Having appeared on television as a film critic and historian for a whopping 55 years, Bill Collins is a hugely familiar and well-loved face on the Australian media landscape.
Last Saturday October 20, Collins appeared for the last time on his famous program Bill Collins’ Golden Years of Hollywood, which has been running since approximately the start of the industrial revolution.
Discussing his retirement from the program, the veteran presenter said: “To all my fans, I want to say thank you for your support of the Golden Years of Hollywood. Thank you so much, you’ve brought me so much pleasure. We’ve got some wonderful movies available On Demand from the Golden Years of Hollywood. I hope you continue to support and enjoy these films.”
Several media reports surfaced announcing Collins’ retirement. But the end of his career, to use the popular phrase, may have been greatly exaggerated. A Foxtel press release explained that Collins will “continue to present classic movies for Foxtel’s On Demand service.”
For those who missed it, here is Australia’s own Bill Collins saying farewell after 55 years of movie hosting.
His passion will never be surpassed.
Thank you Mr Movies. pic.twitter.com/2IZiWJZGWA— Rhett Bartlett (@dialmformovies) October 20, 2018
Still, the retirement of Collins from his long-running gig presenting Golden Years of Hollywood definitely marks the end of an era.
The new host for the program, now called Saturday Night at the Movies, will be Graeme Blundell. Blundell is a veteran actor, writer and television critic.
