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August 31 An Evening of Creature Features Creatures and Zombies Invade Santa Cruz! October 23, 2008, Santa Cruz is taken over by creatures, monsters, ghouls and zombies and the town may never be the same! Bay Area Film Events brings its latest show to the Del Mar Theatre in Santa Cruz. Two big features for a Halloween season that can’t be beat. “An Evening of Creature Features” is a horror-fying double feature! The show opens with “Watch Horror Films, Keep America Strong! A Journey into Creature Features”. For 14 years, from January 1971 through September 1984, CREATURE FEATURES ranked in the Nielsen ratings as one of the most popular TV shows in San Francisco Bay Area television history. Broadcast on KTVU Channel 2 in Oakland, California, the Saturday night series was hosted by former TV advertising writer Bob Wilkins for eight years, followed by San Francisco Chronicle entertainment writer John Stanley who kept the series alive for another six. To those who grew up watching with family members and friends, the mixture of host commentary and classic (and not-so-classic) horror movies remains a nostalgic memory. Wilkins' wit and unusually droll personality and Stanley's celebrity interviews and satiric mini-movies are all part of this full-length documentary journeying back through those years. Featuring interviews with Wilkins, Stanley and other key figures close to the show, as well as classic clips, this historic journey illuminates an era of television that should never be forgotten. Our second feature is the classic horror film that ushered in an all-new era of ghastly gore! George Romero’s original and never equaled, “Night of the Living Dead”. Chaos descends upon the world as the brains of the recently deceased become inexplicably reanimated, causing the dead to rise and feed on human flesh. Speculation rests on a radiation-covered NASA satellite returning from Venus, but it only remains a speculation. Anyone who dies during the crisis of causes unrelated to brain trauma will return as a flesh-eating zombie, including anyone who has been bitten by a zombie. The only way to destroy the zombies is to destroy the brain. As the catastrophe unfolds, a young woman visiting her father's grave takes refuge in a nearby farmhouse, where she is met by a man who protects her and barricades them inside. They both later discover people hiding in the basement, and they each attempt to cope with the situation. Their only hope rests on getting some gasoline from a nearby pump into a truck that is running on empty, but this requires braving the hordes of ravenous walking corpses outside. When they finally put their plans into action, panic and personal tensions only add to the terror as they try to survive! Hosting this evening of Thursday night frights is KFJC’s host of the “Norman Bates Memorial Soundtrack Show” Robert Emmett. Robert Emmett is the host of “The Norman Bates Memorial Soundtrack Show” every Saturday morning from 9am to 12noon on KFJC 89.7FM or netcast at www.kfjc.org. Each week Robert plays a wide variety of the best music you’ve ever seen, soundtrack music from films, TV and more. Robert also hosts a talk/interview show on Monday nights from 6pm to 7pm called “Thoughtline”. Our two special guests for the evening are “Creature Features” host John Stanley and “Watch Horror Films, Keep America Strong!” producer, Tom Wyrsch. For six years (1979-84) John Stanley hosted the highly rated "Creature Features" in the San Francisco-Bay Area TV market, introducing science fiction and horror movies to a midnight audience, and interviewing the leading actors, producers and directors of the time. He also spent 33 years as an entertainment writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, specializing in interviewing TV and movie stars. He has written 13 books, including six editions of The Creature Features Movie Guide series. His novels include World War II and Bogart/'48. He edited and published Them Ornery Mitchum Boys by John Mitchum. He is a noted Elder hostel instructor (specializing in movies, TV and music) and he constructed crossword puzzles for TV Guide publications for eight years. Tom Wyrsch has worked diligently over the years to keep the Creature Features flame burning bright. Through books such as the Bob Wilkins and John Stanley Scrapbooks, DVDs of classic clips and interviews from the show, products, convention appearances and now our feature documentary, Tom has promoted both John and Bob and kept the Creature Features success growing and becoming more popular over twenty years since its final broadcast on KTVU. Proceeds from this event will go to assist in the care of original “Creature Features” host Bob Wilkins. "Don't stay up late, it's not worth it," Bob Wilkins warned as he leaned back in his yellow rocking chair, smoke wafting from his big cigar. But monster movie fans in Northern California stayed up with him every Saturday night anyway. “Creature Features” was an immediate success with its grade-Z horror films and Bob's dry sense of humor. His cool, low-key deadpan helped him rise above it all. Bob once remarked, "We kicked off this show with “Horror of Party Beach”, and we knew we had our work cut out for us that night… and it seems it's been that way every Saturday night." Bob hosted the show from 1971 through 1979, as well as the children’s show “Capt. Cosmic and 2T2”, becoming one of the best-remembered and much loved personalities of Bay Area TV history. Unfortunately Bob is now suffering from Alzheimer’s, a disease causing his memory to diminish and taking away his wonderful sense of humor and deadpan wit. As Bob is one of the biggest inspirations for all of us that do these movie shows, we are showing our appreciation for his constant motivation over the years, as well as countless hours of entertainment he has provided. Proceeds from this show will go to pay for the care of Bob Wilkins and help his family to get through this very difficult time. More surprises to come! Mark your calendar, bookmark our site and get ready because THE CREATURE’S GONNA GET YOU THAT NIGHT! Comments (2)
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