“Being
short is a problem for a good
cop, who has dreams of making
detective and for his superiors to take
him seriously. So when he has a smart
hunch about an apparent suicide
being murder, it looks as if his dreams
will come true in the Golden Globe-
nominated crime drama Electra Glide
In Blue —
but he quickly becomes
disillusioned when he discovers his
boss is corrupt...”
DRIVEN BY THE DESIRE TO MAKE DETECTIVE, clever Arizona motorcycle cop John
"Big John" Wintergreen (Robert Blake) wants nothing more than to achieve his
ambition. He has just one problem: he is short, and his boss won't take him
seriously.
Playing everything by the book — even fellow police officers from
out of state don't get away with traffic violations — he is disappointed
to see his friend and partner "Zip" Zipper (Billy "Green" Bush) attempt to frame
a hippy, David (David J Wolinski) in a VW camper van for drugs possession.
“Highly-watchable
with an intriguing, if
tragic, well-told storyline
and a lead character
who is
likeable and genuine.
A great feel for the
Seventies...”
John
begins to hate the Electra Glide motorcycle he rides for his job, but his application
to become a detective seems to fall on deaf ears; and even Zipper cannot understand
why he is not happy to remain a motorcycle cop.
Coming across local vagrant Willie (Elisha Cook), John finds him incoherent
and rambling. He says he has found his friend Frank, a lonely drug dealer, shot
dead at his cabin and the Police discover that $5,000 dollars he was known to
have kept at home has disappeared.
Everybody seems to think it is an open-and-shut case of suicide but John notices
a number of things that don't add up. With the arrival of Detective Harve Poole
(Mitchell Ryan), a suspect comes up: a hippy who lives in a nearby commune called
Bob Zemko (Peter Cetera).
John is still not totally convinced and follows up his own hunches —
vindicated when a post-mortem throws up a clear case of murder. He has also
discovered that Harve was seeing Jolene (Jeannine Riley), a former showgirl
with her sights set on Hollywood, who works in a bar.
Disillusioned with Harve's unorthodox methods and lack of moral standing, John
sees his dreams dashed as it is far from the life he'd imagined. Other shocks
are in store for him and his firm beliefs in his job lead to tragedy…
This Golden Globe nominated crime drama — although a little dated
as it was filmed back in the 70s — is highly-watchable with an intriguing,
if tragic, well-told storyline and a lead character who is likeable and genuine.
A great feel for the Seventies looking at hippies and drugs and Vietnam veteran
John's frustration at the prejudice of his superiors.
He makes fun of his own height, reminding a girl he is attempting to chat up
that he is the same height as Alan Ladd. John's brushes with corrupt Police
only serve to add to his disappointment in those who should be trusted; but
it is ultimately his integrity that leads to further tragedy.
Electra Glide In Blue also features: Royal Dano as Coroner; Terry Kath
as The Killer; and Bob Zemko as The Beard.
Music Composed by James William Guercio; Music Orchestrated by Jimmie Haskell;
Director of Photographer is Conrad Hall, ASC; Screenplay by Robert Boris; Story
by Robert Boris and Rupert Hitzig; Produced and Directed by James William Guercio.
*Electra
Glide In Blue is released in the UK on DVD, courtesy of Odyssey DVD, on
15 September 2014. Certificate: 18 | Year: 1973 | Running Time: 114 Minutes
| Catalogue Number: DVD OD574 | RRP: £12.99.
"Electra Glide In Blue… highly-watchable with an intriguing, if tragic,
well-told storyline and a lead character who is likeable and genuine. A great
feel for the Seventies"
—Maggie Woods
"One of the greatest treasures of the decade, combining achingly beautiful storytelling
with a melancholy tone that utterly captivates ****" —
Empire
“Being
short is a problem for a good