8.1/10326 votes#1 - Beamer's Last Case
Season 4 Episode 1 - Aired 9/16/1977
Rockford returns from vacation in Puerto Rico to discover someone has been using his identity, his trailer and totaled his Firebird. And that's just the beginning of his problems...
Director: Stephen J. Cannell
Writer: Stephen J. Cannell
7.4/10289 votes#2 - Trouble in Chapter 17
Season 4 Episode 2 - Aired 9/23/1977
Jim is reluctantly drawn into being bodyguard for a famous author, who believes her popular book on the perfect wife is the cause of death threats against her.
Director: William Wiard
Writer: Juanita Bartlett
7.7/10284 votes#3 - The Battle of Canoga Park
Season 4 Episode 3 - Aired 9/30/1977
Jim finds himself in an explosive situation when the gun he hides in his cookie jar is used in a murder.
Director: Ivan Dixon
Writer: Juanita Bartlett
8.0/10297 votes#4 - Second Chance
Season 4 Episode 4 - Aired 10/14/1977
When the life of Gandy Fitch's (Isaac Hayes) girlfriend is in danger, he turns to Rockfish for help.
Director: Reza Badiyi
Writer: Gordon T. Dawson
8.3/10307 votes#5 - The Dog and Pony Show
Season 4 Episode 5 - Aired 10/21/1977
Helping a young woman with a history of mental illness leads Jim into crossing paths with the Mob and federal intelligence.
Director: Reza Badiyi
Writer: David Chase
7.7/10303 votes#6 - Requiem for a Funny Box
Season 4 Episode 6 - Aired 11/4/1977
A washed-up comedian finds out about a Mob family member's secret, and gets Jim in trouble by framing him for a murder.
Director: William Wiard
Writer: James Crocker
8.1/10348 votes#7 - Quickie Nirvana
Season 4 Episode 7 - Aired 11/11/1977
Rockford ends up regretting allowing an eccentric hippie woman to use his address temporarily, when her ex-boss sends a pair of thugs after her to retrieve some money he put in her care.
Director: Meta Rosenberg
Writer: David Chase
7.7/10320 votes#8 - Irving the Explainer
Season 4 Episode 8 - Aired 11/18/1977
Rockford gives himself a headache trying to solve the connection between a 30 year old murder, a valuable missing painting and Nazi Germany.
Director: James Coburn
Writer: David Chase
8.1/10294 votes#9 - The Mayor's Committee from Deer Lick Falls
Season 4 Episode 9 - Aired 11/25/1977
Jim is hired by some small-town businessmen to help them buy a fire engine; they really want him to assassinate someone who could bring the IRS down on them.
Director: Ivan Dixon
Writer: William R. Stratton
8.3/10292 votes#10 - Hotel of Fear
Season 4 Episode 10 - Aired 12/2/1977
Accidently witnessing a murder makes Angel Martin the police's prime witness in the trial of the murderer.
Director: Russ Mayberry
Writer: Juanita Bartlett
7.6/10273 votes#11 - Forced Retirement
Season 4 Episode 11 - Aired 12/7/1977
Beth's old college friend is in trouble when her company that is developing an submersible robot explorer becomes the target of some shady businessmen. Jimmy Joe Meeker comes to her rescue.
Director: Alexander Singer
Writer: William R. Stratton
8.3/10306 votes#12 - The Queen of Peru
Season 4 Episode 12 - Aired 12/16/1977
The RV family from hell decides to set up camp next door to Jim's trailer, just when he's got the recovery of a stolen diamond on his mind.
Director: Meta Rosenberg
Writer: David Chase
7.8/10265 votes#13 - A Deadly Maze
Season 4 Episode 13 - Aired 12/23/1977
Jim is unwittingly involved in a bizarre experiment when hired to find a man's missing wife.
Director: William Wiard
Writer: Juanita Bartlett
7.9/10276 votes#14 - The Attractive Nuisance
Season 4 Episode 14 - Aired 1/6/1978
An unexplained break-in at Rocky's new diner has connections with the FBI fifty years ago.
Director: Dana Elcar
Writer: Stephen J. Cannell
7.2/10257 votes#15 - The Gang at Don's Drive-In
Season 4 Episode 15 - Aired 1/13/1978
An author suffering from writers block tells Jim he thinks he has the next best seller in an old murder case from 1961.
Director: Harry Falk
Writer: James Crocker
7.9/10268 votes#16 - The Paper Palace
Season 4 Episode 16 - Aired 1/20/1978
A prostitute (Rita Moreno) hires Jim to find out who has been sending her death threats.
Director: Richard Crenna
Writer: Juanita Bartlett
7.8/10287 votes#17 - Dwarf in a Helium Hat
Season 4 Episode 17 - Aired 1/27/1978
A threat to the wrong phone number has Jim scrambling to find out who it was meant for.
Director: Reza Badiyi
Writer: Stephen J. Cannell, David Chase
7.7/10269 votes#18 - South by Southeast
Season 4 Episode 18 - Aired 2/3/1978
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.
Director: William Wiard
Writer: Juanita Bartlett
8.6/10316 votes#19 - The Competitive Edge
Season 4 Episode 19 - Aired 2/10/1978
Jim winds up in a funny farm when he gets too close to the truth about an elite health club.
Director: Harry Falk
Writer: Gordon T. Dawson
7.7/10241 votes#20 - The Prisoner of Rosemont Hall
Season 4 Episode 20 - Aired 2/17/1978
When the son of an old friend goes missing, Jim goes to the young man's college to try and find out what happened.
Director: Ivan Dixon
Writer: Stephen J. Cannell, David Chase
8.7/10361 votes#21 - The House on Willis Avenue
Season 4 Episode 21 - Aired 2/24/1978
When a fellow P.I. is killed on the Ventura freeway, Jim and Richie Brockelman team up to find out if it really was an accident.
Director: Hy Averback
Writer: Stephen J. Cannell
NaN/100 votes#22 - The House on Willis Avenue
Season 4 Episode 22 - Aired 2/24/1978
Part two of episode. Originally aired as 1 2-hour episode.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of The Rockford Files Season 4
Every episode of The Rockford Files Season 4 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Rockford Files Season 4!
Cranky but likable L.A. PI Jim Rockford pulls no punches (but takes plenty of them). An ex-con sent to the slammer for a crime he...
Genres:CrimeDramaMystery
Network:NBC
Season 4 Ratings Summary
"Beamer's Last Case" is the best rated episode of "The Rockford Files" season 4. It scored 8.1/10 based on 326 votes. Directed by Stephen J. Cannell and written by Stephen J. Cannell, it aired on 9/16/1977. This episode is rated 0.7 points higher than the second-best, "Trouble in Chapter 17".