The Legacy of Bob Wilkins

TVC 712.3: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Joseph Dougherty, Tony Figueroa, and Dan Farren about some of our favorite local TV horror movie hosts from the 1960s and '70s. This segment particularly focuses on Bob Wilkins, the erudite host of Creature Features on KTVU Channel 2 (Oakland-San Francisco) who was known for his trademark cigar, horn rim glasses, and the catchphrase "Keep America Strong. Watch Horror Movies." Unlike most other local TV horror movie hosts, Wilkins never dressed up as a zany character on Creature Features, but instead kept the viewers tuned in every week by bringing them long-form interviews with the likes of George Lucas, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, Vincent Price, and Christopher Lee in between movie segments. Wilkins was also the first to air Night of the Living Dead on local television.