''Rat Pfink a Boo Boo'' is a 1966 American film directed by

Ray Dennis Steckler Ray Dennis Steckler (January 25, 1938 – January 7, 2009), also known by the pseudonym Cash Flagg, was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor best known as the low-budget auteur of such cult films as ''The Incredibly Stran ...

and starring

Ron Haydock Ron Haydock (April 17, 1940 – August 14, 1977) was an American actor, screenwriter, novelist and rock musician. Career Haydock's band, Ron Haydock and the Boppers, were heavily influenced by Gene Vincent. In August 1959, Cha Cha Records rele ...

and Carolyn Brandt. The first 40 minutes of the film are a straight crime drama, but it jarringly segues into a superhero parody after this. The title is alternately explained as a typo that was too expensive to fix (versus the more logical ''Rat Pfink and Boo Boo'') or a stylistic choice.

Plot

After murdering an unnamed woman, the villainous "Chain Gang" targets Cee Bee Beaumont, the girlfriend of rock-and-roll star Lonnie Lord. The Chain Gang harasses, stalks, and eventually abducts Beaumont. In order to save his girlfriend, Lord takes on the identity of "Rat Pfink", and his friend, Titus Twimbly, assumes the role of Rat Pfink's sidekick, "Boo Boo". On their Ratcycle, the duo eventually manages to track down the Chain Gang. After a long chase and the resulting confrontation with the gang, Rat Pfink and Boo Boo rescue Beaumont. However, Beaumont is abducted again, this time by "Kogar the Ape", a gorilla that has escaped from a local zoo. Kogar easily knocks out Rat Pfink, but his keeper soon comes and collects the ape. At the end of the film, Lord performs for everyone at a parade held to honor the heroes.

Cast

* Carolyn Brandt as Cee Bee Beaumont *

as Rat Pfink / Lonnie Lord (as Vin Saxon) *

Titus Moede Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September 81 AD) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death. Before becoming emperor, Titus gained renown as a mili ...

as Boo Boo / Titus Twimbly * George Caldwell as Linc * Mike Kannon as Hammer *

James Bowie James Bowie ( ) ( – March 6, 1836) was a 19th-century American pioneer, slave smuggler and trader, and soldier who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He was among the Americans who died at the Battle of the Alamo. Stories of h ...

as Benjie * Mary Jo Curtis as Irma La Streetwalker *

Keith A. Wester Keith A. Wester (February 21, 1940 – November 1, 2002) was an American sound engineer. He was nominated for six Academy Awards in the category Best Sound. He worked on nearly 60 films between 1966 and 2002. Selected filmography * '' Blac ...

as Cowboy (as Dean Danger) * Romeo Barrymore as Ape trainer * Berri Lee as Boy #1 on beach * Rox Anne as Girl on beach *

Alan Neal Ontario Today is a Canadian talk radio program hosted by Rita Celli on CBC Radio One. The program is broadcast live from the studios of CBO-FM in the CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre weekdays, and it is carried on all CBC Radio One transmitters in Onta ...

as Boy #2 on beach * Bob Burns as Kogar (as Kogar) * Larry M. Byrd as Commander Byrdman (uncredited)

Production

The film makes a sudden switch in tone and plot after roughly 40 minutes. As originally planned, the film was a straight crime drama titled ''The Depraved'', inspired by Steckler's ex-wife Carolyn, who had been the victim of a series of obscene phone calls. However, during shooting, Steckler decided to make a parody of the

camp Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...

y ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

'' television series instead. As a result, in the middle of a crime drama, the star of the film steps into the closet with a previously minor character, and they emerge in homemade costumes as "Rat Pfink" and "Boo Boo", who are parodies of

and

Robin Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') **Bush-robin **Forest rob ...

Title

Why the title is ''Rat Pfink a Boo Boo'' and not the more logical ''Rat Pfink and Boo Boo'' is the subject of speculation. According to legend, ''Rat Pfink and Boo Boo'' was indeed the intended title, but when the artist creating the titles made an error and rendered the "and" as "a", Steckler's budget would not stretch to the $50 needed to fix the mistake. According to Steckler, however, the choice of title was deliberate: "The real story is that my little girl, when we were shooting this one fight scene, kept chanting, 'Rat pfink a boo boo, rat pfink a boo boo...' And that sounded great! But when I tell people the real story, they don't wanna hear it, so you better print the legend."

Music

Ron Haydock performs four songs for the film: "I Stand Alone", "Rat Fink", "Runnin' Wild", and "Go Go Party".

Reception

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

'' rated ''Rat Pfink a Boo Boo'' 2/4 stars and called it an amateurish film whose "goofy, improvisational good humor makes a lot of it fun to watch". Jackson Griffith of ''

News & Review The ''News & Review'' is a group of free alternative weekly newspapers published by Chico Community Publishing, Inc. of Chico, California. The company publishes the ''Chico News & Review'' in Chico, California, the ''Sacramento News & Review'' in ...

'' wrote, "Either ''Rat Pfink a Boo Boo'' is a raving pile of crap, or it is some kind of genius filmmaking. I'm inclined to give Steckler the benefit of the doubt." A printed media review is located in Robert Freese's ''Psychoholics Unanimous''.Freese, Robert. ''Psychoholics Unanimous'' (San Diego, California, US), Jerrica Lee, Vol. 63, April 2009, (MG)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rat Pfink A Boo Boo 1966 films 1960s crime comedy films American crime comedy films American superhero films 1960s English-language films Superhero comedy films Parody superheroes 1960s superhero films 1966 comedy films 1960s American films