Vintage cop shows: Baretta vs. S.W.A.T

Men's Fitness, Oct, 2003

Vintage Cop Shows:
Baretta vs. S.W.AT.

The '70s are back--in fashion, music and movies, and increasingly
on DVD. Two stone-cold cop-show classics are now ready to do
duty in your progressive-scan player. Hit the streets.

THE SHOWS     BARETTA                        S.W.A.T.

WHAT IT IS    An unconventional undercover   An elite crime-fighting
              cop lives with a pet bird      unit takes back the
              and busts bad guys while       streets of L.A. from a
              playing by his own set of      seemingly unlimited supply
              rules. Gritty atmosphere,      of psychotic, cop-hating
              hard action, lots of one-      freaks. Paranoid
              liners.                        atmosphere, kick-ass
                                             action, lots of jingoistic
                                             speeches.
WHO'S THE     Tony Baretta, streetwise,      S.W.A.T. team leader Dan
MAN?          crackin'-wise master of dis-   "Hondo" Harrelson, played
              guise who keeps his eye on     with stiff-necked, square-
              the sparrow when the going     jawed, tight-lipped
              gets narrow. Robert Blake is   intensity by Steve
              gold in the role of his        Forrest. So right-wing he
              lifetime.                      makes Joe Friday seem like
                                             a communist.
AIDING AND    Rooster: a mack-daddy-dress-   The S.W.A.T. van:
ABETTING      ing street informant. Capt.    Affectionally dubbed the
              Shiller: Baretta's uptight,    "war wagon," this mean ma-
              by-the-book boss. Fred: the    chine exhibits more perso-
              most famous cockatoo in        nality than most of
              history.                       Hondo's squad members.
TALKIN'       Bad ass: "You know             Hondo describes a band of
SMACK         somethin', Mr. Baretta, you    counterculture killers who
              got a biiiiiiiiig mouth!"      inhabit "a mind-bending
              Baretta: "Yeah, that's one     netherworld of group acid
              of my better qualities."       trips, witchcraft, psyche-
              Fred the cockatoo: "Freeze!"   delic satanism and reverse
                                             exorcism." Yeah, baby!
POLITICALLY   All of Rooster's               Busting heads without due
INCORRECT     appearances; Baretta's jaw-    process, breaking down
MOMENTS       dropping undercover guise as   doors without warrants,
              a gay interior designer; and   and using excessive force
              many more.                     in each and every episode.
                                             Probably ex-L.A. Police
                                             Chief Darryl Gates'
                                             favorite program.
FLY FASHION   Baretta goes undercover in     Er, the S.W.A.T. team is
              flower-patterned bell-         smartly accoutered in
              bottoms, a huge ankh neck-     dark-blue unis and dope
              lace and platform heels.       flak jackets, accessorized
              Don't watch this alone.        with stylish M-16 rifles.
PLAY THAT     Dave Grusin wrote it, Sammy    Wicked wah-wah guitar and
FUNKY MUSIC   Davis Jr. sang it. Maybe the   blazing horn riffs made
              coolest theme tune ever.       the S.W.A.T. theme a
                                             top-10 hit in 1975.
JUDGE'S       Watching Blake deliver lines   Laughably bad dialogue,
VERDICT       like "If you can't do the      wooden acting, one-
              time, don't do the crime"      dimensional villains and
              holds a morbid fascination     buckets of gratuitous
              given his recent legal         violence. Yet that's what
              history, yet Baretta stands    made it great. Crack for
              on its merits as one of the    the TV junkie.
              best cop shows ever. And you
              can take that to the bank.
JUST THE      Universal Home Video;          Columbia TriStar Home
FACTS         $39.98; 3-disc set;            Entertainment; $29.98;
              available at Suncoast Video    3-disc set; available at
              and Best Buy.                  Suncoast Video and Best
                                             Buy.