Cheesiness.
Jun. 6th, 2012 12:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladybug_archiveI wonder why it is that I just can't get into The Rockford Files. It's an exciting and intense detective show, and I love detective shows. But I really only like The Rockford Files if there's someone guest-starring in it I love. Meanwhile, I watched a couple of episodes of Cannon and absolutely flipped over it. I adore it and have to see more.
I wonder if the difference has something to do with what seems to be the general approach to James Garner's projects. Are they all extraordinarily cheesy and silly? I know I thought his follow-up to Maverick, called Brett Maverick, was one of the stupidest shows I have ever seen. And I found Brett really quite insufferable. I wanted his friend to show him up and was annoyed when Brett came out on top. If the original Maverick show was anything like that, I would strongly dislike it too.
Jim Rockford is a much better character than Brett Maverick, but he's not a particular favorite of mine, either. And some Rockford Files episodes do come across as rather silly. Sticks and Stones was really quite ridiculous. A giant private eye organization deliberately trying to get the small fry P.I.s out of business so people will come to them instead? I heard it was a Watergate parody in some ways, which would make it more forgivable, but I still think it was pretty dumb. I really only like it for the character interaction. Vern St. Cloud is so lovably endearing. His other appearances weren't so flattering to his character.
Admittedly, I do write for Vern. I've brought him into my Perry fics, at least very occasionally. He's mentioned in The Broken Ties and actually appears in one of my missing scenes. And there's a Rockford Files fic I want to write sometime, with him and Jim forced to work together. There was a lot of missed opportunities for that on the series. Wikipedia gave the impression that they did work together, but after Sticks and Stones they really didn't.
In some way, it feels very wrong to write for the characters and show when I don't even really like the show. But that's how it is. I actually wish I could get more into the Rockford Files. I just plain find it tedious most of the time. I think it could have been done so much better. When I had a disc out to show Mom Sticks and Stones, I couldn't even get through the other three episodes on the disc. I half-watched one that had friendshippy things going on between Rockford and his policeman friend, but only briefly looked at the other two. I would have watched them all if Mom had been interested, but she didn't seem to be, very much.
I wonder if The Rockford Files also moves too slowly for me or something. It did seem like Cannon was a much more involved show. But there's exciting action things happening on The Rockford Files, too. So I just can't seem to fully pin down what my problem is.
I have nothing against James Garner, by the way. I've heard he's a very nice person and is gracious to the other cast members, crews, and fans. I like him fine. But man, his shows and his characters....
Has anyone else noticed an overabundance of cheesiness about James Garner's shows, or is it just me?
I wonder if the difference has something to do with what seems to be the general approach to James Garner's projects. Are they all extraordinarily cheesy and silly? I know I thought his follow-up to Maverick, called Brett Maverick, was one of the stupidest shows I have ever seen. And I found Brett really quite insufferable. I wanted his friend to show him up and was annoyed when Brett came out on top. If the original Maverick show was anything like that, I would strongly dislike it too.
Jim Rockford is a much better character than Brett Maverick, but he's not a particular favorite of mine, either. And some Rockford Files episodes do come across as rather silly. Sticks and Stones was really quite ridiculous. A giant private eye organization deliberately trying to get the small fry P.I.s out of business so people will come to them instead? I heard it was a Watergate parody in some ways, which would make it more forgivable, but I still think it was pretty dumb. I really only like it for the character interaction. Vern St. Cloud is so lovably endearing. His other appearances weren't so flattering to his character.
Admittedly, I do write for Vern. I've brought him into my Perry fics, at least very occasionally. He's mentioned in The Broken Ties and actually appears in one of my missing scenes. And there's a Rockford Files fic I want to write sometime, with him and Jim forced to work together. There was a lot of missed opportunities for that on the series. Wikipedia gave the impression that they did work together, but after Sticks and Stones they really didn't.
In some way, it feels very wrong to write for the characters and show when I don't even really like the show. But that's how it is. I actually wish I could get more into the Rockford Files. I just plain find it tedious most of the time. I think it could have been done so much better. When I had a disc out to show Mom Sticks and Stones, I couldn't even get through the other three episodes on the disc. I half-watched one that had friendshippy things going on between Rockford and his policeman friend, but only briefly looked at the other two. I would have watched them all if Mom had been interested, but she didn't seem to be, very much.
I wonder if The Rockford Files also moves too slowly for me or something. It did seem like Cannon was a much more involved show. But there's exciting action things happening on The Rockford Files, too. So I just can't seem to fully pin down what my problem is.
I have nothing against James Garner, by the way. I've heard he's a very nice person and is gracious to the other cast members, crews, and fans. I like him fine. But man, his shows and his characters....
Has anyone else noticed an overabundance of cheesiness about James Garner's shows, or is it just me?
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Date: 2012-06-06 06:29 pm (UTC)But that's OK too. The emphasis in our house tended toward the comic and somewhat offbeat, like sci- fi and fantasy. SKIP THE FOLLOWING IF YOU DON'T WATCH STAR TREK:[I.e., while "City on the Edge of Forever" makes many people's lists of top 5 Trek episodes, our list would have consisted of four lighter ones-- "Tribbles," "Shore Leave," A Piece of the Action," and "Squire of Gothos"-- and then maybe "The Doomsday Machine." I think the idea was that anyone can do angst and drama, but not every show or cast can do humor well. And Star Trek did occasionally descend into pomposity...]
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Date: 2012-06-06 06:32 pm (UTC)Ah yes, those Tribbles. While I haven't seen the original Tribble escapade, I have seen part of the one from a later series (The Next Generation?). I was amused.
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Date: 2012-06-07 06:03 am (UTC)The original episode is worth watching, especially the bar fight and the tribble- fall.
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Date: 2012-06-07 08:22 am (UTC)I'll have to check it out! I think CBS.com still has episodes up. I'm not sure how many, though. Some network used to have them all online.
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Date: 2012-06-06 11:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-07 08:23 am (UTC)Simon was the only reason I managed to stomach that thing to the end. LOL.