Shot guerrilla-style for $8000, the title alone gives you an idea of how little director Ray Dennis Steckler had to work with. The a should have been an &, but Steckler couldnt afford to correct the opening credits so he let the typo stand, informing the curious it sounded much better than Ratpfink and Boo Boo. When thugs kidnap the girlfriend of Lonnie Lord, a popstar who carries a guitar at all times because he never knows when hell be called upon to sing, it really brings out the hero in him. What has hitherto been (mostly) a serious thriller suddenly shifts into high camp when Lonnie and his faithful gardener Titus inexplicably decide to dress up as superheroes. Wearing shabby tights, capes, ski masks and a hat with bells and flashing lights, the dire-namic duo set off in a motorcycle with a sidecar, pausing at every junction (Always look both ways before crossing the street!) on their way to tackle the hoodlums. A crimefighters work is never done, however, so they also have to deal with an escaped ape that has kidnapped a girl, whose handler seems unaware its really a guy in a costume. Why wasnt Fantastic Four this much fun?
Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'
