Retro Thing: Picture Frame With That Charmer, James Garner

 This blog caught my eye because I have this picture also - only I got mine when it was first in the stores.


There are a couple of things of interest going on within the glitzy gilt of this picture frame, so I hope that you'll indulge a few random thoughts. First, if you'll look in the upper right corner, you'll see that it took 20-30 years for this frame to be marked down from 88 cents to 80 at the thrift store where I got it. Second, check out the example photo - it's James Garner from his days in the 50's TV classic "Maverick". By the way, if you haven't cast an eye across a fistful of Maverick episodes, you don't know what you're missing. Arguably TV's first anti-hero, the series made the whole enterprise of television look good, and made Garner into a national treasure... but I digress.
Check out the name of the picture frame's purveyor - "Korvettes". Korvettes was a national chain of discount department stores that pre-figure today's bargain giants like Wal-Mart. Starting out as a five and dime store, the chain eventually grew into a number of large stores, and were the first large retailers to plunge into the American suburbs in the 50's and 60's. Korvettes used innovative (some would say sneaky) approaches to discount prices (there used to be strict laws about chain stores selling products below the manufacturer's suggested retail price).
I grew up with a Korvettes store until it was replaced by Kmart in the late 70's. One unusual aspect of the Korvettes I knew was that they had a very nice electronics department in bold contrast to their other rather cheap merchandise. They were the last place I knew of that had listening booths to let you preview a record before you bought it. Check out this commercial for Korvettes that focuses on their large assortment of electronic goodies. I spotted a number of products that we've covered here on Retro Thing, but no sign of my cheapie Maverick picture frame.

The Rockford Files - The Final Season

Crimespree Cinema: DVD Review: The Rockford Files: Season Six

Thursday, January 29, 2009

          Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Release date: January 20th, 2009

MSRP: $39.98

Stars: James Garner, Noah Beery Jr., Joe Santos

I'm an unabashed James Garner fan and The Rockford Files season six is among his best. By this, thelast season, he's so comfortable in the role he could have done it inhis sleep, but seems to add greater and greater depth to the character. Co-stars like Lauren Bacall, Tom Selleck and Mariette Hartley from thehugely successful Polaroid camera commercials they did together a few years before didn't hurt either. The stories for the most part were a reason to bring Jim and his crew together but that was plenty. And some, like Katheryn Harrolds reprisal of the blind Psychologist and deep love interest Megan, are downright tender, as is Noah Beery's caring but somewhat befuddled father role as Rocky.

For the one or two of you who have been living in a Yurt in Lower Slobovia the last several decades, or are too young, I'll give a brief backstory. Ex-con Jim Rockford is a Private Investigator (a neat trick in itself) barely hanging on. He lives in a trailer in the low rent
district of Malibu. He has a friend, Angel, another ex-con who if he were your or my friend we would throw under a bus A.S.A.P. (My Editor said that would have made a great episode explaining why Jim didn't). Jim is not your usual iron jawed, steel fisted P.I. He gets the stew
knocked out of him at regular intervals and will fight if he has to and run when he can. The anti-hero hero that was a hit because he played you and me only better.

I'm not going to belabor the point. This is good stuff and stands up well considering it's thirty plus year age.

There's something for everyone here from comedy to angst and you youngsters owe
it to yourselves to check it out. Us old schoolers already know.

Order season six of The Rockford Files.

Lee Crawford

P.S. There are no special features.

For more reviews from Lee, and the rest of the Crimespree crew, check out the index of reviews.

Posted by MysterLynch at 2:08 AM

Labels: DVD Review, Lee Crawford, television

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."

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.

E-mail to a friend

Share this on:

Mixx Digg Facebook del.icio.us reddit StumbleUpon Myspace

| Mixx it | Share

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."

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.