Original Airdate: April 1, 1977
Written by: David Taylor
Directed by: Stuart Margolin
While Rocky is away on vacation in Hawaii, envelopes stuffed with hundred dollar bills are arriving at his house. The money has two groups very interested. Federal agents Steiner (Wesley Addy) and Wolf (Joshua Bryant) regard it as evidence in a mob case they’re prosecuting in Las Vegas, one where an undercover agent has already been killed while working as a courier. Meanwhile mob employees Dearborn (John P. Ryan) and Blake (John Chappell) need to retrieve the money for obvious reasons.
Jim gets further involved when he finds the money while looking through Rocky’s bills. Angel, in deep with local usurer Electric Larry (Roger E. Mosley), steals a couple of the hundreds and exchanges them for smaller bills at a bank. Since the serial numbers are on a list, this attracts the attention of the FBI, and of course Angel rolls on them. Jim engages in a high-stakes gambit to make things right, also involving both Electric Larry and his enforcers Harry Smick (Martin Kove) and Jud Brown (Victor Argo).
Tropes present in this episode include:
- Addled Addict: Implied with Electric Larry. While intimidating he’s also erratic and distractable, while the golden razor he wears around his neck seems more suited to cutting lines than threatening people.
- Combat Pragmatist: While at Electric Larry’s gym, Jim gets forced into a boxing match with a fighter who has just knocked his opponent out cold. Jim is big and tough but unmatched, so he blinds both the other boxer and Electric Larry with talcum powder and runs out.
- Description Cut: After Jim calls Beth in on the case she says that she hopes Angel doesn’t say anything to get Rocky into trouble. Jim assures her that Angel isn’t an idiot and will keep his mouth shut until his lawyer—her—gets there. Cut to Angel in custody, eagerly throwing both Rockfords under the bus.
- Hawaiian-Shirted Tourist: Rocky is dragged back from his vacation because of the charges against him, and wears a blue Hawaiian shirt in most of his scenes.
- Jurisdiction Friction: Steiner and Wolf lean on Becker for information and cooperation, but it’s entirely a one-way street.
- Loan Shark: Electric Larry, of course. He has a high rate of interest and lays out very threatening terms.
- Mr. Smith: Dearborn and Blake both use the pseudonym “Jones” when leaning on Rockford, even claiming to be brothers. They don’t care if he believes them or not.
- Playing Both Sides: Heroic version. To get his father and himself out of trouble he manipulates loan shark and mobsters into acting against each other, culminating in a partial shootout.
- Poverty for Comedy: Tapped out and in debt, Angel goes to a barber college for a free haircut.
