Every generation gets the Robert Blake it deserves. In 1939, young Mickey Gubitosi began appearing in the Our Gang series of short comic films. He took on the stage name Bobby Blake for other films through most of the 1950s, and then became Robert Blake. In 1967, he chillingly portrayed home invader and cold blooded murderer Perry Smith in Richard Brooks’ In Cold Blood, based on a true story. In 1973, Blake starred in Electra Glide in Blue. What I remember about that film is the poster, which depicted Blake in a line of police officers and a quote above his head: “Did you know that me and Alan Ladd were exactly the same height?” I was a short kid myself at the time – not that I’ve grown that much since then – and extremely sensitive to the ribbing I got from other boys about it, so the poster made me feel … empowered, I guess. I never got to see it in theatrical release, but I’ve always wanted to see it, all because of Robert Blake and his height. So I wasn’t quite prepared to finally watch the movie and realize it’s a stone cold classic, at least…