In Pursuit of Carol Thorne

"In Pursuit of Carol Thorne" is classic Rockford Files material. It features a classic convoluted Rockford Files plot with twisted characters, double-crosses, and a lot of wit. It is lighthearted and not too heavy as some of the later episodes are. Well-written characters and excellent acting. Lynnette Mettey is great in this episode.

This is a somewhat complicated and convoluted episode that works well despite some weak spots.

It works well because of a skilled and talented supporting cast and a decent script. The woman that plays "Carol Thorne",a lady named Lynette Mettey, does a fine job with her part,she is undeniably talented and I think she is very attractive. I am surprised that I don't remember seeing her in a bunch of other tv shows or movies. (It is most-likely that I have a faulty memory,because if this is a typical example of her work she was plenty talented-enough to write her own ticket in my opinion).

The camera-work /cinematography was top-notch as in all Rockford-files episodes-these shows were pretty-much hour-long movies and great ones at that!

This episode might not be the very-best of the Rockford files episodes but it is indeed pretty dog-gone good in my opinion.

Check it out and see a very-good early episode.

A lighter, change of pace episode - no one's been murdered, or threatened; rather, the focus is finding some loot - with subpar writing for the series, unfortunately. Uninteresting and unrealistic characters who behave inexplicably at times just to move along the plot.. Also, if you're going to do a more comical episode don't have so many characters aiming guns at each other. The biggest negative, though, is that Rockford doesn't get to figure anything out and is almost a passive spectator at times. Unacceptable. On the plus side, Garner has good chemistry with the lead actress, who is a familiar face to those of who watched TV in the 70s (her IMDb bio says she was in a lot of commercials).

Jim Rockford's case involves him putting a tail on Lynette Mettey as she's released from prison and making her acquaintance and getting in her good graces. It might involve a little romance, but nice work if you can get it.

Mettey was involved in a holdup of a Marine payroll outside Camp Pendleton and of course the serial numbers were recorded which makes it impossible to trace. But there's a nice finder's fee for returning the stolen cash. James Garner may be in line for a piece of it, but from exactly who? Mettey or one of her partners which include Robert Symonds, Jim Antonio or Bill Fletcher.

I did love Symonds in this story, the granddaddy of con men who may have tutored Angel Martin. His act pretending to be Antonio's father with Irene Tedrow as his mother was a pip. Later on he fools some local police pretending to be Jim Rockford.

Nicely done, especially a doubly ironical ending.