John Goodman lends his voice talent as Big Daddy in award-winning director Ron Mann’s Tales of the Rat Fink about custom car legend Ed “Big Daddy” Roth. The largely animated feature biopic which features a lineup of outlandish talking cars played by Jay Leno, Tom Wolfe, Ann-Margret, Brian Wilson, Matt Groening, The Smothers Brothers, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Paul LeMat, Billy Gibbons, among others, is slated for its world premiere at SXSW (South By South West), Austin’s indie film festival, on March 11th.
Ed “Big Daddy” Roth sparked the custom car craze in the early 60s with futuristic designed cars with names like “The Beatnik Bandit” and “The Mysterion”. However, Roth’s most famous creation was not a car, but a silkscreened t-shirt graphic of an ugly rodent named “Rat Fink” who went on to become a cultural icon.
John Goodman perhaps was destined to play Ed Roth. After meeting Roth at a custom car show years ago, Roth told Goodman he would be his first choice to play him in a movie. Goodman as Roth in Tales of the Rat Fink narrates his life’s story from heaven – Roth passed away in 2001.
Roth’s story is perfect material for documentary veteran Ron Mann who specializes in pop culture and for the indie band, The Sadies, who scored the soundtrack.
Tales of the Rat Fink premieres Saturday March 11, Paramount Theater at 9:45pm, Austin, Texas.
More info: https://www.sphinxproductions.com/pages/ratfink.html
And about Ed Roth: https://www.mrgasser.com
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