The Rockford Files The Rockford Files The Rockford Files is an American television drama series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974, and January 10, 1980, and has remained in syndication to the present day. Garner portrays Los Angeles–based private investigator Jim Rockford, with Noah Beery Jr. in the supporting role of his father, a retired truck driver nicknamed "Rocky". The show was created by Roy Huggins and Stephen J. Cannell. Huggins created the television show "Maverick" (1957–1962), which starred Garner, and he wanted to recapture that magic in a "modern day" detective setting. He teamed with
Rockford Morning Star Building "Rockford Register Star". The Rockford Morning Star Building was constructed during negotiations for the 1928 merge. However, the building was only used for two years; after its acquisition by Simms, a new tower was built on the other side of the Rock River. The building remained in the possession of the Simms family, who leased it to the George Rogers Clark Mutual Company. It was eventually absorbed into the Pioneer Life Insurance Company. The company bought the building from the Simms family in 1946. The company moved to Schaumburg in 1993 and henceforth only used the Rockford building for storage