People just don't get killed for $2,000.
Not by the mob!
(TIRES SCREECHING)
You kill a guy,
we're not talking about doing two or three years no more,
we're talking about spending the rest of our life in the joint.
Well, I'm not calling it off.
Hijacked, and left them stripped to slow them up.
Six of them in two hours.
I never saw anything like it. All from the same line.
Oh, Jim! Jim!
Oh, I've killed him.
I killed my own son. Jimmy!
(PHONE RINGING)
ROCKFORD: (ON ANSWERING MACHINE) This is Jim Rockford.
At the tone, leave your name and message.
I'll get back to you.
(BEEPS)
HARRY: (ON PHONE) Okay, pal, it's Harry. I just checked my car.
You kept the battery charged, all right,
you also put 3,500 miles on it.
Hey, you seen Johnny Lo Salvo?
Lo Salvo, you seen him?
What're you doing in here?
You're supposed to be outside keeping watch.
I'm sorry, Mr. Hammel. A guy got past me. Got inside here.
HAMMEL: What?
Listen, we're almost finished. Let's clear out of here.
Find him. Find out who he is.
Yes, sir.
Hey, you find him.
Yes, sir.
Did you find Lo Salvo?
Yeah. He was busy, though.
See you around, Rocky.
I'll catch up with him on his break.
Oh, hey, Mac.
Yeah?
I was wondering if you had your tickets for the OOTA ball yet.
Ah, come on, Rocky.
Oh, no. This is gonna be a real affair.
We're having a drawing for first prize.
An Acme sleeper.
I don't do overnight runs anymore. Just local stuff.
I don't need a sleeper.
Oh, it's a good cause, Mac.
How much, Rocky?
$10 a ticket.
Ain't got it.
Well, I'll cover for you. You can owe me.
All right now, let's see.
One, two, three.
With your seven, that makes $10. Thanks.
Hey, that's an awful lot you're carrying around, Rocky. You're liable to be blasted.
Oh, I know all these guys down here.
They're my friends. I'll be all right.
Here's your ticket, Mac. Thanks. So long.
HAMMEL: What'd he look like?
SMITH: He's an old man. Had on dungarees.
You're hopeless. Let me out here.
Listen, you find him. Find out what he saw.
Don't let anybody see you. But you get him, you hear me?
You might have to hit him.
Yes, sir, Mr. Hammel.
Hey, Mac! Want to buy a couple of tickets to the OOTA ball?
(MACHINE HUMMING)
(MUSIC PLAYING ON JUKEBOX)
Hey, Johnny.
Hey. How are you, Rocky?
How's it going?
I guess you know why I'm looking for you, huh?
Listen, I haven't got anything for you right now, but I tell you what,
I got a shipment coming in tomorrow,
and I may be able to get you...
No, that ain't what I'm thinking of.
I was kind of hoping that maybe you'd be interested
in buying yourself a pair of tickets for the OOTA ball.
We are having... The OOTA ball.
Well, I'm a son of a gun.
Who beat me to it? Tommy Larson.
He's been in here selling them all over the place.
I just got these from him about 10 minutes ago.
Oh, I should've barged in on you when I first seen you.
Huh? Yeah, I seen you about an hour ago
over there in warehouse 10.
You and some big expensive-Iooking guy,
and you was passing him some papers.
You fellas was jawing and...
Well, I should've just barged in on you right then.
Maybe I'd have beat Tommy to the business then.
Yeah. Well...
Yeah, well.
What's wrong with you, anyway?
Oh, nothing. I just got things to do.
Listen, you better get on home, too.
What's wrong, Johnny?
I mean, you got a lot of OOTA money on you.
There were three guys who were mugged right outside this cafe just last night.
Oh, you're kidding? No. One guy's still in the hospital.
You better get on home.
Come on, Rocky. Why don't you get on home? Do what?
Well, I'm worried about you. I mean...
Now, look, Johnny, there ain't nothing gonna happen to me down here.
You don't have to worry. I know, but you got all that OOTA money.
Listen, I'll tell you what. Why don't we go on out the back
and I'll go with you?
I don't feel like going, yet. I know, I know.
Where did you park your truck?
Over by the warehouse.
Come on, I'll drive you over there.
Okay, Rocky. You get that $2,000 on home, get it locked up.
I'll call you tomorrow about that shuttle work.
Yeah, you get on home.
This guy came in here a couple of minutes ago. Old guy with dungarees on.
You talking about Rocky?
Rocky?
Joseph Rockford.
That's the guy. Where did he go?
I don't know.
He left out the back door with Johnny Lo Salvo.
Lo Salvo? Yeah.
Something wrong? Nothing.
SCHEIB: Your name Rockford?
Who wants to know?
What can I do for you?
We're looking for your old man.
(CHUCKLES) What did he do? Miss a payment on his truck?
Look, I got about $30 worth of steak in here.
If I don't get it in the freezer, it's gonna rot.
Do you gentlemen mind if I... Wait a minute.
Those are extra-large, double Grade A.
99 cents a dozen. I wish you hadn't have done that.
Your father isn't at his house. Where is he?
Well, offhand, I don't know where he is,
but you guys wanna come inside,
I'll see if I can find him for you.
(GRUNTS)
(GROANING)
Now, where is your father?
Why don't you guys go back to Disneyland and leave me alone, huh?
Where is he?
Hey, we got company.
Hitting the juice awful heavy for this time of day, ain't you, buddy?
Where do you live?
Why don't you go home and sleep it off?
Yeah, yeah, right, right.
I'll go sleep it off.
(JEEP ENGINE STARTING)
Come on, Rocky.
(RINGING)
Rocky?
"The usual.
"The usual. The usual."
Turning into a fossil.
I'm gonna have to spend more time with you.
Yeah. Hey, Bernie? This is Jim Rockford.
Is Rocky there?
Yeah...
No, I just thought he might be sitting in.
No, that's where I am now.
No, it's okay, Bernie, I'll talk to you later.
(CLATTERING)
L.J., what are you doing here? Hey!
Hi, Jim.
What're you doing here?
Huh? Take those damn things off!
(MUSIC PLAYING FROM HEADPHONES)
Hi, Jim. Oh. What you doing here?
Where's Rocky?
What you doing with the statue in your hand?
L.J., I get the idea we're not communicating.
I want to know where Rocky is, and I want to know right now.
What're you so upset about?
Look, I'm afraid something's happened to Rocky.
I come in here and the living room is a mess.
Huh? It is?
Well?
Don't look too bad.
Well, it is a sight untoward, but that ain't...
L.J., I got to find Rocky. Do you know where he is?
Why didn't you say so, Jim? He's probably where I left him at the Gearjammer.
I lost $10 to him at cards.
He told me he'd call it even
if I come over here and fix the sink.
So he give me the key and I come on over.
All right, L.J., you better collect your stuff and get out of here.
Whoever tossed this place may come back.
Somebody's out to get Rocky.
If I were you, I'd do it in a hurry.
Hey, Jack. Hey, how you doing, Jim?
I'm looking for Rocky. Have you seen him?
Sure, he was hanging around selling tickets.
You just missed him.
What's he selling?
Tickets for the OOTA ball.
Come on, Jack, what are you talking about?
It's the Owner-Operator Truckers' Association.
Hasn't he put the arm on you yet? No.
They're raising money to send a lobbyist to Washington.
You know, to fight the big fleets.
Rocky's one of the organizers.
Joseph Rockford, my father?
MAN: Hey, Jack! Yeah.
Listen, Jim, I'm busy. I got to go.
Yeah. Hey, listen. Do you know what time he left?
4:30 on the button, as usual. As usual?
It's Saturday afternoon, right?
Yeah, right.
What are you doing, Jack? They're tearing up the tables back there.
I got to go.
Do you know where he went?
Sure. The liquor store down the street.
If you hurry, you can still catch him.
Excuse me, I'm looking for my old man. Maybe you've seen him.
He's in his mid-60s, 5'9", 155 pounds?
He's got graying hair?
Afraid not. Sorry.
Oh, I hate to trouble you,
but they told me down at the Gearjammer's Tavern
that he was coming up here.
He's a retired truck driver, his name is Joseph Rockford. He's wearing a...
Rocky?
He was just in here. Why didn't you say so?
You walk in here, you start talking about a guy,
mid-60s, 155 pounds, 5'9", graying hair,
you expect me to think about Rocky?
Rocky's a friend.
So you're his boy? Yeah.
How nice meeting you, Jimmy. I've heard a lot about you.
Then you have seen him?
Yeah, he just left a few minutes ago.
Jimmy Rockford. How about that, huh?
I guess...
I guess Rocky's probably a pretty good customer, huh?
Oh, he doesn't buy that much.
No danger of his turning into an alky.
But he sure is regular.
Oh, yeah, he sure is. Yeah.
Good old Rocky.
He's been buying a bottle of champagne from me every Saturday afternoon
for as long as I can remember.
Champagne? Sure.
Nothing's too good for Mary Ramsey.
Mary Ramsey?
Yeah, you do know Mary, don't you?
Oh, yeah, yeah. Sure, Mary.
Well, if you're looking for Rocky, that's where you'll find him.
That is unless they've already gone out on the town.
Oh.
(SNAPPING FINGERS)
My mind is playing tricks with me. I just don't understand it.
I can't remember Mary's address.
It's...
(LAUGHING)
Have you got it?
(CHUCKLING) Mary's. Sure.
Ramsey, Ramsey.
Mary Ramsey.
4732 Glenhaven Terrace, Beverly Hills.
Glenhaven Terrace. That's...
I can't... Thank you very much.
(TIRES SCREECHING)
Hold it!
You, out!
You know, I've been in this business a long time.
I've run into a couple of guys that can stay with me.
They got a little sloppy doing it.
Nobody ever made it look easy.
I'd just like to say, it's an honor to be tailed by somebody
who can drive as good as you do.
Now get up on the roof.
Head down.
Your left front tire's a little low,
so if I were you, I'd have it checked.
I'll get the spare.
Forget it.
Lo Salvo? He's waiting for you.
Mr. Hammel.
You better have a good reason for coming here, Lo Salvo.
I want out.
What are you talking about?
I'm not gonna go through with it.
Don't be ridiculous. Of course you are.
Look, Mr. Hammel, I been hearing around the docks
you're leaning on Rocky.
Where did you hear that?
I heard!
When? It doesn't matter when I heard.
Look, I just want out. That's all.
Boy, you're a real bleeding heart, Lo Salvo.
Just because some old geezer's gonna get himself roughed up a little bit.
Yes, sir, but I don't think you're just talking about roughing him up,
'cause if you do that, you're gonna tip him and you ain't that stupid.
Now, the way I got it figured is you're gonna put him away for good,
and I can't stand still for that.
Look, Mr. Hammel, I'm just trying to make a buck like everybody else.
I don't wanna see nobody get killed.
Well, I'm not calling it off.
Look, Mr. Hammel, you kill a guy,
we're not talking about doing two or three years no more,
we're talking about spending the rest of our life in the joint.
Now, you may be that kind of a high-roller, but I sure as hell ain't.
Come on, Mr. Hammel. Why don't you call it off?
I mean, there'll be other times.
That's what your old man would've done.
Look, I'm sorry.
Yeah.
I'll see you, sir.
Goodbye, John.
You pulling out, Mr. Hammel?
(SCOFFING)
Are you kidding me?
Hello, Mrs. Ramsey?
Come on in.
Oh, I'm sorry to bother you,
but my name is Jim Rockford. Is my dad here?
Jimmy Rockford! Yeah.
What a surprise.
Oh, it's about time.
You know, Rocky's talked so much about you,
I just feel as if I've known you for years.
Yeah, well, I guess he isn't here, then?
No, no, he isn't.
He phoned just a little while ago to say he couldn't make it,
but he wouldn't say why, and that's not like him
'cause he hasn't missed one of our Saturdays for ages.
Mrs. Ramsey...
Ms. Ramsey, but you call me Mary.
Yeah, well, thank you.
Mary, I really have to find Rocky in a hurry.
Do you have any idea where he might be?
No, I don't. Is it anything serious?
Well, I'm not sure.
Well, obviously he's not at home. No.
You tried the Gearjammer? Yeah, yeah.
And everybody in his book I could reach.
Police? Hospitals? No. No.
It's too soon. He only called 20 minutes ago.
Well, when he called,
did he give you any indication that... No. What about Wilmington?
Wilmington?
(CHUCKLES) Rocky sure is close-mouthed, isn't he?
What's in Wilmington?
Oh, he's been working down there part-time on the docks
for the past couple of years, shuttling freight.
And moonlighting on his social security.
Oh, for cash when they needed extra help.
Yeah, well, where would I find him down at the docks? Do you know?
The man who hires him is a dispatcher
for Western & Pacific Trucking,
named Johnny Lo Salvo.
Hey, Chuck. How's it going? Hi.
Pretty good.
Memphis? Yeah.
How's the missus?
I'm gonna tell you, that's the last time
I spend a three-day layover at home, so help me.
Next time, I'm gonna get me a motel.
Have a good trip.
You bet.
Get ready. I got 2732.
He's approaching the curve.
Get it off to the side! Quick!
Over, pull it over, Mac. Over.
Pull it over or you die!
Out!
Come on. Get moving.
Get your feet off the ground.
Get in the van.
Hi, I'm looking for Johnny Lo Salvo. Pacific & Western.
Warehouse 13. Where's that?
Right through that gate. Center building.
Thank you.
Pull it over and get out!
Set the brake and get out of the cab.
Move your butt.
Get in the van.
Okay.
Where would I find the dispatcher?
He's on the other end. Okay. Thank you.
This is a hijack. Pull it over.
Set the brake and get out of the cab.
Hurry up, Mac, or I'll drop you right here.
Where do you want them?
Hey, Solly, how many more you got?
If you don't know, I ain't talking.
All right, wise guy. You wanna unload it?
(HORN BLARING)
Coffee break.
Johnny Lo Salvo around?
What, Johnny? Yeah, he was.
I guess he's on his break.
You wanna wait, he ought to be back in a minute.
Thank you.
You want some coffee?
No, no, no, I'll wait here.
Set the brake and get out of the cab. Go!
Come on, move it!
Hurry up, Mac, or I'll drop you right here.
Come on, get moving.
Get in the van.
Okay. Let's drive out of here.
Let's move out.
DISPATCHER: (ON RADIO) 10-4.
(CAMERA CLICKING)
That's good for me.
Guy's name was Lo Salvo, huh? Yeah.
If they'd taken their break two minutes later,
that guy would be on his way to Singapore by now.
We never would've found him.
Sure we would've.
When he got ripe enough.
But down in the hold of some freighter,
so by the time they found him,
there wouldn't have been much to find.
A nice variation of the concrete boots routine.
This trail of blood check out with the forklift operator?
Yeah, and as far as we can tell, he's clean.
Didn't know nothing about it.
What else have we got? Zilch.
Just a crate like any other, scheduled to go out tonight.
Where was it stacked?
Out on the dock.
Is this where it was? Yeah.
Well, it couldn't have been here very long.
Well, the ME says 15 minutes to half an hour.
What else have we got?
Garbage bin out here.
They dumped out the stuff to make room for the body.
Uh-huh.
Better have this checked out for prints.
Okay, Dennis.
You ought to take it home with you.
Look good on your mantel.
Any luck? No, nobody's seen him.
Lo Salvo called a friend of Rocky's a little while ago
to warn him to stay out of sight.
Did he say why?
Didn't have time. He got cut off.
That ought to give us a pretty good time of death.
Who was the friend?
Some lady Rocky's been seeing.
Mary Ramsey? Yeah, it's Saturday afternoon, isn't it?
Thanks, Sully.
Saturday afternoon, huh?
Dennis, there's something I wanna ask.
What is Rocky into? What're you talking about?
He's your father. If anybody knows what he's up to, you do.
Oh, yeah?
I'm only asking for his own good, Jim.
If we don't know what he's into,
it's gonna be very hard to help him.
Forget it.
Where does Rocky fit in?
He doesn't.
Then why were they looking for him?
Why did they rough you up?
And why was Lo Salvo trying to warn Rocky when they nailed him?
Just lay off, Dennis. If you know anything...
Lay off!
Now, come on. You know as well as I do,
Rocky isn't mixed up in anything.
Except trying to rip off Social Security.
Okay, okay, forget it.
I'm worried about him, Dennis.
Well, so am I.
Are you gonna put out an APB?
I can't do that. I got nothing to pick him up for.
Hey, who're we talking about? We're talking about Rocky.
Shapiro!
Yeah?
Put out an APB on Joseph Rockford.
I want him picked up for questioning.
You gotta be more specific, Dennis.
You know the Captain. What's the charge?
Suspicion of intent to defraud the Social Security.
You're kidding.
Just do it.
Thanks, Dennis.
Don't thank me. I got some questions I want to ask him.
Thanks, anyway.
Got the bugger!
Jim!
Oh, Jim! Jim!
Oh, I've killed him.
I killed my own son. Jimmy!
(GROANING)
Jim.
Oh, thank God. Can you hear me, Jimmy?
Can you hear me? What happened?
(STUTTERING) Well, I don't know,
I come in here, and you were laying on the floor.
Somebody beaned you, I guess.
Somebody?
Well, I...
I can explain. Here, let me help you.
Yeah, you don't need to explain, Rocky.
I came in and you hit me in the head with that skillet.
Well, it was an accident, though.
Oh, I'm sorry, sonny. You know I wouldn't have done it on purpose.
Rocky, what is going on?
There's a couple of very tall guys looking for you,
and now some guy named Lo Salvo got killed.
Lo Salvo dead? Oh, when?
Well, how long have I been out?
Oh, just a minute or so, Jim.
Then it happened a couple of hours ago.
Oh, Lo Salvo. Who done it to him?
Well, you're supposed to tell me, Rocky.
Hey, what're you doing?
Who're you calling?
This is Jim Rockford for Sergeant...
Hey, Dennis?
Dennis, I found Rocky.
Yeah, he's back, all right.
Yeah? Really?
Yeah... Yeah. Okay.
Okay, I'll bring him right down.
I got to take you downtown.
What for?
It seems that Dennis wants to know
about Johnny Lo Salvo.
You know, I don't understand, Rocky.
I just don't understand at all.
I get the poo beat out of me by a couple of gorillas,
I put a couple of 100 dimes in phone booths without hitting once.
I get better odds than that in Vegas.
I chase you all over town, you worry the hell out of me.
I have mobilized the entire police force of this town to find you,
and what do you do? You hit me in the head with a skillet.
Well, it's the only thing I could find.
Where've you been, anyway?
Well, I've been selling tickets for the OOTA ball.
You know, the Owner's Operative...
Yeah, yeah, I know, for the lobbyist in Washington.
Since when did you get mixed up in politics?
Oh, I... And there's something else.
What about these Saturday afternoons with Mary Ramsey?
How come I don't know anything about that?
Well, I didn't...
You've been carrying on with some lady for years,
and I don't even know about it.
Everybody else knows about it. But...
What about me? Am I something special? I didn't think that...
And you didn't tell me about working down at the docks, either.
What do you think? I'm gonna turn you in
for scamming on your social security?
Your own son. You don't trust me? I'm gonna declare it, Jim.
I try to defend you with the police department,
and if you think that's easy,
I find out I don't have any idea what's going on.
What's the matter with you? You leading a double life or something?
You Walter Mitty, huh?
What else you got going I don't know about?
You in the mob or something? What're you mixed up in? Huh? Huh?
Come on. Why are they trying to gun you down?
Don't just stand there, Rocky, say something.
They're after the money! What money?
The money I raised selling tickets for the OOTA ball.
I got almost $2,000.
I figured that's what they're after.
I got it on me. So I heard you pull up,
I figured they're coming back after me.
It was strictly self-defense.
Rocky, you're not leveling with me.
Honest.
Rocky, people like that do not devote
a whole lot of time and energy to ripping off $2,000.
$2,000 is what they get for rolling out of bed in the morning.
It's the truth.
People just don't get killed for $2,000.
Not by the mob!
Oh, hi, Charlie.
Friend of yours?
Yeah, he's a jerk. Don't let it bother you.
I'm sorry. You can't go in there. That's temporary C.P.
I got to see Sergeant Becker, it's important.
I told you, you can't go in, so get lost.
What's your name, please?
You want my badge number, too?
No, it's okay.
You better take it. If you're gonna file a complaint against me,
you really ought to take it.
Would it ruin your day to take Sergeant Becker a message for me?
That depends.
Just tell him Jim Rockford and his father's here.
You want to take a seat?
You know, I like Dennis, but the rest of these yuks got no manners at all.
Oh, you're too rough on them, sonny. You wanna be careful.
Those guys can really make it tough on you.
What're you guys, the second string?
What's it to you?
Hi, Jim. What's new?
Hey, Charlie. What, are the flashers running in packs now?
Flashers, he says.
Hijacked, and left them stripped to slow them up.
Six of them in two hours.
I never saw anything like it.
All from the same line.
Pacific & Western?
Hey, where'd you hear about it?
Well, P & W gets hijacked,
and Johnny Lo Salvo, who works for P & W,
gets knocked off the same day.
Now all we need is a connection between Rocky and Johnny Lo Salvo.
Very good. You know, you'd make a pretty good detective.
Hey, Rocky.
Come on, I got to talk to you.
See, right here, this will show you what we're trying to do,
and it's things that every truck driver ought to get involved in.
Plus, it entitles you to two passes to the grand ball,
plus a crack at the door prize,
which just happens to be an Acme sleeper. Here.
Now, see, this'll show you more...
Do I look like I got any place on me to carry $5?
Well, I... Rocky.
ROCKY: Wait a minute, now.
Do you believe him? Sure.
Sure, don't you?
Yeah. But there's still got to be a connection.
Well, there ain't.
Okay, go home. We'll try again tomorrow.
Oh, there's one other thing.
I put an APB out on you, Rocky.
Oh, yeah.
Suspicion of ripping off your social security.
How did he know about that? I told him.
You... You bet.
Well, I guess I got to close that case.
Got to file it.
Oh, no, wait a minute, here. Look...
Dennis, Dennis, maybe I was mistaken.
Maybe you were mistaken?
I just might withdraw the accusation.
You might?
Well, there's a reward for turning in that sort of thing.
I'd hate to pass up a reward.
How much?
Dinner.
I was gonna turn it in. I was honestly gonna report it.
We know that, Rocky, but do they?
Dinner, huh?
Yeah, and I pick the restaurant.
(TYPEWRITER CLACKING)
Dennis, looks like I made a mistake.
What's new?
You had dinner?
Now that you mention it, no.
You wanna do the lobster?
At 3:00 in the morning? Everything's closed.
Oh, don't worry. I know a place.
ROCKFORD: Yeah, what kind of place?
ROCKY: You'll like it. It's a nice place.
They got lobster?
Well, sure.
What kind of lobster?
Lobster lobster.
Rocky.
Lobster bisque.
Canned?
Fresh canned.
No way.
Oh, come on, now. Lobster's lobster.
Quit trying to welch.
Okay, get in.
Well, we don't have to.
It's right around the corner. We can walk.
Oh, oh. Forgot my keys.
(GLASS SHATTERING)