Robin "Bob" Burns (August 2, 1890 – February 2, 1956) was an American musical comedian, who appeared on radio and in movies from 1930 to 1947. Burns played a novelty musical instrument of his own invention, which he called a "
bazooka
Bazooka () is the common name for a man-portable recoilless anti-tank rocket launcher weapon, widely deployed by the United States Army, especially during World War II. Also referred to as the "stovepipe", the innovative bazooka was among the ...
". During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, the US Army's
handheld anti-tank rocket launcher was nicknamed the "bazooka".
Early years
He was born Robin Burn in
Greenwood, Arkansas
Greenwood is a city in and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States. It is the fifth largest municipality in the Fort Smith, Arkansas- Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area with a population of 8,952 according t ...
. When he was three years old, his family moved to
Van Buren, Arkansas
Van Buren ( ) is the second-largest city in the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area and the county seat of Crawford County, Arkansas, United States. The city is located directly northeast of Fort Smith at the Interst ...
. As a boy, Burns played
trombone
The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...
and
cornet in the town's "Queen City Silver Cornet Band". At 13, he formed his own string band.
[Bob Burns hometown tribute](_blank)
Practicing in the back of Hayman's Plumbing Shop one night, he picked up a length of gas pipe and blew into it, creating an unusual sound. With modifications, this became
a musical instrument he named a "bazooka" (after "bazoo", meaning a windy fellow, from the Dutch ''bazuin'' for "trumpet"). A photograph shows him playing his invention in the Silver Cornet Band.
Functioning like a crude trombone, the musical bazooka had a narrow range, but this was intentional.
Burns also studied
civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...
and worked as a
peanut
The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small and ...
farmer, but by 1911 was primarily an entertainer.
During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
Burns enlisted in the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
. He sailed to
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
with the Marine 11th Regiment. As a sergeant, he became the leader of the Marine Corps's jazz band in Europe. Burns made another "bazooka" from stove pipes and a whiskey funnel, which he sometimes played with the Corps band. In September 1919, he and his "Marine Corps Melody Six" jazz band, with Burn playing his bazooka, were attached to the Marine Corps Recruiting Station in Manhattan.
The Arkansas Traveler
After the war, Burns returned to the stage, often playing the bazooka as part of his act. He used it as a prop when telling
hillbilly stories and jokes. Burns became known as The Arkansas Traveler and The Arkansas Philosopher. His stage persona was a self-effacing, rustic bumpkin with amusing stories about "the kinfolks" back home in Van Buren. His character was patterned after
Sandford C. Faulkner
Sandford C. Faulkner (March 3, 1803August 4, 1874), better known as Sandy Faulkner, was an American planter, raconteur and fiddler who personified the mid- 19th century folk song " Arkansas Traveler," for which he received writing credit. It ha ...
(1803–1874), composer of the popular fiddle tune, "The Arkansas Traveler".
A caricature of Burns on the cover of the book ''The Arkansas Traveler'' appears in the
Looney Tunes cartoon "
Book Revue" (1945).
Radio career
In 1930, Burns auditioned for a major
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...
station. He had prepared a 10-minute performance, but was asked to do 30 minutes, which he filled out with improvised stories and bazooka tunes. The managers did not care for his prepared material, but were impressed by his improvised material. Burns was hired. He appeared on an afternoon show, "The Fun Factory", as a character called "Soda Pop".
In 1935, on a visit to
New York, Burns asked bandleader and radio star
Paul Whiteman
Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist.
As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, W ...
for an audition. Whiteman put Burns on his nightly show, the ''
Kraft Music Hall'', which was broadcast nationally; Burns was a big hit. Burns also became a regular on
Rudy Vallee
Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to:
People Given name or nickname
*Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch poli ...
's show ''
The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour
''The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour'' (also known as ''The Rudy Vallée Show'', ''The Fleischmann Yeast Hour'', and ''The Fleischmann Hour'') was a pioneering musical variety radio program broadcast on NBC from 1929 to 1936, when it became ''The Roya ...
''.
Burns returned to Los Angeles in 1936, where ''Kraft Music Hall'' was now hosted by
Bing Crosby. Burns was a regular, playing the bazooka and telling tall tales about his fictional hillbilly relatives, Uncle Fud and Aunt Doody.
Bob Burns was the host of The 10th Academy Awards held on March 10, 1938, at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California.
Originally scheduled to be held on March 3, 1938, the ceremony was postponed due to heavy flooding in Los Angeles.
In 1941, Burns was given his own radio show, called ''
The Arkansas Traveler'' (1941–43) and ''
The Bob Burns Show
''The Bob Burns Show'' (also known as ''The Arkansas Traveler'') was an American old-time radio comedy program that starred comedian Bob Burns. The program derived from a character Burns performed for five years on Bing Crosby's ''Kraft Music Hal ...
'' (1943–47).
Newspaper column
From 1936 to 1940, Burns wrote a newspaper column, "Well, I'll Tell You," a column filler with brief homespun anecdotes. The daily feature was syndicated to 240 newspapers.
Film career
In 1930, Burns appeared briefly in the film ''Up the River'' playing the bazooka in
blackface for a prison vaudeville show. Over the next five years, he appeared in 10 movies, either uncredited or in a minor role, usually playing the bazooka.
After his national radio breakthrough in 1935–1936, Burns moved up to feature roles as a contract player with
Paramount Pictures. In ''
Rhythm on the Range
''Rhythm on the Range'' is a 1936 American Western musical film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Bing Crosby, Frances Farmer, and Bob Burns. Based on a story by Mervin J. Houser, the film is about a cowboy who meets a beautiful young wom ...
'' (1936) he was second lead with Crosby.
He appeared in eleven more films in 1936 to 1940, including eight starring roles. Most of these were comedies, but he also played a crusading lawyer in the drama ''Our Leading Citizen'' (1939).
He also appeared on the December 4, 1939 ''
Lux Radio Theatre
''Lux Radio Theatre'', sometimes spelled ''Lux Radio Theater'', a classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the NBC Blue Network (1934–35) (owned by the National Broadcasting Company, later predecessor of American Broadcasting Company ...
'' one-hour adaptation of ''
A Man to Remember
''A Man to Remember'' is a 1938 American drama film directed by Garson Kanin, his first film credit as a director. The picture was based on the short story ''Failure'', written by Katharine Haviland-Taylor, and the screenplay was penned by Dalt ...
'', taking
Edward Ellis's film role as a humane small-town doctor battling the townspeople's greed.
In 1941, Burns broke with Paramount, rather than appear in a proposed film which he thought was excessively demeaning to "the people of his native hills".
In 1944, Burns appeared in the
Technicolor
Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades.
Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...
musical Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
film ''
Belle of the Yukon
''Belle of the Yukon'' is a 1944 American comedy musical Western film produced and directed by William A. Seiter and starring Randolph Scott, Gypsy Rose Lee, Dinah Shore and Bob Burns. Based on a story by Houston Branch and set in the days of ...
'' (1944), set in the Canadian Gold Rush. Burns was top-billed with
Randolph Scott,
Gypsy Rose Lee and
Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore (born Frances Rose Shore; February 29, 1916 – February 24, 1994) was an American singer, actress, and television personality, and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1940s. She rose to prominence as a recording artist during ...
. His last appearance was as co-star in ''The Windjammer'' (1945), which he helped write.
His last performance was on January 30, 1955, on ''
The Ed Sullivan Show
''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the '' CBS Sunday Night M ...
'' (then called ''Toast of the Town'').
For his contributions to the
film industry
The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, p ...
, Burns was inducted posthumously into the
Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 with a
motion pictures star located at 1601
Vine Street
Vine Street is a street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California that runs north–south between Franklin Avenue and Melrose Avenue. The intersection with Hollywood Boulevard was once a symbol of Hollywood itself. The famed intersection fell into d ...
.
Personal life
In 1921, Burns married Elizabeth Anna Fisher. They had one child, Robert Jr., who was married to actress
Naomi Stevens
Naomi Ruth Stevens (November 29, 1925 – January 13, 2018) was an American character actress of film and television from the 1950s through the 1980s. She appeared in almost 100 roles over the years, usually depicting mothers, landladies, gossi ...
and who died in 2012. Elizabeth died in 1936. Burns then married his long-time secretary Harriet M. Foster in May 1939. They had three children, Barbara, William, and Stephen, and remained married until his death.
A wealthy man from his land investments, Burns spent his final years on his model farm on Sherman Way in
Canoga Park
Canoga Park is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. Before the Mexican–American War, the district was part of a rancho, and after the American victory it was converted into wheat farms and t ...
, in the
San Fernando Valley of
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.
He died from
kidney cancer
Kidney cancer, also known as renal cancer, is a group of cancers that starts in the kidney. Symptoms may include blood in the urine, lump in the abdomen, or back pain. Fever, weight loss, and tiredness may also occur. Complications can include sp ...
in nearby
Encino on February 2, 1956, at the age of 65.
Filmography
See also
*
Bob Burns House, his childhood home in Van Buren, Arkansas
References
External links
*
*
*
Bob Burns hometown tributeBob Burns tribute page;Audio files
''The Bob Burns Show'' (audition show of November 23, 1947) via ''Old Time Radio Show''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burns, Bob
American male comedians
American male film actors
American radio personalities
American male radio actors
1890 births
Military personnel from Arkansas
1956 deaths
Male actors from Arkansas
Male actors from California
United States Marine Corps non-commissioned officers
United States Marine Corps personnel of World War I
People from Canoga Park, Los Angeles
People from Greenwood, Arkansas
Vaudeville performers
Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
Deaths from cancer in California
Deaths from kidney cancer
20th-century American male actors
Comedians from California
20th-century American comedians