Member-only story
12 Facts About Baretta and Robert Blake
Keep your eye on the sparrow. Especially if it’s by your car.
TV from the 70s featured a number of police/detective shows. Many of them had a gimmick. They had a fat guy (can I say that?), and old guy, a blind guy and a guy named Baretta. Baretta, as played by Robert Blake, was a quirky police detective who was a master of disguise.
The star of the series, Robert Blake, had an interesting background before taking on the role of Baretta. And years afterward, the controversy surrounding him only increased. So, here are some things you might not have known about Barretta and Robert Blake.
1: Baretta had its own Huggy Bear knockoff.
While Starsky and Hutch had Huggy Bear as their informant, Baretta had Rooster. Both Huggy and Rooster played pimp-lite characters.
2: Robert Blake was the producers’ choice for Baretta after they saw him in “Electra Glide in Blue.”
The title refers to a motorcycle that is issued to cops. I wonder if any fashion-conscious cops would prefer another color?