Film festival at Sooner honors James Garner’s visit to Norman

The Norman Transcript - Actor James Garner, who is best known to some for his roles as the Western man Brett Maverick and the cool private eye Jim Rockford, will pay his hometown, Norman, a visit Oct. 16-18. Weekend events with Garner will be hosted by the Norman Film Society, which includes OU, The City of Norman, the Downtowners Association, Campus Merchants and the Sooner Theatre.

The Sooner Theatre will host the James Garner Film Festival Oct. 17-18. The public is invited to a presentation for Garner as well as a double feature, with films chosen by Garner himself, Oct. 17 at 7:45 p.m. at the Sooner Theatre, 101 E. Main St.

Beginning at 7:45 p.m., Garner will be recognized for his invaluable contribution to films and will be presented with a key to the City by Mayor Ron Henderson. The double feature will follow at 8 p.m. and costs $20, which includes one free popcorn.

There is no confirmation Garner will be at the Sooner later than the award ceremony, said Amy Wood, marketing director of the Sooner Theatre. “Garner is a very private man, so it’s a great honor for him to agree to speak to the audience,” she said. “So many different generations know who James Garner is. From his TV career, to his older films to some of his newer films with Mel Gibson — he spans such an age group that it really hits a vast audience here in Norman."

The James Garner Film Festival will continue Oct. 18 at 9:30 a.m. with a showing of one of Garner’s favorite Westerns at the Sooner Theatre, which is open to the general public. Admission is free on a first-come, first-serve basis (555 seats are available).

Although Garner is not scheduled to be at Saturday’s film screening, the event is something the community of Norman has not had an opportunity to do, Wood said. “This is a unique opportunity for a native to come back to Norman, for us to celebrate his film career and for the public to show their appreciation of his success,” she said.

Wood said people of all ages are going to come see Garner for what they remember him for — “from 50 years ago to 15 years ago. It’s a neat variety and we’re thrilled,” she said.

Jennifer Heavner Baker, artistic director for the Sooner Theatre, said a committee at the Sooner Theatre chose Garner for the festival because he is one of Norman’s favorites. “We just brought back films to the Sooner Theatre a month ago and now we have James Garner,” she said. “It just seemed natural to start with Garner. I’m tickled pink.”

At first, Garner wasn’t sure he would be able to make it to the film festival because of his current production work in England; however, the filming was post-poned and he was able to come for the festival, Wood said.

“I think there are a number of different things people will enjoy about this film festival,” Wood said. “Number one, seeing a double feature in the historic theater. It brings it back what a lot of people remember the theater being — the moviehouse on Saturday afternoons. I think that will be a big draw. Number two, seeing James Garner himself. They’re going to be able to come watch and listen to him talk about his movies.”

The Sooner Theater is lending its space for free for the festival. The City of Norman also donated a film projector to the Sooner Theatre earlier this year, which makes events like the James Garner Film Festival possible, Wood said. “A lot of this would not happen if it were not for the support of the city,” she said. “It not only allows us to do our Sunday films, but we also can do film festivals like this now without any rental fees or costs.”

Although the film titles cannot be named due to advertising restrictions, a screening schedule for the James Garner Film Festival is available at the Sooner Theatre and at www.soonertheatre.net.

When asked which Garner flick was her all-time favorite, Heavner Baker was almost stumped. “Oh my goodness, that’s a hard question for me,” she said. “I love ‘Murphy’s Romance.’ That’s probably one of my favorites. I also love ‘Victor Victoria’ because, you know, I’m Miss Musical Theater.

”The James Garner Film Festival is sponsored by The City of Norman, the Sooner Theatre and the University of Oklahoma.

For more information or for tickets to next Friday’s double feature screening, call the Sooner Theatre at 321-8091 or visit www.soonertheatre.net.

BIOGRAPHY: Born James Scott Bumgarner in Norman in 1928 as the son of an Oklahoma carpet layer, James Garner dropped out of high school at 16 years of age to join the merchant marines. He worked in a variety of jobs and received the Purple Heart when he was wounded during the Korean War.

Garner had his first chance to act when a friend got him a non-speaking role in the Broadway stage play “The Caine Mutiny Court Martial” (1954). The play lead to small television roles, television commercials and a contact with Warner Brothers.

After co-starring in a handful of films from 1956-1957, Warner Brothers gave Garner a co-starring role in the television series “Maverick” (1957). Originally cast as an alternating series between Bart Maverick (Jack Kelly) and Bret Maverick (Garner), the show quickly turned into the Bret Maverick Show.

As Maverick, Garner was cool, good-natured, likeable and always ready to use his wits to get him in or out of trouble. In the early ‘60s, Garner portrayed many character roles similar to “Maverick.” His successful films included “The Thrill of It All” (1963) “Move Over, Darling” (1963) “The Great Escape” (1963) and “The Americanization of Emily” (1964). Garner appeared in the automobile racing movie “Grand Prix” in 1966 and got the bug to race professionally. Soon, this ambition turned to supporting a racing team, not unlike what Paul Newman would do in later years.

Garner found success with his role in a Western comedy “Support Your Local Sheriff!” (1969) and followed it up with “Support Your Local Gunfighter” (1971).

In 1974, Garner became the classic television private eye in “The Rockford Files” (1974), a role that made him a very well-know actor. In 1977, he won an Emmy for Best Actor in his portrayal of Rockford.

In 1985, Garner was nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for “Murphy’s Romance.” Three years later, Garner returned to the Western mode and co-starred with the young Bruce Willis in “Sunset,” a mythical story of Wyatt Earp, Tom Mix and Hollywood in the 1920s.

In 1994, Garner reprised his role of the leading Western man in “Maverick,” a movie co-starring Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster.

Garner continues his acting career to this day. In 2002, he starred with Sandra Bullock in “The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.” Garner’s lastest project, “Notebook,” is due out sometime in 2004. The film, directed by Nick Cassavetes, stars Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling and Gena Rowlands and centers around a lost love from World War II.

— Pop staff

By Helen PryorThe Norman Transcript

Happy To Give Back

I think it's fun - and revealing - to see what Jim's old friends and his hometown newspaper have to say about him.

The Norman Transcript - 4/4/03

Best known for his roles in the popular television series “Maverick” and “The Rockford Files,” actor James Garner won over a whole slew of new fans Thursday when he made a $500,000 donation to the University of Oklahoma to create an endowed faculty chair within the School of Drama.

OU will request matching funds from the State Regents for Higher Education to create the James Garner Chair in Drama, the first endowed position in the drama school’s history. The position will be designated for the director of the school.

As OU President David Boren made the announcement to a packed Weitzenhoffer Theatre, drama students and faculty members jumped from their seats and offered up a standing ovation accompanied by loud cheers.

“I don’t think anyone would dispute he’s Oklahoma’s favorite son,” said Boren. “We’re so proud of him. We’re especially proud to claim him because of the kind of person he is. He has never forgotten his roots.”

Garner, a Norman native and former OU student who still keeps up with the Sooners, choked back tears — hidden by dark sunglasses — and requested a box of Kleenex as he addressed the crowd.

“Oh dear. I’m not good at this,” Garner said, voice cracking and admitting he suffers from agoraphobia. “It’s touching to me, as you can see, that I’m at a time in my life where I can come back here and do this.

”The gift to the university was originally something Garner intended to leave in his will, but longtime friend and OU graduate Bill Saxon convinced him about two months ago to go ahead and make the donation.

Garner said he felt privileged and honored to have the means to make the contribution to his alma mater. He said his family members, former high school teachers and a lot of former Norman business owners would be surprised to learn of the gift.

“Having been raised here and watched this university grow, I’m so proud of it,” he said. “It never entered my mind that I’d be able to do this.”

Garner ended his visit by answering questions from OU drama students, offering them words of advice and signing autographs.

“Acting professionally can break your heart,” he told the students. “If you have it in you and you want it, you’ll do it. Just keep in mind who you are.”

Throughout his 50-year acting career, Garner has kept close ties to Oklahoma, Norman and OU. Several members of his family — the Bumgarners — have been active in the community.

Garner has made gifts to OU since 1979 and lends his stardom to OU’s annual Sooners in the Desert golf event in California, served on OU’s Reach for Excellence Committee and as an honorary member of the Campaign Council to build the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. OU awarded him an honorary doctorate of human letters in 1995.

Garner is scheduled to be in Norman again in October when Norman holds its first film festival. The actor said he may not be able to make the engagement, however, because he’ll possibly be in England shooting his next film.

Transcript Entertainment Editor Tami Watson can be reached at 366-3533 or via e-mail at tamiwatson@normantranscript.com.Tami Watson

The Norman Transcript

Fortunately, Jim was able to make the Film Festival. Details later...

James Garner Is Norman's Gem

The Norman Transcript - 10/20/03

I am sure many people in Norman already know what a down-to-earth, likable, geniunly nice man James Garner is, but I had a first-hand chance to witness it this week during his visit to Norman.

And it’s true. Jim Garner really is Norman’s gem. I spoke with Mr. Garner over the phone for a short interview before his trip to Norman this weekend. His voice and geniune laugh were just as sweet as they are in all of his movies. He was very kind and cooperative to do the interview over the phone, especially since he’s known as a very private man who does not do many interviews. After our conversation, I was beaming.

Garner’s private reception at the depot Friday night was a delight for the star and for all those lucky enough to be invited. Garner graciously chatted with friends, old and new, and even strangers like myself.

Although I had talked with Mr. Garner over the phone, I thought it might be a good idea to introduce myself. I have not met many celebrities in my lifetime, but the ones I have had the pleasure of meeting always stay celebrities in my mind, not real people.When I walked up to Mr. Garner and shook his hand, I felt very at ease. He was a real person to me, a person who grew up in Norman just as I did. He smiled and told me it was nice to meet me and that he remembered our phone conversation. He and his brother Jack, who accompanied Garner on his trip to Norman, were both very gracious, appreciative and friendly to every Norman resident who came their way.

Despite the impression Garner left upon me during the reception at the depot and following at the Sooner Theatre, I know older generations who grew up during Garner’s era appreciate his visits even more. I am more familiar with his later movies such as \“Maverick,” \“Space Cowboys” and \“The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,” and have missed out on his earlier works when he portrayed the Western icon Bret Maverick and the cool private eye Jim Rockford.

I missed out on \“Murphy’s Romance” and \“Victor/Victoria” at the Sooner Theatre because I had to work, but now that I’ve met Mr. Garner I have a hankering urge to rent his earlier flicks. I tend to think many people in Norman, especially those who lived in Norman during Garner’s childhood, identify with the actor’s earlier work. Not only do they identify with his early works as an actor, they identify with the person Garner was (and still is) when he roamed the halls of Norman High School and ran down the aisles of the Sooner Theatre.

What a treat to have Jim Garner revisit Norman again. This actor and Normanite spans so many generations it’s hard to think who wouldn’t know him or have seen at least one of his movies. And the added bonus? Despite the initial assumption the star is hiding under those Jack Nicholson red glasses, Norman native Jim Garner completely opens up to the people who share his memories and love of Norman.

Entertainment Editor Helen Pryor can be reached at 366-3533 or via E-mail at helen@normantranscript.comBy Helen Pryor

The Norman Transcript

The Norman Transcript - Dream of Veterans Memorial getting closer to reality

Dream of Veterans Memorial getting closer to reality
The Norman Transcript

Transcript Staff Writer

Don Schulenberg was looking for a hero.

He's found plenty in his quest to build the Cleveland County Veterans Memorial in the southwest corner of Reaves Park. Schulenberg just needs a few more for the dream of a memorial to honor area veterans to begin coming true.

The American Legion state membership chairman and Norman resident has talked to everyone who will listen to promote building the memorial. It's planned to honor Cleveland County's veterans who have served the United States in war and peace and those who made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve the freedom enjoyed by every American.

Schulenberg and Roy Hamilton told Norman Kiwanis Club members Tuesday that about $200,000 has been raised toward building the memorial, with about $50,000 left to be raised to get started. The memorial is estimated to total about $350,000 according to the City of Norman's Web site at www.NormanOK.gov.

Schulenberg has found heroes like Norman actor James Garner, who was the first draftee from Oklahoma into the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict. While in Korea, Garner was wounded twice and awarded two purple hearts.

Garner has supported the project with his own funds to help honor other veterans as well.

Hundreds of others have contributed funds and even profits from the Moore Bingo facility have helped.

And for all Schulenberg's contributor heroes who have written checks to move the project closer to reality, it's America's military heroes -- its veterans -- that he most wants to honor.

"We want the sacrifices the veterans have made to never be forgotten, and this memorial will honor their names for generations to come," Schulenberg said last year.

The concept for the Cleveland County Veterans Memorial was created by Norman engineer Bob Goins and Marine veteran Clarence Powell and designed by the architectural team of Rick McKinney, Nathan Coffey, Toni Bragg and Bryan Rainbow of the McKinney Architects Partnership.

"We are just trying to provide a space and a palette where they can include all the men and women from as far back as they can go, as far back as they have records," McKinney said.

The concept was to create a five-faceted granite and bronze sculpture.

"And they've settled on this wonderful eagle with an American flag and it's on an about 11-foot high pylon that's a five-sided pentagon. And it refers to the five branches of our service," McKinney said. "There are sloped granite walls around the perimeter. The plaza itself is a large blue-and-white star out of pavers. And the pylon is in the middle with the eagle in the middle."

Veterans who were killed in action or missing in action starting with World War I will be listed on the center pylon in the center of a five-pointed star about 30 feet across. The plaza as a whole will be about 45 feet in diameter and will be constructed in the first phase.

The names of other veterans in wars will be on smaller monoliths that form a wall around the plaza. Forty-six smaller stars will represent Oklahoma as the 46th state of the United States.

It will be sited in the southwest corner of Reaves Park.

"We've worked it among the big oak trees and it sets in that grassy area very nicely. And it will be fully accessible with parking for handicapped and there will be monuments and introductory plaques that will describe the process," McKinney said. "There will be some very large flags that will be illuminated. The whole plaza will be lit up at night 24/7 and it won't go dark. ... It's coming together very nicely."

Tax-deductible donations may be sent to Cleveland County Veterans Memorial, P.O. Box 249, Norman OK 73070, in the form of checks, money orders or cashiers checks. Checks may be made payable to the Norman Parks Foundation, Inc. a 501 (c)3 not-for-profit organization, noting CCVM in the memo section.

Applications to nominate honorably discharged veterans or those who were killed or went missing in the performance of their duty for inclusion on the memorial may be downloaded at the City of Norman's Web site at www.normanok.gov/parks/veterans_memorial.htm. Veterans should have lived or served in Cleveland County. Qualifying documents are requested to review, which could include assignment orders discharge orders, decoration or award orders or other documents to verify service.

For more information, call Schulenberg at 364-7258 or 615-7813.

The Norman Transcript - Dream of Veterans Memorial getting closer to reality

Review of Rockford Files - Season Two

TV Home / Entertainment Channel / Bullz-Eye Home

The Rockford Files: Season Two (1975) Starring: James Garner, Noah Beery, Jr., Joe Santos, Gretchen Corbett, Stuart Margolin, Tom Atkins Director: Various Category: Drama

As strong as the first season of “The Rockford Files” may have been, it’s interesting to note that, within just a few episodes of season two, the viewer becomes quickly aware that not only has the show truly found its footing, it’s in possession of some of the strongest scripts to hit television during the 1970s.

Just to offer a quick, one-paragraph summary, James Garner is Jim Rockford, an ex-con turned private investigator. He’s not afraid to use his fists, but, then, he’s not really that tough a guy, so he’s just as likely to end up on his ass as kick yours; he’s also not afraid to use chicanery, trickery, or subterfuge to follow a lead or solve a case…which means that his buddy in the police department, Detective Dennis Becker, is always chastising him for his methods, even though he begrudgingly looks the other way on occasion. Jim’s dad, known as Rocky (and played by Noah Beery, Jr.), lives in the area and has been known to get into some of his son’s cases, as does Angel (Stuart Margolin), a former prison buddy of Jim’s…although he’s usually pretty reluctant to get involved. Oh, yes, and Beth Davenport (Gretchen Corbett) is Jim’s attorney…but is she more?

Actually, before the second season is over, she is. We learn that she and Jim came close to having a relationship before, but it didn’t take; before this season is over, however, they successfully start one. Angel also ends up being the focus of more episodes this time around, and he’s always good for a laugh; it’s amazing that Jim keeps him in his circle of friends, given that Angel proves on a regular basis that, history or no history, he’s always willing to sell Jim down the river if it’ll save his own skin.

There are some particularly funny episodes in season two, one of which stars Rob Reiner as a professional football player with an ego that’s a good size larger than most of the fields on which he plays; Louis Gossett, Jr. also has a slightly comedic turn as Rockford’s former parole officer. Surprisingly, though, the most effective dramatic episode is one starring the man who wrote the theme from “Shaft” but won greater fame as the voice of Chef.

Isaac Hayes plays Gandolph “Gandy” Fitch, one of Rockford’s many former prison buddies. Gandy’s just gotten out of the joint after a 20-year stint, and he’s on the lookout for the person who was really responsible for the crime that got him locked away. (Although Hayes was decidedly younger than the character he was playing at the time, his always-shaven head lent him an older look, so all they really had to do was sprinkle some grey in his beard and voila!) Was he really innocent? Well, you’ll have to watch the episode, won’t you? And trust me, you want to. It’s an impressively emotional performance from Hayes, one that will remind you that, although he’s best known for his comedic appearances these days, he’s actually a pretty good dramatic actor, too.

The special features this time around are marginally more impressive than on the first season set. Instead of an interview with Garner, this time we get a conversation with co-creator Stephen J. Cannell, although it’s inaccurately described as Cannell reflecting on the second season; what he really does is reflect on the show as a whole. If he discusses the second season specifically, it’s only briefly and is in no way the main topic of conversation. Also included is the original series pilot, which really should’ve been on the first set, but it also works better here, as it really demonstrates how far the show has come in just one short year. (It’s also interesting to see that the show’s original concept involved Rockford only tackling closed cases from the police files.)

Amazingly, “The Rockford Files” would get even better in its third year, when “Sopranos” creator David Chase took over as executive producer, but there’s still no denying that this was a five-star season for the series.

~Will Harris

wharris@bullz-eye.com

HANGING WITH CARROLL SHELBY, JAMES GARNER AND PARNELLI JONES INTO THE NIGHT

JUST HANGING WITH JAMES GARNER, CARROLL SHELBY AND PARNELLI JONES ONE NIGHT AT LOS ANGELES' PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM

Written February, 2003, for Gannett Newspapers

Buick. Chevrolet. Oldsmobile. Ford. Rolls-Royce. Toyota. Peugeot. Chrysler. Honda. Mercedes-Benz. Bentley.
And there are more. All great car companies bearing the names of their founders or important figures in their history.

Why doesn’t that happen anymore? A social event we attended in Los Angeles recently got me thinking about it.
We were visiting the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. The gala that evening was a tribute to a short-lived race team which was owned by actor James Garner, organized in the late 1960s after he filmed the feature movie “Grand Prix”, which, along with Steve McQueen’s “LeMans”, are considered the two best racing movies of all time.
In “Grand Prix”, Garner portrayed an American racer driving for a Japanese car company just getting started in Formula 1, or Grand Prix, racing. The story was borrowed from the true-life exploits of American F1 racer Richie Ginther and his association with the (at that time) fledgling Honda F1 race team. Yves Montand played another F1 driver, Toshiro Mifune’s character (Mifune his first big English-speaking movie) was modeled after the founder Honda, and Eva Marie Saint played the always-necessary “love interest” shared between Garner and Montand.

Also in the film were race drivers Richie Ginther, Bob Bondurant, Jim Clark, Bruce McLaren, American F1 World Champion Phil Hill and Brit racer Graham Hill, “Black Jack” Brabham and Dan Gurney. The 1966 movie, directed by John Frankenheimer, contains some of the most fantastic racing scenes ever recorded, featuring all the drivers mentioned above in their F1 race cars of the time.

Garner was at the Petersen Museum event, and there was a showing of a 1969 documentary produced and starring Garner called “The Racing Scene”, which was directed by Andy Sidaris, who headed up ABC-TV’s “Wide World of Sports” racing coverage for many years. Sidaris spoke at the event and introduced the film, which chronicled Garner’s road racing and more successful off-road exploits.
We spoke with Garner and also with Indy 500 winner Parnelli Jones and legendary racer/race car builder/promoter Carroll Shelby.

It’s all fine and well to speak with some of the past stars and heroes of the automotive world, but when it comes to accomplishing some of the feats these men did (and there were, unfortunately, not many women in the auto business at that time), who are the future great stars? Where are the Shelby’s, Jones’s, Iacocca’s and DeLorean’s, even the James Garner’s, of tomorrow?

The sad truth is, they are few and far between.

Today’s worldwide auto industry is one of committees and stockholders, not individuals. Carroll Shelby told me years ago that what he had accomplished would never be done again, simply because no one person or even medium-sized company has the money and equipment to develop a vehicle from scratch. Even if they did, the costs involved with building and then crash-testing test cars or trucks and then meeting the safety, fuel and emissions requirements of countries around the world is prohibitive for any company except the largest.

Think about it….when was the last time anyone started a car company under their own name? There have been a few sporadic attempts over the years, and the DeLorean project got a lot of press because of the overall fiasco it turned out to be (all that interest about a not-very-good car), but today’s automotive all-stars tend to be people like Carlos Ghosn, the head of Renault, which bought Nissan a few years ago and has managed to turn the company into a money-maker.

One of the last of the “old-timers” still working in the business is 72 year old Bob Lutz, now essentially in charge of cars and trucks for General Motors in North America. Lutz, when he was a top executive at Chrysler, before Daimler took them over, gave the go-ahead for wildly successful and sexy projects like the Viper, Prowler and PT Cruiser. A former Marine fighter pilot who collects, restores and flies European fighter jets as a hobby, is just about the final executive at a major car company who has the authority to make far-ranging decisions and is willing to live with their consequences.

(Interesting aside: The “merger of equals” which Daimler claimed their relationship with Chrysler would be when they bought-out the perennially-struggling automaker a few years has turned into anything but that. In fact, on the new-look DaimlerChrysler Board of Directors, there is but a single American left. Daimler, a notoriously conservative company, now loses almost any American-style zest it may have had. One executive once told me that “casual day” at Daimler in Germany meant taking your suit jacket off during lunch.)

The auto world moved more and more towards being run by “the bean counters” in the late 1960s, when government regulations and the prospect of oil shortages hit the industry hard. Suddenly, egos were out the door (one of the prime reasons DeLorean never became president of General Motors), and executives not taking responsibility became an art form. A degree from the Wharton School of Business is now a ticket to the top of the management heap at any car company worldwide, where in the past an engineer, stylist, race car driver or slick promoter could carry a car from concept to production.

Another prime reason for this sad bureaucratic state of affairs is the sheer complexity of modern cars and trucks themselves. No one person, companies believe, can master all the knowledge necessary to bring a project to market, and therefore a committee-upon-committee system is used to create today’s vehicles. And you know the old joke about a camel being a horse designed by a committee. Think about that the next time you see, say, a Pontiac Aztek!

If Bob Lutz achieves a great degree of success at GM, perhaps the pendulum will swing back towards the power of the individual in the automotive world. But the days of John DeLorean meeting casually Saturday mornings with his engineering staff at Pontiac, taking a 389 cubic inch engine from their big Bonneville and putting it into their small LeMans and calling it a GTO, and doing it all on a lark, as sort of a “neat idea at the time”, well, those days are over.

It’s a shame, too, as I am sure we can all agree. What we can do now is learn about our automotive history, appreciate the characters who populated it and turned it into the greatest and most important industrial movement the world has ever seen. And if we’re lucky enough, sometimes sit at the feet of those who had a hand in it, as we did recently at the Petersen Museum, and --- just listen.

-30-

Posted at 12:08 AM in PAST FEATURE STORIES, AUTO SHOWS, HOW-TO'S, ETC. | Permalink

Barbarians At The Gate

Barbarians At The Gates (1993) *** 1/2

11.09, 2007 Author: MMM

Director: Glenn Jordan

Starring: James Garner, Jonathan Pryce, Peter Riegert, Joanna Cassidy, Fred Dalton Thompson, Leilani Sarelle, Matt Clark

This Emmy-winning made-for-TV movie takes a humorous look at actual events in a big 1980s takeover war. It falls somewhere between a light drama and a comedy, but the seasoned professional acting (particularly lead James Garner) and experienced direction is far above usual TV standards. There is a pretty good story about excess and the battle for big bucks.

James Garner is F. Ross Johnson, who has gone from being a hardworking paperboy in Winnipeg, Canada to a jet setting, big spending CEO in NYC. When Johnson is faced with an expensive project that seems headed for failure, he chooses to deflect shareholder backlash by trying to raise the money to buy the company himself. It might have worked, but when a couple other green sharks get the whiff of possible profit, the bidding war is on. What follows is corporate juggling, scrambling, and general skulduggery in a world where all the numbers have nine zeroes.

Imagine a Wall Street where Gordon Gekko is a charming, nice guy (but greed is still good) and with a comedy slant, and you will have some idea of what to expect here. All in all, this is a pretty fun way to learn the difference between a corporate takeover and a hostile takeover. Admit it. You have always wanted to know.

The Rockford Files DVD news: Announcement for The Rockford Files - Season 5 | TVShowsOnDVD.com

The Rockford Files spent six seasons on the air (not counting the eight post-series telefilms which reunited the majority of the cast), and on DVD we're getting close to the end. This morning Universal has announced the January 15th release of The Rockford Files - Season 5. This package will have 20 episodes (two of them double-length: "Black Mirror" and "Never Send a Boy King to Do a Man's Job") running 1045 minutes. Cost is $39.98 SRP for this 5-disc set (all single-sided). Video and audio is as originally shown: full-frame with English mono. There are also English subtitles present, but no word yet on any extras. Stay tuned and we'll update you with cover art and anything else we get from the studio, just as soon as we can! UPDATE: The studio has quickly provided us with box art for this release:Rockford Files - Season 5 box art Link to this page:http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Rockford-Files-Season-5/8284 All news for this show:http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/shownews/Rockford-Files/3585 More info on this show:The Rockford Files

The Rockford Files DVD news: Announcement for The Rockford Files - Season 5 | TVShowsOnDVD.com

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