Where Are They Now?


Reg Rockwell - star of "Frisbee Force"

The Heyday

The mid 1970's introduced a new breed of cop shows to the American public. Joe Friday and the clean cut crew of Adam-12 gave way to Baretta and Starsky and Hutch. These new TV cops didn't always play by the rules, and usually rubbed their superiors the wrong way. They were the torch bearers of a new generation, but not all of them lasted. Case in point, 1974's Frisbee Force.

 

 

 NBC took a gamble by creating a vehicle for 5 time Ultimate Frisbee Champion Reg Rockwell, a 24 year old from San Diego with virtually no acting experience. As Detective Chazz Hudson, Rockwell walked the toughest beat in town, but carried no gun. Instead, Hudson enforced the law by hurling a Frisbee at evildoers with remarkable accuracy. A tie-in with Rockwell's corporate sponsor from his competitive Frisbee days led to the creation of his catch phrase - "Whammo! You're busted!" Naturally, many were skeptical that a Frisbee carrying cop could be considered realistic. A back story was written into the pilot to explain it.

Reg Rockwell in Frisbee Force (photo courtesy of NBC)

  

"Hudson's first partner was shot trying to stop a hold-up, and so Hudson hated guns," Rockwell explains from behind his desk at

Rockwell International, the company he owns. "It was groundbreaking really, the whole non-violent thing. They just didn't give the show a chance to find its legs."

Rockwell isn't clear whether "they" refers to the network executives who pulled the show from the air after only four episodes, or the viewing public that ignored the show entirely. The fourth (and final) episode of "Frisbee Force" still holds the record as the lowest rated hour in television history.

Rockwell is still rankled over the quick cancellation of the series. "We should have got the Nobel Prize," he grouses, still clearly taking the issue personally. "Instead we get the axe. We were showing people how to solve their differences without resorting to shooting each other. I mean, in episode two we had a hostage situation in a bank. Hudson manages to knock the gun from the bank robber's hand by arcing the Frisbee around a column and hitting him in the arm. That same week there was a similar situation on SWAT but they killed the bank robber. You tell me, which one do you want your kid watching? Huh? Huh?"

Saying Goodbye to Hollywood

Roles were scarce for Rockwell after the demise of FF, as he affectionately refers to the show. Although he made guest appearances on such shows as Supertrain and $weepstake$, invariably playing some sort of Frisbee expert, the career he had hoped for never panned out. In 1982, Rockwell turned his back on Hollywood and founded his own corporation, Rockwell International.
 
Rockwell works his sales magic at Rockwell International

"We're a wholesale distribution company," explains Rockwell, who in addition to his duties as CEO is also the head of Marketing, Receiving, and answers the phones. "We go door to door, cold calling businesses and homes. We offer a wide range of goods, from novelty items to sophisticated electronic gadgets."

Rockwell still gets recognized from time to time. "Every so often someone will say 'Whammo, you're busted' to me. It's nice to know I've made some kind of difference in their lives. Sometimes they even buy something."

A Comeback in the Works?

Rockwell hasn't ruled out a return to show business. In fact, he's even written a screenplay for a big screen version of Frisbee Force. "I don't want to give away too much," Rockwell says slyly before showing me the cover page of the 260 page manuscript, "but I can tell you that Chazz Hudson comes out of retirement to join the Secret Service. It's Die Hard at a U.N. summit. Let's just say there's already some interest around town."

Frisbee Force's Legacy

Rockwell insists he has no regrets about his brief career in Hollywood. "I just wish more people had gotten the message, that's all. If only kids could have realized that you can solve your differences with a flying disk... I don't want to sound full of myself or anything but I honestly believe that if FF was still on the air, we could have achieved world peace. And that would've been pretty cool."