talkin' bout yer Electra Glide in Blue.... Chicago Style...

[getbent]

I always dug the movie Electra Glide in Blue... kinda a variation of the lessons of the nicholson, fonda, hopper flick... with little bobby blake as the star....

great shots of early 70's southwest (a favorite of mine) and a pretty good story with a kind of walter hill type feel to it.... so dig, all these years later, I see it the other day and I recognize Terry Kath! and Peter Cetera! it turns out that Jimmy Guercio directed and produced it! His FIRST FILM! Man, why didn't he stay with it! He ruled!

I think this movie is absolutely fabulous for what it is and is very good by any standard.

Anyway, at the end the credits roll and almost all of Chicago is in the movie and Hawk Wolinski are all in the movie....

Loved it, loved it. Your thoughts and memories on this movie?

[charlie chitlin]

I remember getting my poor mother to drag me out to every cheesey biker flick.
She was a good 'un!
There was one called JC where the "second coming" was a biker.
I don't remember Electra Glide much because I haven't seen it since it came out.
I just remember Blake a some sort of rogue cop, and I remember sort of liking it, but couldn't get past the idea that a cop could be cool in a biker movie.
Those were still the days when it was pretty common for young folk to call cops "pigs".

[getbent]

you should rent it.. it is pretty cool and I think it is even better now than it was then if that makes any sense....

Kind of like vanishing point (the one with Barry Newman) when you look past the distraction of the 'Us vs Them' self consciousness (the kind of 'trying to get the conflict right') it just shines as a piece of very innocent and unself conscious longing to be free and live 'naturally' and unfettered from having to try to fit in.....

cool themes.

[BritishBluesBoy]

Great movie. I loved it when I saw it years ago - and will rent it again now. Thanks for the reminder.

[Skully]

great shots of early 70's southwest (a favorite of mine) and a pretty good story with a kind of walter hill type feel to it.... so dig, all these years later, I see it the other day and I recognize Terry Kath! and Peter Cetera! it turns out that Jimmy Guercio directed and produced it! His FIRST FILM! Man, why didn't he stay with it! He ruled!

I think the word is that Guercio was an arrogant amateur (I believe there are shots of him on the set wielding a riding crop) and the filming was held together by the cinematographer, the legendary Conrad Hall. I own the DVD and have perused all the supplemental material, but I'm not precisely sure if that's where that impression came from. (BTW, the movie is not on Blu Ray, but it's frequently shown in high def on cable, either on MGMHD or HDnetMovies, both of which are great channels.)

I first saw it when it came out in 1973. I believe my uncle took me to see it at the Jerry Lewis Theaters on Freeport Blvd. in Sacramento. The beginning and the end really stuck with me, particularly the shot of the sizzling steak in the shack before the guy shoots himself. Oh -- and Robert Blake dwarfed in a lineup by his fellow highway patrol officers. Although it could be argued that the end owes a big debt to "Easy Rider," it's cinematic '70s nihilism at its finest. The guy driving the van is a keyboard player who co-wrote a hit or two for Chaka Khan.

Kind of like vanishing point (the one with Barry Newman)

Yeah, but "Vanishing Point" has a lot of dated, groovy counterculture b.s. that "Electra" thankfully lacks.

In this vein, I highly recommend two Gene Hackman movies -- "Night Movies" (1975) and "Cisco Pike" (1972), the latter of which actually stars Kris Krisfofferson, who gives a great performance in one of his first acting roles playing a has been country rock musician turned dope dealer who has to move some drugs pronto for a cop (Hackman) or else. It contains some scenes shot at The Troubadour.

[robt57]

Originally Posted by getbent

Loved it, loved it. Your thoughts and memories on this movie?

One of my old favs a little culty as far as movie buffs who I'd guess are the ones who appreciate it it would seem, well at least in my case.

I don't know what I though was funnier, when he first get duded up as a detective and walks out on to the porch smoking a victory dance only to look down and see he forgot his pants...

OR the following scene/quote

John Wintergreen: I need you to give me some information.
Pig Man: I'll give you some information. You're standing in pigsheet.

[fltpkr]

Cool flick, reminiscent in many ways of Easy Rider. Nice acting job by Blake. I always think of it as being kind of surreal, partly because of the desert southwest setting.

[robt57]

Ever see "Girl on a Motorcycle", the French 'B' movie equiv?? I caught it late night a few years back and enjoyed it a lot. Something about the portrayal, similar as EGinB perhaps..

[Skully]

Ever see "Girl on a Motorcycle", the French 'B' movie equiv??

It has some great shots of Marianne Faithfull's naked breasts, right?

[robt57]

Originally Posted by Skully

It has some great shots of Marianne Faithfull's naked breasts, right?

Don't get me wrong, I like Pig Sheit in a movie.....

[getbent]

good call on cisco pike... I own that'n. I'll have to check out the others...

thanks for the stories about guercio... pretty funny!

[Skully]

good call on cisco pike... I own that'n.

I'm not surprised, given all the L.A. country rock stuff in the movie.

[getbent]

I've ripped most of my favorite movies on to my apple tv... cisco is on there...