"The Rockford Files" Hotel of Fear (1977)

Director:

Russ Mayberry

Writers:

Juanita Bartlett (writer)
Roy Huggins (creator) ...

TV Series:

"The Rockford Files" (1974)

Original Air Date:

2 December 1977 (Season 4, Episode 10)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

Accidently witnessing a murder makes Angel Martin the police's prime witness in the trial of the murderer. |

Plot Keywords:

Police | Detective | Answering Machine | Sting Operation | Malibu

Cast

James Garner	...	Jim Rockford
Noah Beery Jr.	...	Joseph 'Rocky' Rockford #2 (as Noah Beery)
Joe Santos	...	Police Det. Dennis Becker
Gerald McRaney	...	D.A. John Pleasance
Frank DeKova	...	Nova (as Frank De Kova)
Vincent Baggetta	...	Murray Riddel
James Luisi	...	Lt. Doug Chapman
Stuart Margolin	...	Evelyn 'Angel' Martin
Madison Arnold	...	Del Kane
Eugene Peterson	...	Louis Gaedel (as Eugene I. Peterson)
Barry Atwater	...	Roach
Barbra Rae	...	Teddy
Fred Carney	...	Howe
Stephen Coit	...	Thompson Welles
James Whitworth	...	Krauss

Runtime:

USA:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Roy Huggins-Public Arts Productions

Trivia:

The episode title, "Hotel of Fear" is also the title of the book Angel "the Cobra" Martin is writing in this episode.

Quotes:

Jim Rockford: This is Jim Rockford. At the tone leave your name and message, I'll get back to you.
Manny: [Beeep] Jimmy, this is Manny down at Ralph's and Marla's. Some guy name Angel Martin just ran up a fifty buck bar tab, and now he wants to charge it to you. You gonna pay?

Witless for the Prosecution

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Angel Martin (Stuart Margolin) witnesses the murder of a prostitute in his building and with a little nudging from his friend Jim Rockford--and a guarantee of 24 witness protection (personally watched over by Lt. Chapman) AND unlimited room service, he agrees to testify against mob hit man Del Kane (Madison Arnold). But when the case against Kane goes south, Angel and Jim find themselves without police protection and a mentally unbalanced hit-man on their trail.

If you like the Angel Martin character, you're gonna LOVE this episode. If you don't, you're not. Margolin plays the weasel-like Angel to perfection--always looking for a con, greedy, cowardly, ready to sell out anybody to save his hide, and milking his all-expenses paid police protection for all that its worth. Unlike Chuck McCann in the earlier "Funny Box" episode, even when Angel's being a spineless coward and throws Rockford "under the bus", we still like him.

While in police protection, Angel uses his time to write a book about his experience in this case called "Hotel of Fear" (he wanted to use the title "Witness For the Prosecution") with the help of ghost writer Thompson Wells (Stephen Coit, who played multiple characters on "Maverick"). "Simon and Simon" star Gerald McRaney is back for his third or fourth appearance on the show, but doesn't leave much of an impression as DA John Pleasence. However, it is nice to see character actor Frank DeKova (who did some memorable episodes of "The Untouchables" as mob boss Nova, and out of his Indian makeup he wore as Chief Wild Eagle on "F-Troop".

There's a reference to Steve Landesberg's character Kenny Hollywood in this episode as well as Rocky's friend LJ and a kind of an odd stand alone scene with Barry Atwater as a gun dealer named Roach. It was one of the last appearances for Atwater before his untimely death.