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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