# Bob's Basement is no more **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 17, 2025, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bobs-basement-is-no-more/1025778 "2025-12-17T03:40:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2025, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bobs-basement-is-no-more/1025778/1 "2025-12-17T03:40:55Z")
Just heard that Bob Burns, collector of pretty much all Science Fiction and Horror props that ever existed just passed at 90. He was famous for “Bob’s Basement”, a museum in his home dedicated to his vast collection. Among other props, he has one of the two original King Kong (1933) armatures. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/L1skx3S_uqE/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGGUgUihKMA8=&rs=AOn4CLA9kAUgngVvXLKJNSiy7IE7YDEcbQ "Bob Burns' Special Effects Collection - part 1") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1skx3S_uqE) ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2025, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bobs-basement-is-no-more/1025778/2 "2025-12-17T04:17:18Z")
His collection seemed like something I’d love to have. It looked quite impressive. Just don’t look at his “official” website; it’s a time capsule itself as to what web sites looked like in 1997. > **[The Official Bob Burns Web Site](https://bobburns.mycottage.com/)** > > The Official Bob Burns Web Site, including Bob's professional credits, photos of the Bob Burns Museum movie memorabilia artifacts, links, updates, and more. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2025, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bobs-basement-is-no-more/1025778/3 "2025-12-17T11:49:16Z")
The last of the “Original Ghostbusters.” ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2025, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bobs-basement-is-no-more/1025778/4 "2025-12-17T12:58:32Z")
The Tomorrows of Yesterday. Look hard in the back room. You _might_ find my faith in the Future. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2025, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bobs-basement-is-no-more/1025778/5 "2025-12-18T18:16:52Z")
He did the most amazing Halloween shows in front of his house for years. One year he did a diorama straight out of The Time Machine; it was a re-creation of the building where the Morlocks would come out of. He found the original time machine prop in a junkyard and restored it. Another year, he recreated the Nostromo from Alien and had Walter Koenig play Dallas searching for the xenomorph. What the audience watching it didn’t know was that Bob was waiting behind them in his xenomorph costume to give them a jump scare. The guy was a class act. RIP. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2025, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bobs-basement-is-no-more/1025778/6 "2025-12-21T14:37:30Z")
I remember they did segments about his collection between shows on the Sci Fi Channel back in the day. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2025, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bobs-basement-is-no-more/1025778/7 "2025-12-21T23:58:16Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > He found the original time machine prop in a junkyard and restored it. I don’t suppose that was the one that found it’s way into The Big Bang Theory for one episode? ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bobs-basement-is-no-more/1025778/8 "2025-12-30T03:20:08Z")
I’m pretty sure it was. Fun fact: George Pal himself came by while Bob and his friends were doing that Halloween sketch. He had never gotten to sit in the machine himself when making the movie in 1960. Bob said he’d be honored.