Written By: Scott MoonAdditional Content: Youtube / Bobwilkins.net / Wikipedia
Dear Friends,
On January 7, 2009, Bob Wilkins passed away peacefully. As many of you know, Bob had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease for the past several years and his family appreciates the concern, thoughts and prayers from his friends and fans.
When I first met Bob in 1995, he was still at the top of his game. Since then, I've been designing and maintaining his official website, and even produced (along with Mr. Lobo) two live Creature Features events in Sacramento. Its been an honor and a privilege to not only work with Bob, but to become friends with him and his family.
You can email your condolences to scottmoon@scottmoon.net and I will pass them along to the Wilkins family.
Scott Moon
Bob Wilkins was 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 its world television premiere on the show, just a couple of years after its original theatrical runs.
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
On February 24, 1979, 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's fans include Bay Area filmmakers, including George Lucas, who watched the Sacramento programs as a youth in Modesto.
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.
John Stanley, Wilkins's 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. Bob Wilkins lived out the remainder of his life in Sacramento, California.
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