July
20, 2007: A Tribute to Bob Wilkins
By Sandman
On
March 24, 2007, I attended a benefit for Bob Wilkins at the Crest Theater.
The benefit was to honor Mr. Wilkins, but also to raise money for Alzheimer
research, the disease that Mr. Wilkins now suffers from.
Bob Wilkins was a television icon for B-Movie lovers when he hosted from the
mid 1960s to 1981 on KCRA Channel 3, Creature Features. On Creature Feature
they played such low budget movies as Reptilicus, Attack of the Mushroom People,
and Horror at Party Beach.
The benefit was held in the Crest's lower theater and was hosted by Mr. Lobo, a local television personality and B-Movie aficionado. On the stage of the crest were several posters of famous horror actor Boris Karloff, The Wolfman, and others. There were several former Sacramento television celebrities in attendance such as Harry Martin, a long time entertainment reporter for KCRA 3, and Geoff Wong, former host of G.W.A.T. - Geoff Wong Adventure Theater. Harry Martin explained to the audience that he was such good friends with Wilkins the he was Wilkins' best man at his wedding. Wilkins' wife added to the story telling she remembered Wilkins telling Martin, “The phone rang and it wasn't the Governor, I guess I have to go through with the marriage.” The crowd got a good laugh from that story. Geoff Wong spoke of how generous Wilkins was with him when he was starting out on TV at channel 3, always willing to share his knowledge and pass it on.
Mr. Lobo spoke of how Bob Wilkins was an advertising executive and writer at channel 3 when he volunteered to host this late night show. He looked nothing like a B-Movie host. He wore a blazer, slacks, tie, and smoked a cigar. He used dead pan humor and his fans came to love him for it.
He
was also honest. If the movie was especially bad he would tell viewers what
was on other channels at the beginning of the telecast. Bob Wilkins was not
paid for his duties as the late night host at channel 3 and in 1981 he left
Sacramento for Oakland to produce and host a late night show full time. It
was in Oakland that he developed his character Captain Cosmic.
During the benefit they showed clips of his work form the Sacramento years as well as the time he spent in the Bay Area. One of the most touching parts of the evening was when they showed a clip of his last show at KCRA when Wilkins' wife and two children walked on the set to surprise him. Both children looked to be about twelve years old. Both Wilkins' wife and children were in attendance during the benefit.
For fans of B-Movies I would definitely recommend attending this event should it occur again (or similar events). I felt good about lending my support to Wilkins. Although before this event I had not heard of him, I am a big fan of cult films and B-Movies. It was nice to see others show their support for someone suffering from Alzheimer's. It was also nice to see the support Wilkins had after leaving Sacramento over 25 years ago. From the crowd (standing room only) it was obvious people in Sacramento have fond memories of his Creature Feature show. Also, I felt that I learned a little of the history of television in Sacramento.