A Tribute to Those Who Have Gone Before Us

 

The people associated with the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre and it's sequels have given us a bit of rare magic to last throughout generations of horror film lovers.  And even through these people may be most notable or famous for a piece of their craft they did in a sliver of time in their lives, they were many other things to many other people than just an actor or actress.

They all face life with it's ups and downs, it's triumphs and tragedies like we all do.  In other words, they are all just like us.

Some knew of their fate beforehand and decided to leave us in their own way.  Some were taken away abruptly.  And some lived as long as their vessel was able to.

I feel honored that so many people visit my web site, including key people involved with the creation and ongoing franchise that is the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  So this page is the very least I can do for those have have gone on before us.

Tim...
timh@texaschainsawmassacre.net

 


Robert A. Burns 1944 - 2004

Robert A. Burns

1944 - 2004

Here are a few personal photos of Bob at home being, well, just being Bob!
#1, #2, #3, #4, #5

A eulogy for Bob Burns was read for him by a close friend of Bob's on Saturday, June 5th, 2004 in Bob's back yard to his closest friends and family who could attend.
Click HERE to download the eulogy in Microsoft Word format.

Here are a few thoughts about Bob from his brother.

The Sequin Gazette did a write-up on the events of Bob's gathering at his house and the eulogy that was delivered.

Here's a link to Bloody Disgusting.Com that has a few comments about Bob.

Here's the last interview of Bob done by Jason Stewart of XYZed Magazine.

Here's an article that appeared in the Austin Chronicle on Bob.

Here's an article that appeared in the Seguin Gazette.

The following e-mail is one that I received from a very close friend of Bob's.  I think this person's perspective helps to bring home to us the kind of person Bob was.

...Nice tribute page. Well done. I like what you said about it being impossible to say in a few words all of what Bob is. His executor, an attorney down in Seguin, is probably choking too trying to write an obit as he tries to get his mind around all the things that Bob was into and how many millions of lives he touched...Bob intended mailing letters to those closest to him. I don't know if that means 12 letters or 200. He didn't tell me. They should begin arriving today. I was the only one he told about the inoperable cancer and his intentions to clock out before he started to suffer, so I had weeks to reminisce and laugh with him and say my goodbyes. I was sworn to secrecy though so my heart goes out to you and to others in the Bob network who are going to be taken completely by surprise. If it's of any help, Bob was resolute and content with his decision and was determined to be energized and happy to the end. I was talking to him on the phone 3 to 5 times a day for the last couple of weeks. Memorial Day afternoon we had a good time recalling our favorite funniest movie moments, just a few hours before he made his decision. I had hoped we had more weeks together to celebrate his life but the last message he left me on the answering machine indicated that he had wrapped up his affairs and had made the sudden decision that waiting around further seemed pointless. He died content and at a time that he chose and that suited him. That's to be envied. A loud, tacky, tasteless celebratory party is probably in order, probably a costume party at that or at least Hawaiian shirts obligatory. I hope someone in Austin will organize one.

Anonymous

 

The following is copied from the Austin American Statesman newspaper.  June 3, 2004

'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' art director dead at 60
Robert Burns known for his on-screen mayhem, off-screen hijinks.
'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' art director, Robert Burns was known for his on-screen mayhem, off-screen hijinks.

By John Kelso
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, June 2, 2004

Robert Burns surely knew that the first paragraph of his obituary would mention that he was the art director of the '70s horror movie classic "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

But it would have irked him because there was so much more to him, though all of it was quirky.

Burns, 60, was found dead at his home in Seguin on Tuesday morning by police, who are investigating it as a suicide, Lt. Mike Watts said.

About a month ago, Burns, who lived most of his life in Austin, was diagnosed with terminal cancer, his friend Jan Lewis said.

"He knew he didn't have long, and he did not want to go through or even attempt horrible cancer treatment," Lewis said. She said Burns kept his illness a secret from most people because "he wanted people around him to be happy."

Burns went out in the wry and irreverent style his friends had grown to expect. On his Web site, www.Robert-A-Burns.com, he left a "Farewell Address to the Troops," which includes a photo of himself stretched out in front of a mock tombstone with the name "Burns" on it. Along with the photo, Burns left a goodbye message to his friends.

"I've never understood why people would stay in the theater after it became obvious that the rest of the movie would not be enjoyable," Burns wrote. "Due to physical and psychological reasons too tedious to bore anyone with, it became obvious that the rest of my movie would not be enjoyable, so I left the theater (me and Elvis, you know.)"

Burns graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in drama. He did special effects for several movies, including "The Howling," and worked as an actor on occasion. He starred in "Confessions of a Serial Killer" and had lesser parts in a Robert Duvall film, "The Stars Fell on Henrietta," and in a Farrah Fawcett TV movie, "The Substitute Wife."

But Burns was best known for being a creative and likeable eccentric, a man who helped make Austin weird before the expression became a cliché.

From the wacky Christmas cards to the outrageous Halloween costumes he created, such as the one that made him look like a baby being carried around by a French maid, you never knew what you would get from Burns, although you knew it would be unique, like the send-up song he wrote to the tune of the '80s hit "Bette Davis Eyes."

Burns' version was called "She's Got Colonel Sanders Thighs."

"Her eyes are Big Mac brown; her hair is like French fries.

She's blown up like the clown. She's got Colonel Sanders thighs."

Burns would perform as the Burns Family Trio, a costume he made that consisted of himself flanked by a couple of female mannequins.

"It was a couple of made-up sisters (Powder Burns and Heart Burns)," said Austin freelance writer Ernest Sharpe Jr., a friend. "One of his jokes was that his sisters, without him, they didn't have a leg to stand on."

"Somebody had to help him get into this thing; it was quite elaborate," said Morris Burns of Midland, one of Burns' brothers. "He'd tell corny jokes and pantomime to some old country and western songs. He took that to some nursing homes and put on a show for 'em."

Burns requested that he be cremated and that his ashes be scattered over the creek behind his house in Seguin. In his later years, Burns spent a great deal of his time restoring an old river walk that had been built on Walnut Branch in the '30s.

Burns once lived in South Austin in a house he decorated with some of the props he built for "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." Perhaps the most famous was "The Arm Chair," a chair with prosthetic arms attached to the chair's regular arms.

Burns was also talented with tools and could remodel just about anything.

"He could build anything just out of wood and wire and stuff that he scrounged," said Pete Szilagyi of Fort Davis, who put out a publication called Free & Easy with Burns in Austin in the '70s. "He was a brilliant writer. He used to crank out movie scripts like crazy. None of 'em ever really got produced.

"When he joked, it was usually in the form of a pun, and it was usually a masterful pun," Sharpe recalled. "He had this enormous facility of the language.

"I was carrying a rug out of the house to the cleaners, and Bob passed me, and he said, 'Stop that man. He's trying to hook a rug.' I've only known two original people in my life, and Bob was one of them."

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Burns' home at 206 S. Travis St. in Seguin.

Burns is survived by three brothers, Morris, Ross Burns of Alpine and Fred Burns of Calgary, Alberta; and his father, Ed Burns of Austin.

jkelso@statesman.com; (512) 445-3606


Paul A. Partain
"Franklin"

Paul Partain

1946 - 2005

The above head shot of Paul was sent to me personally from Paul along with 2 other pictures.  Click HERE to view those.

Please visit this page as a tribute to Paul.

Also visit the Internet Movie Database's entry for Paul.


Lou Perryman
Assistant Camera in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"
"L.G." in "Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2"

Lou Perryman

1942 - 2009

From left to right is Tim Harden, Gunnar Hansen, Lou Perryman and Wayne Bell.

Lou was murdered on April 1st, 2009 by an insane young man on the front lawn of his mother's home in south Austin.  The murderer stole Lou's car and drove himself to the Austin police department, where they quickly took him into custody.

This has been labeled as a tragic act of random violence.  Neither Lou or the murderer knew each other until that day.

I attended the wake for Lou at Scholz's Garten in Austin, Texas on April 9th, 2009.  Many notable people were in attendance.  People I recognized were Kim Henkel, Turk Pipkin, Wayne Bell, Robert Khun and Justin Meeks.

Many people took the microphone to tell funny and touching stories about how they knew Lou.  Wayne Bell told a couple of stories about Lou while he was on the set of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Here's a shot of the room full of people at Lou's Wake.

This is Lou's daughter saying a few words before she handed the microphone over to other speakers.

Also visit the Internet Movie Database's entry for Lou.


Jim Siedow
"Old Man" / "The Cook"

Jim Siedow

1920 - 2003

This autographed picture was sent to me by one of Jim's sons.  You can write to Jim at jsiedow@academicplanet.com or visit his home page at http://www.geocities.com/jsiedow.geo/JimHomepage.html)

Jim passed away in November of 2003.  He is survived by his wife Ruth, 2 sons, a daughter and several grandchildren.  Although he is probably best known for his character in TCM and TCM2, he has a long list of credits as an actor and theatrical director over the past several decades.  Jim also appears in the documentaries, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: A Family Portrait" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre - The Shocking Truth".

One of his sons made a web site dedicated to his father at http://www.geocities.com/jsiedow.geo/JimHomepage.html.

For pictures of his appearances in his other theatrical works, click HERE.

Click HERE to read an article done by the Houston Chronicle concerning Jim's passing.

Also visit the Internet Movie Database's entry for Jim.


Home

© 2011 Tim Harden timh@texaschainsawmassacre.net