, I was just about to call you.

I think we're in trouble.

Hey, you.

Huh?

Gotta get off or pay for the return trip.

We're at the beach.

I gotta meet somebody.

I gotta stay here.

I gotta stay here until he gets here.

Don't make me throw you off.

Fine, Mr. Butler.

Just right.

Yeah.

Beautiful.

Just relax.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

You're doing good, Mr. Butler.

Just right.

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.

Okay, okay.

How about this prostate janitor?

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 bubble 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 on to it for a couple more days.

You got anything solid?

I got a feeling.

I got a hunch.

Dump it.

I settled up with Mort.

He's got the cabin all stuffed with scotch.

Jeez, we could really have ourselves a hoot, 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?

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

You'd have made a good trucker.

And, oh, you got to be Sam Spade or something.

You're a vicious old coot.

Ten bucks says it's a bill collector.

Make it 20, plus welching privileges.

Are you James Rockford?

Oh, yes, I am.

My name is Sara 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?

Thank you for having me.

Now, this is my father, Joseph Rockford.

How do you do?

Is this your office?

Yeah, it's cheap, it's tax-deductible, earthquake-proof.

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

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

I'll be in Mort's cabin.

You got the number.

And don't forget the welching privilege.

I won't.

Nice to meet you.

He just lost a bet.

I gave him the right to renegotiate the loss.

He'd get me drunk and we'll settle for five bucks.

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 it'll cost $200 a day plus expenses.

$200?

Plus expenses.

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 soft-hearted, 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 to 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.

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?

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'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.

I'd like to run a credit check on a Miss Sara Butler.

Now, that's dumb, Sara.

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's just a drunk.

To 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, Sara, 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.

Sara, 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, okay.

Just don't bother Mrs. Elias.

I mean, it's not even important.

Sara 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.

I see.

No.

Well, why would she deal with this drugstore?

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

Look, she just does.

Sara, 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.

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.