Robert Burns (1890 - 1956)

Born 2 Aug 1890 in Greenwood, Sebastian, Arkansas, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Harriet Madelia (Foster) Burns — married 31 May 1939 in Los Angeles, California, United States

Died 2 Feb 1956 at age 65 in Encino, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States

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Biography

Bob Burns is Notable.

Robert "Bob" Burns is best known as the Arkansas Traveler and The Arkansas Philosopher. He was an American musical comedian, who appeared on radio and in movies from 1930 to 1947. He played a novelty musical instrument of his own invention, called the "bazooka", and became famous tooting his gas-pipe bazooka and telling hillbilly jokes about imaginary Arkansas kinfolk.^[1][2]

Bob was born on August 2, 1890 in Greenwood, Sebastian County, Arkansas. His father was William Robert Burns and his mother Emma (Needham) Burns. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Van Buren, Crawford County, Arkansas, where he would get his education and grow up.^[1][2][3][4] He began playing musical instruments at an early age and by at twelve years old he began playing with the Queen City Silver Cornet Band in Van Buren. A year later, he formed his own string band, and during one of his practice sessions, he handcrafted an instrument he called the "bazooka". He named it from the word "bazoo" meaning windy fellow, and from the Dutch word bazuin for "trumpet". He came up with the ideal as they practiced behind Hayman's Plumbing Shop. He picked up a piece of gas pipe and blew into it, creating an unusual sound. It functioned like a crude trombone, with a narrow range, but others described the sound as a "wounded moose". He studied civil engineering and worked as a peanut farmer^[1][2]

He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps during World War I. As a sergeant of the 11th Marine Regiment, he became the leader of the Marine Corps's jazz ban in Europe.^[1][5] While in the service he made another "bazooka" from stove pipes and a whiskey funnel and sometime played in the band with the instrument. He named his band the "Marine Corps Melody Six" jazz band, and the Marine Corps attached him and his band playing the bazooka at recruiting stations in Manhattan.^[1] He was discharged on September 16, 1919 and returned home.^[6]

In 1920, he left Arkansas and moved to Chicago, Illinois. He lodged in a boarding house and worked in advertising as a salesman.^[7] Later, he moved to Los Angeles, California and auditioned for the largest radio station for a non-paying spot on the afternoon radio show The Gilmore Circus. He played a character called "Soda Pop", which garnered him a lot of attention on the West Coast.^[2]

In 1935, he went to New York City and persuaded Paul Whiteman, a coast-to-coast radio host, to give him an audition on his show, and was an instant hit. He became a regular guest with Rudy Vallee's radio program. He returned to Los Angeles and played with Bing Crosby on NBC's Kraft Music Hall radio program until 1941. During this time, he also appeared in some movies, such as Quick Millions and Young As You Feel, but it was in 1936 when he launched his motion-picture career, starring alongside Bing Crosby in Rythem on the Range and other films like Waikiki Wedding, Mountain Music and I'm From Missouri.^[2]

As he began his career, he first married Elizabeth Fisher on September 22, 1921. She died in 1936, and he married Harriet M. Foster on May 31, 1939. In 1938, he hosted the 10th Academy Awards, at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.^[1]In 1940, he lived on Stone Canyon Road in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California.^[8] In 1941, he was given a radio show called The Arkansas Traveler from 1941 to 1943 and then The Bob Burns Show from 1943 to 1947. During the show, he portrayed mythical characters about his family back in Arkansas. Such as Uncle Fud, Grandpa Snazzy, Aunt Boe, Uncle Fetchey, and Uncle Slug. He would tell fans to get back where he came from. You had to swing in the trees the last mile. His kin, he claimed, kicked boulders for footballs with bruising their toes, and they stood on hot coals barefoot without feeling the fire. At night, they were lulled into sleep by mosquito choruses drilling into the marrow of their bones. With a craggy face and smoking a pipe, he said of country folks, "They're good, honest people. I ain't ashamed of them. If the country folks I tell these stories about don't mind, I can't see why the city people want to kick". He also said, "City folks are the same everywhere. They ain't different enough to be interesting." Even as a star, he told people, "Some folks out here get inflated ideas. But they usually have to come own to earth. I know I'm the same fellow I was years ago when I was glad to make $25 a week, I haven't got any smarter."^[9]

He wrote a newspaper column for a period titled "Well, I'll Tell You" with homespun anecdotes. It was a daily feature syndicated in over 240 newspapers.^[1] The last ten years of his life he bought and sold real estate. He spent his final years on a 200 acre model farm on Sherman Way in Canoga Park in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California.^[1][10]

He died to cancer of the kidney at West Valley Community Hospital on February 2, 1956 in Encino, Los Angeles County, California.^[11] He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, Los Angeles County, California.^[12]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7} Wikipedia Contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, last edited on 5 May 2023. "Robert Burns." Accessed 22 May 2023.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4} Elrod, Denny, Melbourne, Arkansas. Encyclopedia of Arkansas, last updated on 25 Jan 2023. "Robert Burns." Accessed 22 May 2023.
3. ↑ 1900 United States Federal Census: Year: 1900; Census Place: Van Buren, Crawford, Arkansas; Roll: 56; Page: 7; Enumeration District: 0063 Ancestry Record 7602 #2411968
4. ↑ 1910 United States Federal Census: Year: 1910; Census Place: Van Buren Ward 1, Crawford, Arkansas; Roll: T624_48; Page: 23a; Enumeration District: 0016; FHL microfilm: 1374061 Ancestry Record 7884 #193897850
5. ↑ U.S., Army Transport Service Arriving and Departing Passenger Lists, 1910-1939: The National Archives at College Park; College Park, Maryland; Record Group Title: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774-1985; Record Group Number: 92; Roll or Box Number: 61 Ancestry Record 61174 #598569
6. ↑ U.S., Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940: Ancestry.com. U.S., Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT. USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2019. Original data: United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2019. Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917 - 9/16/1940. NAI 76193916. Record Group 15: Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 1773 - 2007. National Archives at St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A. Ancestry Record 61861 #614801
7. ↑ 1920 United States Federal Census: Year: 1920; Census Place: Chicago Ward 21, Cook (Chicago), Illinois; Roll: T625_332; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 1188 Ancestry Record 6061 #101928304
8. ↑ 1940 United States Federal Census: Year: 1940; Census Place: Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California; Roll: m-t0627-00407; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 60-219 Ancestry Record 2442 #75289746
9. ↑ Newspaper Clipping, The Daily Oklahomian, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 3 Feb 1956, Fri. Page 44. "Comedian Bob Burns Dies." Accessed 22 May 2023.
10. ↑ 1950 United States Federal Census: United States of America, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790-2007; Record Group Number: 29; Residence Date: 1950; Home in 1950: Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Roll: 2145; Sheet Number: 7; Enumeration District: 66-107 Ancestry Record 62308 #261320229
11. ↑ Newspaper Clipping, The Burlington Free Press, Burlington, Vermont, 3 Feb 1956, Fri. Page 5. "Bob Burns, Arkansas Bazooka Comedian, Dies." Accessed 22 May 2023.
12. ↑ Burial: Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11546/bob-burns: accessed 22 May 2023), memorial page for Bob Burns (2 Aug 1890–2 Feb 1956), Find A Grave: Memorial #11546, citing Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Los Angeles County, California, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.