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512:, debuted in several theaters in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 75-minute film features interviews with hosts Bob Wilkins and John Stanley, as well as other key figures close to the show, both behind-the-scenes and in front of the cameras. This is interspersed with vintage clips spanning the history of the show, highlighting the creative and experimental era of local broadcasting.
217:, to bring his show to the San Francisco Bay Area. Breen was one of Wilkins' best supporters at KCRA, who had always encouraged the then-young host to try novel things, and to never be afraid of going for it. Bob left KCRA on his own terms, with his last show broadcast on March 14, 1970. However, after starting a new show on KTVU, Bob returned to Sacramento television, this time at
269:. After six years, KTVU responded to popular demand by adding a single-movie Friday night show at 11:30 p.m., debuting on February 4, 1977. The following week, the Saturday Double Feature returned to a single-movie format starting at 11:30 p.m., and continued in this two-night format through Bob's last
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show, in addition to making dozens of public appearances every year. Even with this seemingly heavy workload, including commuting every week to
Sacramento from Oakland to tape his sister show on KTXL-40, he was first and foremost a devoted husband and father, coaching baseball at his son and
437:
Although no longer a fixture on television, Wilkins periodically made appearances at comic book and fantasy conventions, film screenings and tributes, until two years before his death. He appeared at the 1976 Star Trek / Science
Fiction convention InterCon in
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team in
September 1972 as their weather reporter. After his two-year contract expired, he was eager to step down, as he didn't feel that he could be creative that late at night. In spite of this, he was nominated for a local
170:
Wilkins' wit was very dry; it fit very well with the outrageously awful horror films he hosted. His approach suggested an aficionado's taste for genre cinema. His trade marks were his droll humor, his omnipresent
411:
At the height of his popularity, Wilkins decided to retire from television and go back into advertising. On
February 24, 1979, after offering the job to several of his researchers, including film historian
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191:. He was writing and producing commercials for the station when he was tapped to be a fill-in host for an afternoon movie show in 1964. Wilkins was given his own time slot, hosting horror films on
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During the height of his popularity, Wilkins, a soft-spoken, but sharp-witted character from
Indiana, was able to produce and host a number of
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show on
February 24, 1979. Dropping the Friday night show, John Stanley took over the Saturday program at 11:00 p.m. on March 3, 1979.
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daughter's school, and rarely staying up past 10 p.m. Eventually, Wilkins found himself, at the urging of KTVU management, joining the
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442:. After his departure from television, Wilkins concentrated on his advertising agency, which handled accounts such as the
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Bob
Wilkins, born Robert Gene Wilkins on April 11, 1932, died Jan. 7, 2009 from complications of Alzheimer's disease.
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being the featured film. After several successful years, he was courted by former KCRA manager Tom Breen, then at
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356:. Japanese imports were a prime focus, though the show also featured the 1936 Universal Pictures Serial
203:), which followed the station's Saturday 11 p.m. newscast. The show debuted on September 10, 1966, with
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program recognized him immediately, while children who were not old enough to stay up late to watch
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At age 76, Bob
Wilkins died on January 7, 2009, from complications of Alzheimer's disease in
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243:, and immediately became a tremendous ratings winner. In response, the show expanded to a
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format within its first year of broadcast on August 7, 1971. Another benchmark was when
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for a ski report, which used footage from the opening ski chase scene from the 1969
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series by uttering bleeps and blips (that only the good
Captain could understand).
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had no idea. Captain Cosmic's sidekick on the show was an actual, cable-controlled
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restaurant chain. In the 1990s, he and his wife, Sally, retired and moved to
381:). Donning a face-concealing helmet, Wilkins was uncredited, but fans of his
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ran the world television premiere of the already infamous 1968 horror film,
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On
Saturday, January 9, 1971, after weeks of attention-grabbing teasers,
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596:"Obituary: 'Creature Features' host Bob Wilkins made scary movies fun"
255:, at 9:00 p.m. on January 1, 1972. So popular was Bob Wilkins'
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In 1977, Wilkins launched an afternoon children's program on KTVU,
225:, an all-new production, which ran successfully for over a decade.
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288:, as well as hosting occasional horror films on KTVU's weeknight
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Wilkins was the creator and host of the popular television show
683:"Bob Wilkins, former 'Creature Features' television host, dies"
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www.ktvu.com — Creature Features Host Bob Wilkins
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Wilkins started his on-camera television career in 1963 at
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On August 14, 2007, John Stanley, Wilkins' replacement on
767:"Bob Wilkins Obituary from the San Francisco Chronicle"
670:
https://archive.org/details/inter-con-program/mode/2up
430:(1979–1984). Wilkins continued his program on KTXL as
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that it would often beat network programming, such as
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Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in the United States
632:"Obit: Bob Wilkins, former 'Creature Features' host"
495:, who watched the Sacramento programs as a youth in
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and the occasional movie serialized in five parts (
94:
86:
68:
47:
28:
866:Creature Features opening sequence used circa 1979
237:debuted on KTVU Channel 2 at 9:00 p.m. with
565:"Bob Wilkins — host of 'Creature Features'"
462:, reported in an interview on the radio program
117:; April 11, 1932 – January 7, 2009) was a
744:. Official Bob Wilkins website. Archived from
434:from May 9, 1970, through February 14, 1981.
326:, showcasing various sci-fi serials. such as
8:
773:. San Francisco Chronicle. January 18, 2009
175:, and sitting in his iconic rocking chair.
36:
25:
502:In 2008, a feature-length documentary on
393:, named "Wonder Robot 2T2" that emulated
19:For other people with the same name, see
509:Watch Horror Films, Keep America Strong!
861:TV Horror Hosts Listing for Bob Wilkins
521:
42:Bob Wilkins in his iconic rocking chair
532:The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 21
896:Neurological disease deaths in Nevada
7:
796:"Bob Wilkins - The Sacramento Years"
407:Return to advertising and retirement
472:and was then living in Sacramento.
432:The Bob Wilkins Double Horror Show
223:The Bob Wilkins Double Horror Show
14:
891:American television personalities
365:Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
347:Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot
286:The Bob Wilkins Super Horror Show
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594:Dávila, Robert D. (2008-01-10).
221:Channel 40 on May 9, 1970, with
179:KCRA-3 and KTXL-40 in Sacramento
153:, ranging from classics such as
309:On Her Majesty's Secret Service
21:Robert Wilkins (disambiguation)
798:. Official Bob Wilkins website
652:. Official Bob Wilkins website
630:Craig, Pat (January 9, 2009).
1:
829:San Francisco Bay Area portal
563:Berton, Justin (2008-01-09).
206:Attack of the Mushroom People
911:People from Hammond, Indiana
837:Official Bob Wilkins website
742:"Message from Sally Wilkins"
535:. Little, Brown Book Group.
487:Wilkins' fans include actor
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681:Craig, Pat (2008-01-09).
378:Dagora, the Space Monster
240:The Horror of Party Beach
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316:Captain Cosmic on KTVU-2
253:Night of the Living Dead
16:American television host
570:San Francisco Chronicle
529:Jones, Stephen (2010).
491:and Bay Area filmmaker
423:San Francisco Chronicle
416:, he relinquished the
372:Godzilla vs. the Thing
189:Sacramento, California
136:San Francisco Bay Area
119:television personality
688:San Jose Mercury News
606:The McClatchy Company
575:Hearst Communications
195:(later advertised as
156:Bride of Frankenstein
612:on November 20, 2009
280:specials, including
201:The Bob Wilkins Show
197:Bob Wilkins Presents
713:"Creature Features"
470:Alzheimer's disease
468:, that Wilkins had
282:The Star Trek Dream
262:Saturday Night Live
215:Oakland, California
141:The programming on
138:from 1971 to 1984.
115:Robert Gene Wilkins
601:The Sacramento Bee
420:hosting duties to
193:Seven Arts Theater
542:978-1-84901-672-8
504:Creature Features
460:Creature Features
418:Creature Features
387:Creature Features
383:Creature Features
271:Creature Features
257:Creature Features
249:Creature Features
235:Creature Features
229:KTVU-2 in Oakland
163:obscurities like
143:Creature Features
127:Creature Features
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101:Creature Features
87:Years active
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842:Bob Wilkins Blog
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295:10 O'Clock News
290:8 O'Clock Movie
267:Nielsen ratings
265:, in the local
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147:science fiction
104:television show
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800:. Retrieved
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746:the original
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725:. Retrieved
721:the original
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614:. Retrieved
610:the original
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578:. Retrieved
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546:. Retrieved
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507:
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493:George Lucas
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448:Reno, Nevada
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431:
428:John Stanley
426:film critic
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359:Flash Gordon
357:
353:Star Blazers
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151:horror films
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130:that ran on
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109:
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80:Reno, Nevada
74:(2009-01-07)
886:2009 deaths
881:1932 births
847:Bob Wilkins
802:January 28,
777:January 28,
306:adventure,
165:The Vulture
111:Bob Wilkins
30:Bob Wilkins
875:Categories
752:2007-10-21
727:2007-10-21
698:2009-01-20
656:2007-10-21
616:2009-01-20
580:2009-01-20
548:January 9,
516:References
479:, Nevada.
329:Spectreman
304:James Bond
300:Emmy Award
278:prime time
54:1932-04-11
489:Tom Hanks
400:Star Wars
391:automaton
145:featured
90:1963–1981
341:Ultraman
98:Host of
497:Modesto
397:in the
185:KCRA-TV
161:B-grade
134:in the
539:
483:Legacy
350:, and
113:(born
454:Death
395:R2-D2
173:cigar
851:IMDb
804:2021
779:2021
717:KTVU
550:2020
537:ISBN
477:Reno
375:and
284:and
219:KTXL
211:KTVU
199:and
149:and
132:KTVU
69:Died
48:Born
849:at
213:in
159:to
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
