Mistaken identity by federal agents has Jim being sent to South America to help them contact a heiress, who has been isolated by her possessive husband.Mistaken identity by federal agents has Jim being sent to South America to help them contact a heiress, who has been isolated by her possessive husband.Mistaken identity by federal agents has Jim being sent to South America to help them contact a heiress, who has been isolated by her possessive husband.
- Joseph 'Rocky' Rockford
- (as Noah Beery)
- (credit only)
- Dennis Becker
- (credit only)
- Jorge Sanchez
- (as Isaac Ruiz Jr.)
- Emiliano Rivera
- (as Eric Mason)
- Bodyguard
- (as David Pansari)
- Hotel Operator
- (as Yolanda Marquez)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe episode takes place in 'Tecolote', a word from Nahuatl, in several Central American countries for 'owl'.
- GoofsThe Lear 23 that Rockford flies in shows an agent standing straight up in the cabin. The Lear 23 had an interior dimension of 4' 4", much too narrow to stand up in.
- Quotes
Jim Rockford: This is Jim Rockford. At the tone leave your name and message, I'll get back to you.
Bill Skelly: [Beeep] Bill Skelly with EyeCo. Like to interest you in some new private detection equipment, including the 440-A Telephonic Bug. We'll demonstrate it in a friend's home for one full week - at no charge.
- ConnectionsReferences North by Northwest (1959)
And soon enough Federal agents whisk Jim down to South America, along with a phony passport for him, to make contact with a heiress, who is being sequestered by her poor, domineering husband. The setup is contrived - especially as the second consecutive episode with this story entry point - and Rockford never straight up says, "I'm not who you think I am," before the situation escalates outside his trailer and he is on the private jet.
A riff on spies mixed with cases of mistaken identity, ala North By Northwest, should be a slam dunk at this point in the run when it was a dependable story engine for much of the episodes. So why does this feel so dire? Garner delivers and has great chemistry with Dorrie Kavanaugh. But, it never rises to the scale as it should for such a story.
Mexico is represented as an abandoned building off a airstrip, the Mexican street set on the Universal Backlot and a derelict bus that inexplicably picks up Jim and Christine and a few watering holes. The great Juanita Bartlett does what she can here, but it is clearly a rush job, defined by end of season budget restrictions, and the resources ready and available (and possibly by the upcoming feature-length season finale).
I'm imagining this episode taking place at the beginning of a season when it could have been finely tuned and it's all the more revealing and disappointing.
- SgtLennon
- Aug 9, 2021
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