LOS ANGELES (AP) — Robert Blake, the Emmy award-winning performer who went from acclaim for his acting to notoriety when he was tried and acquitted in the killing of his wife, died Thursday at age 89. I remember watching his TV show, "Baretta." I believe he was one of the "Little Rascals," too. I need to google that.
Blake began acting as a child, with a lead role in the final years of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Our Gang (Little Rascals) short film series from 1939 to 1944.
He had a rough life. He always felt like he got the shaft from his Little Rascals days...I do not recall the entire story, but there was a resentment that set his attitude for life. Every interview I ever saw with him was a major downer...everybody was out to get him. Regarding Baretta...I recall Rooster: Perhaps he'll find peace in death.
He was indeed a Rascal , also his best movies were "In Cold Blood" and "Electroglide in Blue". I think they had some legal issues after the release of Electroglide in Blue because years after it was released the name of the movie had a slight name change. I forget what it was but very similar to the original title. In Cold Blood was a true story of two convicts released that murdered an entire family in Kansas in cold blood thinking they were going to get a lot of money and they got nothing because the other prisoner who had told them about the Farmer lied about his wealth. They lived a long time until finally both were hanged the same night. Robert Blake was the second to hang and he got half way up the stairs to the gallows and ask the guard could he go to the bathroom first and the guard told him "Son where your going you don't need to worry about going to the bathroom", or something like that, it has been years since I watched the movie.
Did anyone follow the trial where he was charged with murdering his wife? I felt like he probably did it (she was a real piece of work) but they couldn't prove that he did. After reading about the wife I thought no one probably missed her much; she was a scam artist. Seems like I saw Electroglide in Blue years ago but I don't remember much about it. I always enjoyed seeing Blake on the late-night talk shows; he was a character.
Blake was a Motorcycle Cop out in the middle of nowhere Arizona. His partner was a real smart a--- and loved abusing people. Blake pulled over a volkswagon van and a couple hippies were in the van so his partner mistreated them but Blake let them go and was pretty nice to them. He became a State Detective and a lot happened in the movie but it went downhill and in the very end the same guy in the Hippy Van was stopped again and Blake recognized him and let him go but he forgot to hand the guy his license back so he jumped on his motorcycle and turned on the lights and siren to get his attention and they shot him dead with a shotgun blast out the back of the van. Now you remember it right
Nope. (I do remember Easy Rider, where a shotgun blast was similarly employed. And has nothing whatsoever to do with Robert Blake.)
I think I saw him on Johnny Carson saying he was up for the part of Little Joe on Bonanza. I really liked Baretta. I think he was much better suited for that part.