A local tv station has been repeating Rockford. Actually, the episodes
aren't too badly chopped up and they retain the teaser before the
opening theme; the entire theme is played as well.

"House on Willis Avenue" was playing this afternoon so I had to watch it
again. This episode is always among my top 10 favorites, some of the
best writing Stephen J. Cannell ever did for television.

The best part of the script is the recurrent theme of people not saying
what should be said, attempting to distract by speaking gibberish that
they really don't expect the other person to listen to. A conversation
Jim ISN'T having with his father (Jim looking for his wallet while his
Rocky complains that Jim won't take him hunting or fishing) is neatly
echoed at the end of the first half in the motel room scene with Richie
talking nonsense about the case while Jim tries to think of reasons to
flee the country to Mexico... for the fishing. Richie's character, of
course, does nothing but babble. He's inexperienced and insecure, thinks
he's hiding it. Sometimes his babbling turns into berating others into
finally giving him the information just to make him shut up.

Jim performs one of my favorite cons, the way he weedles himself into
the credit agency to use the computer. He knows nothing about computers,
just babbles a few technical phrases at a temporary secretary to get in.

There's a lot of humor in the episode, but it's ultimately one of the
series' most suspenseful episodes, with the theme of paranoia building
up throughout. Jackie Cooper's "security" agency is a mini-FBI, spying,
wiretaps, hidden microphones (no video surveillance yet), personal
surveillance, and a taxpayer-paid-for hit squad he can call upon.
There's a humerous scene with Vern St. Cloud who breaks into the dead
detective's office... to return calls to family members! He even tries
to score points with his brother pointing out he's not reversing long
distance tolls. Then it quickly turns to horror when he's kidnapped by
Cooper's men. Especially effective is Cooper's remote interrogation.

Howard Hesseman is one of Cooper's survellaince targets. Even his dog
gets in on the babbling. He yaps constantly, interferring with the
eavesdropping.

Can't wait to find out how it concludes (as if I haven't seen it 20 times).