For generations of Bay Area monster and science fiction movie lovers who grew up watching “Creature Features” on KTVU, the show has remained a fond, nostalgic link to the past.
Back before cable, it was a time when fans could see their favorite films only at a theater or on late-night local TV broadcasts.
The movies’ enduring appeal is what’s behind an event Saturday at the Giants-Rockies game at AT&T Park, where clips of the program will be shown between innings, and host John Stanley, who appeared from 1979-84, will be on hand to sign autographs and mingle.
During the heyday of “Creature Features,” hosts Bob Wilkins (at the helm from 1971-79) and Stanley, both with trademark wit, presented classic creepy cinema offerings, low-budget B-movies and special-guest interviews.
Though 2009 has seen the loss of two key members of the “Creature Features” family — Wilkins passed away in January due to complications from Alzheimer’s and producer Bob Shaw, who went on to become KTVU’s film critic, died in April from liver failure and complications from Crohn’s disease — the show’s legacy is stronger than it ever has been since it went off the air 25 years ago.
“It’s amazing to me that ‘Creature Features’ lives as never before even though the two Bobs are gone,” Stanley says. “But when those who used to watch ‘Creature Features’ see it, they are suddenly transported back through time; it’s like looking through an old photo album or reliving happy moments of one’s adolescence.”
“‘Creature Features’ really belongs to the San Francisco Bay Area. It was alternative viewing for the people who lived here,” show archivist Tom Wyrsch says. “On Saturday night, they could look forward to a monster movie being on, and they could turn the lights down and sit in the dark and get scared. But it was also funny. Somebody once said that it was like Johnny Carson on a
strange set.”
On Saturday, patrons who purchase special tickets will receive a limited edition Giants “Creature Features” glow in the dark T-shirt. They will also be allowed on the field after the game for a showing of the cult horror classic “Night of the Living Dead” on the huge, high-definition scoreboard screen.
Judith O’Dea, who portrayed Barbara in the influential zombie flick, also is slated to meet and greet viewers.
IF YOU GO
Creature Features Giants Game
Where: AT&T Park, 24 Willie Mays Plaza, San Francisco
When: 6:05 p.m. Saturday
Tickets: $24
Contact: (415) 972-2298, www.bayareafilmevents.com, www.sfgiants.com/specialevents
