Baretta

I also learned not to go to bed with a price on my head. That I should also always keep my eye on the sparrow when the going gets narrow. That I shouldn't roll the dice if I can't pay the price, and that I should never run my feet down a dead-end street. Solid lessons. The way TV used to be.

One of the quirkiest cops in television series was Barreta played by Robert Blake who in real life got to see the other end of the criminal justice system. Loquacious and iconoclastic this was a guy who definitely followed his own beat.

Living with ex-cop Tom Ewell as a landlord and having a cockatoo named Fred as a companion, Baretta seemed completely dedicated to his job and didn't seem to have much of a social life. I'm betting that his friend Rooster the pimp who was his number one snitch supplied a little nookie for his pal. At least Rooster never called Baretta, an 'honorary soul brother' like Huggy Bear did with Starsky and Hutch.

Robert Blake who played some interesting roles like one of the GI rapists in Town Without Pity, one of the killers in In Cold Blood, serial killer John List was never traditional leading man material. As a kid he was best known for playing Little Beaver in the Red Ryder series and the Mexican kid who sold Humphrey Bogart the winning lottery ticket in The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre, Blake never was a teen heart throb. He was a born character actor and a character.

The quirky Baretta is hard to find on the nostalgia channels. That arrest for murdering his last gold digging wife even with an acquittal spelled finis for Robert Blake. A pity because Baretta took a unique approach to crime fighting.

And that's the name of that tune.

When Baretta was first broadcast, I was 10 years old and I had the BIGGEST crush on Robert Blake. Unfortunately, none of my little friends liked "Baretta". They all watched "Starsky and Hutch" at that time. All I ever heard on the bus ride to and from school was "Paul's cuter!" "No, David's cuter!" It was those two guys or Mark Shera from "Barnaby Jones"...yeesh! I never quite understood the appeal of Paul Michael Glaser or David Soul or Mark Shera, so I had nothing to contribute to the debate (and they all thought I was weird for swooning over Robert Blake anyway). I have to completely disagree with the description of the character Rooster as a "Huggy Bear wanna-be"! (Not sure what Huggy Bear's deal was in "Starsky and Hutch"...some sort of scam artist?) You know Rooster wouldn't hesitate to smack a ho upside the head with his platform shoe, and he might even cut a bitch if necessary. Couldn't imagine anyone named "Huggy" delivering a proper beat down. "Baretta" was an awesomely gritty cop show (oh my, those tight shirts he wore!) and let's face it, Rooster was a straight up pimp. I wish this series was shown in syndication today. I haven't seen it in years.

Thursday nights just wouldn't have been the same growing up without Baretta. The show was tough and dirty and gritty and all the things my middle class suburban family upbringing wasn't. It was a view of the outside world, and Tony Baretta was the tour guide to all of the foul things that were waiting out there in "The City." He was the protector. The show was effectively lightened, though, by comedic parts by Rooster, the pimp/informant, and by Baretta himself, who could don some pretty outrageous costumes when he went "undercover." TV in the '70's didn't allow any profanity, of course - but even at age 12, I knew Baretta would have cursed like a sailor. Baretta was real - he lost people he cared about to crime, and he went on drinking binges and lashed out at people he cared about when he got emotional.

The first season on DVD is a must-have if you like crime drama. Along with "Hill Street Blues" and "CSI," Baretta defines the genre and set the stage for the others by giving us substantive supporting characters and an ensemble cast that only got better with successive seasons. Hopefully, with the recent acquittal of Robert Blake, season 2 will be released on DVD soon.

I have fond memories of Baretta, with one of the best TV themes ever. I watched this ages ago, and this was before a lot of water subsequenly passed under the bridge later on in Robert Blake's life. Still, this series had a lot of heart and humanity. Perhaps a reboot is necessary. I'd nominate British actor Danny Dyer to play Baretta. If Danny isn't available, then Luke Youngblood please.