Bob Burns III
Encyclopedia
Bob Burns III is an actor, consultant, producer, archivist and historian of props, costumes, and other screen used paraphernalia from some of the greatest (and not so great) science fiction
, fantasy, and horror motion pictures. He is best known for his work with and collection of movie props, particularly from horror and science-fiction movies. He has also had numerous smaller acting roles in movies, including Tracy the Gorilla from the 1975 television show The Ghost Busters
.
movie, costumes from several of the Republic Pictures serials of the 1940s, masks from several different movies made by Rick Baker, 6 time Academy Award winner for makeup, and the original Time Machine
from the George Pal
film of the same name.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, fantasy, and horror motion pictures. He is best known for his work with and collection of movie props, particularly from horror and science-fiction movies. He has also had numerous smaller acting roles in movies, including Tracy the Gorilla from the 1975 television show The Ghost Busters
The Ghost Busters
The Ghost Busters was a live-action children's television series that ran from 1975, about a team of bumbling detectives who would investigate ghostly occurrences. Only 15 episodes were created....
.
Bob's Basement
Bob's Basement is the informal name given to Burns's collection of props, costumes, and other memorabilia. The New York Times stated that it could be described as the "premier film museum in the Los Angeles area, though it is not open to the public and has no regular hours." Notable contents include the last surviving 18-inch armature model used to animate the original 1933 King KongKing Kong (1933 film)
King Kong is a Pre-Code 1933 fantasy monster adventure film co-directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, and written by Ruth Rose and James Ashmore Creelman after a story by Cooper and Edgar Wallace. The film tells of a gigantic island-dwelling apeman creature called Kong who dies in...
movie, costumes from several of the Republic Pictures serials of the 1940s, masks from several different movies made by Rick Baker, 6 time Academy Award winner for makeup, and the original Time Machine
The Time Machine (1960 film)
The Time Machine is a 1960 American science fiction film based on the 1895 novel of the same name by H. G. Wells in which a man in Victorian England constructs a time-travelling machine which he uses to travel to the future...
from the George Pal
George Pál
George Pal , born György Pál Marczincsak, was a Hungarian-born American animator and film producer, principally associated with the science fiction genre...
film of the same name.
Filmography
- Invasion of the Saucer MenInvasion of the Saucer MenInvasion of the Saucer Men is a 1957 sci-fi comedy film starring Steven Terrell and Gloria Castillo and personally produced by James H. Nicholson for his American International Pictures...
(1957) - Lemon Grove Kids Meet the MonstersLemon Grove Kids Meet the MonstersLemon Grove Kids Meet the Monsters is a trilogy of short films released in 1965. The films are considered a tribute to the long-running Bowery Boys films from the mid 1940s to late 1950s....
(1965) - Rat Pfink a Boo BooRat Pfink a Boo BooRat Pfink a Boo Boo is a 1966 film directed by Ray Dennis Steckler. Starring Ron Haydock and Carolyn Brandt.Perhaps the most striking feature of the film—beyond the low production values—is a sudden switch in tone and plot that comes roughly forty minutes into the movie...
(1966) - Superman vs. the Gorilla Gang (1965) .... Kogar the Gorilla
- The Further Adventures of Major Mars (1976)
- The Ghost BustersThe Ghost BustersThe Ghost Busters was a live-action children's television series that ran from 1975, about a team of bumbling detectives who would investigate ghostly occurrences. Only 15 episodes were created....
as "Tracy, The Gorilla" with Forrest TuckerForrest TuckerForrest Tucker was an American actor in both movies and television from the 1940s to the 1980s. Tucker, who stood 190 cm tall and weighed 93 kg , appeared in nearly 100 action films in the 1940s and 1950s.-Early life:Forrest Meredith Tucker was born in Plainfield, Indiana, a son of...
and Larry StorchLarry StorchLawrence Samuel "Larry" Storch is an American actor best known for his comic television roles, including voice-over work for top cartoon shows, including Mr...
on the CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
-TV Series 1975 and 1976 but is credited as the one who "trained" Tracy. - The Further Adventures of Major Mars (1976) (uncredited) .... Major Mars
- Robot Monster: Special Edition (1982) (TV)
- Drive (1997) .... Doctor/Co-pilot
- Invasion Earth: The Aliens Are Here (1988) .... Muffo - alien character with elephant's trunk
- "Mac Tonight" Character puppeteering for, promotion for Mc DONALD'S television Commercials (1989–1990)
- Forrest J. Ackerman's Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction & Fantasy (1991) (Direct to video) .... Himself
- The Vampire Hunters Club (2001) (Video) .... Bob
- Monster Kid Home Movies (2005) (Video) .... Various Roles ("The Alien, " "The Monster")
- The Sky Is Falling: Making 'The War of the Worlds' (2005)(DVD Extra)
- The Naked MonsterThe Naked MonsterThe Naked Monster is a 2005 American ultra low-budget science fiction and horror comedy film written by Ted Newsom and directed by Newsom and Wayne Berwick as an homage to and spoof of the "giant monster-on-the-loose" films of the 1950s...
(2005) .... Admiral Burns/Tracy the Gorilla
Audio Commentaries
- The Creature Walks Among UsThe Creature Walks Among UsThe Creature Walks Among Us is the third and final installment of the Creature from the Black Lagoon horror film series from Universal Pictures, following 1955's Revenge of the Creature. The film was released April 26, 1956, in the United States....
, with film historian Tom Weaver - The Fly IIThe Fly IIThe Fly II is a 1989 American science fiction horror film starring Eric Stoltz and Daphne Zuniga. It was directed by Chris Walas as a sequel to the 1986 Academy Award-winning movie The Fly. Stoltz's character in this sequel is the adult son of Seth Brundle, the scientist-turned-'Brundlefly', played...
, with director Chris WalasChris WalasChris Walas is an American special effects/make-up artist and director.-Biography:His main body of work is with special effects in a wide variety of movies from science fiction to action-adventure. His work on The Fly led to his directorial debut on The Fly II... - Frankenstein 1970Frankenstein 1970Frankenstein 1970 is a 1958 science fiction horror film, starring Boris Karloff and Don 'Red' Barry. This independent film was directed by Howard W. Koch, and its alternative titles were Frankenstein 1960 and Frankenstein 1975. Released on a low budget, the film was originally intended to be...
, with actress Charlotte Austin and film historian Tom Weaver - Godzilla Raids AgainGodzilla Raids Again, also known in the United States as Gigantis, the Fire Monster, is a 1955 Japanese black-and-white kaiju film directed by Motoyoshi Oda, written by Shigeru Koyama, Shigeaki Hidaka and Takeo Murata, and produced by Toho....
, with film historians Steve Ryfle, Ed Godziszewski, and Stuart Galbraith IVStuart Galbraith IVStuart Galbraith IV is an American cinema historian, film critic, and DVD special features producer, essayist, and audio commentator.-Early life and education:... - The MummyThe Mummy (1932 film)The Mummy is a 1932 horror film from Universal Studios directed by Karl Freund and starring Boris Karloff as a revived ancient Egyptian priest. The movie also features Zita Johann, David Manners and Edward Van Sloan...
, with film historians Rick Baker, Scott EssmanScott EssmanScott Essman is an American writer, who has been writing and producing projects about motion picture craftsmanship and Hollywood history since the mid-1980s.-Early life:...
, Steven Haberman, and Brent Armstrong - Revenge of the CreatureRevenge of the CreatureRevenge of the Creature is the first sequel to Creature from the Black Lagoon. The film is notable for being the only 3-D film to be released in 1955; the only 3-D sequel to a 3-D film; and for being the first screen role for Clint Eastwood. The movie was released May 11, 1955, in the United States...
, with actress Lori NelsonLori NelsonLori Nelson is an American actress born in Santa Fe, New Mexico on August 15, 1933. She began as a performer, dancing at the young age of 4, as well as winning a Little Miss America title. Many of her early auditions were unsuccessful. However, in 1952, she made it into her first role as Marjie...
and film historian Tom Weaver - The War of the WorldsThe War of the Worlds (1953 film)The War of the Worlds is a 1953 science fiction film starring Gene Barry and Ann Robinson. It was the first on-screen loose adaptation of the H. G. Wells classic novel of the same name...
, with filmmaker Joe DanteJoe DanteJoseph "Joe" Dante, Jr. is an American film director and producer of films generally with humorous and science fiction content....
and film historian Bill WarrenBill WarrenWilliam Bond Warren , better known as Bill Warren, is an American film historian and critic generally regarded as one of the leading authorities on science fiction, horror and fantasy films....