Remembering James Garner

I quietly sidled up to my mom in the kitchen the other night after dinner. She was standing at the sink, washing the dishes.

“Mom,” I said. “I’m in love.”

“Sure,” my mom replied, unmoved. “Last month, it was Errol Flynn. Two months before that, it was Robert Conrad. Who is it this time?”

“No, you don’t understand,” I sobbed. “This is the real deal. This man is right up there with Robert Redford and Michael J. Fox and Gene Kelly.”

That got her to set down the dish sponge and look at me. “Who is it?” 

“James Garner.”

If you’ve been following me on Instagram at all over the past month or so, this is not news to you. It was only a matter of time before I wrote about him here on the blog.

It’s funny, because James Garner has always been justttt around the corner from me: ever-present, but slightly out of sight. Actually, that’s not true. He was often staring me right in the face—I’ve been seeing pictures of him in various books since I was fairly young. One of those is a collection of stills from Audrey Hepburn’s films, which includes a shot of him in The Children’s Hour. I still constantly have the book 501 Must See Movies in my hands, and I've probably read the entry for Move Over, Darling a million times (telling myself every time that I need to see it one of these days because it looks amusing). For a long time, I was reluctant to stray from any other Julie Andrews content besides Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music, but I still knew the titles The Americanization of Emily and Victor/Victoria. Oh, James. How did I not see all along that you were right there waiting for me?

James passed away ten years ago today. I wish I had become a fan of his sooner, so that I could have treasured the time when he was still in this world with us. I would love to have been able to honor him in some way on the day he passed. It makes me sad that I missed that opportunity. But I’m also deeply grateful for the legacy he’s left behind, and for the joy he continues to bring, even ten years after leaving this earth.

Admittedly, the fact that it’s taken me 24 years to become a fan of his makes me feel a bit like an impostor—like maybe I don’t deserve to be one. But I’ve mentioned in previous posts that, as silly as it may seem, I’ve always believed that certain shows or movies or actors show up in our lives exactly when we need them. And such was the case with Mr. Garner. A few months ago, our TV, for seemingly no reason at all, randomly added the channel GetTV. I checked the schedule and saw that The Rockford Files was on that night, which I of course had heard of, but never seen. Truth be told, that first time I watched it, my parents were more interested in it than I was. I didn’t know what to expect, so I only half-watched it in the background while I read a book.

As you can see, I’ve come a long way since then. But I'm still trying to take it slow with Mr. Garner. While I’m watching more of his movies, I’m not plowing through his filmography all at once, ticking them off a long list. I’m welcoming each title as it comes, through recommendations and coincidental encounters, which is a lot more fun. As I mentioned earlier, it seems like he’s been there all along. There are countless movies and shows that have already been on my watchlist for years that I'm now seeing in a whole new light: Oh my gosh, James Garner was in that? (Like I said. I’ve been BLIND.)

Despite telling myself I wouldn’t buy his book, The Garner Files, for a while, I must confess—I saw it for three dollars at a used bookstore earlier this week, and I couldn’t resist. But I’m still not reading it all at once. This isn’t just a passing fancy—I have a feeling we’re in this for the long run. I have so much to look forward to!

Here’s what I’ve seen and have been watching. You can see them on the streaming services listed, but you may also be able to find them at your local library, too!

The Rockford Files

This is becoming one of my favorite TV shows! It’s so witty and fun. There are many more things I’d like to say about The Rockford Files, but the show deserves its own post. Stay tuned!

Free via Sling or The Roku Channel

The Thrill of it All

I’d give this 3/5 stars. It was fun to see Kym Karath, who played Gretl in The Sound of Music. The plot was a bit frustrating, which decreased my enjoyment of it, but I’d still probably see it again. James earned the third star all by himself.

Full movie available on DailyMotion, no subtitles

Support Your Local Sheriff

Super fun! The lovely Jenny over at @i.needed.that2 and @oldhollywooddreaming recommended this one to me, and I’m so happy she did. It was an amusing Western spoof that brought a lot of smiles. I’d give it 3 1/2 stars. It might have gotten a four if Prudy hadn’t told James’ character that while she thought he was attractive, she “[didn’t] think that a girl would curl up and die ‘cuz [he] smiled at her.” I won’t tolerate the spreading of lies.

Available for free on Pluto and Tubi, both with English subtitles. (I watched on Tubi. Their subtitles were a bit frustrating to read because of how inaccurate they were, but they more or less got the job done.)

Tonight I'll be watching The Great Escape! You can watch it for free on Tubi, Pluto, and The Roku Channel (English subtitles available on all three platforms).

It may have taken 24 years, but I finally see you, James. I want to sincerely apologize for taking this long, but would also like to assure you that I’m making up for it now. And to my readers: I’m sure James will be popping up now and again here on Living Mostly Vintage!

Until then,

Becca