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Robert Blake, Billy Green Bush, Mitchell Ryan, Jeannine Riley, Elisha Cook Jr. ... see more see more... , Royal Dano , Susan Forristal , Jeff Ramsey , Peter Cetera , Alan R. Gibbs , Ron Rondell , David Wolinski , Mickey Alzola , Chester Grimes , J.N. Roberts , Richard Karie , John Scovern , Joe Samsil , Jason Clark , Terry Kath , Michael Butler , Hawk Wolinski , Mitch Ryan

A police officer who would rather use his brains than his gun is put into a situation where neither can help him in this police drama. John Wintergreen (Robert Blake) is a sawed-off and street-smart A... read more read more...rizona motorcycle cop who dreams of climbing the ladder and becoming a police detective, but his ambitions are scoffed at by his partner, Zipper (Billy "Green" Bush). Wintergreen's superiors tend not to take him seriously due to his short stature, but when he stumbles upon the site of a murder, he digs up enough relevant evidence to insure his advancement to detective status. However, after a few days on the job, Wintergreen begins to realize just how corrupt his superior Poole (Mitchell Ryan) truly is after Poole attempts to frame a local hippie, Bob Zemko (Peter Cetera), for a crime he didn't commit. Adding fuel to the fire is Poole's discovery that he and Wintergreen have been dating the same woman, dancer-turned-barmaid Jolene (Jeannine Riley). Electra Glide in Blue was the first (and to date only) directorial credit for James William Guercio. Successful in the music industry as a manager and producer, Guercio was best known for his association with the top-selling jazz-rock group Chicago; several members of the band appear in the movie, as does a young Nick Nolte in a bit part. On a note of sad irony, Terry Kath, the longtime Chicago vocalist who died in 1978 from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head, plays a gun-wielding killer in this film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

73% liked it

2,216 ratings

Critics

75% liked it

8 critics

PG, 1 hr. 46 min.

Directed by: James William Guercio

Release Date: June 1, 1973

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DVD Release Date: March 22, 2005

Stats: 146 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (146)


  • March 28, 2011
    Electra Glide in Blue was a bad title, but everything else about it is pretty stellar. Performances are top knotch all round, the script taught and tight, and the cinematography... Did I mention it's shot by Conrad Hall?
  • March 20, 2011
    Electra Glide In Blue is a character study of an earnest and honest man doing America's second most unpopular job. Fans of early 1970s drive-in cinema, edgy action flicks will dig this picture. Some scenes are unforgettable, while others come off as amateurish, including the di... read morealogue. In terms of structure and plot, there are plenty of similarities to "Easy Rider." Instead of a pair of hippies, it's John Wintergreen (Robert Blake) and his bike-riding cop partner "Zipper" Davis (Billy Green Bush on the edge of irritating), who happens to be a bit more sadistic and corrupt.

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  • December 27, 2006
    Probably the most underrated movie of the 70s. Picture a right wing Easy Rider told from a pious cop's point of view and you're getting warm. Incredible cinematography by Conrad Hall.
  • March 1, 2010
    1970's classic film as little motorcycle cop with big simple heart dreams of being a homicide detective in a land where prejudice, cynicism, and just-looking-out-for-number-one-ism rules. A great character study, and unlike FORREST GUMP, it doesn't go for an easy happy-by-numbe... read morers ending.
  • August 16, 2010
    While I could've honestly lived without seeing Robert Blake in his tighty-whiteys, but otherwise this flick functions as a nice companion piece to Easy Rider, told from the point of view of a cop struggling to do what's right in the face of the casual prejudices of the time.

    Wel... read morel-made, if a tad overlong, give it a look.
  • December 17, 2008
    70's character driven cop drama. Jumps the tracks a couple of times due to time period, but still effective.
  • May 20, 2008
    A truly great 70's cult classic finally on Dvd. Long before Robert Blake was getting in trouble with the law, he was the law in this beautifully filmed crime drama. Blake plays John Wintergreen, an undersized straight shooting Arizona motorcycle cop trying desperately to become a... read more detective. He gets his chance when he stumbles upon a murder made to look like a suicide. Mitch Ryan is the grizzled hippy hating detective who takes Blake under his wing and Billy Green Bush plays his bike riding partner. Look for cameos by Peter Cetera and other members of the band Chicago and a very young Nick Nolte as one of the non-speaking gape mouthed hippies that Blake and Ryan shakedown.
  • May 19, 2007
    I'm kind of at a loss here giving this one a star rating. This film is the strangest, most offbeat thing I've seen in some time. Not strange in an abstract or outwardly surreal sense (of which in some instances I'm beginning to lose patience with anyway), but different in how i... read moret presents it's take on the conventions of the way motion pictures are made. You've never seen anything like Electra Glide in Blue. Sure, there are scenes and segments which will be very familar to any casual film-goer. It's the way this film uses these drastically different conventions and the rhythm in which they are used that make it so unique. After just one viewing, I'm not sure I can give this the proper review. What an experience. All I can do now is reccomend it to lovers of 70's cinema and those with peculiar tastes. Oh, and the ending, taken in context, may be one of the best I've ever seen. Almost a reverse Easy Rider finale, if you will. Wow.
  • March 3, 2007
    This is the type of character profile that Hollywood doesn't do anymore. Dysfunction on the edge - and what a great shocking ending!
  • January 15, 2007
    This is a 70's "cult classic" that probably very few people have heard of. The acting is kind of bad, but Robert Blake is pretty good in this movie.

Critic Reviews


Rob Gonsalves
July 15, 2010
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com

It's far from perfect, but it's often moving (and frequently gorgeous). Full Review

Chuck O'Leary
January 23, 2006
Chuck O'Leary, FulvueDrive-in.com

One of the great unsung films of the 1970s. It's so good you come away wishing James William Guercio had done more films. Full Review

Jon Niccum
November 26, 2003
Jon Niccum, Lawrence Journal-World

Weird little anti-hero tale

Dennis Schwartz
August 15, 2001
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

James William Guercio was the producer of Chicago albums in the Seventies, and this is his only directorial effort. Full Review

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Roger Greenspun
May 9, 2005
Roger Greenspun, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Don Druker
November 12, 2004
Don Druker, Chicago Reader

Click to read the article Full Review

Michael Szymanski
September 25, 2005
Michael Szymanski, International Press Academy

No review available.

Emanuel Levy
July 6, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Carol Cling
January 12, 2004
Carol Cling, Las Vegas Review-Journal

No review available.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Electra Glide in Blue Trivia


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  • Who appeared in In Cold Blood, Electra Glide in Blue and Lost Highway? (Massive clue: in 2005 he was acquitted of his wife's murder.)  Answer »
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