2009.10.18 James Garner

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There's something about James Garner. A certain, terribly predictable something: he reminds me of my dad. Or, rather, some of his acting reminds me of my dad. I didn't really clue into this until watching The Notebook recently (Yes, I sobbed pitifully. Shut up.) and was struck by how the aged star bore a striking resemblance to my dad both in appearance and demeanour. When I thought about it some more, I realized that there was more to it than just that role.

Basically, I grew up watching reruns of the Rockford Files, and the character of Jim Rockford was an influential one. Honourable, but with a purposeful darkness about him that focussed on the pragmatic, and I can see now how that was resonant with how I saw my father when I was younger. I recently re-lived many of those stories, streaming old Rockford Files episodes on Netflix, wondering what it was that had made them so iconic to me. And seeing in them a lot of the genesis in my own mind of how I ended up interpreting things my dad tried to teach me.

It's funny, because after re-watching the Rockford Files, I also found myself curious about Maverick, and watched the first few seasons of that as well. I knew that there was intentionally similarities between the two shows, and enjoyed the combination of comedy and action. But now I find myself realizing how similar the character of Bret Maverick coincides with my own fantasies about how my dad was when he was young.

Sure, Garner was just acting roles. But there was something consistent about Garner's execution that really seals the sense of similarity to my dad, and my wife was the one who articulated it first. There's a playful glint of undeniable charm in Garner's eye, even when he's acting serious. It makes you want to like him, and to believe him. Maybe not totally trust him, but even that is charming in its own way, because you feel like he could be trusted when it mattered.

Yeah, I'm projecting. Nevertheless, I feel pretty good about it, and assert that it's not all just projection. There really is something about James Garner.