The Rockford Files

The Rockford Files (1974)

88 continuity mistakes in season 1 - chronological order

(6 votes)

Exit Prentiss Carr - S1-E5

Continuity mistake: The nasty policemen pull Rockford over. A woman with black hair, a blue jacket and a brown bag is walking from left to right. Later in the scene, when Police Lt. Earl Furlong says Rockford tried to burn them with the Chief, the same woman is walking in the same path and place. (00:16:00)

Sammo

Exit Prentiss Carr - S1-E5

Continuity mistake: When the two officers threaten Rockford for putting them in bad light, Police Lt. Earl Furlong has the collar of his shirt perfectly tucked in during the wider shots, but parts of it overlap the right lapel of his jacket in close-ups. (00:16:05)

Sammo

Exit Prentiss Carr - S1-E5

Continuity mistake: Rockford checks out of the receipt from the liquor store. In close-up he folds it neatly and places his thumbs on top. In the medium shot that follows, his thumb is tucked in between two folds. The paper does not look the same either, with a more yellow color. (00:22:35)

Sammo

Exit Prentiss Carr - S1-E5

Continuity mistake: Rockford intercepts the liquor store delivery for Carr. He then buys himself some time at the front door not to tip off the delivery guy about him not being the actual homeowner. When it cuts to a long shot, the bill note is gone from the paper bag. (00:26:15)

Sammo

Exit Prentiss Carr - S1-E5

Continuity mistake: Escaping the bare-bellied killer in his truck, Rockford drives through an industrial site (lumber yard, turns out). A worker dives out of the way. Then there's a close-up of James Garner vigorously turning the wheel, but in the shot showing the road, the truck actually goes ahead a few meters still, perfectly straight, before the turn occurs. (00:41:40)

Sammo

Tall Woman in Red Wagon - S1-E6

Continuity mistake: Rockford gets a grazing bullet wound to the right of his skull; he puts his hand to his right temple and had it been the left side, he would have been dead, looking at the angle. But in the rest of the episode turns out that he was shot in the left temple after all. (00:03:30)

Sammo

Tall Woman in Red Wagon - S1-E6

Continuity mistake: Sandra is explaining to Rockford pyramid as a "copywriting word." She puts on the table the glass, but she repeats the same gesture at the cut. Similar mistake later, when he explains his need for a "professional arrangement." Her hand is limp in midair by the glass, firmly around the glass at the cut. (00:05:25)

Sammo

Tall Woman in Red Wagon - S1-E6

Continuity mistake: When Rockford gets "damn tired" of the pursuer and builds speed in reverse, the guy in the car reacts right before the cut moving the right hand away from the wheel to switch gear. In following shots though, he is still being slow, frozen with both hands on the wheel and only after another while coming to his senses and attempting to put the vehicle in reverse as well. (00:23:50)

Sammo

Tall Woman in Red Wagon - S1-E6

Continuity mistake: Stoner is getting his train ticket. Two guys get theirs before he does and take a seat. One has dark shades and a dark green pattern shirt, the other a hat and a yellow shirt. Those guys make their exit in the background when Rockford is on the phone with Joe Baron Jr, two times several seconds apart. A girl with a teal dress was also in their first shot and she as well leaves at least two times. (00:27:40)

Sammo

This Case Is Closed - S1-E7

Continuity mistake: Rockford speeds up to shake off the guy that is following him. They both take a sharp turn, but the pursuer almost collides with another car. Next time Rockford's car is shown after that, the driver is wearing just a red shirt, not Rockford's houndstooth jacket. (00:05:30)

Sammo

This Case Is Closed - S1-E7

Continuity mistake: Rockford rear-ends an unsuspecting fella that is paying the parking. He moves the car in the wide shot (he has to, the whole point is that he's pushing the car out of the way and bypassing the bars), but in the close-ups of the guy the car hasn't budged an inch. (00:05:40)

Sammo

This Case Is Closed - S1-E7

Continuity mistake: Jim got the address of the car and realises it was a fellow private detective who was following him. He then goes to answer the door. He opens it looking straight forward in the first shot, but in the reverse angle he is foolishly looking away allowing the goons to surprise him. (00:10:55)

Sammo

More mistakes in The Rockford Files

Beth Davenport: And Jim, try to be nice.
Jim Rockford: Are you kidding? You don't mouth off to anything that big. He looks like 190 pounds of gristle.

More quotes from The Rockford Files
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