The Rockford Files (TV Series) To Protect and Serve: Part 1 (1977) User Reviews

Portrait of a Sociopath. Or is it psychopath? (No spoilers)

[CoastalCruiser · 9/10 · 18 April 2012]

Ostensibly this is a story about Jim Rockford unwittingly assisting a mob attorney hunt down his estranged fiancé who "knew too much" about the family business. However, at the heart of this tale is a portrait of a severely fractured human being who becomes a 'cop nut' or 'police groupie' in order to try and give meaning to her otherwise empty life. That's what this great episode is REALLY about, and all the other players revolve around the behavior and actions of this demented character.

Armed with a police scanner, an overdose of self-delusion, and a marked lack of scruples, Joyce Van Patten (sister of Dick Van Patten) turns in a movie quality, Emmy award winning performance as she sadly intertwines herself into a high stakes game to the death involving Rockford, the cops, the mafia, and several innocent bystanders, all who pay a price for this woman's unsolicited involvement.

Just as Stuart Margolin so convincingly disappears into the role of Angel Martin, Joyce Van Patten likewise dons the character of Lianne Sweeny, a woman bent on using any means available to link herself with the LAPD in a way that is deeply disturbing. Every move Van Patten makes on screen is Sweeny. Her walk, her talk, her gestures... every nuance paints the picture of this characters fully resigned desperation. The audience moves from feeling interest toward her, to apprehension, to pity, then to anger and revulsion... and in the end back to pity.

I would rate Van Patten's performance equal to, or even better, than Jessica Walter's personification of a similarly disturbed woman in Clint Eastwood's 1971 chiller 'Play Misty for Me'. It would not surprise me in the least if Van Patten's performance is used in acting school as a reference for both ultimate character submersion as well as a splendid example of how to portray mental illness in such a real, and thus startling, manner.

BTW - Garner and Santos turn in great performances as well! We see a side of Becker never before revealed, and the same could be said of Rockford. Enjoy!

Mob pillow talk

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 7 January 2015]

Jon Cypher an attorney from New York hires Jim Rockford to locate his missing fiancé Leslie Charleson who has got a bad case of jitters and has run away. Charleson has every right to have jitters, she's heard way too much about family business from this consigliere and now she has to be dealt with.

Sad to say that when James Garner finds out what he's really been hired for he's in it up to his neck. Out of concern, but also necessity he's got to rescue Charleson and put her on ice until he can figure a move.

It all might go a lot more smoothly if police buff/groupie Joyce Van Patten doesn't stop interfering. She's attached herself to Joe Santos and that has the Becker family in an uproar.

Van Patten really is a wonder, she's one interesting head case as a woman with no life who lives vicariously. Think she's bad here, wait till you see here at work in Part 2.

Cop Groupie

[zsenorsock · 7/10 · 27 December 2006]

Dennis goes to the scene of a hostage situation and ends up shooting the perp when he fails to surrender and comes out guns blazing. Unlike most TV Supercops, killing somebody, even a justified shooting, really bothers Dennis. Leeann Sweeney (Joyce Van Patten), a police buff/groupie tries to come to his aid and then some.

In the meantime, Jim is trying to find Susan, a missing fiancé for a New York lawyer named Michael Kelly. However, it turns out Kelly was a mob lawyer and the reason he's looking for her is that he told her too much. Syl (Luke Andreas) and Tony (George Loros)a couple of New York boys of Joseph Minnette (yes, the Minnette family again!) are also looking for her.

This episode is full of nice little scenes: Dennis involved in a shooting; LeeAnn hitting on just about any cop she can get to talk to her; Dennis being ordered to invite Jim over to his house to pump him for information about Kelly; and a cookout where everyone seems to get mad at everybody else. Pat Finley is back as Dennis' wife, Peggy and she's solid as always, giving the show and Dennis' character a shot of reality and humanity. She also played Emily's sister Ellen on "The Bob Newhart Show". George Loros is much better here as a mob bad guy than he'd be later in the series as an old prison buddy of Jim's who's now a go-fer for a rock star. He's later show up on David Chase's hit series "The Sopranos" (Apparently Chase has a long memory!) Jim's brother Jack makes a brief appearance as the Jolly's Catering Service guy.

At one point, Jim and Susan are being chased by the New York mob guys and Syl, manages to get off a number of shots at Rockford's car almost at can't miss range without hitting anything. This seems to be a bit unlikely until you remember Tony's the hit man--Cil is just the driver and may not be a very good shot!

Joyce Van Patten steals this episode

[safenoe · 9/10 · 17 August 2020]

I don't think Joyce Van Patten's character is as nasty as the Police make her out to be. So what if she's obsessed with helping the police, at least she's not a criminal. This is an entertaining part 1 episode where the culture of police groupies is explored.

To annoy and interfere

[stones78 · 2 September 2011]

This is a slightly different type of episode that we're used to seeing with this great show, and it absolutely works, mainly because of the strong performances of secondary characters. James Garner is solid as is always the case, but even he gets outshined here, especially by Joyce Van Patten's character; she has a knack of showing up during dangerous police situations, some involving gun battles. We're never quite sure of her motivations, either simply being a good citizen or other reasons, which we never find out. I did like how the ending wasn't wrapped up in a neat little ball, as Lianne(Van Patten)lies on her bed listening to a police scanner, soon after getting yelled at by Dennis and Chapman. When we first see Rockford, he's wearing a very cool brown leather jacket, and he finds Rocky sleeping in front of the television during a college football game. It boils down to Lianne getting involved in Rockford's case of a missing woman, who's wanted by the man who hired Jim, and by the New York mob; a funny scene is when the goons go to visit and rough him up a bit, then Jim kicks one of them in the knee, and the guy screams in pain on the floor because the guy has a plate in his knee. I thought Leslie Charleson was fairly average as the damsel in distress(Patsy), as I didn't detect any real chemistry between her and Garner. Other than that, there are many moments that stand out to me, which include many shots of the Firebird, the trailer, the beach, a boat dock, a cat named Flo, and most of the regulars, excluding Angel and Beth. I highly recommend this episode, mostly for the great performances of Joe Santos and Joyce Van Patten, who add a different element for this great series.

Odd little gem

[ronnybee2112 · 8/10 · 4 July 2020]

This was possibly a bit on the long side but it was a neat episode and it was definitely different. It is full of odd twists and turns and it is pretty dog-gone funny to boot. Try to watch both parts 1+2 in one sitting if you can. Joyce Van Patten steals the show !