Tony Musante told producer, Stephen J. Cannell, that he was only going to do one season of Toma, no matter how popular the show. The series concerned the exploits of real-life undercover New Jersey cop, David Toma, an unconventional, street-wise cop, single, with a decidedly funky lifestyle. Musante was not kidding. He left the show with Robert Blake as the desired replacement. But rather than be tied to a low-rated series, Cannell "moved" the character to California to become the popular four-season series, Baretta (1975-78). Blake's natural quirkiness and sense of humor made a huge impression. He was given creative control in most aspects of production. It led Blake to create some popular and often parodied catchphrases like "You can take dat to da bank" and "And dat's the name of dat tune." Anthony Vincenzo "Tony" Baretta knew the city inside and out. Though a master of disguise undercover, he was usually in a T-shirt, jeans, and his trademark newsboy cap. His roommate was his pet cockatoo, Fred. The show's gimmicks burned out rather quickly, however.
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, sung by Sammy Davis, Jr., which includes another catchphrase, "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time." The "Baretta" theme, performed by the Latin-influenced rock band, El Chicano, was a huge hit in many countries.
Note: Roy Huggins created Toma and developed most of its stories. He valued Mustante's input and the star thought one concept would better fit a private detective. Huggins agreed. In the meantime, James Garner was wanting to do another television series. Huggins reworked the concept and it became The Rockford Files.
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