This Blog's #1 Internet Search Question - What was the location(s) of Jim Rockford's beach front trailer and office?
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The address is 28128 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu CA (Paradise Cove Beach Cafe)
ABOVE PHOTO: In the first year of filming the ROCKFORD FILES the house trailer used by Jim Rockford was parked directly next to Malibu's Tonga Lei Restaurant & Lounge which was once located at 22878 Pacific Coast Hwy. Malibu, Calif. 90265 456-6444. This location was actually right on Pacific Coast Highway unlike the later location which was well off Pacific Coast Highway.
Tonga Lei was a popular Malibu restaurant and motel right on PCH in scenic Malibu, and operated from the '60s probably into the '70s, when it became a Don the Beachcomber.
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ABOVE AND BELOW PHOTO CREDITS: http://laobserved.com/malibu/ Los Angeles Observed
Veronique
The outdoor grill located on the beach where Jim Rockford had parked his trailer had several names during the run of the TV series. In this episode the grill was called CASA TACOS.
Veronique
...except in the episode Claire. There the trailer is in a third spot. I've speculated that this third spot, for that one episode, is in Santa Monica at the location of the former Ocean Park Pier.
ReplyDeleteOcean Park Pier
I just watched this episode and it is Paradise Cove...
DeleteWhat about episode 11??? With Joan van ark
DeleteHi --
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! Also, that's my uncredited photo of the Cove sign, via flickr.
Thank you Veronica
DeleteOS there a site.like this for Mannix ???
DeleteAnother shot for you to post if you like: the site of Jim's trailer in Paradise Cove as it looks today:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.flickr.com/photos/38952296@N00/14530794757/in/photostream
Great Show
DeleteThanks! Visiting there now!!
ReplyDeleteNo sign of Jim or Rocky!!
They have departed from the living world but alive spiritually
DeleteSuzanne Somers was at the beginning of a episode where Jim was in France first few minutes she was a beautiful girl he had picked up she gets out of his car over there and goes inside his rented place there. Anyone have that footage?
DeleteJill Clayburgh was also in that episode. It is season 1, episode 10, The Big Ripoff. You can catch it for free on IMDb TV.
DeleteThe France scenes with Suzanne Somers were filmed on the Universal Studios backlot.
DeleteI remember seeing the trailer and watching some filming while taking my dear Mother to lunch there at Jimmy MacDonald's ??? at Paradise Cove Pier. We also went there to dinner a few times. Good food & good view!!
ReplyDeleteHe actually lived in a nice house out Kentner Caynon. I used to occasionally pick up his housekeeper as she started her walk down to Sunset to get her bus after a day of work. She always spoke highly of James Garner. I was coming down from Crestwood stables where my daughters kept their horse. - Louise Brown
Sometime after the series finished, some guy somehow got the concession for that trailer, which he was permitted to leave there in the parking lot on Cove Road. He did up the inside so that it looked exactly like the interior of Jim's trailer in the show (the interiors of course were not shot there--who knows what the trailer interior really looked like), complete with cookie jar containing the gun and other nifty details. The admission price to go in, look around, and hear the guy's spiel was $3.00. (He was a real Rockford fanatic and so did a pretty good presentation.) I was there in 1984 in connection with an employment-related visit to Pepperdine University, about six miles or so east of Paradise Cove. Several people came and went during the 20 minutes or so I was there, which, if that is any indication, the guy was doing pretty well. I have no idea how long that lasted, except the next time I happened to be in the area with time to drive down to Cove Road, the trailer was gone. That was several years later.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this blog. I used the info and Google Earth to find the 2 sites having been afan of the Rockford Files since the 70s. I have been looking forward to driving down Pacific Coast Highway and finding the parking spots for 40 years and this year I did it. I have pics but can't see a way of posting them! Malibu pier is great, but a word of warning if you drive down to Paradise Cove they will hold your car to ransom and you can't get it out till you pay €40. You have been warned, look on TripAdvisor. Thanks again Ian.
ReplyDeleteIan you can e-mail those photos to ROCKFORDLOCATIONS@live.com and I will post them.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Mr Garner , I love your shows.im comming from Atlanta. About a year ago i wished tv would rerun Rockford files and they did! Awesome
ReplyDeleteDidn't get into Rockford until I had a broken ankle and ruptured quad and started watching. Of course I love anything with a Cali connection, the ratted out trailer Malibu beach, is right up my alley. My only regret is I didn't watch hardly any of these shows in the 70's. That reallife time frame coincided with my mating urges, so not much time for comedy-dramas.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow I was in Cali in April and only got as far as the Hurst Castle. Next time on to 2654 PCH.
Hearst.
Deleterockford files rock!!!!
ReplyDeleteSame location as the cover art for The Beach Boys' Surfin' Safari album, right?
ReplyDeleteWhere are you Rockfish ? Place is not the same anymore...Paradise cove looks like a tourist trap ...Sandcastle no more...
ReplyDeleteWATCH OUT for the Rockford gang
ReplyDelete.
I can't find them anywhere..
ReplyDeleteWhat great reading ...I'm from IRELAND and loved the series it's also fantastic to see then and now photograph's. ..is there a site to view some more?
ReplyDeleteROCKFORD_GANG.com
ReplyDeleteCheck it out !
Thanks for the info. Right now I'm watching "This Case is Closed" (season 1 episode 5) and I can't recall an episode that was filmed in so many locations.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great work!
Oops. meant to write season 1 episode 9. ;-)
ReplyDeleteToo cool. My husband and I are also watching part 2! We love Rockford! But we were wondering what the name of the restaurant was that he had a taco with Sharon Gless-near the Malibu Pier? It's just so fun looking at the scenery back then too!
ReplyDeleteTaco Casa or CasaTacos, I think
DeleteWas watching The Rockford Files marathon on Hallmark Channel tonight. Love the show. Jimmy was smart funny and badass when he needed to be. Reminds me of my father.
ReplyDeleteWhich episode featured the "Rockford gang" ?
ReplyDeleteThe one with Electric Larry
DeleteThe pleasant and delightful ingredients of The Rockford Files that made it so successful and endearingly appreciated by so many to this day seem to be missing in most television programming these days, in my humble opinion. I'll take reruns of these older programs with REAL ACTORS ACTING, and out and about ON LOCATION "back when" over any of the junk force-fed to viewers nowadays, ESPECIALLY RIDICULOUS "PRIME TIME CARTOON SITCOMS!" Is there ANYBODY out there "with me," please?
DeleteQuit whining.
DeleteNice Blog Post !
ReplyDeleteI got my new 19 inch wide by 12 high TV yesterday at the Sears sale in the dead mall named Fiesta Mall and turned it on and my most favorite show in the whole wide world came on, "Rockford Files" with Jim and the staff. I love the show on COZI and will watch it forever .... www.pbase.com/orangecones 15,000 photos online since 2002.
ReplyDeleteI told you guys to watch out for the Rockford gang !#
ReplyDeleteChicago?
ReplyDelete...I hate it.. You can keep it
You might get a kick out of this. I've been watching through some old TV shows recently, including Rockford Files. I got to the episode with Casa Tacos and decided this little taco stand needs merchandise. So I redrew the logo and added it to some products on my RedBubble store. Super niche, but I love stuff like this.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.redbubble.com/people/nerdlunch/works/30315984-casa-tacos?asc=u
Was that the one with Angel Martin?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete‘Is there anything you won’t do for money?’ ‘I won’t marry for it or kill for it, other than that, I’m open to anything’ love the wit!!
ReplyDeleteGrew up with jim rockford and hope to visit Paradice cove before i leave this life.Made my youth that little bit more pleasent.
ReplyDeletefun blog! thanks for doing it!
ReplyDeleteSuch a big part of my early TV viewing.
ReplyDeleteI have a 1959 Nashua House Trailer that I am hoping to sell to some excited fan.
I distinctly remember watching The Rockford Files in its original NBC run, particularly the later seasons, when I was a child. I was mostly intrigued with Rockford's Firebirds since I was really into automobiles as a child. As an adult watching the show, I could really value the great stories, the writing, direction, the acting, the cast and the production quality. There wasn't one bad episode of The Rockford Files ever made. James Garner was a fabulous actor. With his stunning looks and lofty presence, not to mention his seamlessly versatile acting, no other actor could've played the Jim Rockford character like Mr. Garner portrayed it. I love The Rockford Files not only for its nostalgia, but because the show had impact. The 70's was the greatest decade for detective dramas, and The Rockford Files is one of those gleaming gems from that golden era in television.
ReplyDeletePontiac Firebird 500
DeleteA great glimpse into Los Angeles as it existed in the 70’s
DeleteHow many episodes featured Vern StClaire ?
ReplyDelete3 episodes..last being.
DeleteNICE GUYS FINISH DEAD
DeleteHis name is Vern St. Cloud in the series. Simon Oakland played him. A popular character actor I remember from that time period. Some trivia. "The most interesting man in the world." was in at least one episode. He played a mobster type. He was much younger but I recognized him even without the beard. "Stay thirsty my friend." lol I had an older cyber friend from Norman, OK. where Jimbo is from originally. She was married to a Hollywood B actor (forgot his name)
ReplyDeleteWhat episode was that?
ReplyDeletei always wondered how his water/sewer were connected so he could live in there but in tv fantasy world nobody every bathes or uses the bathroom. he would have had to make some weird arrangement with whoever owned the parking lot to park the trailer there and run a hose to the trailer and empty the tanks somewhere. eww. i know there are trailer parks in nice places but you can't just park a trailer by itself in a place like that. even as a kid i never understood how he could live there.
ReplyDeleteI wonder where the trailer/office is now?
ReplyDeleteIn La La Land
DeleteIn the can of Pepsi that you had yesterday.
DeleteLucky for you, today we're going to save your day. AZipCode.com, as the name suggests, is here to tell you the Zip Code of your device's current location.
ReplyDeleteRE: Episode that Suzanne Somers was in
ReplyDeleteThe Rockford Files (1974–1980)
EPISODE: The Big Ripoff
TV-PG | 50min | Crime, Drama, Mystery | Episode aired 25 October 1974
In response to the comments by Federalist about the Rockford trailer tours, I visited there in 1987 (my best friend’s grandparents owned one of the trailers seen in the back of the cove near the entrance). Jim’s trailer was gone, a powerful winter storm had washed away most of the pier, and the Sand Castle had been renamed “The Charter House”. I wonder how many names that restaurant has had over the years. When was it built. Anyone know?
ReplyDeleteAmazing the jack in the box is still there.
ReplyDeleteI ate at the then Sand Castle Jan 1988. My first and so far only time in Paradise Cove. Most of the pier was destroyed in a Feb 1983 storm that I recall specifically reading about and it mentioned the pier seen in episodes of the Rockford Files
ReplyDeleteI was a professional tour caddy on the LPGA tour from 1986 to 96 I meet James Garner in Glendale California he was playing in a Pro-Am always loved the show he was the nicest guy you could ever meet I have watched him act all my life Maverick all is westerns Rockford it was so cool Richard
ReplyDeleteLoved the show. Too bad they didn't tried to make a spinoff show based around Angel Martin. Now that would of been a funny show.
ReplyDeleteI have been a fanatic of the series since s1 ep1 and I am currently watching it beginning from the beginning on Peacock...a friend of mine used to let me borrow his gold firebird, very much like Jim's, back in the late 70s and I would race around Hollywood pretending, go ahead and laugh, I was having a blast...he kind of reminded me of me, the little guy, who could take care of himself when he needed to, but somehow always got the lump of coal in his Christmas stocking but somehow and most of the time made a diamond out of it..."Walk away sonny, I'm in a bad mood and if you don't walk away now I'm going to make you eat the rest of those tennis balls for breakfast" (I might be paraphrasing)...but me being me and always the watchful eye I have already saw some goofs, as there always is in everything you see and hear on tv, so jotting them down and will report these glitches to the proper authorities (hot tip: buy IMDB)...so gotta go because it's on pause right now and it's just getting interesting, thanks for reading and have a great day...tainbey
ReplyDeletei had just left the marine corp in 1974 wen the series becane n i own the whole collection on dvd now along with the 4 movies they made in the 90s . i was a tractor trailer driver wen i went back to baltimore md. n uyse to deliver paper towels n other paper products to an la county whse. n wen i got laid over i would drive over to the first location at the restarant on pch. i would ask the staff wen they were shooting and it was always in the early summer for fall saesons renewal . ive always said jim gardner was 1 guy i would love to hav had a beer with. wen rockford ended i became a magnum fan but gardner will always be my favorite actor. and the rockford files will always be my favorite show of all time . cbs blew it with remakes of magnum n im glad they never revived the show with vince vahn.
ReplyDeleteThere’s no doubt that I still love this show. I enjoy watching Rockford Files on Roku. It reminds me of those days in the late 1970’s staying over my grandparents house. Here’s to those days because they were good days for sure. Angel was a great sidekick to Rockford too. He also helped along with Rocky in making this a great detective show. Thanks for posting the above information on the whereabouts of Jim’s trailer. Some things a fan must know.
ReplyDeleteI watched the series during its original run in 1974. I fell in love in with the girls on the beach in the opening theme. The shot used to go by so fast that I could only tell that it was one girl in a bikini and somebody else. But it still made my heart jump every time I saw it.
ReplyDeleteNot surprisingly, I eventually forgot about it for decades before running into the show on Roku a week or so ago. I videoed the opening theme on my phone and then replayed it back slowly. By doing that I could tell that it was actually two girls sunning themselves on the beach. I wonder if those two girls ever knew that they were the ones in the opening theme. If anyone knows anything about this I would certainly like to hear about it.
Houston, TEXAS
I was mistaken--I looked again and the one on the far side was a guy. Funny to think that they're probably great grandparents now...
ReplyDeleteSo what address do I give the cab? I'm confused. Coming from Australia
ReplyDeleteUnknown said...
ReplyDeleteSo what address do I give the cab? I'm confused. Coming from Australia
April 6, 2022 at 12:51 PM Delete
The address is 28128 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu CA (Paradise Cove Beach Cafe)
What pier is used for the final still shot of Rockford looking up in the opening credits, with his dad Rocky laughing behind him. They're fishing.
ReplyDeleteLOST TV LOCATIONS, PART II: MALIBU’S PARADISE COVE PIER IN HARRY O, THE ROCKFORD FILES, AND MORE
ReplyDeleteby Karen A. Romanko
Paradise Cove in Malibu, CA, a privately-owned beach with a restaurant, pier, and lots of history, has been the setting for hundreds of film and television productions across the decades. The cove made frequent appearances in The Mod Squad (1968-1973) and The A-Team (1983-1987), and more recent productions, such as The Mentalist (2008-2015) still make use of its relative seclusion for location shoots. It is probably best known, however, as the setting for The Rockford Files (1974-1980), since that’s where private investigator Jim Rockford (James Garner) parks his beat-up mobile home, unintentionally bringing gunshots and bad guys into this idyllic enclave.
Paradise Cove once had a 600-foot-long pier, which is shown to stunning effect in the series Harry O (1974-1976), although Harry’s residence is said to be in Santa Monica. (We locals know better.) In the scene below from “Double Jeopardy” (1975), hard-boiled P.I. Harry (David Janssen) is fishing on the beach with the pier and mountains to his left, while a woman will soon be murdered on his right.
Harry Orwell (David Janssen) with Paradise Cove Pier to his left. (Love the cutoffs, Harry!)
Jim Rockford makes use of the Paradise Cove Pier too, although the scene in the opening titles of The Rockford Files, where Jim fishes with his dad Joseph “Rocky” Rockford (Noah Beery, Jr.), actually takes place at Malibu Pier, not Paradise Cove. (Clearly lots of fishing and private-investigating in 70s Malibu!)
The Rockfords (James Garner and Noah Beery, Jr.) at Malibu Pier
Alas, the original 600-foot pier that Harry and Jim had enjoyed at Paradise Cove did not stand the test of time. Devastating El Niño storms split the pier into two pieces in January 1983, as seen in the photo below, and about 400 feet of the pier was eventually lost.
Devastation at the Paradise Cove Pier, 1983. From the University Archives Photograph Collection, Pepperdine University
Today what remains of the pier is once again open to the public, providing panoramic views of the ocean from Palos Verdes to Point Dume, but it is not the magnificent beast it was in the days of Harry Orwell and Jim Rockford.
Paradise Cove Pier, August 2019. © Karen A. Romanko
To visit Paradise Cove, including Paradise Cove Beach Café, the beach, or the pier, find your way to 28128 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu, CA. Parking at the cove is PRICEY, a little less so with validation from the restaurant. Or, you can follow hapless Harry's example and take the bus.
If you want to know the type of person that William F. Kazupski, the person that owns/runs this site look no further than this:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.bettergov.org/news/race-baiting-cop-blogger-goes-underground
I was in 1984 in LA during the Olympics Games of that year but the show was not created yet but remember the Malibu beach as any surfer in those times. I ran the beaches of Malibu, Santa Monica pier and Venice very well known in those years for the hippies, Harry Krishnan or what ever was written. What a wonderful ERA were those places and the movements surges. Conditions Loupper, Madonna, etc.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find hysterical are the car chases where, right in the middle of the chase, Jim goes from driving the two headlight Firebird model to the four headlight Firebird! You can catch these blunders if you look close enough. You can also tell by the twin tailpipes when he’s driving the higher end model car.
ReplyDeleteGarner was a big fan of car racing (he formed his own racing team which is depicted in a documentary about it) and he smoked cannabis often according to his autobiography.
ReplyDeleteIs there a cheaper place to park nearby and walk in to the area where the trailer was located?
ReplyDelete