Rockford as Godfather to the Sopranos
jcollins25
'Rockford': the godfather of 'Sopranos'
By Renee Graham, Globe Staff, 9/3/2002
wo Jersey guys - filled with criminal ambition but as dumb as rocks - concoct a
plan to make an impression on a local mob captain. They take it upon themselves
to whack a friend who abused a woman, who also happens to be the crime boss's
kin. This, they believe, will prove their willingness to do the ultimate, to
show they're no-nonsense, stand-up guys. Of course, it all goes wrong, and soon
the mob boss, fearing he'll be fingered for the crime, is after them for
bringing these problems to his door.
If this sounds a lot like an episode of HBO's ''The Sopranos,'' it is - and it
isn't. It's originally from ''The Jersey Bounce,'' a 1978 episode of NBC's
''The Rockford Files.'' (In that show, one character even talks about his
cousin Carmela back in New Jersey.)
A similar plot line was resurrected for ''Full Leather Jacket,'' a
second-season ''Sopranos'' episode where Tony's nephew Christopher is shot and
nearly killed by a couple of Mafia wannabes eager to, as one says, ''get ahead
in this world.'' They target Christopher because he slapped his girlfriend,
Adriana, the niece of hotheaded mob captain Richie Aprile. The episode was
written by Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess.
Yet lest one conclude that ''Sopranos'' writers are scrounging around classic
TV for fresh ideas, that ''Rockford Files'' episode was written by David Chase,
creator of HBO's brilliant mob drama, which finally returns for its fourth
season Sept. 15.
(In the ''Sopranos'' pilot, Chase gave props to his ''Rockford'' roots. As
Tony, Carmela, and the kids toured the Green Grove retirement community with
Tony's mother, Livia, the familiar bounce of the ''Rockford Files'' theme
played on a nearby television.)
Chase was 31 when he joined ''Rockford'' as writer and producer in 1976. He
didn't create the Emmy award-winning detective drama starring James Garner or
its quirky characters - that was Stephen J. Cannell and Roy Huggins. Chase
didn't join the show until its third season, and he wrote fewer than 20 of the
show's 123 episodes. But it's where he sharpened his gifts for creating complex
characters and juggling punch lines and pathos in his scripts.
Even within the restrictive structure of 1970s network crime dramas, Chase
always had an eye toward more than just nabbing the bad guys within the
allotted 60 minutes. His scripts pulsed with an undercurrent that usually went
beyond simply solving the crime of the week. With Chase's episodes, one always
needed to look closer to see the depth of a character's emotional tumult. He
wrote exceptionally strong female characters - certainly, the antecedents of
Carmela, Dr. Melfi, and Livia - and always emphasized the show's drama as much
as the crime.
Still, as with the Sopranos, Chase excelled on ''Rockford'' with sharp-tongued
gangsters and thugs who were often as funny as they were frightening. It was a
refreshing change for '70s TV, where most criminals were bland, cardboard
villains.
In ''To Protect and Serve,'' a two-part episode from 1977, two New York hit
men, sent to Los Angeles to kill the runaway girlfriend of a mob lawyer, have
as many difficulties negotiating the peculiarities of Southern California as
they have finding their target. In an especially funny exchange, they lament
the horrors of California pizza. Bending a slice that looks like a piece of
linoleum, one complains, ''It's all cheese. Where's the tomato sauce? This
ain't a pizza, it's a grilled cheese sandwich.'' It wouldn't be hard to imagine
the same words coming out of the mouth of Paulie Walnuts or Silvio Dante.
And in a 1977 episode, ''The Dog and Pony Show,'' a mobster wrestles with what
to do with his schizophrenic brother-in-law, who's also a hit man. ''Why is
this family visited with mental illness?'' he says. (In ''To Protect and
Serve'' and ''The Dog and Pony Show,'' the pizza-particular mobster and the hit
man, respectively, were played by George Loros, who now portrays mob boss
Raymond Curto on ''The Sopranos.'')
In a TV Guide poll earlier this year, both ''The Sopranos'' and ''The Rockford
Files'' were voted among the 50 best TV shows ever. Without question, ''The
Sopranos'' owes a great deal to such classic gangster films as ''The
Godfather,'' ''Donnie Brasco,'' and especially ''GoodFellas.''
But the seed that would bloom into the much-acclaimed New Jersey-based drama
was initially planted in Malibu - a primary setting for the ''The Rockford
Files'' - where Chase first displayed the creative pizazz that still
reverberates and resonates today.
Renee Graham's Life in the Pop Lane column appears on Tuesdays
Righter
The Sopranos is right now, in light of the first episode of season four
coming out next Sunday, and the excruciatingly long wait for it, TRF
couldn't ask for a better booster.
Russ
Adam H. Kerman
>By Renee Graham, Globe Staff, 9/3/2002
>Two Jersey guys - filled with criminal ambition but as dumb as rocks -
>concoct a plan to make an impression on a local mob captain. They take it
>upon themselves to whack a friend who abused a woman, who also happens to
>be the crime boss's kin. This, they believe, will prove their willingness
>to do the ultimate, to show they're no-nonsense, stand-up guys. Of course,
>it all goes wrong, and soon the mob boss, fearing he'll be fingered for
>the crime, is after them for bringing these problems to his door.
>If this sounds a lot like an episode of HBO's ''The Sopranos,'' it is - and it
>isn't. It's originally from ''The Jersey Bounce,'' a 1978 episode of NBC's
>''The Rockford Files.'' (In that show, one character even talks about his
>cousin Carmela back in New Jersey.)
My theory: These two characters are so horrid that they simply deserve to be
killed time and again. I hope Chase feels really guilty.
RNeill22
>From: jcoll...@aol.com (jcollins25)
>
>I found this story in the Boston Globe:
>
>
>'Rockford': the godfather of 'Sopranos'
>
Great article! Thank you for posting this.
RN
bcnmason
"jcollins25" <jcoll...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020903104809...@mb-mb.aol.com...
> I found this story in the Boston Globe:
>
>
> 'Rockford': the godfather of 'Sopranos'
That was an interesting read, and thanks for taking the time to post it all.
Brian
Bill Anderson
Here's a copy of a message I posted to this NG on Feb. 4, 2000...
Bill Anderson
----
Rockford Files/Soprano connection
For those who don't know, the HBO series "The Sopranos" has been a big
hit. The executive producer of the show, David Chase, originally got his
start on the Rockford Files.
I don't have cable but I acquired a copy of all the "Sopranos" for the
first season. I figured this show to have Rockford connections -- I just
didn't realize how strong they were there. David Chase has drawn
liberally from the Rockford Files! The characters have been updated and
take on behaviors that are consistent with the show, but it's there.
Here's a recap:
-----
Tony Soprano -- The main character in "The Sopranos". This character is
clearly patterned after the George Loros character "Anthony Boy" Gaglio
on the Rockford Files.
As efficiently, caring, and yet brutal manner that Tony Soprano runs the
crime family those qualities mean nothing when trying to keep his home
life in order. Tony's mother is particularly adept at grinding him to a
pulp (That actress is wonderful!). His kids are scared of him -- after
all, they have heard rumors and can add two and two for themselves. His
wife wants a "normal" home life with no money worries but she'll only
get one of her wishes.
If this sounds like the episode "The Man Who Saw The Alligators", well,
it's no coincidence. George Loros as Anthony Boy is brutal (we saw that
side of him on "To Protect And Serve"), has a very quick temper, and
family problems, especially with his mother.
Both Rockford episodes "The Man Who Saw The Alligators" and "To Protect
And Serve" were written by David Chase. Also note that the characters
have the same first names.
----
Tony Soprano goes to see a psychiatrist in the first scene of the first
show. Almost (if not all) every show in the first season has a scene in
her office where she is in session with Tony. Offhand, I don't remember
her name. She's attractive, professional and perceptive. In her office
she's cool and steely under pressure. At home, however, she's vulnerable.
Does this sound like Megan Dougherty in "The Black Mirror" and later on
in "Love Is The Word"? It should. It's clear the character is based on
the attractive, cool under pressure but vulnerable at home psychiatrist
on the Rockford Files.
Megan is watched. So is the psychiatrist on "The Sopranos". Jim Rockford
falls in love with Megan Dougherty. Tony Soprano says he loves his
therapist in one episode.
It should come as no surprist that "The Black Mirror" and "Love Is The
Word" were written by David Chase.
----
Tony has a cousin(?) named Christopher who is also in the mob. He wants
to be a player but he's too young and inexperienced -- Tony could be his
father. He (Christopher) has some ambition, certainly has loyalty but
doesn't know where to channel it. He's wishing to be on top more so than
doing anything about it. He tries his hand at record producing ("Only
Rock 'N Roll Will Never Die?" -- another David Chase script) with his
girlfriend but is a complete failure at it. He tries his hand at writing
a script but can't do that either.
If this sounds a lot like Eugene Conigliaro on "The Jersey Bounce" and
"Just a Coupla Guys", it should. Christopher is clearly patterned after
this character. Eugene Conigliaro commits a murder to impress a mob
boss. So does Christopher. Both are two bit hustlers wanting to get in
on more of the action. Eugene deals in hair dryers, Christopher deals drugs.
"The Jersey Bounce" and "Just a Coupla Guys" were both written by David
Chase.
----
Here's some other Rockford connections:
First episode -- Tony takes his mother to a retirement home. The
Rockford Files theme music is playing out of one of the doors.
Second episode -- One of Tony's henchmen says in an auto body shop,
after being given a license plate number on a sheet of paper "I'm
f***ing Rockford over here."
Fourth episode -- George Loros (of Anthony Boy fame) is introduced as
Raymond Curto. It's not clear to me what role he plays (the tapes I
borrowed have terrible sound) but he appears to be a relative (uncle?),
formerly in the mob, now retired. He shows up at family events and doles
out a word or two of advice when asked.
For the first season he's seen several times but for right now it's
clearly a minor role. I have a suspicion that it could change as the
shows progess...
Eighth episode -- We see the psychiatrist's former husband in this
episode. Her husband is a proud supporter of Italians and
Italian-Americans, played by Richard Romanus.
Does that name sound vaguely familiar? He played Sean Innes, the playboy
on "A Three-Day Affair With A Thirty Day Escrow". He also appeared in
one of the new 2 hour Rockfords. You shouldn't be surprised at this
point that "A Three-Day Affair With A Thirty Day Escrow" was written by
David Chase...
Thirteenth(?) episode -- We see a TV show where there's a district
attorney talking about mob arrests. His name, captioned below, is "Gene
Conigliaro".
Comments anyone?
Adam H. Kerman
>Here's a copy of a message I posted to this NG on Feb. 4, 2000...
Ah! I thought that all sounded familiar.
Tony DeAngelo
Chase had a series on HBO, and thinking it was really cool that he gave
a nod to TRF. Although I initially really liked Sopranos, I eventually
grew tired of it, and I have a few theories as to why.
1. It seemed like after a while I was watching a soap opera. You could
miss episodes and come back and nothing really happened.
2. The characters are well-developed and complex, but for the life of
me there were none that I really rooted for all the way. I can take
"Messers Long and Canigliaro" in small doses, but I can't pull for them.
My God, I couldn't wait for Mrs. Pynchon to die!
3. No Vic Morrow. ha ha.