The production also operated under the kind of improvised conditions associated with low-budget New Hollywood filmmaking. According to Guercio’s DVD commentary, the Arizona Highway Patrol refused to cooperate, so much of the film was shot without permits. Before cameras rolled, LAPD motorcycle officer Gerald L. Ray spent more than a month teaching Robert Blake to ride police motorcycles properly, with the two practicing on replicas around Van Nuys. Even with that preparation, Guercio’s inexperience as a director left the picture several days behind schedule. Blake later described the shoot in his 2012 autobiography, Tales From a Rascal, as extremely difficult and claimed that he effectively co-directed portions of the film with Conrad Hall while Guercio 'stood around.' Blake was also unhappy with his reported $20,000 starring fee and later spoke disparagingly about the movie on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, although he did not name it directly. The irony was that the performance he seemed to resent helped attract television executives and contributed to his casting in Baretta, the police series that made him a major television star.
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AI concept artworkArchive Record · 1970s
Robert Blake’s $20,000 Frustration and the Unlicensed Highway Shoot
Robert Blake and Electra Glide in Blue / 1970s
The production also operated under the kind of improvised conditions associated with low-budget New Hollywood filmmaking. According to Guercio’s DVD commentary, the Arizona Highway Patrol refused to cooperate, so much of the film was shot without permits. Before cameras rolled, LAPD motorcycle officer Gerald L. Ray spent more than a month teaching Robert Blake to ride police motorcycles properly, with the two practicing on replicas around Van Nuys. Even with that preparation, Guercio’s inexperience as a director left the picture several days behind schedule. Blake later described the shoot in his 2012 autobiography, Tales From a Rascal, as extremely difficult and claimed that he effectively co-directed portions of the film with Conrad Hall while Guercio 'stood around.' Blake was also unhappy with his reported $20,000 starring fee and later spoke disparagingly about the movie on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, although he did not name it directly. The irony was that the performance he seemed to resent helped attract television executives and contributed to his casting in Baretta, the police series that made him a major television star.
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