Hit TV Show “Baretta” First Aired on This Day in 1975[Video]

Tony Baretta was an undercover maverick New York detective and he often dressed up in disguises to catch the criminal.  The character was played by Robert Blake and it ran from 1975-1978.

Baretta won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy three times, winning an Emmy in 1975.  The show was also nominated a couple of times for a TV Land award.

The show's trademarks included Baretta's pet cockatoo "Fred,"  his signature phrases — notably "That's the name of that tune" and "You can take that to the bank" — and a memorable theme song, "Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow,"  performed by Sammy Davis, Jr. 

Robert Blake wound up being tried for the murder of his wife, Bonnie Lee Bakly, in 2005,  but was found not guilty.  He was later found liable in a California civil court.

Blake began as a child actor and starred in Our Gang from 1934-1944 as "Mickey."

In 1959,  he actually turned down the role of " Little Joe Cartwright"  in the TV hit series, Bananza.

Other than his hit series, Baretta, Blake was best known for his role as a killer in the 1967 film,  In Cold Blood.

This movie was based on a true story and novel written by Truman Capote about the murder of the Clutter family in Kansas.  Blake played one of the killers,  Perry Smith.  The film was scarey and bloody for its day.   In fact,  it was the first film in which a four letter word beginning with "s" is used.

The movie was nominated for four Academy Awards. And I remember being so scared I couldn't sleep that night the first time I saw it.

Here's the Baretta TV show theme: