Robert Blake Dies: 'Baretta' & 'In Cold Blood' Star Who Was Acquitted In Murder Trial Was 89

Skully

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Blake had the perfect alibi for his wife's murder -- he had gone back into the restaurant to retrieve his gun.

The restaurant, Vitello's in Studio City, still exists, but 12 years ago it got a makeover, going from a dark '70s-style place with booths to a very au courant upscale eatery.

That reminds me... years ago... when I lived in the same general neighborhood, across the street from Radford Studios, I jogged by Vitello's and nearly ran into Bill Barty (birth name: William John Bertanzetti) as he came out of the restaurant.
 
paulblackford

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I don't know anything about his guilt, or innocence, but I liked "Electra Glide in Blue" when I was a kid. Looking back on it you can really see that it heralded filmmakers like David Lynch, and Quentin Tarantino. His acting was pretty good in the film. Some of the performers were sub-par, but it was a good flick. RIP
 
Dismalhead

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20190404-QjBvRb7iAmxiHWzzgZ2q
 
Skully

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Lone_Poor_Boy said:
Sweet story! Big Robert Blake fan, are ya?
Click to expand...
He was an interesting guy.

I often watch the Johnny Carson channel on Pluto TV on my iPad as I'm falling asleep, and Blake frequently turns up as a guest, talking crap about the studio suits and other powers-that-be, but mostly beating up on himself. In this clip, he insults Orson Welles, who responds in kind.

 
Skully

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paulblackford said:
I don't know anything about his guilt, or innocence, but I liked "Electra Glide in Blue" when I was a kid. Looking back on it you can really see that it heralded filmmakers like David Lynch, and Quentin Tarantino. His acting was pretty good in the film. Some of the performers were sub-par, but it was a good flick. RIP
Click to expand...


I saw the movie in the theater when I was a kid. I would've been 7. The cooking and eating of the steak in the opening scene always stuck with me for some reason. I have the movie on blu ray and just watched it again about two weeks ago. It still holds up.

Re: subpar performances in the movie, are you referring to Mitchell Ryan, who plays the lead detective guy? He was a bit over-the-top and cartoony. When I see people overacting in movies, I ask myself whether their performance is too big and mannered for the role or the character is always on in real life (I was asking this a lot watching Cate Blanchett in "Tar").

I thought Jeannine Riley, who played the bar waitress Jolene, was really good. It's surprising she never did much else after that other than "Hee-Haw."
 
Killing Floor

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I told my wife, she said he was already dead.

Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time. Something something keep your eye on the sparrow?
 
SnidelyWhiplash

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From Our Gang to In Cold Blood to Baretta. Not bad. Always thought he was a very interesting character. He always had good taste in guitars.

R.I.P. 😞
 
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