05/15: "Creature Features" Documentary Premiere!

[August]

WATCH HORROR FILMS — KEEP AMERICA STRONG
Premiere for new documentary on the legendary San Francisco Bay Area horror show, "Creature Feautres"


 
World Premiere Benefit Screening for The Bob Wilkins Foundation
 
Thursday, May 15th at 7:00 PM
 
The Grand Lake Theater
3200 Grand Avenue Oakland, California
 
Presented by Creatures At Large
 
Conceived and Produced by TOM WYRSCH Written and Directed by MICHAEL MONAHAN Camera and Sound by ERIC YEE Edited by ANTHONY CAVA and ROBERT NAPTON
 
Featuring BOB WILKINS, JOHN STANLEY, BOB SHAW, ERNIE FOSSELLIUS, AUGUST RAGONE, SALLY WILKINS, ERICA STANLEY, ROB WILKINS, NANCY WILKINS, SCOTT MOON and TOM WYRSCH

WATCH HORROR FILMS — KEEP AMERICA STRONG, a new feature length documentary celebrating the unique and lasting contributions of hosts Bob Wilkins and John Stanley to San Francisco Bay Area broadcasting, makes its premiere at Oakland’s historic Grand Lake Theater in a benefit screening for the Bob Wilkins Foundation. Special guests at this event will include John Stanley, Sally Wilkins, Bob Shaw, Ernie (Hardware Wars) Fossellius – with others yet to be announced.
 
KTVU’s Creature Features (1971–1984) remains the most-loved, best-remembered local program in Bay Area broadcast history. “Watch Horror Films – Keep America Strong!” was the rallying cry of host Bob Wilkins as he lured unsuspecting audiences into viewing the type of film usually found clinging to the bottom of the cinematic barrel.
 
After nearly eight years enticing viewers with the irresistible promise of the awful, Bob Wilkins passed the torch to San Francisco Chronicle film critic and author John Stanley, who expanded the creative boundaries of the program, offering a singularly ambitious vision of Creature Features for many years after.
 
Blending newly filmed interviews with crew, family and fans with rare footage unseen since originally aired, WATCH HORROR FILMS — KEEP AMERICA STRONG recalls the strange and wonderful era of local television. The film is an affectionate tribute to a special time and place – and to the special people who entertained and inspired a generation of viewers.
 
In recent years, Bob Wilkins has struggled with the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s Disease. Proceeds from this film will go directly to the Bob Wilkins Foundation to assist in his care.

Tom Wyrsch is the author of "The Bob Wilkins Scrapbook" and "The John Stanley Scrapbook." He is also the "Creature Features" Archivist.
 
Michael Monahan is the Associate Producer and Researcher for "American Scary" (2006) and author of an upcoming book on the national history of the TV horror movie host.

For additional information, please contact:
 
Tom Wyrsch
[phone]
[e-mail]                              
 
Michael Monahan
[phone]
[e-mail]

PLEASE SEND THIS ON TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS

[Torgaman]

Bob Wilkins pulled off one of the greatest publicity stunts ever for his first show.He was going to air ATTACK OF THE MUSHROOM PEOPLE and watched it a few days before the show,hated the film and then wrote a letter to tv guide warning viewers NOT to watch the movie since it was so awful.He was smart enough to know people would tune in just to see if it was that awful.It's a shame he didn't like the Toho/Japanese films as much as other hosts.

[August]

Actually, your recounting of that story is partially true:

"The slight, unpresupposing Wilkins would seem an unlikely guide to greet you at the doorway to unspeakable horror. But to a generation of Northern California fans, the bispectled, cigar smoking host is synonimus with monsters, demons and other creatures of darkness. His extensive career began in Sacramento in 1966. Wilkins was working in the advertising department of KCRA Ch 3 when he was invited to present Attack of the Mushroom People to the unsuspecting valley audience. After viewing the film himself, he consientiously took steps to warn viewers of impending cinematic disaster. Before rolling the film, he opened the local TV Guide and alerted those who had tuned in to superior programing on the other stations.

His dry, gentle sarcasm proved a hit, and in 1971 he found himself hosting Creature Features on KTVU in San Francisco. For a number of years, Bob's monster movie shows were running concurrently in both markets. Finally, in 1978, he decided to retire from Creature Features, turning over the reigns to Chronicle entertainment writer and friend, John Stanley. The Sacramento show, now on KXTL Ch 40, continued until 1982." -- Doktor Goulfinger.

Contrary to this story, Bob knew that Godzilla was a popular character, as reflected in the ratings, and never was condescending towards them when they aired on his shows, both in Sacramento and San Francisco. I appeared numerous time as Bob Wilkins' "Godzilla Expert," and he would often show Godzilla drawings sent in by viewers on the air, and even made personal appearances to promote the opening of GODZILLA VS. MEGALON in 1976. He also bankrolled my "Godzilla Fan Club" in 1979 and 1980.

His weekday afternoon series, "Captain Cosmic" (1977-1981) ran programs such as STAR BLAZERS, ULTRAMAN, THE SPACE GIANTS, SPECTREMAN, THE SPACE GIANTS, and serialized Toho movies (such as GODZILLA VS. THE THING and DOGORA THE SPACE MONSTER). He even looked into importing shows directly from Japan after seeing KIKAIDA while on vacation in Hawaii in 1976, but found getting the rights very difficult (he even approached Tsuburaya Productions about ULTRA SEVEN, but the cost was too high, as they wanted $10,000 per episode).

He almost purchased and dubbed BATTLE HAWK, but he couldn't sell it because of the extreme violence, and while he put in a bid to air VOLTES V, the series was pulled from syndication for similar reasons.

Bob Wilkins was ahead of his time and he really supported me and Japanese sci-fi.

Here's a vintage, full-page, TV Guide from the early 1970s:

[Torgaman]

Well he sure convinced alot of people that many of these films were "Bad".

[August]

No. He didn't. I watched the show as a kid and he NEVER insulted the Godzilla films. You might be confusing Bob Wilkins (the original host, 1971-1979) with his replacement, John Stanley (1979-1984) who doesn't care for Godzilla movies. Stanley said on one show, "Tonight's movie is MONSTER ZERO, and that's about the entertainment value of the film -- zero."

Bob did point out when films were truly bad, as when he screened MONSTER FROM THE OCEAN FLOOR, "This movie is so bad; it was delivered to Channel 2 in a brown paper wrapper. No return address."

Now, that's funny (and MONSTER ON THE OCEAN FLOOR is terrible).

But, Bob would not and never said such things. At the end of every airing of SON OF GODZILLA, they would cut back to Bob blowing his nose into a hanky and mocking being teary-eyed. It was done with affection.

Bob encouraged kids to send in Godzilla drawings, and as I said, he got as many Japanese shows to run on "Captain Cosmic" as he could -- he thought that they were highly imaginative -- just that, in itself, contradicts what you are trying to assert. Bob supported me as his "Godzilla Expert" on the show, and if he hated these films, or was trying to imply that to his audience, I think I would have noticed that. Sorry, I've known Bob Wilkins since I was a kid, and you're dead wrong.

[Torgaman]

you might be right about me confusing Wilkins and Stanley. I do remember reading that one of those two couldn't stand to watch the Japanese movies.

[August]

I'm absolutely right about this.

[Shonokin]

KTVU is doing a 50 year anniversary retrospective and last night they had a piece on Captain Satellite and Creature Features.

There's some clips from the retrospective here
www.ktvu.com/50years/index.html

[August]

Update: due to overwhelming demand, a second show has been added at 10:00 pm. Be sure to get your tickets early — you don’t want to miss this historic celebration of “creature features” (or the creature’s going to get you tonight)!