It Came from Bob's Basement: Exploring the Science Fiction and Monster Movie Archive of Bob Burns

by John Michlig and Bob Burns

Book Overview

Known to give up precious living space to display a full-size creature from the Black Lagoon or a pair of Frankenstein's clod-hoppers, Bob Burns is the patron saint of special effects for B movies.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811825728
• ISBN13: 9780811825726
• Release Date: March 2001
• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 1.0" x 1.0"

Customer Reviews

Bob Burns Collector of Dreams

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.

I like Bob's Basement. Lets see the Attic and Garage now!

This book is much more than a visual tour of some of the best original movie monster and science fiction souvenirs, it is a wonderful adventure story shared by a man who has survived (you'll know why I use that term) a life so many of us dreamed of as we left our sticky velvet theater seats, or tuned Shock Theater in on TV all those years ago, and even now as we introduce our children to all that "cool stuff". This story would make a great film itself. I look forward to hearing and seeing more from the other parts of Bob's house and life!

Take Me Through Bob's Basement AGAIN, AGAIN, and AGAIN!

"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!

It Came from Bob's Basement

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.

"Bob's Basement" Should Be A Best-Cellar!

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