April 15, 1967 Schedule

On KCRA Channel 3 at 11:30PM, Bob Wilkins showed "Gorilla At Large" (1954): "At a sinister carnival called The Garden Of Evil, the main attraction is GOLIATH, the world's largest gorilla. Then a man is found dead of a broken neck. Was it Goliath or someone in a gorilla suit framing Goliath?". "Gorilla At Large" was released in theaters in 3D, however it was shown on Bob's show in glorious 2D, however it did make it to television in 3D but not until 1982 when it was shown on Sacramento's Channel 31 (then KRBK) and San Francisco's Channel 20 (then KTZO). Also in the April 15, 1967 issue of TV Guide was an ad for Bob Wilkins show: "HAPPINESS IS WATCHING A GOOD HORROR FILM WITH BOB WILKINS SATURDAY NIGHT FOLLOWING NEWSBEAT".

Happy 75TH Birthday Bob!!!!!

Today is Bob Wilkins Birthday. He is 75 Years Young! He was born "Robert Gene Wilkins" in Hammond, Indiana on April 11, 1932. Bob is retired and living with his beautiful wife, Sally, in Reno, Nevada.

Assorted Posters For "Grindhouse" (2007)

Here are assorted posters for "Grindhouse". Go See The Movie!

Review of "Grindhouse" as well as my grindhouse memories!

On Saturday Night, April 7, I went to see the Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez movie, "Grindhouse" at the Regal Cinemas "City Centre Stadium Cinemas 16" in Downtown Stockton, California. Excellent Movie! It sure replicated the old grindhouse movies of the 70's and 80's though the atmosphere of the cineplex didn't match the atmosphere of an actual grindhouse. Of the double feature, I preferred Rodriguez feature, "Planet Terror" over Tarantino's "Death Proof". Of course, the highlight of the whole movie were the fake trailers shown before and between the features. As for grindhouses in general, though few exist today, there were many all over the country in the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's. The most famous were located in New York's Times Square but there were plenty in Northern California. In San Francisco, they were along Market Street (St. Francis 1 And 2, The Strand, etc.), In Sacramento there was the Esquire and The Star Theatres on K Street. And in my home town of Stockton, in the 1970's, The historic "Fox California Theatre" at 242 East Main Street as well as the "Ritz Theatre" at 420 East Main Street (demolished in 1987) showed Grindhouse movies. Many times they were triple features for 50 Cents. But the grindhouse I fondly remember is the "Stockton Royal Theatres" located on the Miracle Mile in Stockton at 1820 Pacific Avenue. The main Auditorium was built in 1945. It was mostly a second run house. In 1976, The Stockton Theatre expanded and added 3 more auditoriums.Westland Theatres Chain operated the Stockton from 1945 until 1983 when it was sold to the CinamaCal Enterprises Chain out of Concord, California. From 1976 until 1983, The Stockton Royal Theatres was a combination Mainstream/Grindhouse Operation. At least 1-2 of those screens were used to show then first run Grindhouse Features. The main feature was First Run while the second feature was always Second Run. Among the double features I remember were: ("Zombie" and "Tender Flesh"), ("Death Ship" and "Screams Of A Winter Night"), ("The Fog" and "Phantasm"), ("Emanuelle Around The World" and "Emanuelle In Bangkok"), ("Blood Beach" and "They Came From Within"), ("The Big Brawl" and "Enter The Dragon"). On one occasion, they even had a triple feature of ("Death Valley", "Venom" and "Night School").Other movies I had seen included "Andy Warhol's Frankenstein", "Dawn Of The Dead", "Barbarella","The Evil Dead", "Food Of The Gods", "Future World" even "Friday The 13TH Part 3 In 3D". After CinamaCal took over in 1983, the days of the grindhouse double features were over though they did continue to show many genre flicks like the rest of the "Friday The 13TH" movies, "Phantasm 2", "Robocop 3" and much more. In 2000, Signature Theatres took over and converted The Stockton Royal into a Art/Foreign Film House but it was not successful and it closed later that year. A year after that in 2001, Northshore Theatres reopened the Stockton Royal to First Run Films again but in 2003, Signature Theatres opened a brand new state of the art All Stadium, All Digital "City Centre Stadium Cinemas 16" to help revitalize Downtown Stockton. (In 2004, Regal Entertainment Group bought out Signature Theatres). On April 20, 2004, The Stockton Royal Theatres closed for good. Today, The main auditorium is now called "The Stockton Empire Theatre" and is now a live theatre/concert hall with an occasional film. The other 3 auditoriums were gutted and converted to Restaurant Space. The Lobby Of The Stockton Royal is a Coffee House and no, it is not "Starbucks" but "Java Aroma". If you have never ventured into a grindhouse theatre, I highly recommend that you see the movie, "Grindhouse". It is the next best thing!

April 8, 1967 Schedule

On Saturday Night, April 8 on KCRA Channel 3 at 11:15PM, Bob Wilkins somehow is back to showing only one movie instead of his double feature. This will last awhile. His movie is "The Stranglers Of Bombay" (1960), a very unusual horror movie from the famous Hammer Studios and directed by Terrence Fisher (Horror Of Dracula, Curse Of Frankenstein) and starring Guy Rolfe (Mr. Sardonicus, Puppetmaster 2) as a british soldier. "A murderous religious cult is stealing goods in 19TH century India. The religious cult goes around murdering and stealing just for the sheer pleasure of it". A very off the wall movie for "7 Arts Theatre".

April 1, 1967 Schedule

On Saturday Night, April 1 on KCRA Channel 3 at 11:45PM, Bob Wilkins showed a double feature of "Zombies Of Mora Tau" (1957) and "The Walking Dead" (1936). The first feature: "Zombiefied sailors guard the treasure of a ship they went down with 60 years earlier. A group of current sailors scoff at the legend and decide to retrieve the diamonds from the ocean floor only to discover the hard way that there is some truth to legends". The second feature is a classic from 1936 and starring Boris Karloff and Edmund Gwenn : "John Elman is framed for murder and executed. A doctor sees an opportunity to use an experimental procedure to restore him to life but is that entirely possible?".

"CREATURE FEATURES FOREVER! A Tribute To Bob Wilkins

I had a blast at the "Creature Features Forever: A Tribute To Bob Wilkins" show at the historic "Crest Theatre" in Downtown Sacramento, California!. I commend everyone involved with the show especially the man who formed the show, Scott Moon who has an excellent Bob Wilkins Website at http://www.bobwilkins.net/ Before the show, a lot of us met at "Brew It Up Restaurant" at H and 14TH Streets. In addition to myself and Scott, There was Mr. Psychtronic himself, Paul Etcheverry, Geoff Wong, Gary Tomsic, Eric "Mr." Lobo and even Bob's replacement, John Stanley and wife plus others. I also chatted with "Perry Martin", A DVD Producer with "Anchor Bay Entertainment" who grew up in Sacramento, and had many memories of Late Night TV. Once we got to the Crest Theatre, there was Mr. Creature Features Himself, Bob Wilkins in the front row with his beautiful wife, Sally as well as his children, Robert Jr. (AKA Robbie) and Nancy Beth. I finally had my chance to meet Bob in the flesh (So To Speak ). I was able to get my picture taken with Bob, courtesy of John Stanley. Guests who spoke were Bob's best friend and fellow KCRA TV Personality, Harry Martin, John Stanley, Geoff Wong, Gary Tomsic and filmmaker, Ernie Fossileus, who filmed the Star Wars Parody, "Hardware Wars" about 29 years ago. Horror Movie TV Host, Mr. Lobo presented, Bob's wife, Sally with a local Sacramento Proclamation honoring Bob Wilkins As Official Late Night TV Host For Sacramento. I still wished that Mayor Heather Fargo, would proclaim March 25, as "Bob Wilkins Day" in Sacramento. Then we had the Main Video Presentation of rare clips from Bob wilkins personal library. All from the mid 60's to late 70's, these rare clips are one of a kind and the only surviving tapes highlighting Bob's career. Then at the end, they showed a video presentation of the first movie that Bob hosted on Creature Features on KTVU-2 Oakland on January 9, 1971 courtesy of Dark Sky Films Excellent DVD. I have posted pictures of Bob with me on the night of the show. I also will find out from Scott Moon on the total amount of the attendance of the Sacramento show. Also thanks to Tom Wyrsch, Bob Johnson and Will Vilharo.

Bob Wilkins Needs Our Help!!!!

This weekend, I will post about the big tribute to Bob Wilkins last Sunday (March 25) at the Crest Theatre in Sacramento. It was a great event. I met a lot of cool and friendly people as well as meeting my childhood idol for the first time, Bob Wilkins. I hope to post pictures too. But right now, I'd like to discuss a serious subject. As most people know, Bob Wilkins was diagnosed with Alzheimers Disease. Bob's family needs help, and since Bob entertained us many years ago, I think we owe him. Right now, I am pledging $20 a month to "The Alzheimers Aid Society" for the care of Bob Wilkins. It is the least I can do for him! I will consider it like "$5 for every Entertaining Saturday he provided to me.I wish I can send more. In fact, send what you can afford. If it is $10 a month, do it. If only $1 a month do that. If only a one time donation, DO IT!!!! Send your donation to: Alzheimer Aid Society Of Northern California, P.O. Box 1824, Sacramento, CA. 95825. Write ON THE ENVELOPE as well as ON THE CHECK: "For The Care Of Bob Wilkins".This is a non profit, tax deductible corporation. We need to find a cure for such an awful disease. Thanks!!!:)

March 25, 1967 Schedule

Better Late Than Never:) On Saturday Night, March 25, 1967 on KCRA Channel 3 at 11:30PM, Bob Wilkins showed a TERRIFIC DOUBLE FEATURE!!!! 2 GREAT MOVIES FOR A CHANGE! "The Monster Of Piedras Blancas" (1959) and "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" (1953). The first movie: "The monster, which looks like a nastier version of the Creature From The Black Lagoon, invades a sleepy lighthouse town". This movie spooked me when I was a child. Especially that scene where the monster has a human head in his claws. I wish this was on DVD. I do however own it on VHS. The second movie is a Ray Harryhausen classic based on a Ray Bradbury short story. "As a result of an arctic nuclear test, a carnivorous dinosaur thaws out and starts making its way down the east coast of North America". Excellent Special Effects. This was a special night for Bob wilkins fans.

Big Day In Sacramento On Sunday March 25!

Because of tomorrows big day in Sacramento, I will be late in posting the next KCRA TV listing for Bob Wilkins show on Saturday Night, March 25, 1967. I will post it either on Monday the 26TH or Tuesday the 27TH. I hope everyone will attend the "Creature Features Forever Tribute To Bob Wilkins Show at The Crest Theatre in Sacramento, California on March 25 at 7:PM. It is going to be fun!!!

March 18, 1967 Schedule

On Saturday Night, March 18 on KCRA Channel 3, Bob Wilkins showed only one movie at 11:PM, earlier than usual but unfortunately showing a turkey of a film called"Monster From The Surf" (1965) AKA "The Beach Girls And The Monster", directed by actor, "Jon Hall" : "Surfers are brutally mudered. Is the culprit a sea monster or just one of the teens jealous parents?". Absolute, one of Bob's worst movies!!!

Send Bob Wilkins A Birthday Card!!!!

We need to send Birthday Cards to Bob Wilkins. His Birthday is April 11. He will be 75 Years Young!!!!

March 11, 1967 Schedule

On Saturday Night March 11, 1967 at 11:15PM on KCRA Channel 3, Bob Wilkins showed only one movie: "Slaughter Of The Vampires" (1962). "On their wedding night, a newlywed couple are terrorized by a love hungry vampire who makes his nest in the lower rungs of their estate. Before the bloodsucker can lay unholy claim to the voluptuous lady of the land, the couple enlist the unusual services of Professor Nietzsche who is determined to rid the world of all vampires."

March 4, 1967 Schedule

On Saturday Night, March 4 at 11:45PM on KCRA Channel 3, Bob Wilkins showed only one movie, "Horror Castle" (AKA "The Virgin Of Nuremberg") (1963) starring Christopher Lee. "Women are being tortured to death with various torture devices in the dungeon of an old castle by a deformed hooded holocaust survivor.

February 25, 1967 Schedule

On Saturday Night, February 25 on KCRA Channel 3 at 11:15PM, Bob Wilkins again showed only one movie, but a CLASSIC!!! A Mario Bava Film, "Black Sabbath" (1963). "A trio of atmospheric horror tales: "The Drop Of Water" concerns a nurse who steals a ring off a dead spiritualist only to have the corpse seeking revenge. "The Telephone" A prostitute is terrorized by phone calls from a dead client. "The Wurdalak" stars Boris Karloff as a vampire who feeds on the blood of his loved ones. This movie is an absolute classic. When AIP released it, they changed around the stories and trimmed it for content. The AIP version however is scarced as only the International version in Italian is available on DVD, first by Image Entertainment in 2000, but as a forthcoming Mario Bava Box Set on April 3. The AIP version was released on VHS by VCI and Sinister Cinema as well on Laserdisc by Image Entertainment as part of a double feature with another Mario Bava Classic, "Black Sunday".Enjoy the various Posters, Video/DVD Covers and pictures from "Black Sabbath"! :)

February 18, 1967 Schedule

On Saturday Night, February 18 in 1967 on KCRA Channel 3 at 11:30PM, Bob Wilkins showed only one movie, Universal's "The Black Castle" (1952), a very disappointing gothic horror movie starring Richard Greene, Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney,Jr. "A man investigates the disappearance of two friends who were guests of a sinister Austrian Count". Boris Karloff plays against type as the sympathetic castle physician while Chaney plays a brutish mute servant in his last role for Universal. Available On DVD as part of "The Boris Karloff Collection".

February 11, 1967 Schedule

On Saturday Night, February 11 on KCRA Channel 3 at 11:15PM , Bob Wilkins showed the double feature of "Castle Of The Living Dead (1964) and "Attack Of The Crab Monsters (1957). The first feature is no "Night Of The Living Dead". Stars Christopher Lee as "Count Drago who invites over entertainers to his castle but what the people don't know is that Drago mummifies animals and people.". The second feature: "People are frapped on a shrinking island inhabited by brain eating giant crabs.