Electra Glide in Blue (1973)

A short Arizona motorcycle cop gets his wish and is promoted to Homicide following the mysterious murder of a hermit. He is forced to confront his illusions about himself and those around ... See full summary »

Director:

James William Guercio

Writers:

Robert Boris (screenplay), Robert Boris (story),

Stars:

Robert Blake, Billy Green Bush, Mitch Ryan

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Blake	...	John Wintergreen
Billy Green Bush	...	Zipper (as Billy 'Green' Bush)
Mitch Ryan	...	Harve Poole (as Mitchell Ryan)
Jeannine Riley	...	Jolene
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Willie (as Elisha Cook)
Royal Dano	...	Coroner
Hawk Wolinski	...	VW Bus Driver (as David J. Wolinski)
Peter Cetera	...	Bob Zemko
Terry Kath	...	Killer
Lee Loughnane	...	Pig Man
Walter Parazaider	...	Loose Lips
Joe Samsil	...	Sgt. Ryker
Jason Clark	...	L.A. Detective
Michael Butler	...	Truck Driver
Susan Forristal	...	Ice Cream Girl

Storyline

A short Arizona motorcycle cop gets his wish and is promoted to Homicide following the mysterious murder of a hermit. He is forced to confront his illusions about himself and those around him in order to solve the case, eventually returning to solitude in the desert.

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Plot Keywords:

hermit | desert | motorcycle cop | motorcycle | murder | 

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Taglines:

Did you know that me and Alan Ladd were exactly the same height?

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 October 1973 (France)

Also Known As:

The Legend of Big John

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Guercio-Hitzig

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Todd-AO) 4-Track Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title of the movie is a reference to the Harley Davidson Electra Glide series motorcycles ridden by Patrolman John Wintergreen (Robert Blake) and his partner Zipper (Billy Green Bush). During the 70s and 80s the Harley Davidson Electra Glide was in fact a staple of police departments both in the U.S. and abroad.

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Goofs

As Jolene attempts to make out with Big John in front of jukebox, there's a bearded man visible in the mirror behind the jukebox.

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Quotes

John Wintergreen: I think I'll go over and check out the Black Canyon.
Motor Officer Zipper Davis, John's Partner: Aww, there ain't no action over there!
John Wintergreen: Zipper, that's the story of your life... there ain't no action, at no time, at no place... I'll see you later. Somebody's gotta be doing something bad somewhere!

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Connections

Referenced in The Devil's Rejects (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Tell Me"
Big Elk Music ASCAP
James William Guercio
Sung by 'Terry Kath (I)' (uncredited)

User Reviews

Electrifying Ending

With those evocative images and that emotionally charged music, the final fifteen minutes are electrifying. It's all about America, and a terrible ten years of assassinations, Viet Nam, and countless other cultural strife. The film's ending is saying ... enough is enough. Let the healing begin. 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. Sometimes with his partner Zipper (Billy Green Bush), "Big John" encounters these tormented souls, on the road mostly. That's his job. The film's story is an ode to the courage and nobility of ordinary Americans pained by reality with only their dreams to comfort them.

The film's disjointed plot begins with a killing. And this incident keeps the plot moving. But "Electra Glide In Blue" is mostly a character study, not a crime film. Color cinematography is quite good. Interior shots have lots of close-ups, even extreme close-ups. There's a lot of diffuse lighting. Exteriors are shot like a modern-day Western. Indeed, the look and feel of the film is similar in some ways to the old John Ford Westerns, like "The Searchers".

The plot is the main weakness of the film. Some parts are overplayed, like the chase scenes. There's a lack of continuity both in storyline and in visual elements. It's as if many scenes were shot impromptu, on the rush. And some of the acting is way over the top. 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. Even midway through, one wonders whether this film is going anywhere or has any point to it. It is, and it does. You just have to wait for that powerful ending and its cinematic message of a tormented America, from the point of view of one lonely cop, just doing his job.