Tuesday, June 9, 2020

THE RETURN OF RAT PFINK AND BOO BOO! by Dave Goode


It's time for another voyage into the alternate universe in my head as we revisit a favorite of mine. I  just finished my annual viewing of the psychotronic cult flick RAT PFINK A BOO BOO (1966). Released in September of 1966 , 9 months after the premiere of the BATMAN television series starring Adam West. Produced and directed by Ray Dennis Steckler it had a screenplay by Ron Haydock from a story by Steckler. Haydock , a Gene Vincent lookalike , also starred in the flick as singing star Lonnie Lord alias caped crime - fighter Rat Pfink under the name Vin Saxon. Also along for the ride was Carolyn Brandt , the producer's wife , as Lonnie Lord's girl friend Cee Bee Beumont. Titus Moede plays Titus Twimble alias Boo Boo , Rat Pfink's partner in peril. Ape - Suit actor Bob Burns plays Kogar , the Swinging Ape.






The first 40 minutes of this 72 minute film plays like a crime drama / jd movie ala' Elvis. The next 32 minutes are a parody of the Batman television show. I always got the impression they were writing the movie as they were filming and came up with the ending just as they were running out of film. In any case they manage to slip in four songs sung by Haydock / Saxon into the slightly over an hour running time. Running Wild , You Is A Rat Pfink , I Stand Alone and Go -Go Party. Colonel Tom Parker would have been proud.


Now I never thought there should have been a sequel to this psychotronic masterpiece of guerilla film - making. But in the alternate universe that runs through my mind there was a Rat Phink comic book that ran for 3 years. Through the length of the Batmania craze.



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