10 months ago
RENDO, NEVADA -- He was Northern California's answer to Vampira in Los Angeles, Zacherly in Philadelphia and Marvin the Beatnik in Chicago. They were live, in studio television hosts who introduced late night horror movies.
But Bob Wilkins was different. He didn't wear a costume, and starting with a showing of "Attack of the Mushroom People" on Seven Arts Theater on KCRA in 1966, he would give an honest assessment of the movie his audience was about to sit through.
"The first movie I had to show was one of the worst movies I had ever seen in my life," he told News 10 in a 2002 interview. "So I told the people watching you might as well go to bed."
The TV studio received calls the following Monday from advertisers upset about Wilkins' unorthodox approach, but management backed him and soon his critiques were part of the fun.
In 1970, Wilkins hosted the "Bob Wilkins' Horror Show" on Sacramento's Channel 40 and added "Creature Features" on Oakland's KTVU, Channel 2 in 1971. He also worked as a weatherman and hosted the kids' show "Captain Cosmic and His Wonder Robot 2T2" on KTVU.
Science fiction and horror movie stars traveling through the area would often stop for an interview, including Christopher Lee, Boris Karloff and Buster Crabbe who had played Flash Gordon.
Wilkins left television in 1981 to open an advertising agency. He eventually went to work for John Ascuaga's Nugget in Reno, Nevada where he retired in 1995.
With his family around him, Wilkins passed away from complications of Alzheimer's disease at a residential care facility in Reno on Jan 7. He was 76.
A fan celebration of Wilkins' career is in the works. Details will be published on his Web site.
News10/KXTV
