Oklahoman makes AOL’s Top 50 TV Hunks list

Oklahoman makes AOL's Top 50 TV Hunks list

James Garner in Maverick He rates higher than Johnny Depp and Mario Lopez on AOL’s countdown of TV’s hottest hunks of all time. He’s also ahead of these gorgeous guys: David Boreanaz, Luke Perry, Rob Lowe, Jimmy Smits, Dean Cain and John Schneider.
He is James Garner, who was born in Norman and went on to star in “Maverick” and “The Rockford Files.”
Garner ranks 16th on the list. The AOL editors picked Patrick Dempsey at No. 1.
Here are the 34 TV stars Garner topped in the poll, as well as the 15 picked ahead of him.

AOL’s Top 50 TV Hunks
◊50. Wentworth Miller (”Prison Break”)
◊49. Alex O’Laughlin (”Moonlight”)
◊48. Jack Wagner (”Melrose Place”)
◊47. David Boreanaz (”Bones”)
◊46. John Corbett (”Sex and the City”)
◊45. Jon Hamm (”Mad Men”)
◊44. Luke Perry (”Beverly Hills, 90210″)
◊43. Paul Michael Glaser (”Starsky & Hutch”)
◊42. Patrick Duffy (”Dallas”)
◊41. Mario Lopez (”Saved by the Bell”)
◊40. Chace Crawford (”Gossip Girl”)
◊39. David Duchovny (”The X-Files”)
◊38. David Hasselhoff (”Baywatch”)
◊37. James Denton (”Desperate Housewives”)
◊36. Michael Landon (”Bonanza”)
◊35. Rob Lowe (”Brothers & Sisters”)
◊34. Gary Dourdan (”CSI”)
◊33. Jonathan Rhys Meyers (”The Tudors”)
◊32. Lyle Waggoner (”The Carol Burnett Show”)
◊31. Jimmy Smits (”NYPD Blue”)
◊30. Dean Cain (”Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”)
◊29. Jared Leto (”My So-Called Life”)
◊28. Lee Majors (”The Six Million Dollar Man”)
◊27. Eric Dane (”Grey’s Anatomy”)
◊26. Chris Noth (”Sex and the City”)
◊25. Blair Underwood (”Dirty Sexy Money”)
◊24. Eddie Cibrian (”Third Watch”)
◊23. Johnny Depp (”21 Jump Street”)
◊22. John Schneider (”The Dukes of Hazzard”)
◊21. Harry Hamlin (”L.A. Law”)
◊20. Jason Lewis (”Sex and the City”)
◊19. Matthew Fox (”Lost”)
◊18. Jensen Ackles (”Supernatural”)
◊17. Benjamin Bratt (”The Cleaner”)
◊16. James Garner (”Maverick”)
◊15. Ashton Kutcher (”That ’70s Show”)
◊14. Erik Estrada (”CHiPs”)
◊13. Pierce Brosnan (”Remjington Steele”)
◊12. Chad Michael Murray (”One Tree Hill”)
◊11. Don Johnson (”Miami Vice”)
◊10. Tom Selleck (”Magnum. P.I.”)
◊◊9. Michael Vartan (”Alias”)
◊◊8. Mark Harmon (”NCIS”)
◊◊7. Taylor Kitsch (”Friday Night Lights”)
◊◊6. John Stamos (”Full House”)
◊◊5. Tom Welling (”Smallville”)
◊◊4. Taye Diggs (”Private Practice”)
◊◊3. Josh Holloway (”Lost”)
◊◊2. George Clooney (”ER”)
◊◊1. Patrick Dempsey (”Grey’s Anatomy”)

–Penny TV
Posted: 10 Dec, 2008 |
Categories: Oklahomans on TV By: television.

New Pictures of Jim

These pictures of Jim were taken at Efrem Zimbalist Jr's 90th birthday party in November. With great thanks to Jim's long time assistant, Mary Ann, and the Yahoo Rockford Files Group.

 

Here is Jim with Jane Russel. 

 

And here is Jim with the Birthday Boy, his old friend, Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

As you can see, Jim looks just great. And many happy returns to Efrem Zimbalist Jr!

Gigi Garner's New Book Is Out!

Girl Talk: Celebrities and Other Extraordinay Women Share Their Secrets by Gigi Garner

Girl Talk by Gigi Garner

Something special happens when women get together and talk - confidences are shared, help and support given, all in the name of sisterhood and friendship. Women are compassionate listeners, knowing intuitively when to offer advice or merely a shoulder to lean on. Gigi Garner captured these intimate moments and compiled them with permission into a book for all women. Contributors include such stars as Naomi Judd, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Shari Belafonte, as well as other women, from a prison warden to an elementary school teacher. Beauty and health tips to advice on careers and relationships, this book covers them all.


$15.95 U.S. / Paperback / Nonfiction
ISBN: 1-58985-051-3
ISBN: 978-1-58985-052-1
www.GirlTalkBook.com
Published by Five Star Publications
P.O. Box 6698, Chandler AZ 85246-6698


© 2006 - 2008 Five Star Publications, Inc.

JAMES GARNER - GARNER'S DAUGHTER: 'DAD'S FINE'

08/06/2008 01:39:07 AM

The daughter of beloved actor JAMES GARNER has assured fans her father is "doing fine" after recent photographs of the frail star sparked concerns for his health.

Garner was snapped visiting a Beverly Hills, California hospital, looking gaunt and distant, but his author daughter Gigi insists the pictures are deceiving.
She says, "He had a stroke on May 9th but he's doing well. He's doing really well in fact. He's perfect."

The 80-year-old star, who spent three weeks in hospital after undergoing surgery following his stroke, was photographed clutching a cane as a nurse and his driver helped him into a wheelchair.

His representative says, "Jim was at the medical centre for a routine outpatient check up with his doctor."

Garner AIR Vette to be Auctioned

'68 L88 Racer Previously Driven by Guldstrand, Caplan | Corvette News Blog & Discussions at Vette Magazine

Garner AIR Vette to be Auctioned
'68 L88 Racer Previously Driven by Guldstrand, Caplan
Posted Today 10:43 AM by VETTE Mag
Filed under: Corvette News

No. 44 AIR Corvette

Bonhams & Butterfields is proud to announce that the ex-James Garner/American International Racing '68 Corvette L88 will be added to the epic roster of cars to be sold at their seminal Quail Lodge auction, held August 15th in Carmel, California.

The history of the three James Garner/American International Racing (AIR) cars is unique in automotive history, not simply because Garner's AIR team sponsored them under one banner, and not just because they were all-new L88 Corvettes, but mostly because of the high-profile role of Garner, a Hollywood movie star, semi-pro baseball player, and car fanatic.

Garner's long-standing fascination with cars undoubtedly reached its peak in 1968 when his AIR team purchased three brand-new factory-built L88s. These Le Mans Blue convertible Vettes were the first production models produced by the Central Production Office featuring the new L88 engine with first-generation closed-chamber aluminum heads. These cars, sold to the AIR team, were effectively part of GM's strategy to manage the release of its most powerful cars to a carefully controlled list of approved customers.

The drivers for the AIR team also represented the emerging stars of the day. Car #44 was driven by Dick Guldstrand and the late Ed Leslie, and car #45 was driven by Scooter Patrick, Dave Jordan and Herb Caplan, names that cause a stir even today.

The #44 car, offered by Bonhams, is a magnificent restoration of the original car that Dick Guldstrand first drove at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1968. Upon restoration, Guldstrand was again offered the opportunity to drive it at both the 1999 and 2002 Monterey Historics at Laguna Seca. Sitting in the car, he remarked that it was just as he remembered and that it was a thrill to be reunited with one of the very first cars he'd built. At the Historics Dick drove well, giving the Cobras a good run for their money. And why not? These cars are fast. When the AIR cars first appeared at Daytona in 1968 they set a new course record, neatly wrapping up the first row of the grid in their class. When Jim Herlinger ran the car in 1973, five years later, he set lap records at Willow Springs and Laguna Seca. And the car has apparently lost none of its oomph because today it runs laps faster than it did in '73.

In addition to being beautiful and fast, the historic #44 car is loud. It's one thing to say that the car has appeared (and placed well) in several historic races, but at the Wine Country Classic at Sears Point, where relief is granted from the normal noise limitations, the car tipped the scale at 123 DB. That's louder than a rock concert!

As offered, the car comes with a professionally built aluminum-head 454, built in the same manner as the 1973 engine. The original block and crank from 1968 are offered as part of the sale but are not in the car.

The ex-Garner/AIR racer will be offered alongside such astoundingly rare and historic cars as the '60 Jaguar E2A Prototype, a '39 Ecurie Nice Talbot-Lago T150 C SS, a '30 Scuderia Ferrari Alfa Romeo 6C-1750 Gran Sport, a '28 Streamlined Experimental Rolls-Royce Phantom I Torpedo, a '13 Isotta Fraschini Tipo KM, and an entire collection of Voisin, to name just a few. This remarkable line-up promises to be not only the star auction of this internationally prestigious car week but possibly the sale of the year as well.

The auction takes place Friday, August 15th at the Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley, California, with a preview being hosted the day before. Discerning collectors interested in registering to bid, either in person or remotely, may call or e-mail the Motoring Department at 415-861-7500 or motors.us@bonhams.com. Please note that entry to the Bonhams & Butterfields preview and auction does not require a ticket to the Quail Motorsports Gathering.

For general information about Bonhams and its 50 specialist departments worldwide, visit www.Bonhams.com.

Jim Is HOME!

Great news! Jim is now out of rehab and is back home. He is doing great. I don't know if he will decide to work again or not, but knowing Jim, I wouldn't be surprised. At least he can if he want's to.

An extraordinary recovery by an extraordinary man. We love you, Jim!

An Update For All Who Have Had Jim In Their Thoughts And Prayers

Hello everyone who has been concerned about Jim Garner and his stroke. I have news - wonderful news.

Jim is still in rehab, but should be released soon - completely recovered. His speech is as it always was, his mind is totally intact. He did have some weakness on the left side, but even that is gone. His left side is now as strong as his right.

Jim's brother Jack always said that Jim was tougher than Dick Tracey. I guess Jim proved his point.

Congratulations, Jim. We love you.

Never believe what you read in The National Enquirer.

TV Dads

I definitely agree with this letter writer. The relationship between Jim Rockford and his dad, "Rocky" was one of the most realistic and touching ever on TV. And the fact that it was the same in real life made it almost unique.

A beautiful thing, on screen AND off.

clipped from www.post-gazette.com Here's what you had to say about TV dads Friday, June 20, 2008 In honor of Father's Day, we listed TV dads in three categories: heroes, hapless and hopeless. Now it's your turn. Here are readers' responses on the TV dads they love and those they love to hate. My favorite TV dad was Josephy "Rocky" Rockford. I loved the close relationship he and Jim had. Jim had a picture of his father dad on his desk. In the made-for-TV "Rockford Files" movies, Rocky had a life-size painting of Jim. In one of the movies, Jim and Dyan Cannon were visity Rocky's grave. She said, "You were his whole world, Jim. You were No. 1 in his life." What was really nice is James Garner and Noah Berry were like dad and son off-camera. Jay Leno asked James Garner about Noah Berry's death. His voice cracked and he put his hand over his face. He said, "I can't talk about it." -- Diane, Wilkins

Get Well Wishes For A TRUE American Idol

As must be well known by now, Jim Garner is recovering in the hospital, having had surgery following a minor stroke. By all accounts he is expected to make a full recovery, but the details haven't yet been made public.

I'm sure this self-effacing, very private man would prefer that none of this had been made public, but he's long since realized that it's the price of fame. And, despite his shyness, he does deeply appreciate - and has always been puzzled by - the actual love and real concern of his millions of loyal admirers.

I have been among that group since I was 13 and watched the premier of a new western series called Maverick in the fall of 1957. James Garner was my very first celeb crush. Actually, he's also my only celeb crush, because in all these years I've never seen anyone who impressed me quite like he always has.

What started out as a teen crush became something more over the years, as I learned about James Garner the person. He became a father figure to this only child of a man who had never wanted children and never attempted to hide his resentment at my unwanted presence in his life. James Garner came to fill that void for me. He was my male role model as I grew up.

I'd never want to embarrass this wonderful man who can't even understand why people think he is special, but, Jim, you are special. I admire you for so many things - I could never list them all.

But most of all, I admire you for being a real hero - without feet of clay - to a young girl who was badly in need of a hero in her life. You've never let me down in all these many years, and for that I could never thank you enough.

God bless and get well soon.

James Garner 'doing well' after stroke - CNN.com

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- James Garner, who was hospitalized late last week after suffering a minor stroke, is doing well and should be going home shortly, the veteran television and film star's publicist said Tuesday.

James Garner, shown in 2006, was an Oscar nominee for "Murphy's Romance" opposite Sally Field.

The star of such TV shows as "Maverick" and "The Rockford Files" went to the hospital after becoming ill at home Friday, said his publicist, Jennifer Allen.

"He's still in the hospital, but my understanding is he is doing well and will be going home soon. When, exactly, we have not been told yet," Allen said.

Garner, who turned 80 last month, rose to prominence in the 1950s as the star of "Maverick," playing a wry riverboat gambler who was quicker with a quip than a gun and, unlike his Western counterparts, was faster still to run from trouble than to face it. The show aired from 1957 to 1962, but Garner, who was nominated for an Emmy as Bret Maverick, left in 1960 to pursue a film career.

He has appeared in such films as "The Children's Hour," "Victor/Victoria" and "The Great Escape" and was nominated for an Oscar in 1985 as the small-town pharmacist opposite Sally Field in "Murphy's Romance."

Garner returned to television full-time in the mid-1970s playing Jim Rockford, a modern-day private detective who, like his "Maverick" character, also was not afraid to run instead of fight. He won an Emmy for the role in 1977.

Garner also reprised his Maverick role in the short-lived "Bret Maverick" series in the 1980s.

More recently, he played Katey Sagal's father in the sitcom "8 Simple Rules ... for Dating My Teenage Daughter." Garner joined the cast in 2003 after John Ritter, who played Sagal's husband, died during the show's second season.

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Claretta Mariana

An extra in the telefilm "Promise"

clipped from www.oregonlive.com One of Claretta's claims to fame was making "Promise" with James Garner and James Woods, playing James Garner's mom's best friend. She was proud to be in a movie with Garner; what a nice man he was, she said. "I was only an extra," she said. "I just walked across a room carrying a plate of food."

Grand Prix gave him an appetite for speed

The North Bay Nugget - Ontario, CA

Posted By malcolm gunn

Posted 1 day ago

The opening scene of the 1966 flick Grand Prix featured actor James Garner in one of the most memorable movie moments of all time.

The green flag drops amid a deafening roar of Formula One machinery. A blur of drivers in their tube-shaped metal envelopes begin their full-scale assault on the streets of Monte Carlo. Split-screen images projected onto the oversized curved Cinerama screen provides an
all-too-real sense of riding along with the drivers as they frantically jockey for position. Suddenly, in a split-second, two cars collide and you're watching, wide-eyed, as one car violently catapults off course - straight into Monaco's yacht-filled harbour. Fortunately, the hero Pete
Aron, played in his usual easy-going style by James Garner, escapes his metal coffin, gasping for air as a trio of scuba divers swims to his aid.

Pure Hollywood fantasy? Well, not exactly. What Grand Prix director John Frankenheimer chose for his movie's opening sequence happened to real-life driver Alberto Ascari at that very spot 11 years earlier while he was leading the event.

For Garner, working on Grand Prix became an example of life imitating art. As a result of the movie he would become hooked on racing and remain actively involved in the sport for many years after this ground-breaking movie was in the can.

Garner's interest in fast cars goes back to his pre-acting days. Born James Scott Bumgarner in 1928, the Norman, Okla., native was driving hot rods around town as a teenager. But this carpet layer's son couldn't afford his own wheels, so he was usually piloting one of his
buddies' modified jalopies.

Following minor stage and small-screen roles, Garner's first of many breaks came in 1957 when he starred in the TV western series, Maverick. After four successful years, he moved to the big screen, where he played the leading man in a number of fluffy romantic comedies
before landing a major role in The Great Escape. This real-life movie vaulted the suave and debonair Garner into bona fide superstar status.

Grand Prix director Frankenheimer actually wanted Steve McQueen for lead roll as Pete Aron, but the deal fell through after a rocky interview that Frankenheimer was unable to attend.

Garner, who badly wanted the part, was picked.

Before shooting began, Garner took lessons from Bob Bondurant, a successful Grand Prix and sports car driver who would eventually begin his own high-performance driving school. Garner followed that with a session at the Jim Russell Driving School in England where he was
joined by some of the other principal actors. The Russell experience taught him plenty, including the fact that the lanky six-foot-three actor was too big to comfortably fit inside the cockpit of a Grand Prix race car. Garner immediately went on a diet, managing to lose nearly 10 kilograms. Even then, he had to drive with the seat removed from the car so his head would be lower than the roll bar.

Frankenheimer's $8-million epic began shooting in late May 1966. The director employed many well-known Formula One stars as background actors, including Graham Hill, Dan Gurney, Jochen Rindt, Chris Amon and Bruce McLaren.

Some of these drivers were also hired to drive camera vehicles that would chase the mostly fake Grand Prix race cars specially constructed by Jim Russell for the movie.

During production, Garner's skill behind the wheel impressed many of the racers involved in the project. Grand Prix opened in late 1966 to rave reviews. Not only was the film exciting to watch on the giant screen, its special effects and camera techniques created specifically for the movie were technical breakthroughs that are still in use today.

Article ID# 977843

New Movie For James Garner

James Garner is making a new movie with old pal Lou Gossett Jr.

clipped from www.nationalledger.com BACK TOGETHER AGAIN: Oscar-winning actor Lou Gossett Jr. reports that "Capture the Flag," the indie film he's currently shooting, is a reunion for him and veteran actor James Garner, who holds a special place in his heart. "James put me on the map in the '70s film called 'Skin Game,'" recalls Gossett of the 1971 film about two con artists in the post-Civil War south. "Capture the Flag," says Gossett, "is about these kids between 10 and 12 in a military academy. I play one caretaker of the school from the Navy, and Garner plays the other caretaker, who's from the Army. We're retired, and our competition is supposed to be peaceful, but it's our last hurrah. It's all very tongue-in-cheek."

Happy Birthday!

On the occasion of your 80th birthday, Mr. Jim Garner, I just want to thank you. When I became a fan of yours during the first episode of Maverick, I was just turning 13. Instant crush!

Over the years though, a teen crush developed into a deep admiration for you as a person. Not only are you the most fun to watch of any of the actors I've ever seen, you are a genuinely good man. In fact, you were my male role model growing up, and I still think I made a pretty good choice.

So, thank you - not only for all the truly unparalleled performances over the years - but for proving that there really are people worthy of admiration in the way they conduct themselves and live their lives.

I know you'd never think of yourself as a hero, but you are.

Happy birthday, and may there be many, many more.

36 Hours

36 Hours (1965)

36 Hours takes the typical concept of a war movie and tosses it out the window, instead giving us a cynical, suspenseful, psycho-thriller that will make you smirk, think, and it will surprise you.

James Garner plays US Army Major Jeff Pike, who's dispatched to Portugal on a mission just before D-Day. He's privy to the details of operation Overlord, and the Germans know it. Through their nasty network of Nazi spies they manage to kidnap him, and then the real fun begins.

Read the rest of this great review of 36 Hours at 36 Hours (1965) starring James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Rod Taylor

Heartsounds

Heartsounds (1984) – Glenn Jordan helmed one of the finest telemovies of the last thirty years with this delicately-handled yet emotionally charged docudrama about the difficult experiences of Martha Weinman Lear, when her husband, Harold, suffers an ongoing series of heart attacks. As the leads, Mary Tyler Moore and James Garner are nothing short of perfection. Working with Jordan, from a script by Fay Kanin (adapted from Weinman's bestselling memoir) the two actors bring to fruition a series of moments dazzlingly poignant and authentic; seldom has a film struck so many real and deeply resonant chords, mirroring the tensions and emotional contradictions of real life experience. Screens on the Encore Love Stories Channel, 4/1 at 5:45am, 4/5 at 9:10am, 4/15 at 9:30am, 4/25 at 7:15am.

I remember seeing this when it was first broadcast. It is incredible. It's so unfortunate that this wonderful telemovie doesn't seem to be available anywhere - even to watch, let alone purchase. In fact, this is the first time in all these years I've seen it listed at all. If you haven't seen it, don't miss a chance.

This is the very vehicle in fact that made the "big time" critics sit up and take notice of what they had been missing in James Garner's performances. Since then, they've been moaning about how underrated he is as an actor because he makes it look so easy that he doesn't get the credit he deserves for the enormous talent it takes to do that.

So, how come we, his ignoramus fans, knew this all along, while the elite, professional critics missed it for almost 30 years? Makes you wonder, doesn't it...

James Garner interview

Great interview with Jim during the release of "My Fellow Americans."

James Garner Attacks!

I know every blog in the Universe already has this, but I couldn't resist. Jim Garner is a great guy, but, as he himself will tell you, don't push him too far or their will be consequences. His older brother, Jack, has said, "He's tougher than Dick Tracey." He might be even tougher than Jim Rockford!

Agree?

I think I must agree, although sometimes I think TV has gone a bit too far trying to be like movies because In my opinion, movies went way too far a long time ago.

HW: It used to be that television wasn't something everybody wanted to do, but that's changed. Why do you think so many actors are doing TV now?

EI: I've studied that from the beginning just because I s interested in acting and Hollywood and films, and I think the first three that made it across were Steve McQueen, Clint Eastwood and James Garner There wasn't supposed to be a bridge there. I think it's because the writers were given the power to run the thing. They became the executive producers, so some really good writers said, ""Hey, I'm going to write some stuff and produce it too."" Like with The Sopranos, it was like, ""Okay, get out there and do edgy, dark, interesting, real life, independent film feeling television. Put it out there."" So they did this and then good actors thought, ""I'm going to do some of this stuff."" Then the bridge started going backwards and forwards and it almost feels like a level bridge now.

The Rockford Files: Season Five

Another great comment about this classic series and its classic (and classy) star.

The Rockford Files: Season Five

The Rockford Files: Season Five is a great collection of TV episodes, even if it doesn’t showcase the series at its creative best. James Garner is one of TV’s greatest leading men, and this set does him justice. Unfortunately, audio and video qualities aren’t fantastic (although probably as good as the source elements can allow), and the lack of extras is a pain in the neck. But who are we kidding? We all know Jim Rockford would be way too cool to watch DVD bonus features.

What's His Secret?

I've heard Jim say this type of thing before, and it's sure refreshing to see someone walk the talk.

www.family.org When asked by US magazine about the secret to his 41-year marriage, James Garner, the star of Maverick and The Rockford Files, said, "Consideration. You have to care for [your spouse] and do a lot of forgiving and forgetting. It’s a two-way street. A lot of people don't get married because they know they can get out of it at any minute. Hey, it was difficult for me to make that commitment, but when I make them, I stick with them."

More Rockford DVD Reviews

The Rockford Files: Season Five (1978-79) James Garner. Five-disc set with 22 episodes, $39.98. (Universal).

“The world?s most unlikely detective returns to DVD for the first time ever in all 22 thrilling Season Five episodes of The Rockford Files. Primetime Emmy� winner James Garner reprises his role as Jim Rockford, an ex-con-turned-private-investigator who would rather fish than fight, but whose instinct on closed cases is more golden than his classic Pontiac Firebird. From his mobile home in Malibu, this wisecracking private eye takes on the cases of the lost and the dispossessed, chasing down seemingly long-dead clues in the sun-baked streets and seamy alleys of Los Angeles. This phenomenal DVD set includes such stellar guest stars as Robert Loggia (Big), Rita Moreno (West Side Story), Tom Selleck (Magnum PI), Ed Harris (Apollo 13), John Pleshette (Knots Landing), Lane Smith (Lois & Clark), Harold Gould (Golden Girls), Abe Vigoda (Barney Miller), James Sikking (Hill Street Blues), and Kim Hunter (A Streetcar Named Desire), and more! The Rockford Files are now re-opened and declassified for mystery fans everywhere.”

Review of Rockford Files Fifth Season DVD

The Rockford Files: The Fifth Season

James Garner stars in what may be the best detective series ever, or at least the best one that featured a punching bag of a private eye who charged $200 a day (plus expenses!) and lived in a trailer by the beach. This season is notable for the very funny episodes featuring a pre-Magnum, P.I. Tom Selleck as Lance White, a too-nice detective who can do no wrong.

Legend of the West

James Garner: Legend of the West

Posted January 12, 2008

James
Garner. That’s the answer I always give when asked who my favourite
actor is. Recently I had to try and justify this to someone who seemed
to have some pretty major Garner prejudice.

Although I like my films and telly, I do try to steer discussion
onto other topics when meeting new people, at least for a while. On
this occasion I mentioned James Garner, only to be told I was wrong.

While trying not to appear too bothered with this slur, I felt I had
to defend his honour in his absence. I like to think I did alright,
even after a few Jack Daniels and cokes, but it left me thinking more
needs to be done to raise the profile of America’s finest.

So I’ve dug out an article I put together last year for a film course I took (written just after watching The Americanization of Emily) and, before that, here’s what I said about Jimbo back in this blog’s first post:

The blog is dedicated to Mr James Garner, Legend of the West Bret Maverick in Maverick, The Scrounger in The Great Escape and LAs finest, Jim Rockford PI in The Rockford Files.

His work and style epitomise everything I like in my entertainment.
Heroes that aren’t black or white, but black and grey. Characters that
would rather talk their way out of a situation than fight (who would
have the guts to fight someone with a gun in real life? A Garner
character would rather leg it). Humour that is understated rather than
puerile or OTT. And a bit of realism in amongst the nonsense makes for
good entertainment.

Read the article at

James Garner: Legend of the West