Backlash of the Hunter
- Episode aired Mar 27, 1974
- TV-PG
- 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
Jim helps a woman whose father was murdered, after LAPD abandoned the case.Jim helps a woman whose father was murdered, after LAPD abandoned the case.Jim helps a woman whose father was murdered, after LAPD abandoned the case.
Luis Delgado
- Luis Delgado
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaBill Quinn, who plays the drunk who gets murdered, also appears in three other Rockford episodes; two as a judge: Pastoria Prime Pick (1975) and The Dog and Pony Show (1977); one as a tycoon who hires Rockford on White on White and Nearly Perfect (1978). NOTE: Quinn is Bob Newhart's father-in-law.
- GoofsWhen Jerry goes to Gazzarri's, he is seen standing at the bar. However, it is the same bar that he was at in the previous location, The Mayfair Theatre, where he was waiting for Rockford to come out of the bathroom.
- Quotes
Jim Rockford: You know what's wrong with karate Jerry? It's based on the ridiculous assumption that the other guy will fight fair.
- Alternate versionsSyndicated repeats are split into two parts, with an alternate opening sequence that features the series' title card over a shot of Rockford's mobile home with the answering machine message, regarding Lt. Chapman's birthday, playing in the background. This opening removes any shots of Noah Beery as he does not appear in the episode.
- ConnectionsFollowed by The Rockford Files: Deadlock in Parma (1980)
Featured review
I'm surprised the network picked up the series after watching this pilot.
"Backlash of the Hunter" is the pilot episode for "The Rockford Files" and like many pilots, it's movie length. But I was surprised when I saw it because although the first 80-90% of the show was great, the final portion was godawful! I can only assume they liked the on-screen chemistry and style of the show...even though the ending was just bad.
Lindsay Wagner plays a woman whose wino father was murdered. She wants to hire Rockford to investigate this and Rockford is hesitant to take the case. However, eventually the trail leads to an heiress. But how can an heiress and the murder of a seeming stranger be related?!
The problem with the ending is this. Rockford and his client follow the trail to a place in the Nevada desert. There, the baddie boards a plane and he begins shooting at the pair with a machine gun. Eventually, he hits the car and it just explodes (something cars VERY rarely do in real life). But this isn't the really bad part. Rockford, armed with a snub-nosed pistol, manages to shoot down the airplane and the machine gunner somehow manages to hit neither of his targets!! I can only assume the network folks and folks who made the show had no idea how guns work....but this was at best a one in a million shot!! To me, this was just dumb and sloppy. If you can ignore this ending, the show is quite good.
Lindsay Wagner plays a woman whose wino father was murdered. She wants to hire Rockford to investigate this and Rockford is hesitant to take the case. However, eventually the trail leads to an heiress. But how can an heiress and the murder of a seeming stranger be related?!
The problem with the ending is this. Rockford and his client follow the trail to a place in the Nevada desert. There, the baddie boards a plane and he begins shooting at the pair with a machine gun. Eventually, he hits the car and it just explodes (something cars VERY rarely do in real life). But this isn't the really bad part. Rockford, armed with a snub-nosed pistol, manages to shoot down the airplane and the machine gunner somehow manages to hit neither of his targets!! I can only assume the network folks and folks who made the show had no idea how guns work....but this was at best a one in a million shot!! To me, this was just dumb and sloppy. If you can ignore this ending, the show is quite good.
helpful•65
- planktonrules
- Feb 21, 2023
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Filming locations
- Simi Valley, California, USA(Driving to Las Vegas, wedding chapel shooting, car and plane chase)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
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