Electra Glide in Blue

Plot synopsis:
John Wintergreen (Robert Blake) is a motorcycle cop who patrols the rural Arizona highways with his partner Zipper (Billy "Green" Bush). Wintergreen is an experienced patrolman looking to be transferred to homicide. When he is informed by Crazy Willie (Elisha Cook, Jr.) of an apparent suicide via shotgun, Wintergreen believes the case is actually a murder. Detective Harve Poole (Mitchell Ryan) agrees it is a homicide, after a .22 bullet is found in the man's skull during the autopsy, as well hearing about a possible missing $5,000 from the man's home, and arranges for Wintergreen to be transferred to homicide to help with the case.
Wintergreen gets his wish, but his joy is short-lived. He begins increasingly to identify with the hippies whom the other officers, including Detective Poole, are endlessly harassing. The final straw comes when Poole discovers that Wintergreen has been sleeping with his girlfriend Jolene (Jeannine Riley). The hostile workplace politics cause him to be quickly demoted back to traffic enforcement.
Despite being demoted, Wintergreen is able to solve the murder. The killer turns out to be Willie, who confesses while Wintergreen goads him into talking about it. Wintergreen surmises Willie did it because he was jealous of the old man he killed, who frequently had young people over to his house to buy drugs. Shortly after, it is discovered that Zipper stole the $5,000, which he used to buy a fully dressed Electra Glide motorcycle. Wintergreen is forced to shoot Zipper after he becomes distressed and belligerent, and shoots at Wintergreen and in the direction of an innocent bystander while brandishing a gun.
As the film ends, Wintergreen is alone and back on his old beat, when he runs into a hippie that Zipper was needlessly harassing near the beginning of the film. Wintergreen lets him off with a warning but the hippie forgets his driver's license, and Wintergreen drives up behind his van to return it to him. The hippie's passenger points a shotgun out the back window and shoots Wintergreen, killing him.

Tags: cult, murder, violence

Review:
Do not mistake this existential parable for what may otherwise seem like a superficial counter-culture exploitation flickit is nothing of the sort.Record producer Guercio's first (and last) effort at film-making, captured beautifully by the late cinematographer Conrad Hall, leaves the viewer wondering "where have all the cowboys gone?" John Ford taught us that the hero rode a white horse and did the right thing, even if it killed himand in this Vietnam-era analogue, Blake is a five-foot four-inch leather-clad motorcycle cop writing speeding tickets along a lonely two-lane road cutting through monument valley.
And as American culture bled in the late 1960s and early 1970s, so too did the emotional lives of individuals, like the hodgepodge of aggrieved characters that come and go in this story.Seeing some of these people and listening to their individual stories of pain and suffering is John Wintergreen (Robert Blake), a by-the-book Arizona motorcycle cop, short on stature but tall on dreams.
However, Robert Blake does a fine job as America's everyday cop with his sense of principles.This film reminds me in some ways of "Zabriskie Point" (1970), a counter culture film which has a powerful ending that helps to make up for earlier plot problems.Based on a real-life event, "Electra Glide In Blue" gets off to a slow start.
Blake, as Big John Wintergreen, is the idealized American who is a Marine Corps veteran from Vietnam, comes back and wants to do the right thing: enforce the law fairly and not give favors to other cops nor hassle the hippies.
The seventies was a decade so overpopulated with great films that hundreds of truly great films went unheralded, and "Electra Glide in Blue" is one of these, sadly the singular film directed by the former Chicago manager, who penned the superb "Tell Me" sung by Terry Kath that plays at the end of the film.
Blake is great as Wintergreen and the Conrad Hall cinematography is simply stunning, with the haunting lyricism of the ending beholding one of the finest closing shots in the history of cinema.
Somewhere between the poetry of "Zabriskie Point " and "Easy Rider" (which it is frequently compared to but in many ways is the antithesis of) and the downbeat cop dramas that would follow during the decade like "The New Centurions" exists "Electra Glide in Blue", a gem certainly worthy of being rediscovered..
Before he found himself on the wrong side of a murder investigation, Blake was noted for playing an unconventional cop on the TV show "Baretta" (and also the flip side as a brutal killer in the film "In Cold Blood".) Here he is a square peg trying to fit into a round hole as a California Highway Patrolman with dreams of more.
Robert Blake's Character in "Electra Glide in Blue" was a motorcycle policeman in the fictional town of Stockman, Arizona, not California or the CHP.
Several references are given in the film, by Officer Wintergreen (Robert Blake), referring to areas around the Valley of the Sun, namely the Phoenix, Arizona area.
EGinB should be seen as an anthem to early 70's America, and the ringing messages of all road movies at the time.The film is unique as a tour de force from a director who knew precisely what he was doing.From the opening scene, with it's brilliant use of close-ups, to the final incredible draw-back, EGinB relentlessly drives home the message of post-Vietnam America, with themes of honesty,realization,ruthlessness and duty.As in other Road Movies, the Road is the conduit along which America travels for hope and redemption.The implication is that it is only in the expanse and purity of the Big Country that these ideals can be attained.Blake seizes his opportunity to wrest his character, Wintergreen, out of the Vietnam War and into a troubled American Society; not without a little resentment along the way.
His ideals of right and honesty give way eventually to acceptance of the system, with all it's failings.The photography is beautiful and skillful, lending a curious winsome nostalgia to the Great American Outback.Wintergreen's gleaming bike,( the Electra Glide of the title), deserves a credit of it's own.
From the opening suicide' montage and shot of a desert landscape cut in half by a narrow strip of road, you can tell that Electra Glide in Blue will be a simple film relying on striking visuals to tell the story just as much as the dialogue.
It may even be a tad too simple, since it sort of teeters out before the end and reaches its resolution rather abruptly, but its themes of dreams, loneliness, and obvious parallels to the death of 60's idealism, make it a very moving, worthwhile film.Blake is note perfect as `Big' John Wintergreen, an idealistic, pure-hearted, easygoing motorcycle cop, who just want to be a detective and `get paid for thinking, instead of sitting on my a** getting calluses.' He gets his chance when an old desert denizen appears to have been murdered and he is taken under the wing of Det Harve Poole, a right wing, bigoted, commanding man, who establishes his character by saying `My religion is myself.
There were parts of the movie that were downers, I guess I was looking for a feel good flick years ago.Our main character played by Robert Blake is a straight by-the-rules cop.
The movie can be boiled down to this: intro (murder); cop and girlfriend together; intro credits; cops going to work; crazy guy tells story; cop finds dead body; cop and chief and girlfriend at bar; chase scene; etc.
Then it tries to be a buddy film (Big John and Zipper) then a murder mystery; then a melodramatic love story; etc.
And thanks to Robert Blake's acting (of a really badly written character), the film maintains a certain level of realism, even though nothing else makes much sense.
This amazing sun drenched noir sleeper from the Easy Rider era stars attractive young Robert Blake, as a short motorcycle cop who dreams of becoming a detective and gets a chance to help solve a murder.Conrad Hall's cinematography is startling from the start - when you don't quite know if you're witnessing a suicide or a murder - to the breathtaking finish.
A stylish direction by James William Guercio--his only film!--and classy Conrad Hall cinematography cannot quite redeem wayward story about a motorcycle cop in Arizona, tired of busting hippies on the highway, chancing upon a corpse and seeing it as his ticket into the Homicide Division.
There are some good scenes, and I thought they would lead somewhere, but they didn't, it turned out to be an "anti-cop" "anti-buddy" "anti-hippie", pretty much "anti-everything movie", with an extremely confusing plot that also went nowhere.Robert Blake is great as the lead, well as great as someone could be with this bad movie, I am still a huge fan of Mr. Blake and love his acting even in crap like this...But this drug induced 70's tripe, well...
At the time there was some controversy over the film and some called it an "Ode To Fascism" citing the opening scenes where Blake works out, takes his health foods and dons his armor (Cop Uniform) I am not sure that it did not have those elements in it but I do think it was a very special film.
It stars Robert Blake as a motorcycle cop Johnny Wintergreen who patrols rural Arizona highways and aspires to be a homicidal officer.The movie opens with a promising panache hardly betrays that Guercio is a greenhorn, conjecturing through its voyeuristic close-ups, audience would soon realize a face-unshown man prepares to kill himself, yet, Guercio's camera also cunningly suggests that he is cooking beef streaks at the same time.
So the apparent-suicidal case becomes his stepping stone to be recruited by detective Harve Poole (Ryan) for his astute observation that it is indeed a murder underneath the hatched facade.But the ensuing police procedural dampens Johnny's driving enthusiasm, especially after witnessing Harve hectors physically abuses and a group of hippies to milk information about their prime suspect, a drug dealer Bob Zembo (a cameo of Peter Cetera, one of the four CHICAGO members who take on acting roles here apart from their contribution to the picture's soundtrack), and the final straw is an awkward confrontation between him, Harve and Jolene, the latter turns out to be Harve's lover, and spitefully lambastes Harve's incompetence to make her contented and laments her ill-fated destiny, working in a barrelhouse after a dashed Hollywood dream, Johnny and Harv fall out afterwards.Unambiguously Guercio conducts a half-hearted approach to solve the murder mystery, after trifling with a biker-chasing set piece to keep the action moving, the movie falls back on Johnny's "inner voice" for an expedient epiphany to realize who is the murderer at the end of a MADURA concert, with reasons unexplained, but that is not enough, ultimately there would be another revelation later, to further muddle the water and leave the opening scene ever so ambivalent when one retraces back, before reaching its chilling coda, completely hits viewers like a cold shower, willful but symbolic, overall, it is a loner's world against the canvas of a vast Arizona landscape, everyone in the story is either indolent, disillusioned or corrupt, only the hippies' community stands in as a getaway from the unpleasant reality, but their guarded world is defiant towards the mainstream values, Johnny represents a tragic hero who is doomed because of what he represents, an authority figure, cannot be saved by his amiable personality and all-too-well intentions.Performance-wise, everyone on board is on a par with excellence, Elisha Cook Jr. is heart-rending to watch in his committed lunacy, Mitchell Ryan expertly imbues a certain degree of passing diffidence in his bombast mannerism and Billy Green Bush is so organic as Johnny's shade- hogging partner and nails his big scene with a flourish, so is Jeannine Riley, manages to steal some limelight even with a role riddled with platitudes.
And our leading man Robert Blake, ever so self- reliant as a pipsqueak trying rather hard to chase his dream, only to get short-changed by a cynical world.ELECTRA GLIDE IN BLUE, also bolstered by a symphonic soundtrack produced by Guercio himself and its striking wide-screen landscape sensation shot by DP Conrad L.
Robert Blake has one of the best roles of his career as John Wintergreen, a dedicated motorcycle cop who yearns for more in life.
A revelation regarding his colleague and good friend "Zipper" (Billy Green Bush) only adds to his dismay."Electra Glide in Blue" marked the filmmaking debut for James William Guercio, a veteran of the music industry who, with the help of ace cinematographer Conrad Hall, brings a lot of visual poetry which is not the action-packed murder mystery that some viewers might expect, or hope, it to be.
The poster art for "Electra Glide in Blue," a photo of a row of motorcycle police with the diminutive Robert Blake conspicuous in that line because of his size, was framed on the office wall of Captain Frank Furillo (Daniel J.
Stuff like that...cool script...trippy music...strange characters...great locations...weird lighting...not too pretentious...very realistic while strange at the same time...you are laughing one minute, shocked the next...and usually very original...a lot of the music then was the same...let's see, Cinderella Liberty, Carnal Knowledge...I guess you could go on and on...but strange, cool little movies that you can't forget...and unlike many modern movies, not overdone...just right...usually has you walking away kinda scratching your head...Technically, I guess heavy duty film critics could find a million things wrong with them but even the flaws make the quality happen too...weird...I love movies like that...I guess because they don't spoon feed you like all too many of the movies of the last fifteen years or so do...again...just right...let's see, Serpico, The Lords of Flatbush...Midnight Cowboy ('69?)...on and on....
This is a 70s movie about a motorcycle cop who is bored with his job and dreams of moving to homicide because he thinks he will get more respect and excitement than his current role.
Electra Glide in Blue is a Palme D'Or nominated film and the only one directed by James William Guercio who used to be the manager of the rock group Chicago.
(The song was reused for the final episode of the television series, Miami Vice.)Recent accounts suggests that the filming was chaotic due to Guercio's inexperience and a lot of work was done by Cinematographer Conrad Hall and star Robert Blake.From the long opening shot you can see that this film benefits from Hall's cinematography who makes good use of the location in Monument Valley in Arizona.
Robert Blake deliver a wry, offbeat performance as John Wintergreen the diminutive by the book motorcycle cop who wants to be a detective.
The plot after a promising set up starts to meander, we even end up in a music concert at one point and I never really understood who really killed the victim and why.This is Blake's film, he plays Wintergreen in a low key way and brings out a lot of humour such as dancing with his cowboy hat, stetson but no pants or chatting up ladies who are much taller than him by likening himself to Alan Ladd.The Electra Glide is a motorcycle from Harley Davidson and there is a wild and violence chase scene when the cops chase a bunch of motorcyclists.Electra Glide in Blue is an uneven film that has acquired a cult reputation.
The nightclub scene is badly over the top (Riley), (wasn't there a less florid way of discrediting Harve); also, Zipper's (Bush) last scene appears a forced instance of violence for the sake of violence; while the movie's final scene comes across like a shameless rip-off of Easy Rider, foreshadowed by a picture of Fonda that John riddles with bullet holes.
Too bad, because the movie was promising in so many ways.Blake plays John Wintergreen's character beautifully.
"Electra Glide in Blue" is a slow moving B-flick in which Blake plays a desert motorcycle cop who wants to be a homicide detective and becomes embroiled in a murder investigation.
He then seemingly appears to tie string to his big toe, fastening the other end to the trigger of a shotgun, aiming the barrel to his heart and pulling the trigger.John Wintergreen is a short-a**e motorcycle cop with dreams of becoming a homicide detective.
even then, the film had a powerful effect.although it's hard to ever fully see robert blake and not think of his trial this film reminds you of when he was almost a movie star.
each scene is like its own movie.and yes, one of the great final shots in American film history..
Blake has a great role as Wintergreen (a short cop).
I saw this movie on the big screen while in boarding school and was nauseated by it.I wonder how it was received by anyone who bought a ticket.There is never any explanation for anything that happens.And then there's a nasty ending that has to speak to anyone who has ever been afraid for police officers making routine traffic stops.One additional note: how does any movie manage to make Robert Blake look shorter than 5'4"?Anyway, he kept my high school class mesmerized for more than a year on Baretta.
Electra Glide in Blue is the kind of movie I like: it makes you think.
Blake's character, John Wintergreen, takes a moving journey toward self-understanding and reaches a place where he can truly begin to "listen to himself."  This is a lesson we all could learn.While it is undoubtedly fun to get lost in the hippie trappings of this film (and to play Identify the Chicago Band Member), Electra Glide in Blue is a film that's worth revisiting often as a reminder that we could all pay a little more attention to our own voices.
Electra Glide in Blue, a 1973 film notable for being director James William Guercio's debut film, stars Robert Blake and Billy "Green" Bush as two cops who attempt to fulfill their own dreams: John (Blake) - a promotion; Zipper (Bush) - a bike.
It's also notable for being the beginning of the short-lived acting careers of many Chicago members (all four of them play minor-role hippies).For the plot: in a nutshell, John wants to get a promotion while Zipper wants the best bike in the world.
The film (as I interpreted it today) would have even worked with a 'nothing special' ending wherein Wintergreen could have split the force, become a great detective, whatever.
The film follows 'Big' John Wintergreen (Robert Blake), a diminutively statured highway patrolman based in the deserts of Arizona.
From an era in which Hollywood was seemingly torn in half by rebellious counter-culture movies such as 'Easy Rider' and hard-boiled Cop dramas like 'Dirty Harry', Electra Glide In Blue makes a bold step in placing itself somewhere in between these two camps.
The film also uses some wonderfully stylised sequences to set up the scenario and the opening credit sequence, in which Wintergreen meticulously puts on his highway patrolman's uniform seems to fetishise the appearance of the motorcycle cop (surely referenced by the T-1000 in James Cameron's Terminator 2- Judgement Day?) I thoroughly enjoyed Electra Glide In Blue and can find only a handful of flaws with it.
It also features an exceptionally memorable final shot.9/10Now, I know James William Guercio has never made another film but has Robert Blake done anything interesting lately?........
Robert Blake plays Officer Wintergreen - a short, dedicated motorcycle cop out to become detective.
Is it a battle of integrity in Wintergreen(played rather decently by Robert Blake) versus corruption as in Zipper's character or Harve's police brutality.
Electra Glide in Blue is a strange film by a one-time director.
Unfortunately every time we see the "hippies" in the film you get a feeling about how dated this one is....they have the same kind of ambiance that the analogous scenes in "Easy Rider" have.
Where we see "Big John" Wintergreen (Robert Blake) following a van before being blown off his motorcycle by one of the van passengers.