Behold the cranky, wisecracking elegance of James Garner, star of The Rockford Files. Back in the days of The Love Boat and Three’s Company, this was as good as it got on network television. Even fans of the show may not know that he did most of his own stunt driving, including the famous bootlegger turn he inflicted on that totally bitchin’ 1978 Pontiac Firebird. Here he is in his prime.
The idea for this story sat in a folder for around a decade. I wasn’t able/realized the stars weren’t aligned/didn’t have the skills to write it at the time. Ideas sit in the folder till I’m ready for them, which may be months, years, or never. Even after I’ve started a draft, I might let it sit a few months longer. It’s a slow process, but coming back to the work much later, flaws that were once hidden are now obvious. If it can’t generate a critical mass of enthusiasm at this stage, it might be a good candidate for deletion. The ultimate act of consideration for any writer is to make sure their garbage does not see daylight.
This is a video clip of me reading from “No Call Too Small,” a fictional take on the true story of a top-ranked cyclist who was killed by a drunken, off-duty cop in Ontario. No charges were laid as those who responded on scene quickly covered it up. It always seems especially tragic when someone in their physical prime, enjoying the rigours of intense exercise, is cut down due to someone else’s gross negligence or simple inattention, whether it’s a trucker who doesn’t take enough bennies to stay awake, or a hammered cop who thinks he can make it home safely.
Your reading clip struck home with me. It seemed to fit as neatly as a pair of Jim’s Sans-a-belt slacks. My fictional characters—who are, I insist, not me but of me—reflect Jim and Angel and Rocky without my conscious effort. Is that a measure of those characters’ perfect imperfection, or simply one of repetition: teenage me, sprawled on the basement couch after school with a tub of Blue Boy French Vanilla and a tablespoon? Are there rats waiting in the shadows eager to lick the creamy remnants as I lay dreaming esprit solutions? Was I, like Jim, wrongfully convicted? Was Rocky really once a grifter?
Those are all great questions. I wish I had some answers.
I loved the speculation about Jim Rockford- was he happy in that totally insecure trailer? before the story suddenly pivots and the adrenaline kicks in A couple of years back we all watched a bunch of Rockford Files episodes. Sylvia felt it was important to the boy’s education. They know Elton John’s Honkey Chateau for the same reason. That he had done time & didn’t carry a gun was something which escaped me in my early watching of the show as a kid, although Jim’s dad makes a reference to it in one of the episodes we watched as a family. What did Jim get incarcerated for?
Jim was wrongfully accused and convicted. I have not seen any mention of the actual crime. I loved that damn show. I enjoyed his low-key, sarcastic character. Sometimes the show gave the impression that being a PI was not a great job, and I appreciated the attempt at a more realistic portrayal. Much better than the fantasy land Magnum P.I. Maybe I should re-watch the whole thing from the beginning.
I like the idea of the video reading for several reasons. First — multimedia is good. The book is great to see on the page (or in my case on my lovely Kindle), but to not only hear it read, but see it read, and no less by the _author_ — even though it’s just a couple of minutes, it is a nice complement. Also, I found it interesting to hear where you (the author) put your stresses, your tone of voice when doing dialogue. It made me think: is that how I imagined that snippet being said? All these are good things in the mix.
I’m glad you liked it. I realized I need to become a better reader and get a better voice. Taking an acting class to improve my reading skills has always been on my list but probably will never be done. I wonder about audio books. How does the actor know where to put the emphasis? Does the author provide assistance with this? Are there multiple takes for a recording?
A Rockford fan site says: “It was discussed in the pilot when Jim went to Angel at thenewspaper to get some clippings. The topic came up a few other times. As I recall, Jim was accused and convicted of an armed robbery of a gas station store. Rocky took out a mortgage on his house and spent 5 years proving that Jim was innocent. The governor cut Jim a full pardon. Jim spent 5 years at San Quentin. Jim spent much of that time in cell block C in a 2-person cell, with bunkmates that included Charlie Harris and Angel Martin. A number of Jim’s prison alumni show up in the series. One person (whose name I forgot) shows up in 2 episodes, got into a fight with Jim in Quentin, and Jim was nearly killed.”
Okay, maybe next time I spend 30 seconds on research instead of 15? Lazy!