Rat Pfink a Boo Boo

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Rat Pfink a Boo Boo is a 1966 B-movie directed and starring Ray Dennis Steckler.

Perhaps the most striking feature of the film -- beyond the low production values -- is a sudden switch in tone and plot that comes roughly forty minutes into the movie. As originally planned, the film was a straight-faced crime drama titled The Depraved, inspired by a series of obscene phone calls by which Steckler's ex-wife Carolyn was being harassed. During shooting, Steckler suddenly got the inspiration to make a parody of the campy Batman television series instead. As a result, in the middle of straight-faced crime drama action, the star of the movie steps into the closet with a previously minor character and they emerge costumed as "Rat Pfink" and "Boo Boo", parodies of Batman and Robin.^[1]

Why the new title is Rat Pfink a Boo Boo and not the more logical Rat Pfink and Boo Boo is the subject of a popular B-movie legend. According to the 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." ^[1]

1 Plot
2 Quote
3 Notes
4 External link

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

(From video sleeve notes)

'When Ceebee Beaumont, girlfriend of singing idol Lonnie Lord, is kidnapped by the Chain Gang, Lonnie and his friend Titus Twimbley swing into action. They become the mighty costumed superheroes Rat Pfink & Boo Boo, champions of women and children everywhere. Between rock 'n' roll songs at wild and wayward watusi go-go parties, Rat Pfink & Boo Boo search for Ceebee in their ratcycle. After many harrowing escpes they finally rescue Ceebee and end the ChainGang's reign of terror - only to face the fanged fury of Kogar the ape, escaped from a jungle compound. Rat Pfink saves the day as well as Ceebee and the whole gang shoot over to a city-wide parade held in their honour, as once again, Rat Pfink and Boo Boo prove that crime does not pay!'