REEL WILD CINEMA

     The last TV show that I would look forward to seeing every week was REEL WILD CINEMA which played on the USA cable channel back in 1994 for two seasons.
     I first encountered the show when I accidentally came across the pilot playing on USA. I was changing channels and there was scenes from a STAR MAN movie playing and I thought to myself how could I have missed that listing in the TV GUIDE magazine. I looked in the guide and in the time slot was the three word title: REEL WILD CINEMA and nothing else that would tell you what the show was about.
     Sandra Bernhard was the host of the pilot and aside from the STAR MAN movie clips they showed scenes from NUDE ON THE MOON. The nudity was of course censored.
     I liked what I saw but the next week they did not show it and it was only by accident later on I read in the newspaper that Sandra Bernhard going to host REEL WILD CINEMA which would become a regular series on USA.
     The show would play on Sunday night at midnight or sometimes one in the morning. Maybe USA was hoping to turn the show into a word of mouth cult hit or maybe they were not sure what to do with this show that would appeal only to fans of oddball and exploitation movies.
     Sandra Bernhard would host the show and every week they would show scenes from exploitations movies and often they would show shorten versions of those movies so you got a real look at the movie without seeing the whole thing.
     Bernhard would also interview people each week who worked in exploitation films including Russ Meyer, David Friedman, Roger Corman, Vampira, Tura Satana, and others.
     USA once ran the show on a Saturday night in a early slot to expose the show to more viewers but I do not think that show ever got really high ratings. Except for real film freaks no one would be up watching a show like this at 12 or 1 in the morning on Sunday when most people had to be going to school or work the next day.
     Not only did I stay up I would record the show to re watch during the week.
     Mike Vraney of SOMETHING WEIRD VIDEO  was one of the producers of the show. I keep hoping he will release the show on DVD thur SOMETHING WEIRD VIDEO with the pilot which was never repeated.