The Rockford Files (TV Series) The Empty Frame (1978) User Reviews

Comes the revolution

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 11 September 2014]

I've always maintained that Rockford Files episodes with Stuart Margolin are for me the best ones. This particular one is one of the best ones with not only Margolin as Angel but James Luisi as Lieutenant Chapman shown to best advantage.

Angel Martin sends his old buddy Jim Rockford an invitation to a swank party at his new brother-in-law's house. Seems that Stuart Margolin's sister has married the police commissioner and Margolin thinks once again he has it made on easy street. Some of the cops are working security and one of them is Luisi who Margolin enjoys ordering around.

In the middle of the festivities come three automatic weapon toting masked bandits spouting the radical revolutionary talk and take a whole bunch of paintings and jewelry and take off in first a waiting boat and then a helicopter after asking all the men to take off their pants. The chase scene with James Garner and James Luisi pantless is quite funny.

As the ranking officer there Luisi is in the what the British say is the loo and he does the humiliating thing by asking Garner for help. Of course he gets the help he asks for. Garner does his job by tracking down the inside man as it was obvious there was one.

As for Stuart Margolin there is always one constant in almost every episode he's in. This conman can easily be conned himself. Inevitably he thinks that he's gotten some lucky break and is on easy street and it always blows up on him. But Angel always bounces back because we have to keep him around for another story. Of all the semi-recurring characters that The Rockford Files developed he was by far the best. The last scene of the episode is priceless.

Pretty good episode with humor and intrigue

[johngineer · 8/10 · 21 April 2009]

This episode is more of the standard good Rockford fare. In addition to the regular characters of Angel (as loathsome as ever), Lt. Chapman (still a hard-ass but he softens up a bit in this episode), and old reliable Dennis, the obviously gay party host and his boy toy, along with the pseudo-revolutionary art thieves make for a good episode.

The party host in particular is drawn very well. While it's pretty obvious he's gay, his characterization is not stereotypical. He calls his Mercedes coupe "Mr. Benz". While it's funny when he says it, it's even funnier when Rockford has to say in conversation with him. All in all, this episode has all the humor, winning Garner charm, and plot twists you'd expect from a good Rockford episode.

The only thing missing is Rocky.

Angel's a Devil Again

[zsenorsock · 7/10 · 19 August 2006]

Angel Martin's in the clover again. His brother in law has just been named Police Commissioner and Angel plans to milk that connection for all its worth. All the top city and police officials are at a party being thrown for his brother in law. Working the party as security is Rockford's old nemesis, Lt. Chapman. Using his position as brother in law of someone very important, Angel bosses around Chapman as much as possible. As a guest of Angel, Rockford looks on, somehow knowing Angel is overplaying his hand. Just when it looks like this is going to be a straight comedy episode, the party is hit by a gang of art thieves who rob the hosts of their art collection, the guests of their pants, and Chapman of his standing. Suddenly Chapman's in the doghouse needing Rockford's help, while Angel continues to play the big wheeler-dealer. This is a pretty good episode that makes good use of the established relationships with Angel, Lt. Chapman and Lt. Becker.

Jim being Jim!

[mm-39 · 8/10 · 24 March 2019]

The Empty Frame is a solid story about real people being investigated. There is a art robbery, at a high society L A party. Chapman is embarrassed with the robbery and grovels for Jim's help. We see another side of desperation from Chapman. The Empty Frame portrays how 60's Berkeley radicals thinks and their distortions of idealism vs reality. A split in the group of radicals unveils. Who, why and What of the investigations slowly unfolds with Jim's leg working, con scams, good judgement of character and Jim's famous existential thinking. Then their is the plot twist of the couple the two men and the lovers dispute which caused the robbery. What works for the Rockford Files is the series never hits the viewer with over powering social messages but created more of a real life feel. The Empty Frame was directed and acted in a gritty realistic way, fore a more memorable episode. Well done.

Rockford and Mr. Benz

[stones78 · 1 December 2011]

This highly entertaining episode has Rockford attending a party of a gay couple whose passion is collecting expensive paintings, and somehow Angel, playing the role of an important relative, gets his pal Jim invited to something that isn't normally his cup of tea. Soon after the festivities begin, a boat filled with 3 people use guns and rob the place and steal $2 million worth of paintings. The men have enough money to lure Rockford to take on the case, and eventually he tells Johnny that his partner Paul is behind the theft, and a few moments later, Paul winds up dead as Jim and Johnny find his body in an unexpected twist and effective scene. Let me also point out that James Luisi's Chapman has many solid scenes, and even has to beg Rockford for a few tips, mostly because Chapman was demoted for a reason I can't remember; I don't think he's all that excited about enlisting Rockford and his checkered coat, but their scenes together are very good. Dennis makes an appearance near the end, and although I'm a fan of his, he probably wasn't really needed for this episode, as Chapman was doing just fine. Let me add that the scenery is beautiful, both by land and by sea, and we get to see the Firebid a few times, and a few nice shots of the trailer. If there's one drawback to this otherwise fine episode, it's the constant spewing of revolutionary type talk from David, the leader of the thieves, as it wasn't that convincing in a 1978 episode and it got irritating hearing it a few times.

Angel calls the shots

[safenoe · 8/10 · 15 September 2020]

Angel is wearing big shoes because his brother-in-law happens to be the police commissioner. A party goes wrong (chillingly reminds of the scene from Munich strangely), and Rockford is sent to find the criminals. I like The Rockford Files very much, especially the 70s nostalgia from LA.

Confused

[jodi-44528 · 7/10 · 7 October 2019]

I was confused when this episode started. I thought Angel's brother in law ran the newspaper where Angel worked in the first season. How could he jump from that to police commissioner without working his way through the ranks of the police. Did I miss something in earlier episodes about this man? That fact really took me out of the story for a bunch of this episode.

Putting that aside, there is humor in this episode. But I don't understand why Jim keeps going back to Angel. He has no redeeming qualities. He sells Jim out every chance he can, especially if thinks there's something better in it for himself. With how many times Angel has burned Rockford, it doesn't make sense to keep using him in the cons.

And one question I have had since it started - where does the plumbing go for the trailer house? It isn't set on a foundation. It looks like it's got clearance underneath. So where does the water and sewage go? Just something to think about . . .