The Late Great Bob Burns

Props collector and film archivist Bob Burns III died on December 12, 2025, at the age of 90. He was known for his extensive collection of film props and memorabilia. Bob Burns also served as an advisor on several films and played various monsters and gorillas in film and TV shows. He was well-known for playing Tracy the Gorilla in the Saturday morning sitcom The Ghost Busters alongside Forrest Tucker and Larry Storch.

Bob Burns was born on May 12, 1935. He provided sound effects for the radio show Wild Bill Hickok. He provided uncredited special effects for Not of This Earth (1957). He also provided special effects for the horror television anthology Jeepers Creepers Theatre that aired on KCOP in the Sixties. He would later provide effects for such films as Scared to Death (1980), Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983), Harry and the Hendersons (1987), and even the Lord of the Rings trilogy (various prosthetics). Bob Burns also appeared in suits as various aliens, monsters, and gorillas in such movies as Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957), Rat Pfink a Boo Boo (1966), and The Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Monsters (1968). He regularly appeared on the locally produced Shock Theatre and Jeepers Creepers Theatre. As mentioned earlier, he played Tracy on The Ghost Busters. He also appeared on such shows as Mickey, The Lucy Show, My Three Sons, and Wonderbug. Bob Burns did not always appear in an alien, monster, or gorilla suit when acting. Such other acting credits included such movies as Drive (1997), Wish You Were Here (2000), The Vampire Hunters Club (2001), The Naked Monster (2005), The Lovely Bones (2009), and Fire City: End of Days (2015).

Of course, Bob Burns may have been best known for his collection of costumes, props, and memorabilia, estimated by some to be one of the most extensive collections in the world. Included in Bob Burns's collection were the last surviving 18-inch armature model used on King Kong (1933), the original Time Machine from George Pal's movie The Time Machine (1960), and other props from such movies as Aliens, An American Werewolf in London, Gremlins,  Star Wars, Terminator 2, and others. Bob Burns's private museum of movie memorabilia was known simply as "Bob's Basement." As an archivist, Bob Burns provided photos and videos for many documentaries over the years, as well as serving as a consultant for the TV show Monsterama.

Bob Burns was one of the greatest archivists and collectors of film material of all time. It was through his hard work that many precious artefacts of film history survived and continued to exist. What is more, Bob Burns was always eager to share his knowledge. Visitors to Bob's Basement would always leave with a wealth of stories about the times there related to them by Mr. Burns himself. Of course, here it must be pointed out that Bob Burns and his wife Kathy, who had pre-deceased him, were two of the nicest people one could ever meet. While I never to got meet or even interact with Bob Burns, I have plenty of friends who got to, as well a a lucky few friends who got to call Bob Burns a friend. All of them said that Bob Burns was one of the kindest, nicest persons one could hope to meet. Bob Burns wasn't just a great archivist and collector, he wasn't just Tracy on The Ghost Busters, he was a truly great gentleman.