Bob Wilkins (television personality)

Bob Wilkins is a television personality. Wilkins is best known as the creator and host of a popular television show named "Creature Features" that ran on KTVU in the San Francisco Bay Area from 1971 to 1982 that showed (usually) very bad science fiction and horror films. For example the classic low budget "Plan 9 From Outer Space", produced and directed by Ed Wood Jr. and which features the last footage of Bela Lugosi, was first televised in the San Francisco Bay Area on "Creature Features". In addition, "Night of the Living Dead" by George A. Romero received it's world television premiere on the show, just a couple of years after it's original theatrical runs. Fact|date=February 2007 His style of wit was very dry, and the type of movies that were shown fit very well with his poking fun at them, which was a big part of his appeal to his fans (think "MST3K"). As host of the show, his dry wit and onmnipresent cigar became his trademarks.

Bob Wilkins started his on-camera television career in 1963 at KCRA in Sacramento. He was writing and producing commercials for the station when he was tabbed to be a fill in host for an afternoon movie show in 1964. On September 10, 1966, Bob Wilkins got his own time slot, hosting "Seven Arts Theater" which followed the station's 11 p.m. newscast. On January 9, 1971, KTVU hired him to host the Bay Area version.

In 1978, Wilkins launched an afternoon kids' program on KTVU, "Captain Cosmic," which showcased various sci-fi serials such as "Spectreman," "The Space Giants," "Ultraman," and "Johnny Sokko." Japanese imports were a prime focus, though the show also featured old Hollywood serials such as "Flash Gordon." Wilkins was uncredited, but fans of his "Creature Features" program recognized him immediately. His sidekick on this show was a robot named 2T2, which emulated R2D2 in the "Star Wars" movies. [cite web
title=Captain Cosmic
publisher=Bob Wilkins fan site
url=http://www.bobwilkins.net/captaincosmic.htm
accessdate=2007-10-21]

On February 241979, Wilkins relinquished the "Creature Features" hosting duties to San Francisco Chronicle writer John Stanley. He continued his "Seven Arts" program on KTXL (which had picked up the program after KCRA cancelled it in 1971) on September 18, 1971 until February 14, 1981. Wilkins' fans include Bay Area filmmakers, including George Lucas, who watched the Sacramento programs as a youth in Modesto. [cite web
title=Bob Wilkins in Sacramento
publisher=Bob Wilkins fan site
url=http://www.bobwilkins.net/sacto.htm
accessdate=2007-10-21 ]

Although no longer a fixture on television, Wilkins continued to make appearances at comic book and fantasy festivals. As of 2007, Wilkins retired and moved to Reno, Nevada. [cite web
title=Creature Features
publisher=KTVU web site
url=http://www.ktvu.com/station/1854218/detail.html
accessdate=2007-10-21 ]

John Stanley, Wilkins' replacement on "Creature Features", reported in an interview on the radio program "Coast to Coast" on August 14 2007 that Wilkins has been stricken with Alzheimer's disease and now lives in Sacramento, California. [cite web
url=http://www.bobwilkins.net/message_sally.html
title=Message from Sally Wilkins
accessdate=2007-10-21]

Notes and references

External links

* [http://bobwilkinsthemanbehindthecigar.blogspot.com Bob Wilkins Blog]
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*cite web | title=Creature Features Host Bob Wilkins | url=http://www.ktvu.com/station/1854218/detail.html | accessdate=
* [http://opie.wvnet.edu/e-gor/tvhorrorhosts/hostsb.html#BobWilkins TV Horror Hosts Listing for Bob Wilkins]