Bob Burns (August 2, 1890 – February 2, 1956) was an American radio and film comedian during the 1930s and 1940s. Events 338 BC - A Macedonian army led by Philip II defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Year 1890 ( MDCCCXC) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Early in his career he was billed as Robert Burns.
Born Robin Burn in Greenwood, Arkansas, he was three years old when the Burn family moved to Van Buren, Arkansas. Greenwood is a city in and one of the two County seats of Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States, perhaps best known locally for its Arkansas Van Buren (væn ˈbjʊərən is the second largest city in the Fort Smith Arkansas-Oklahoma Statistical Area and the County seat of Crawford County, Before the age of 12, he was playing trombone and cornet in Van Buren's Queen City Silver Cornet Band. At 13, he formed his own string band. 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"). [1] A photograph shows him playing his invention in the Silver Cornet Band. [2]
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World War I
During World War I Burns enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All As a sergeant, he traveled overseas with the 11th Regiment, U. S. Marines, AEF, and became the leader of the Marine Corps jazz band in Europe. [3]
Word spread about his rustic homemade instrument fashioned from stove pipes and a whiskey funnel. [4] Burns found fame with his novelty instrument on radio programs of the 1930s and 1940s, and World War II GIs nicknamed their handheld anti-tank rocket launchers after the physical similarity to Burns's instrument. Functioning like a crude trombone, the musical bazooka had a narrow range and less-than-dulcet tone, but this was intentional, since Burns used the instrument as a prop while telling his comic hillbilly stories and jokes. The trombone is a Musical instrument in the brass family Like all brass instruments it is a lip-reed Aerophone: sound is produced when the player’s Hillbilly is a term referring to people who dwell in remote Rural, Mountainous areas of the United States, primarily southern Appalachia and
Radio
On radio Burns became known by nicknames "The Arkansas Traveler" and "The Arkansas Philosopher. " His radio personality was that of a low-key, self-effacing, rustic bumpkin with a grabbag of amusing stories about "the kinfolks" back home in Van Buren. His character was patterned after Sanford Faulkner (1806-74), composer of the popular fiddle tune, "The Arkansas Traveler. Colonel Sanford C 'Sandy' Faulkner (1806-1874 was an American teller of tall tales fiddle player and composer of the popular fiddle tune The Arkansas "
After a period on Los Angeles local radio, he reached a national audience in 1935 on the Paul Whiteman and Rudy Vallee radio programs and then became a regular on Bing Crosby's Kraft Music Hall, hosting the show when Crosby was on vacation and telling tall tales about his fictional hillbilly relatives, Uncle Fud and Aunt Doody. Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby ( May 3, 1903 &ndash October 14, 1977) was an Academy Award winning American Popular The Kraft Music Hall was a major NBC radio variety program featuring top show business entertainers in a 16-year span from 1933 to 1949 He remained with the Kraft Music Hall until 1941 when his popularity with the heartland radio audience led to his own radio series, The Arkansas Traveler (1941-43) and The Bob Burns Show (1943-49).
Films
He made his film debut in Up the River (1930) and followed with Three Rogues (1930), Quick Millions (1931), Young as You Feel (1931), Lazy River (1934) and 19 more movies throughout the 1930s. Quick Millions is a 1931 movie thriller directed by Rowland Brown In 1940 he was seen in Alias the Deacon and Comin' Round the Mountain. His last film was the Technicolor musical Western Belle of the Yukon (1944), set in the days of the Canadian Gold Rush. As Sam Slade, Burns was top-billed with Randolph Scott, Gypsy Rose Lee and Dinah Shore. Randolph Scott ( January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American motion picture actor whose career spanned from 1928 Gypsy Rose Lee (also known as Rose Louise Hovick and Louise Hovick) (born January 8 1911 &ndash April 26 1970) was Dinah Shore (born Frances Rose Shore February 29, 1916 - February 24, 1994) was an American Singer, Actress
From 1936 to 1940 he wrote a newspaper column, "Well, I'll Tell You," essentially a column filler with brief homespun anecdotes. The daily feature was syndicated to 240 U. S. newspapers.
His television appearances during the 1950s included Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town (January 30, 1955). Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) A wealthy man due to land investments, Burns' final years were spent on his 200-acre model farm in Canoga Park, California. Canoga Park (formerly known as Owensmouth is a section of the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States about 25 miles (40 kilometers He died from kidney cancer in Encino, California at the age of 65. "Kidney Cancer" redirects here For Wilms' Tumor/Nephroblastoma see Wilms' tumor.
Selected filmography
- Quick Millions (as Robert Burns) (1931)
- Young as You Feel (1931)
- Lazy River (1934)
- Rhythm on The Range (1936)
- The Big Broadcast of 1937 (1936)
- Waikiki Wedding (1937)
- Mountain Music (1937)
- The Arkansas Traveler (1938)
- I'm from Missouri (1939)
Listen to
References
External links
- Bob Burns (comedian) at Find A Grave
- Bob Burns (comedian) at the Internet Movie Database
- Bob Burns hometown tribute
- Bob Burns tribute page
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Burns, Robin |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Bob |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Comedian |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 2, 1890 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Greenwood, Arkansas |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 2, 1956 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Encino, California |
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