Word for word: Hearts bleed for Baretta

By LANE DeGREGORY
© St. Petersburg Times
published May 16, 2002

Last month, actor Robert Blake was arrested and charged with murdering his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley. Blake, 68, was a child star, appearing in the Our Gang comedies under his real name, Mickey Gubitosi. He is best known for playing a hard-boiled undercover cop in the television show Baretta, which aired from 1975-78.

Blake is being held in a Los Angeles jail without bond.

Web sites for Blake and Baretta include dozens of comments from sympathetic fans. Many were posted in the middle of the night. Here are just a few of the messages posted May 2 at amazingforums.com/forum/BARETTA/ (there is no "www" in this address).

-- LANE DeGREGORY, Times staff writer

0:28 a.m. KATHY: I just want to say that I'm in tears over all this . . . over Robert. I finally broke down a few minutes ago and just cried and cried. My childhood hero is in big trouble and suffering severely . . . I wish desperately that I could do something to help him and I'm powerless. When I read about how Robert interrupted his lawyer and began to beg the judge . . . my heart just bled for him. This is just awful! I will never get over this. He got me through a tough childhood with his wonderful personality and TV show ... and now I wish there was something I could do in return to help him through his terrible time. Guess I'll just pray.

0:42 a.m. KATHY: P.S. I dearly hope we the fans will mail Robert support notes and "hang-in-there" letters . . . Carl (the Web site master) has the jail's address posted . . .

2:44 a.m. LYNNANN1964: Kathy -- I'm sorry you cried. I feel the same way and am taking a lot of heat for defending Robert. I can't stop thinking about this and now I'm worried that Sondra (Blake's ex-wife) will get on that stand and say awful things about him that happened 30 years ago. This just sucks!

3:39 a.m. BETTY: Hi, it broke my heart as well. After this I went into depression. I came here and listened to the Baretta theme over & over & over again while crying. And there is nothing I can do.

(Editor's note: The lyrics to the Baretta theme, Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow, are Don't go to bed with no price on your head. No, no, don't do it. / Don't do the crime if you can't do the time. Yeah, don't do it. / And keep your eye on the sparrow when the going gets narrow. Don't do it, don't do it. / Where can I go where the cold winds don't blow? / Now, well, well, well!)

5:07 p.m. (Apparently from KATHY): TO CARL & EVERYONE: Thank you everyone for your comforting comments to me (and to Robert!!) after I mentioned in one of my posts that I had been crying and upset over him. It really did make me feel better. I'm definitely not alone in my feelings for Robert. There is, by the way, a slight chance that the judge may overturn the bail ruling on May 21 (the next court date) and Robert may get bail then. It doesn't look at all promising . . . but there's always that small chance . . .

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