Creature Features

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Facsimile of title for WNEW-TV Channel 5's Creature Feature
Facsimile of title for WNEW-TV Channel 5's Creature Feature

Creature Features was a syndicated horror show broadcast on local U.S. television stations throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The movies broadcast on the various shows were taken from the classic horror movies of the 1930s to 1950s, the horror and science-fiction films of the 1950s, British horror films of the 1960s, and the Japanese "giant monster" movies of the 1960s, and 1970s.

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[edit] The movies

Creature Features normally showed all the classic Universal Horror movies from the 1930s and 1940s, like Dracula, Frankenstein and others. Plus several old RKO films like King Kong, Son of Kong, and the original Mighty Joe Young. They also aired all the movies produced and distributed by AIP. This included all the Roger Corman B-movies of the 1950s and 1960s like The Raven, and The Terror, plus most of the Japanese "monster movies" produced by Toho Studios, and Daiei Motion Picture Company (famous for their Godzilla and Gamera movies).

They also broadcast all the best British horror films by Hammer Film Productions, like The Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula: Prince of Darkness, The Phantom of the Opera, The Curse of the Werewolf, and The Hound of the Baskervilles. Later, during the 1970s, Amicus Productions, and Tigon British Film Productions produced such films as Dr. Terror's House of Horrors, and The House That Dripped Blood, which became popular.

But what became most well known about Creature Features is the airing of all the "nuclear monster" and "space alien" science fiction movies. Created in the 1950s these movies were based on the idea of giant mutant monsters or aliens from outer space terrorizing Earth. These included Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, The Amazing Colossal Man, Them!, Tarantula, The Thing from Another World, It Came from Outer Space, The War of the Worlds, Forbidden Planet.

[edit] Air times

Creature Features usually aired either on Friday night or Saturday night, around 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. In some cities it aired on Saturday afternoons alternating with Kung Fu Theater. Because it aired after the traditional Saturday morning cartoon time block, it introduced many teenagers to classic monster movies.

[edit] Later history

TV horror shows of this sort started becoming more scarce during the early and mid-1980s; partly because acquiring broadcast rights for these films became considerably more expensive in the new era of cable television. Another considerable reason for their decline is the change in Friday and Saturday night viewer demographics as young people are increasingly less likely to stay home on those nights.

Even so, Creature Features can be said to be one of the most popular horror shows in the United States. In all the six cities in which it was televised more than 3,000 broadcasts have been aired and more than 4,000 movies have been shown. This makes the program the most prolific horror show in U.S. television history.

[edit] Broadcast cities

[edit] New York City

Creature Features was also broadcast in the New York Metropolitan Area, on WNEW, Channel 5 (Metromedia Broadcasting). It was hosted by Lou Steele (The Creep), who became familiar to Channel 5 viewers as the guy who started off the 10 o'clock News by asking: "It's 10 p.m.; do you know where your children are?"

Unlike other horror hosts, Steele didn’t utilize any ghoulish make-up or trappings, instead striking a somewhat sinister/hipster attitude with sunglasses and harsh lighting. Among various contests and gimmicks during the show's run was "Creature Quotes", in which individual words of a longer phrase (“A stitch in time saves Frankenstein", "Don’t get chummy with the Mummy") were flashed momentarily on the bottom of the screen at various times during the movie.

The intro music for Creature Features was Herman Stein's "Visitors from Space" from the score of the 1953 film It Came from Outer Space. The track was most likely taken from the 1959 Dick Jacobs LP, Themes from Horror Movies (Coral 757240).

Creature Features first aired from July to August 1969 on a test run, and was found to be a hit. It was continued on the air from November 1969 to August 1973, but was cancelled due to poor ratings and competition from WPIX's Chiller Theatre. Over the next six years the show would be rebroadcast periodically, but never with great success.

In November 1979, Channel 5 began rebroadcasting some of the old Creature Features shows. Instead of airing in its old 8:30 p.m. slot, Creature Features became a late night showcase, showing a triple feature with each airing. The first movie went out under the familiar Creature Features name, the second movie was Son of Creature Features and the third film was shown as Revenge of Creature Features. Once again poor ratings and competition with WPIX caused its cancellation in May 1980.

[edit] Chicago

Creature Features was introduced into the Chicago metropolitan area on Chicago's WGN Channel 9 in the fall of 1970. Hosted by Carl Greyson, and later Marty McNeely, this version of Creature Features ran until 1976.The show used the theme music of Henry Mancini's Experiment in Terror. For more info on this local classic horror show visit http://www.wgncreaturefeatures.tvheaven.com

[edit] St.Petersburg

Creature Feature was also shown from 1973 until 1995 on WTOG-TV Channel 44 in the Tampa Bay Area. Its host was Dick Bennick Sr., performing under the name "Dr. Paul Bearer". The show created a large fan-following, and was recognized as the longest-running creature feature in America [1]. The show was cancelled after he died following open heart surgery in 1995.

[edit] San Francisco Bay Area

Creature Features ran on KTVU in the San Francisco Bay Area from 1971 to 1984, hosted by Bob Wilkins, and later by John Stanley, who took over in 1979. Wilkins had been hosting a similar program on KCRA in Sacramento from 1966, Seven Arts Theater. Wilkins showcased many classic horror and sci-fi movies; the classic low budget Plan 9 From Outer Space, produced and directed by Ed Wood Jr. and which features the last footage of Bela Lugosi, was first televised in the Bay Area on Creature Features. He also interviewed many sci-fi and horror movie personalities on the show, including Ray Harryhausen, Christopher Lee, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, John Landis, William Marshall, Forrest J Ackerman, and several Star Wars performers. Wilkins' trademark style included a large, lit cigar, sports jacket, and droll wit.[1] His set featured a sign on the wall saying, "Watch Horror Films, Keep America Strong".[2] Although feature films and live guests were a mainstay, the late night program sometimes included a weekly installment of an old Hollywood serial (e.g. Flash Gordon, Commando Cody). Wilkins' signature theme song on KTVU was "Gotham City Swing" by Neil Hefty.

Seven Arts Theater was picked up in 1971 by KTXL (Channel 40) when KCRA cancelled it, and continued to be a favorite program in the Sacramento area until 1982. After Wilkins left Creature Features in 1979 the program was hosted by John Stanley until its end in 1984.[3] Stanley went on to publish several books of encapsulated movie reviews under the "Creature Features" banner.

Star Wars director George Lucas introduced himself to Wilkins at a movie premiere in 1978 and claimed to be a fan of his since the 1960s.[4]

[edit] Washington, D.C.

Creature Feature was also the name for a horror show in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, broadcast on WDCA Channel 20, from 1973-1987. It was hosted by Dick Dyszel, known locally for his work as Bozo The Clown and Captain 20. On air he was known as Count Gore de Vol, and to this day is considered to be the longest running horror host in history. Today Count Gore de Vol hosts a Creature Feature website horror show.[5]

[edit] Omaha

KMTV Channel 3 in Omaha, Nebraska aired a long running show called Creature Feature. It was broadcast from 1971 to 1983, and was hosted by Dr. San Guinary. It was broadcast throughout the Omaha Area. Long after the show was cancelled, and after its host had died in 1988, his son rebroadcast Creature Feature from 2001 until 2003. He styled himself as the Son of San Guinary.

[edit] Quad Cities

Creature Feature was also the name of a horror program broadcast on WQAD-TV in the Quad City area. From 1968 until 1977 it was hosted by a local business man named Chuck Acri, sponsored by Acri's home improvement business.

Acri marketed and distributed the program from the Quad Cities, including Milan, Illinois, to Cedar Rapids, Iowa (KCRG) to Peoria (WEEK) and Springfield (WICS), Illinois. Acri's Creature Feature may have had the widest distribution of a local, hosted TV horror movie program in the U.S.

[edit] Cinemax

During Halloween 2001, Cinemax broadcast a series of five movies they called Creature Features:

Each was an remake of low-budget movies produced by American International Pictures during the 1950s. Each original movie was used as a jumping off point for the new remake.

[edit] Partial filmography

[edit] Board Game

In 1975, Research Games Inc. released a board game based on "Creature Features." The gameplay greatly resembled Monopoly, however, instead of buying properties, houses and hotels, players would purchase Universal films like Frankenstein or Dracula, then purchase the stars involved, such as Boris Karloff or Bela Lugosi.[6]

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ Bob Wilkins' Creature Features. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
  2. ^ Watch Horror Films Sign. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
  3. ^ Creature Features Host Bob Wilkins. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
  4. ^ Bob Wilkins in Sacramento. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
  5. ^ Vampire Horror Host Count Gore De Vol Creature Feature
  6. ^ http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/1609

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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Creature Features series by Cinemax