[Mr6x]

Garner was a Korean War veteran who was injured twice, once by friendly fire. I think he did alot of stunts too.

[unruhjonny]

I believe he did ALL his own stunts in the show, and it actually wrapped up when it did because it was taking a toll on him.

This is a fun discussion.

[John V.]

The Rockford Files pilot was the one with Robert Donley as Rocky.

The pilot originally aired by NBC on March 27, 1974 as a 90 minute made for TV film and was titled The Rockford Files.

When it went to syndication, the pilot movie was split into two approximately 50 minute shows, so they used some filler. This two part episode was given the title Backlash of the Hunter.

After the pilot originally aired, the episodic series was then picked up by NBC for the fall '74 season.

The pilot featured the '74 Esprit, same as for the fall '74 first season.

But in syndication, stock footage was added to fill the time of the now two part pilot. Several driving down the road stock scenes filled up some of that extra time.

In Part 1, a '75 Firebird is seen 3 times and a '76 (or later) is seen once. Obviously those scenes were not in the original pilot movie.

The first time you see the '74 Esprit is about 5 minutes in when the scene shifts to Rockford's trailer, in the pilot it is on Ocean Blvd.

Part 2, a number of scenes from Part 1 are replayed to get it started, including the opening murder scene. The answering machine bit, same one as Part 1, then plays followed by the opening, identifying the actors, etc. All this added fluff totals over 8 minutes before the episode finally continues with what would have been the last 35-40 minutes or so of the TV movie.

In the last 15 minutes Rockford chases the bad guys into the desert from Vegas with his client Lindsay Wagner. Always in the '74 Esprit. The bad guys then escape in an airplane. Rockford then explains to her that he figured out what happened. The bad guys then come back and start buzzing the Firebird and shooting at them as Rockford bounces and swerves across the desert sand.

It is hard to be sure of the model in every scene since they are shot long range from the air, but always a '74 when you can make it out. But with about 9 minutes remaining suddenly you see the Firebird without a rear window. It is still the '74 at that point.

Subsequent scene the glass is back in place then seconds later missing again, and then once again back in place and then out again. But always a '74.

With under 8 minutes to go, Rockford parks it and he and Wagner bail out. You can see the Esprit badge on the rear quarter as he exits the car in a close shot but not the bumpers.

But the the camera pulls back as they begin to run toward the front of the car and you can see the chrome rear bumper marking it as a '71-'73 with High Back Buckets in view (so not a '70).

The plane then shoots at the stopped Firebird and from a longer range shot of the rear of the car it explodes in flames. No way for me to know, but makes sense that it is the just parked older model that they blow up. You only see the rear for a fraction of a sec before it erupts in flames. Rockford then shoots the plane with his handgun, spilling fuel. The bad guys make an emergency landing and as they run from the plane it of course explodes in flames while the bad guys get thrown by the blast.

The show then wraps over the last few minutes with a few typical Rockford comedic scenes tossed in and no other view of the blown up 'bird.

So the pilot definitely featured the '74 Esprit. If you noticed the chrome rear bumper on the car that was blown up near the end in the fractions of a second it was visible without slo-mo replay and knowing to look for it, you'd have to have pretty incredible eyesight!

The missing rear glass in some of the desert chase scenes is curious. Wonder if the glass broke while bouncing the car across the desert at some mid point and the mish-mash of in vs out was due to editing the chase with scenes out of sequence (as opposed to using two '74s filmed from the air which I doubt).

I'll continue to look for other early 2nd gens in the episodes. If anybody knows of a particular episode to check out for one, let me know.

Jonny, I agree this is a fun discussion!