Baretta Baretta Baretta is an American detective television series which ran on ABC from 1975–78. The show was a revised and milder version of a 1973–74 ABC series, "Toma", starring Tony Musante as chameleon-like, real-life New Jersey police officer David Toma. When Musante left the series after a single season, the concept was retooled as "Baretta", with Robert Blake in the title role. "Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow," the show's theme music was composed by Dave Grusin and Morgan Ames and sung by Sammy Davis Jr. Anthony Vincenzo "Tony" Baretta is an unorthodox plainclothes police detective (Badge #609) with the
Baretta would occasionally speak in asides to his late father, Louie Baretta. He drove a rusted-out Mist Blue 1966 Chevrolet Impala four-door sport sedan nicknamed "The Blue Ghost" (license plate 532 BEM). He frequented Ross’s Billiard Academy and referred to his numerous girlfriends as his "cousins". The theme song, "Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow", was written by Dave Grusin and Morgan Ames; initially an instrumental, lyrics were added in later seasons that were sung by Sammy Davis, Jr. Every episode of "Baretta" began with the song, which contained the motto, "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time."