RIP Bret Maverick: Now "Riding The Trail to Who Knows Where"

[FredLeonard]

James Garner has died.

James Garner, Witty, Handsome Leading Man, Dies at 86

James Garner, the wry and handsome leading man who slid seamlessly between television and the movies but was best known as the amiable gambler Bret Maverick in the 1950s western “Maverick” and the cranky sleuth Jim Rockford in the 1970s series “The Rockford Files,” was found dead in his California home on Saturday night, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed on Sunday. He was 86.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/21/movies/james-garner-actor-dies-at-86.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

"A coward dies a thousand deaths, a hero dies but one." A thousand to one is pretty good odds."

"A man does what he has to do - if he can't get out of it."

"A fox isn't sly; he just can't think any slower."

"A man does what he has to do - if he can't get out of it."

"Early to bed and early to rise’ is the curse of the working class."

"Faint heart never filled a flush."

"Hell hath no fury like a man who loses with four of a kind."

"If at first you don't succeed, try something else."

"If you're ever served a rare steak that is intended for
someone else, don't bother with ethical details - eat as much as you can before the mistake is discovered."

"If you haven't got something nice to say about a man,
it's time to change the subject."

"Love your fellow man, and stay out of his troubles if you can."

"Man is the only animal you can skin more than once."

"Marriage is the only game of chance I know of where both people can lose."

"Never cry over spilled milk... it could've been whiskey."

"Never hold a kicker and never draw to an inside straight."

"Never play in a rigged game, unless you rig it yourself."

"No use crying over spilled milk, it could have been whiskey."

"Son, the best time to get lucky is when the other man's dealin'."

"Son, hard work never hurt anyone - who didn't do it."

"Son, stay clear of weddings because one of them is liable to be your own."

"The only time you ever quit when you're winnin' is after you've won it all."

"Work is fine for killin' time, but it's a shaky way to make a living."

"You can be a gentleman and still not forget all you know about self-defense."

"You can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all the time and those aren't bad odds!"

"You can tell more about a town by looking at its gambling emporium than any other building."

 

[frankberry]

James Garner was a great Actor. His work will be enjoyed for generations to come.

 

[FredLeonard]

From the LA Times...

James Garner dies at 86; TV antihero of 'Maverick,' 'Rockford Files'

http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-james-garner-20140721-story.html#page=1

FYI: COZI and Encore Westerns are running Maverick. ME-TV is running The Rockford Files.

 

[mississippi fan]

RIP. A great actor. Maverick and Rockford Files are two of my all-time favorite programs.

 

[LKellerIII]

RIP. A great actor. Maverick and Rockford Files are two of my all-time favorite programs.

Agreed. I've seen both shows again in recent years, and both hold up very well, though they would no doubt have higher budgets these days, and faster moving action. Both had excellent writing, and didn't take themselves too seriously - often a hallmark of Garner roles.

It was also reminded in the obits I read, that Garner didn't take any crap from his Hollywood overlords, who could engage in shady accounting practices to deny payment to stars that had signed supposedly iron clad contracts giving them a share of profits, which often don't come until the show was in syndication. The Rockford Files had been in wide sydication for a few years, and still hadn't shown a "profit." Garner sued the studio, and won.

For those who remember those cute 80s era commercials for Polaroid cameras that he did with Marriette Hartley, many thought they were husband and wife, but they were not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgO5yKdJRAg

However, Garner was married to his actual wife - actress Lois Clarke, for 57 years. She survives him.

 

[Mitchell H]

Re: "Riding the trail to who knows where," per "Support Your Local Sheriff," I'd assume he's heading to Australia...

 

[FredLeonard]

Re: "Riding the trail to who knows where," per "Support Your Local Sheriff," I'd assume he's heading to Australia...

That's a reference to the "Maverick" theme song (back then, TV themes had lyrics):

Who was the tall, dark stranger there?
Maverick is his name.
Ridin' the trail to who knows where,
luck is his companion,
gamblin' is his game.

Smooth as the handle on a gun,
Maverick is his name.
Wild as the wind in Oregon,
roarin' up a canyon,
easier to tame.

Riverboat ring your bell,
fare the well, Annabelle.
Luck is the lady that he loves the best.
Natchez to New Orleans,
livin' on jacks and queens,
Maverick is a legend of the West.

I always felt sorry for Roger Moore. First he had to face being compared to James Garner, and then being compared to Sean Connery.

One great testimony to Garner's abilities as an actor is how much better Jack Kelly was in the episodes they did together, compared to those in which he appeared alone.

There was always such great chemistry between Garner's Bret Maverick and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. as Dandy Jim Buckey. I was sorry they didn't do more together.