Dwarf in a Helium Hat
Rockford is trying to get some sleep after a long drive home after working a case in Colorado, when he receives a mysterious phone call. Someone tersely informs him that if he looks out his window, he'll see that his dog is dead, & the Lansing girl is next. Before Jim can say anything, like letting them know they have the wrong number, they hang up. Now Jim can't go back to sleep; he keeps thinking about what will happen now that the person who the message was meant for will never get it. He drives to the police station but his pal Becker is out. Lt. Chapman rakes Jim over the coals for always coming around & using the police resources. The two exchange barbs: Chapman commenting on how "Jimbo" rhymes with "Bimbo", & Rockford replying that Chapman's comedic talents are being wasted at the station, he should be on the Tonight Show. Chapman has Rockford thrown out of the station.
Back at the trailer, Jim can't get the phone call out of his mind. Even though Rockyshows up & tries to get him to help out with an errant plumber, Jim can't think about anything else. He looks up his own name in the phone book, & sees that the name right above his is a J. Rockfeld. On a hunch, he drives to Rockfeld's house in Hollywood (this was back when everybody's address was listed in the phone book). When he gets there no one's home, but sure enough, there's a dog sprawled out on the lawn, in bad shape. Jim picks the wounded pup to the vet & drives him to the vet. Turns out to be a case of poisoning.
Jim rushes back to Rockfeld's house just in time to catch two well-dressed thugs attacking a girl on the front porch. Guessing that she's "the Lansing girl", he jumps in to try & help. The two goons are getting the better of Jim until the girl drives them off with a rake (this was back when rakes were those long flat iron claw-like thingies). Sure enough, her name is Julie Lansing, & she's late to meet Rockfeld at a party. Jim tags along.
The party is an all-night high-class shindig, ending with a raffle at dawn, where the winners take a chartered bus to the airport & get on a plane to Paris. It's hosted by a British rock star named Keith, who is pushing a piano into the swimming pool when they show up. They find Rockfeld drinking on the bus out front. He turns out to be a very disagreeable character, who isn't concerned about his dog or Julie's safety. He's mad at Julie for not bringing his suitcase; he was trying to fix th raffle so he can get out of town before whoever's threatening him can make good.
It's too late; the two torpedoes show up at the party. Jim starts the bus up & drives off, with the two goons in chase. He can't outrun them but is able to lure them into a narrow alley in downtown LA, where he stops the bus & gets out, leaving them trapped behind him. Back at his trailer, Jim learns what the problem is...Rockfeld, the spoiled son of a drapery-mogul in the valley, is a party-planner for the Hollywood elite. His last jaunt was for a mobbed-up would-be actor, who ended up getting stuck with the tab & wants revenge. He's been cut off by his parent's, & rock-star Keith won't help him out either. Rockford wants nothing more to do with it, & sees an irate Rockfeld & a grateful Julie to the door.
That night, Jim gets another phone call. Same caller, same wrong number, & once again they hang up before he can explain. This time they say they have Rockfeld's sister. Jim finds Julie, who helps him track down Rockfeld's parents in Sherman Oaks. They're on a cruise in Mazatlan, but rush back to the States when they hear the news. They give Rockford & Rockfeld the money, the two head for the exchange at the bus station. Jim drops Rockfeld off & follows the gangsters when they pick him up & drive to a rent-a-car office nearby. In the car, the hood angrily explains to Rockfeld that the money is inconsequential, it's the humilation of everyone thinking that he threw himself his own party. Now Rockfeld's time is up..."This is one party you don't come home from."
They herd Rockfeld into one of the rent-a-cars for the long drive to wherever they've decided to kill & bury him. As they're driving off the lot, Jim jumps out of his Firebird & slams the parking lot fence in front of their car, which plows through it & crashes when the fence gets caught under their wheels. Jim rushes them & is able to disarm them before they regain their senses.
Back at his trailer, Jim, Julie, & the now recovered dog are breathing a collective sigh of relief. Rockfeld is throwing another party, financed by someone else this time. It's a theme-party, based on rock-star Keith's songs. Rockfeld is going as a "Dwarf in a Helium Hat", one of Keith's early singles. He needs his dog for the costume of another party-goer. Rockfeld leaves, but not before stiffing Jim for the vet bill. The dog doesn't want to leave, but Rockfeld drags him out by the collar. The dog promptly bites him & runs back into Jim's trailer.
Oddly enough, this one had Lt. Chapman but no Becker. The bus-chase was a nice spin on the car-chase theme. This was also one of those adventures of Jim's that had nothing to do with a paying client, just him being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Back at the trailer, Jim can't get the phone call out of his mind. Even though Rockyshows up & tries to get him to help out with an errant plumber, Jim can't think about anything else. He looks up his own name in the phone book, & sees that the name right above his is a J. Rockfeld. On a hunch, he drives to Rockfeld's house in Hollywood (this was back when everybody's address was listed in the phone book). When he gets there no one's home, but sure enough, there's a dog sprawled out on the lawn, in bad shape. Jim picks the wounded pup to the vet & drives him to the vet. Turns out to be a case of poisoning.
Jim rushes back to Rockfeld's house just in time to catch two well-dressed thugs attacking a girl on the front porch. Guessing that she's "the Lansing girl", he jumps in to try & help. The two goons are getting the better of Jim until the girl drives them off with a rake (this was back when rakes were those long flat iron claw-like thingies). Sure enough, her name is Julie Lansing, & she's late to meet Rockfeld at a party. Jim tags along.
The party is an all-night high-class shindig, ending with a raffle at dawn, where the winners take a chartered bus to the airport & get on a plane to Paris. It's hosted by a British rock star named Keith, who is pushing a piano into the swimming pool when they show up. They find Rockfeld drinking on the bus out front. He turns out to be a very disagreeable character, who isn't concerned about his dog or Julie's safety. He's mad at Julie for not bringing his suitcase; he was trying to fix th raffle so he can get out of town before whoever's threatening him can make good.
It's too late; the two torpedoes show up at the party. Jim starts the bus up & drives off, with the two goons in chase. He can't outrun them but is able to lure them into a narrow alley in downtown LA, where he stops the bus & gets out, leaving them trapped behind him. Back at his trailer, Jim learns what the problem is...Rockfeld, the spoiled son of a drapery-mogul in the valley, is a party-planner for the Hollywood elite. His last jaunt was for a mobbed-up would-be actor, who ended up getting stuck with the tab & wants revenge. He's been cut off by his parent's, & rock-star Keith won't help him out either. Rockford wants nothing more to do with it, & sees an irate Rockfeld & a grateful Julie to the door.
That night, Jim gets another phone call. Same caller, same wrong number, & once again they hang up before he can explain. This time they say they have Rockfeld's sister. Jim finds Julie, who helps him track down Rockfeld's parents in Sherman Oaks. They're on a cruise in Mazatlan, but rush back to the States when they hear the news. They give Rockford & Rockfeld the money, the two head for the exchange at the bus station. Jim drops Rockfeld off & follows the gangsters when they pick him up & drive to a rent-a-car office nearby. In the car, the hood angrily explains to Rockfeld that the money is inconsequential, it's the humilation of everyone thinking that he threw himself his own party. Now Rockfeld's time is up..."This is one party you don't come home from."
They herd Rockfeld into one of the rent-a-cars for the long drive to wherever they've decided to kill & bury him. As they're driving off the lot, Jim jumps out of his Firebird & slams the parking lot fence in front of their car, which plows through it & crashes when the fence gets caught under their wheels. Jim rushes them & is able to disarm them before they regain their senses.
Back at his trailer, Jim, Julie, & the now recovered dog are breathing a collective sigh of relief. Rockfeld is throwing another party, financed by someone else this time. It's a theme-party, based on rock-star Keith's songs. Rockfeld is going as a "Dwarf in a Helium Hat", one of Keith's early singles. He needs his dog for the costume of another party-goer. Rockfeld leaves, but not before stiffing Jim for the vet bill. The dog doesn't want to leave, but Rockfeld drags him out by the collar. The dog promptly bites him & runs back into Jim's trailer.
Oddly enough, this one had Lt. Chapman but no Becker. The bus-chase was a nice spin on the car-chase theme. This was also one of those adventures of Jim's that had nothing to do with a paying client, just him being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
posted by I. P. Frehley at 12:51 PM
2 Comments:
see now thats good tv! Nothing like seeing L.A. as it was back then. TV from the 70 and 80s feel more like historical docments when it includes locations you know and recognize.
Yep...that's the best part of living here. Well that & seeing Angelyne driving around town.
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