1. police chase
   lighting a cigarette
2. playing an answering machine message

Rockford's answering machine opened each episode of the show, letting viewers know right away that the detective was pretty down on his luck. Usually, the message came from a debt collector or other source of bad news, and the message was almost always unrelated to the plot of the episode.

1. David
   James
2. Michael

James Rockford went by Jim, Jimmy or even Jimbo, depending on who was addressing him.

1. James Garner
   Tom Selleck
2. Clint Eastwood

Before he starred on "The Rockford Files," James Garner played a stylish Wild West gambling man on "Maverick," from 1957 to 1962. The two series shared many of the same producers and creative minds.

1. New York
   Dallas
2. Los Angeles

The show took place in Los Angeles and the surrounding area, with Rockford living in a run-down trailer near the beach in Malibu.

1. true
2. false

Rockford maintained a careful distance from the police department in his work as a private investigator. He mostly took on cold cases so that he wouldn't get in the way of the LAPD as they worked to solve an active case.

1. true
2. false

Before he became a private investigator, Jim Rockford spent years locked up at San Quentin for a crime he didn't even commit.

1. $25 per day
   $99 per day
2. $200 per day

PI Rockford famously charged $200 per day plus expenses for his services. While he may have seemed broke, that daily rate was not exactly chump change back in the 1970s when the series aired.

1. Pontiac Firebird
   Dodge Charger
2. Plymouth Fury

Rockford chased bad guys in his Pontiac Firebird Esprit -- really a Formula model modified to look like the cheaper Esprit. Producers needed the Formula model to handle the stunt driving on the show, but knew that viewers wouldn't believe Rockford could afford the more expensive car.

1. Becker
   Crocker
2. Williams

Even the best PI needs someone on the inside to help him with official information. For Rockford, that source was LAPD Sargent Dennis Becker, played by Joe Santos.

1. truck driver
   police officer
2. chef

Joseph "Rocky" Rockford was a truck driver -- mostly retired, but still willing to take on certain jobs -- who wanted nothing more than for his son to settle down and find a more stable career than sleuthing.

1. Killer
   Mad Dog
2. Angel

Evelyn "Angel" Martin was Rockford's cellmate during his time in San Quentin. The two remained friends after release, and Rockford often used Angel to help him solve cases.

1. shoe store
   school
2. newspaper

Angel's less-than-legal activities threatened his parole at times, as well as his job as a file clerk at the local newspaper. Fortunately, the paper was owned by Angel's brother-in-law, which made it a lot more difficult to get fired.

1. in his coat pocket
   in a cookie jar
2. in a shoulder holster

Rockford preferred to investigate cases without a weapon most of the time. Often he left his gun in the cookie jar at home.

1. Tom Selleck
   Burt Reynolds
2. Lee Majors

Rockford wasn't too fond of rival PI Lance White, played by Tom Selleck. While White had many fans on the show, Rockford felt that the PI was dangerous due to his lack of experience and naivety.

1. judge
   lawyer
2. prison guard

Gretchen Corbett played Beth Davenport, who was both attorney and casual girlfriend to Rockford. Davenport often hired Rockford to help her investigate her clients when she was trying to crack tough cases.

1. Becker
   Rocky
2. Angel

In one of the show's most memorable episodes, Dennis Becker from the LAPD winds up entangled in a timeshare scheme, and he needs help from Rockford to get out of the deal before he gets in any further. Rockford pretends to strike oil on the property, making it easy for Dennis to unload the property back on the unscrupulous sellers.

1. Jimmy-R
   Rockfish
2. Detective Man

Rockford spent time at San Quentin with "The Hammer of C Block" Gandolph Fitch, better known as Gandy. Played by Isaac Hayes, Gandy calls his buddy Rockfish and enlists his help in proving Gandy is innocent of the murder of his girlfriend -- the crime that sent him to San Quentin.

1. private investigator
   lawyer
2. gangster

Played by Louis Gossett Jr, Gabby Hayes is a parole officer turned private investigator. He has a much more flashy style than Rockford and usually wears elaborate disguises. He relies on a chauffeur to transport him from case to case.

1. stolen painting
   missing child
2. counterfeit money

Rockford lands in hot water in the season two finale after his ex-girlfriend asks him to hold onto some papers -- which turns out to be wads of counterfeit money.

1. Angel
   Rocky
2. Becker

In yet another of his elaborate cons, Angel needs Rockford's help after he tries to marry a woman named Regine as part of a scam to score some quick cash.

1. severed finger
   white powder
2. cash

Rockford is perplexed when Rocky receives large amounts of cash through the mail in the season three finale. Turns out, the money is marked -- which is bad news for Angel, who already stole some of the cash.

1. Mexico
   France
2. Puerto Rico

In the season four premiere, Rockford returns from a trip to Puerto Rico only to learn that someone has stolen his identity -- and lived in his house, spent his money and totaled his car.

1. Richie Brockelman
   Lance White
2. Simon Oakland

After pairing up with Rockford to solve a case in season four, the young PI Richie Brockelman got his own spinoff show in 1978.

1. gold
   corn
2. sausage

Rocky takes a job delivering sausage when his truck is mysteriously forced off the road in the season five premiere. The sausage company's spokesperson, a country singer, holds the clue to solving the case.

1. gold
   graveyard
2. a car

In the season six premiere, Rockford discovers that a stash of gold bars was hidden under his trailer in Paradise Cove more than half a century ago.

1. Rita Hayworth
   Joan Fontaine
2. Lauren Bacall

Famous film actress Lauren Bacall starred as Kendall, a woman who Rockford is trying to keep from being murdered in the season six episode of "The Rockford Files."

1. Hawaii
   Tahiti
2. Jamaica

Rockford is thrilled to win a vacation to Hawaii in season six. Turns out, the trip is really just a plot by an old Army buddy seeking Rockford's help solving a case for the CIA.

1. 3
   5
2. 8

"The Rockford Files" was still so popular after the series was canceled that producers made eight more films to continue the story. The TV movies ran from 1994 to 1999, starting with "I Still Love L.A.," ending with "If It Bleeds, It Leads."

1. Rita
   Marie
2. Dana

Rockford is hired to help old friend Rita Capkovic -- who is both a former prostitute and police informant -- after her husband is accused of rape in the 1999 film, "If It Bleeds, It Leads."

1. 4
   6
2. 8

"The Rockford Files" ran for 122 episodes over six seasons, from 1974 to 1980. James Garner's bad health -- which was partially attributed to performing his own stunts -- was blamed for the show's cancellation.