WATCH HORROR FILMS, KEEP AMERICA STRONG.
A two-disc DVD set with 3 hours and ten minutes
of never-before-released material:
Disc #1 includes:
WATCH HORROR FILMS, KEEP AMERICA STRONG. This 75-minute documentary - produced by Tom Wyrsch, official archivist and historian of the CREATURE FEATURES TV series - retraces the legendary show, which was one of the most popular in the San Francisco-Bay Area for 13 years. How Bob Wilkins, a one-time advertising executive in the Sacramento TV market, rose up to become a famous horror host icon throughout the West Coast is retraced through the memories of associates who worked closely with Wilkins (film critic Bob Shaw, Japanese monster movie expert August Ragone, film maker Ernie Fosselius, and replacement host John Stanley). Also describing Wilkins' impact on audiences are his wife Sally Wilkins, his daughter Nancy, his son Rob and Planet X magazine editor/publisher Scott Moon. Wilkins dominated in his Saturday night time slot for eight years, surrounded by candle, skull and a sign on the wall which read WATCH HORROR FILMS, KEEP AMERICA STRONG. His trademarks became a ubiquitous cigar and yellow rocking chair. John Stanley, who replaced Wilkins in 1979 and kept the show alive until 1984 with his satirical minimovies and celebrity interviews, also describes how the transition between hosts was made, and why the series still remains vividly popular with those who grew up watching it. Fullscreen, 4 x 3 ratio.
MONSTER MOVIE GAME. In 1974, to promote John Stanley's new book THE MONSTER MOVIE GAME, Bob Wilkins formed a panel of movie experts to answer questions thrown at them by Stanley. It was pure tongue-in-cheek with Bob Wilkins at his amusing best. "Beat the Clock" and "Jeopardy" were never the same again. 17 minutes |
Disc #2 includes:
I WAS A TV HORROR HOST: THE JOHN STANLEY STORY. As a companion to the new documentary, WATCH HORROR FILMS, KEEP AMERICA STRONG, John Stanley has created another insider's look at the CREATURE FEATURES legacy from a personalized point of view, molding it with pieces of history, comedy, and special effects. His behind-the-scenes study traces why the series was a success and provides portraits of Tom Breen and Ray Jacobs, the KTVU executives who guided Wilkins to high ratings and icon stature. Stanley takes viewers through an atmospheric world made up of Half Moon Bay Cemetery, the Castro Theater in San Francisco, and the Oakland TV station locations where CREATURE FEATURES once thrived. Always he remains tongue-in-cheek as he unfolds the early history of TV horror hosts and his own beginnings in Napa Valley, where he thrived on science-fiction and horror movies, books and comic books before becoming an entertainment writer for the San Francisco Chronicle and then TV horror host. 50 minutes. Widescreen, 16 x 9 ratio.
BOB WILKINS: THE SACRAMENTO YEARS. Produced by Scott Moon and Mr. Lobo. Bob Wilkins began his horror host career at KCRA in Sacramento before he came to the San Francisco-Bay Area, but he remained a TV icon in his old stomping grounds for 15 years (1966-81) by keeping a second show alive at Channel 40 in Sacramento. The California Capital is still recovering from Bob's tongue-in-cheek spoofery and all-around fun that he presented with the help of other Sacramento TV stars, such as Harry Martin, Tom Horton, Hank Renner and Geoff Wong. Introducing this overview with footage never used before is modern-day horror host Mr. Lobo, who even strolls with Wilkins through a graveyard.
CREATURE FEATURES COMEDY PROMOTIONS & OTHER ODDITIES. For six years (1979-84) John Stanley created 30-second promotions for his upcoming shows, spoofing lousy movies and himself -- and often joined by celebrity guests. This is a compilation of some of the best, featuring Buddy Ebsen, Chuck Norris, Angelique Pettyjohn and others. Even the "Bowery Boys" (or a facsimile) make an unusual appearance. Some of these brief bits feature unusual special effects. Stanley also delivers his famous "Why We Watch Creature Features" analysis. 21 minutes. |
