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Summary: Take Me Through Bob's Basement AGAIN, AGAIN, and AGAIN!
Review: "It Came from Bob's Basement" is non-stop excitement from the floor to the ceiling. A beautifully photographed journal of a science fiction & monster movie prop collection that literally makes your head spin. I found myself pouring over the photos and stories from front to back, back to front, middle to front, over and over. I simply couldn't put it down!Superbly written and beautiful layout & design, I only hope this is the first of MANY installments. A tasteful, classy tour of the genre!
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Summary: It Came from Bob's Basement
Review: Art lovers are a lucky bunch. To see great works of art they only have to visit museums in larger cities throughout the world. From the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo in the Louvre, Rembrandts in Amsterdam, the National Portrait Gallery in DC, the Getty in LA and so on and so forth. Pity the fan of science fiction/horror films. There is none of this kind of acess for these poor souls. A diligent search reveals only a small smattering or related exhibts worldwide. The Cinematique in Paris for "Metropolis" and Murnau, London's Museum of the Moving Image with Kongs bones and Karloff's monster double and a Roman museum with a few choice Forry Ackerman artifacts is about it, not counting the many Planet Hollywood props of original and repro nature. Even LA, whose life blood is the movies is woefully inadequate in preserving its heritage. Most scifi/horror treasures are owned by private individuals and with rare exceptions are not open to casual viewing by the majority of us. Hence the publication of "It Came from Bob's Basement" is cause for great celebration. Not since Ron Borst published "Graven Images" in 1992 have we been given carte blanc to rummage through a world class collection. With Bob's book we are given priviledged looks at some of filmdom's rarest props and treasures; the Frankenstein boots of Glenn Strange, the Wolfman cane head, Ro-man's helment, Kong's skeleton, George's Victorian timesled and many, many others wonders. As an added bonus, we get a glimpse at events in a man's life that many of us daydream about, after all who wouldn't liked to been associated with Paul Blaisdell and "Fantastic Monsters of the Films". It is a gentle read and well worth the time spent. So but a copy, rev up the VCR with a classic scifi flick for background, relax and enjoy this treasure chest Bob has graciously provided.
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Summary: It Came from Bob's Basement
Review: Art lovers are a lucky bunch. To see great works of art they only have to visit museums in larger cities throughout the world. From the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo in the Louvre, Rembrandts in Amsterdam, the National Portrait Gallery in DC, the Getty in LA and so on and so forth. Pity the fan of science fiction/horror films. There is none of this kind of acess for these poor souls. A diligent search reveals only a small smattering or related exhibts worldwide. The Cinematique in Paris for "Metropolis" and Murnau, London's Museum of the Moving Image with Kongs bones and Karloff's monster double and a Roman museum with a few choice Forry Ackerman artifacts is about it, not counting the many Planet Hollywood props of original and repro nature. Even LA, whose life blood is the movies is woefully inadequate in preserving its heritage. Most scifi/horror treasures are owned by private individuals and with rare exceptions are not open to casual viewing by the majority of us. Hence the publication of "It Came from Bob's Basement" is cause for great celebration. Not since Ron Borst published "Graven Images" in 1992 have we been given carte blanc to rummage through a world class collection. With Bob's book we are given priviledged looks at some of filmdom's rarest props and treasures; the Frankenstein boots of Glenn Strange, the Wolfman cane head, Ro-man's helment, Kong's skeleton, George's Victorian timesled and many, many others wonders. As an added bonus, we get a glimpse at events in a man's life that many of us daydream about, after all who wouldn't liked to been associated with Paul Blaisdell and "Fantastic Monsters of the Films". It is a gentle read and well worth the time spent. So but a copy, rev up the VCR with a classic scifi flick for background, relax and enjoy this treasure chest Bob has graciously provided.
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Summary: Grand tour or master prop collector's goodies
Review: Bob Bob with John Michlig. "It Came From Bob's Basement!" Chronicle. Mar. 2001. 143p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 0-8118-2572-8. pap... FILM For hardcore sf/horror movie fans there's nothing cooler than owning a screen-used prop or costume, making Bob Burns possibly the coolest guy on earth. Among those ranks, Burns needs no introduction, for others, Burns is the god of sf/horror film collectors and his basement is the place where prop geeks hope to go when they die. Collecting since his youth, Burns has amassed a Smithsonian-quality array of rarities including the original animation puppet of King Kong, the silver-headed cane used to dispatch Lon Chaney Jr. in "The Wolf Man," the mean green "Alien" beastie, George Pal's time machine, plus hundreds of costumes, masks, prosthetic heads and limbs, helmets, robots, and space ship models-he's got everything! Not only a collector, Burns was a make-up man, prop builder, and actor who played "Kogar" and other gorillas in numerous TV shows. The text offers a breezy autobiography with tributes to long-forgotten B-movie insiders, but the main course is the 200+ color and B&W pix of Burns's unique collection. It Came From Bob's Basement will have science fiction and horror film fans drooling like Homer Simpson over a box of Krispy Kremes and is must reading for all those who don't need Halloween to wear joke-shop fangs and home-made lightsabers. Great fun. Highly recommended.-Michael Rogers, "Library Journal"
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Summary: Bob Burns Collector of Dreams
Review: Bob Burns has written a wonderful little book titled, "It Came From Bob's Basement." This book is chronicle of a moment in time that has long since passed from our lives, but we can always take a moment to revisit. Bob grew up in the 1930's when many things, which we now take for granted, were in their infancy. Before video games, and a color television in every home, a child was more innocent; their imaginations were fueled more by a sense of wonder in discovering the world around them. We seem to lose that innocence much earlier every generation, Bob has never lost it. He chronicles his awe as he discovers movies such as King Kong, which so captured his imagination that it set a path for his life's destiny, and became part of a lifelong fascination with science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Bob has worn many hats in his life, follow him as he changes from Major Mars, a live matinee host for children, to Bob Burns the contributor to many memorable horror movies of the 50's and 60's. Bob's fascination with movies has led him to many strange roads, and contributed to his ever-growing list of friends, some of whom are very well known. Over the years Bob has collected a multitude of movie props, many of which were given to him by his friends in the industry, a lot of these appear as gorgeous photographs in Bob's Book. A movie that I loved as a boy growing up in Southern California, was the Time Machine. This movie was so special to me, that when I see it today, I still see it through the eyes of the child that I was back then. Bob has the fully restored Time Machine prop in his collection, he not only includes photographs, but he tells the fascinating tale of how the studios put it on the auction block, and sold it to the highest bidder. Despondent, Bob told his good friend George Pal, (The man who directed the Time Machine, and many other excellent films.), who assured him that he would one day find it, since he was meant to have it. Many people over the years have had the opportunity to visit Bob's Basement, and view not only the "Time Machine," but all of his other movie props and memorabilia, and listen as he tells the stories behind each one of them. For those of you who have never had this wonderful opportunity, Bob has created this book for you, as he invites you to come in, sit down, and visit with him in his basement.
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Summary: Bob Burns Collector of Dreams
Review: Bob Burns has written a wonderful little book titled, "It Came From Bob's Basement." This book is chronicle of a moment in time that has long since passed from our lives, but we can always take a moment to revisit. Bob grew up in the 1930's when many things, which we now take for granted, were in their infancy. Before video games, and a color television in every home, a child was more innocent; their imaginations were fueled more by a sense of wonder in discovering the world around them. We seem to lose that innocence much earlier every generation, Bob has never lost it. He chronicles his awe as he discovers movies such as King Kong, which so captured his imagination that it set a path for his life's destiny, and became part of a lifelong fascination with science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Bob has worn many hats in his life, follow him as he changes from Major Mars, a live matinee host for children, to Bob Burns the contributor to many memorable horror movies of the 50's and 60's. Bob's fascination with movies has led him to many strange roads, and contributed to his ever-growing list of friends, some of whom are very well known. Over the years Bob has collected a multitude of movie props, many of which were given to him by his friends in the industry, a lot of these appear as gorgeous photographs in Bob's Book. A movie that I loved as a boy growing up in Southern California, was the Time Machine. This movie was so special to me, that when I see it today, I still see it through the eyes of the child that I was back then. Bob has the fully restored Time Machine prop in his collection, he not only includes photographs, but he tells the fascinating tale of how the studios put it on the auction block, and sold it to the highest bidder. Despondent, Bob told his good friend George Pal, (The man who directed the Time Machine, and many other excellent films.), who assured him that he would one day find it, since he was meant to have it. Many people over the years have had the opportunity to visit Bob's Basement, and view not only the "Time Machine," but all of his other movie props and memorabilia, and listen as he tells the stories behind each one of them. For those of you who have never had this wonderful opportunity, Bob has created this book for you, as he invites you to come in, sit down, and visit with him in his basement.
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Summary: THE DREAM HOUSE OF BOB BURNS!
Review: Bob Burns is the foremost collector of sci-fi and horror memorabilia, and it's all kept in his basement. This book is a guided tour through Bob's remarkable collection of props, costumes and other items that Bob has collected for nearly 50 years with anecdotal stories by Bob about how he acquired the items, as well as Bob's life long experiences both in front of and behind the cameras of Hollywood.
There's a pair of Frankenstein's boots worn by Glenn Steele, the Captain America costume worn by Dick Purcell in the Captain America serial, costumes from Flash Gordon...There's models of the rockets from George Pal's "Destination Moon" and a replica of The Time Machine. Latex props from Alien and The Terminator..space helmets and laster blasters from 50's era TV and films. A marvelous collection and the object of envy of baby boomers everywhere.
in addition we'll learn of Bob's background as a makeup artist and the films he worked on as well as his short-lived career as a horror magazine publisher who went head-to-head with Famous Monsters of Filmland. We'll see Bob's long career playing a gorilla in appearances on shows like The Lucy Show as well as the short-lived Saturday morning show Ghostbusters.
From there Bob takes us through the many years of putting on some of the most elaborate Halloween displays and shows to ever show up in suburban America with help from guys who would go onto become some of the most famous special effects gurus in Hollywood like Dennis Muren.
This is a fun and utterly engrossing travel through time as we tour Bob's collection and see items that he saved from the garbage heap. Highly recommended!
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Summary: "Bob's Basement" Should Be A Best-Cellar!
Review: I must preface this review by stating that I've known Bob Burns for a number of years, and I've seen his museum so many times I could probably walk through it blindfolded and only step on a few priceless possessions. But Bob knows I'm not one to withhold my honest opinion, and since I used to be a professional reviewer, I will mention both the good and bad of "IT CAME FROM BOB'S BASEMENT." If you're not lucky enough to have visited Bob's basement (actually, many of his treasures reside in other places as well, but the title "It Came From Bob's Basement, Upstairs, A Few Closets, Some Storage Facilities, and Some Anterooms" just isn't pithy enough. The first thing I noticed while reading the book was how much I THOUGHT I knew about Bob's wonderful collection of sci-fi props and Bob's incredibly varied and fascinating life in movies, TV, and beyond. It turns out I only knew a small part of the story. Regarding Bob's famous props, the book is filled with high-quality photos of them that only lack the mustiness and chemical smells to make them 100% real. There are scores of vibrantly-colored images as well as many vintage black-and-whites, with some of my favorite photos being the Paul Blaisdell concept art for FROM HELL IT CAME, Bob's MAJOR MARS flying suit, and the incredible Goombah Halloween monster on the Burns' roof. The eye-catching pictures are crisp and clear, and the paper stock is extremely sturdy, so the book should still be in near-mint condition after one has gone through it for the hundredth time. As for the text, it's even more enjoyable than as the photos, with the stories behind Bob's possessions and his career being told with humor and a sincere love and respect for the talented show biz folks he worked with throughout his career. Burns and John Michlig managed to tie the disparate elements of Bob's fantastic life into a very cohesive narrative. The book is written from a perspective that's one part behind-the-scenes Hollywood insider and one part "the fan in all of us." This combination of technical knowledge and wonderment is what sets Bob apart from everyone else on the planet. As fabulous as the book is, one wishes the "creative" folks at Chronicle Books had trusted that Bob's collection and memories were all we really wanted. Unfortunately, they tried to get a little fancy with some of the layout, and it seldom if ever improves on what the book's really about. There are some wacky fonts, "artistic" white space, and the occasional photo montage that makes it seem like somebody in the Design Department is suffering from a nervous disorder. Chronicle should have enlarged some of the smaller photos to take advantage of the white space. Billy Barty was small enough in real life, and I developed minor eye strain from trying to locate him in the ever-so-tiny photo in the book. The only other negative associated with the book is what's missing. As wide as the scope is, there is so much more to Bob's collection, not to mention so many more equally-fascinating stories, and it's too bad these didn't make it into the final cut. I would have liked some pages devoted to Bob's talented wife Kathy, as she's shared many of Bob's adventures as an equal participant. I'd also like to know how Bob and special effects ace Chris Walas first hooked up, as well as some of his other noteworthy friends. And Glenn Strange, whom Bob always refers to as a father figure, is barely mentioned. Knowing Bob as I do, I'm sure he wrote much about these and other important people he's met in the world of sci-fi cinema, but for some reason it was not included. Despite Bob's collection containing such silliness as a tunic from THE MOLE PEOPLE and flying saucers from PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, Bob treats everything and everyone associated with the world of science fiction cinema with the respect they deserve, good news for us, as Bob is the curator of so many important movie memories we grew up with. The good news is that these memories are in good hands, and may Bob's collection continue to grow long into the future. I hope sales are so good that a sequel is soon in the works, but in the meantime, "IT CAME FROM BOB'S BASEMENT" is the perfect gift for anyone who loves science fiction films and wishes they could somehow make them the center of their life, as Bob has so fortunately managed to do.
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Summary: It's Not Just the Basement - It's The Man!
Review: It Came From Bob's Basement is one of those books that I look at over and over again. Not only are the images terrific, but the writing is exceptional. Apart from Bob Burns' incomparable passion for these icons of science fiction culture, what really emerges for me is a very accurate portrayal of Mr. Burns' big heart and generosity. Bob's intention was never to make money from his collection but rather to be a museum director and caretaker of priceless relics that millions of people have seen in many of the world's greatest films. Now, with the publication of this book, everyone has an opportunity to see these items first hand and I would highly recommend they do so!
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Summary: Museum of Memories
Review: There comes a time in our lives where we all reflect on the things of our collective pasts. And part of that recollection for me has been the collecting and viewing of a lot of the old Sci-Fi and Horror movies of my early youth. I loved those old films and when they come on TV today, I watch with a nostalgic eye, fondly remembering those early days and the cool things they did. This book is kind of like those old movies. The pictures contained therein and the anecdotes surrounding the largest private collection of Sci-Fi and Horror memorabilia in the world, conjur up the same memories of the movies in which all these wonderful props were used. But beyond merely viewing them in the book, I must say this is a GREAT alternative to seeing them "live". I have been lucky enough to see Bob's Museum and spend time with the Dean of Sci-Fi and Horror prop collecting (as well as probably the MOST knowledgable person on the subject there is), and it was a treat beyond anything I ever could have imagined. Seeing props from the very early days that I can recall (the early 50's) such as the Creature From the Black Lagoon and the Time Machine, and then to walk face-to-face with Rick Baker's American Werewolf, or the head of the Queen Alien from the Aliens films, was almost like being part of all those great films. To reach out and touch these items was like a connection to the past or to those films in which they were used. It WAS incredible and I recommend that if you EVER get the opportunity (by invitation only) you would never be disappointed in what you see. This book without a doubt has only scratched the surface of the incredible collection that Bob and Kathy Burns have amassed in his 60+ years. I highly recommend that if you are in the least interested, there is not another treatise that will amaze, amuse and inform you like this one will. It is most assuredly only the beginning but it absolutely plucks at the nostalgic cords of any Sci-Fi or Horror fans interest. This is a true "thumbs-up" and has been a labor of love by both Bob Burns and John Michlig - one that I'm glad has been done. I personally can't wait for the next "volume" in what I could only hope would be a series of books detailing the entire collection. There is no doubt it could be encyclopedic in nature - but that's OK. You cannot go wrong.
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