Clarington Shpoo's Blog: So long, Ray!
Ray Dennis Steckler bought a bus ticket to the great beyond last week. If you don't know who he was, you're lucky, if you do know, you're luckier. He was never afforded the acclaim given to Ed Wood, but then, Tim Burton never made a movie about him (Hey, Tarantino, if you're out there, get moving on the biopic, will you?).
Ray, also known as Cash Flagg, Sven Golly and Cindy Lou Sutters, started his career as DP on Timothy Carey's "World's Greatest Sinner", and went on to give us such schlock classics as "The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies!!?", "The Horny Vampire", and my personal fave, "Rat Pfink A Boo Boo". Armed with a 16mm camera, a budget of hundreds and a dream, he took Hollywood by storm, albeit an embarrassingly small storm. His features made Ed Wood's movies look lavish and well written. Sure, he spent his later years churning out cheap porn from his Las Vegas hideaway, but that's not what he'll be remembered for.
Ray's wannabe filmmaker spirit lives today on this and a hundred other websites. There are millions of young Ray Dennis Stecklers out there, clutching DV cams in their sweaty fists and suffering fever dreams about ideas that they're convinced are worth a million bucks, unwittingly creating unintentionally hysterical crap that will entertain for generations to come. Few of them will ever realize their direct connection to Ray, but it's there.
For those of you out there who have yet to experience his work, please find it where you can and I'm willing to bet you'll agree with me...Ray Dennis Steckler made some of the best/worst films ever to slither through a projector.
And Ray, if there's a film maker's Heaven, I'm sure that the Good Lord has reserved a Double Wide for you somewhere on the periphery but inside the fence all the same. And when you see Ron Haydock (aka Vin Saxon, aka Lonnie Lord, aka Rat Pfink) and Titus Moede (aka Boo Boo), please give them a hug and tell them it was all worthwhile. I hope to see a sequel when I die and join you there.
Ray, also known as Cash Flagg, Sven Golly and Cindy Lou Sutters, started his career as DP on Timothy Carey's "World's Greatest Sinner", and went on to give us such schlock classics as "The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies!!?", "The Horny Vampire", and my personal fave, "Rat Pfink A Boo Boo". Armed with a 16mm camera, a budget of hundreds and a dream, he took Hollywood by storm, albeit an embarrassingly small storm. His features made Ed Wood's movies look lavish and well written. Sure, he spent his later years churning out cheap porn from his Las Vegas hideaway, but that's not what he'll be remembered for.
Ray's wannabe filmmaker spirit lives today on this and a hundred other websites. There are millions of young Ray Dennis Stecklers out there, clutching DV cams in their sweaty fists and suffering fever dreams about ideas that they're convinced are worth a million bucks, unwittingly creating unintentionally hysterical crap that will entertain for generations to come. Few of them will ever realize their direct connection to Ray, but it's there.
For those of you out there who have yet to experience his work, please find it where you can and I'm willing to bet you'll agree with me...Ray Dennis Steckler made some of the best/worst films ever to slither through a projector.
And Ray, if there's a film maker's Heaven, I'm sure that the Good Lord has reserved a Double Wide for you somewhere on the periphery but inside the fence all the same. And when you see Ron Haydock (aka Vin Saxon, aka Lonnie Lord, aka Rat Pfink) and Titus Moede (aka Boo Boo), please give them a hug and tell them it was all worthwhile. I hope to see a sequel when I die and join you there.
Comments (3)
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I will definitely try to dig up some of his work. Thanks, Clarington.
Thanks for the tip!
Steckler's mind is a crooked path well worth the stroll.
who wouldn't love crazy, but *genuinely* earnest work….it’s my soft point with artists.
".....you dirty,....feelthy....peeeeg...!" ;) thank you, C.Shpoo