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Garner, James

Born April 7, 1928;
Norman, Oklahoma, USA

Died July 19, 2014;
Brentwood,
Los Angeles, California, USA

Maverick Star[1]

Born James Scott Bumgarner, he got his start working in front of the camera in Hollywood when he was in high school, modeling Jantzen Sportswear bathing suits.[2]

Garner served seven months in the National Guard, and then fourteen months in the U. S. Army fighting in Korea. He won two Purple Hearts, the first for a mortar-round shrapnel wound the his face and hand and the second for friendly fire from U. S. fighter jets shooting him in the buttocks as he dove into a foxhole. Garner described himself as "scrounger" for his company in Korea, much like the roles he later played in "The Great Escape" and "The Americanization of Emily."[3]

A high-school friend persuaded Garner to take a non-speaking role in the 1954 Broadway production of "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial." There, he met and worked with Henry Fonda and Lloyd Nolan.[3]

In 1955, a chance meeting at a Los Angeles bar led Garner to a role in the first episode of Warner Brothers' Cheyenne. While watching the dailies, Jack Warner asked executive producer Bill Orr, "Who's that guy?" Orr replied, "That's Jim Bumgarner." Warner said, "Take the Bum out and give him a seven-year contract."[2]

Garner played Red in an episode of Warner Brothers' Conflict, "The Man from 1997." Roy Huggins, in the midst of looking for a Warner Brothers contract actor to play Bret Maverick, saw Garner in the Conflict dailies. Garner looked like an amiable cowboy to Huggins. But when he heard Garner deliver straight lines that delivered laughs, he knew he had struck gold. Huggins knew he could build Maverick around James Garner.[2]

When Maverick went into production, Garner's contract paid him only  $500 a week, not just for shooting the series but also for personal appearances, sometimes up to three cities a day during hiatus. Garner expected his contract to be renegotiated to reflect his show's sudden hit status, but the studio refused. When Jack Kelly was brought in to play Bart Maverick, Kelly was making $150 more a week than Garner and, according to Garner, was still getting screwed.[3]

During Maverick's second season, a writers' strike hit Hollywood and Warner Brothers announced they were laying Garner off. Contractually, the studio had a clause that allowed them not to pay salaries in case where production stopped for reasons beyond their control. Garner, still showing up to work and ready to work, called foul, sued Warner Brothers for breach of contract, and won.[3]

Disenchanted and offended by the studio's treatment of him, as well as of other actors, Garner left Maverick after its third season. He went on to a stellar career in films, often playing roles similar to the spirit of Bret Maverick. Garner returned to television in 1971'a Nichols, but the show was canceled after its first season, apparently due to sponsorship issues. From 1974 – 1980, Garner performed probably his most famous role as Jim Rockford in The Rockford Files. Also created by Roy Huggins, the Rockford character owed much of its heart to Maverick, but with a contemporary spin. The show took a physical toll on Garner and by 1980, he opted not to continue for health reasons. The network canceled the series mid-season.[3]

Garner was still under contract, but could not return to the Rockford character due to a legal dispute over syndication rights. His contract was fulfilled with the 1981 – 1982 Maverick revival series titled Bret Maverick. The show's premise followed the life of Garner's character in his retirement years, having settled down as a saloon owner in Sweetwater, Arizona Territory. Although its ratings were respectable, the series was canceled after its first season. The final episode really left Maverick fans hanging as it set up many changes that would have unfolded had the series continued, the most intriguing of which was the return of Jack Kelly's Bart Maverick as a series regular.[2]

Maverick was revived again in 1994. This time as a major motion picture of the same name, starring Mel Gibson as Bret Maverick. Played mostly for laughs, the Maverick character had similarities to Garner's original, but came off largely as a Mel Gibson vehicle. Continuity between the 1994 film and earlier incarnations was thin. Jodie Foster played a character obviously patterned after Samantha Crawford, but was named Annabelle Bransford...possibily after the Annabelle in the original Maverick theme lyrics). Regrettably, there was no appearance or even mention of Brother Bart. The film's strongest line of continuity was in the performance of James Garner himself, playing an enjoyable role as Marshall Zane Cooper. Depending on how one interprets it... SPOILER ALERT ... Garner actually reprises his role as Maverick in the film, albeit as "Pappy" Beauregard Maverick (as if we didn't see it coming).[2]

After the "Maverick" film, Garner continued to perform in film and television, most notably in the "Lonesome Dove" sequel Streets of Loredo, "Space Cowboys" and "The Notebook," as well as providing the voices for many animated DC Comics characters.[1]

In 2006, Garner's hometown of Norman, Oklahoma honored him, and all Maverick fans, with a ten-foot bronze statue of him as Bret Maverick. Garner himself was present for the unveiling ceremony, two weeks after his 78th birthday.[1]

James Garner passed away at age 86 on July 19, 2014 of a heart attack in his home in Brentwood, California.[1]