How to cross your eyes, James Garner style
Determined actress Lee Purcell was a familiar face to cinema enthusiasts in the ’70s and ’80s, appearing in such esteemed projects as the coming of age drama Adam at 6 A.M. costarring a wet-behind-the-ears Michael Douglas while Steve McQueen sat in the producer’s seat, Charles Bronson’s action flick Mr. Majestyk, the cult surfing drama Big Wednesday, the high school dramedy Almost Summer, and Nicolas Cage’s breakout movie, Valley Girl.
On the eve of the 30th anniversary of McQueen’s passing from mesothelioma, Purcell graciously agreed to go on-the-record about her debt of gratitude to the late actor. As the exclusive interview ebbed and flowed over several months, Purcell found time to briefly discuss her early guest starring turn in The Rockford Files, the beloved, light-hearted detective series starring James Garner.
The leading lady’s appearance came in “The Dexter Crisis,” the 10th episode of the first season broadcast on November 15, 1974. As crafty private investigator Jim Rockford, Garner is hired by a rich business tycoon to find an alluring mistress — aka Purcell — who vanished with some prized possessions into the Las Vegas desert.
When asked point blank if she had taken anything away from the experience of working with Garner — who coincidentally lived on Oakmont Drive, the same Brentwood, California street…
