Skip to main content

Image / Barbara Burns in county jail

Have a question about this item?

Item information. View source record on contributor's website.

Title
Barbara Burns in county jail
Alternative Title
Los Angeles Herald Examiner Photo Collection
Date Created and/or Issued
1958
Contributing Institution
Los Angeles Public Library
Collection
Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection
Rights Information
Images available for reproduction and use. Please see the Ordering & Use page at http://tessa.lapl.org/OrderingUse.html for additional information.
Description
Title supplied by cataloger.; Photograph was edited for publication purposes.
Barbara Burns was the daughter of famed American comedian Robin "Bob" Burns. He was a musical comedian appearing on radio and in movies in the 1930s and 1940s, and also wrote a homey newspaper column from 1936-1940. Burns invented a novelty musical instrument which he called a "bazooka." During World War II, the Army's handheld anti-tank rocket launcher, also known as "stovepipe" was nicknamed the "bazooka." He had four children and died in 1956. Barbara Burns was a troubled teenager who began using hard drugs by the time she was eighteen. She attempted suicide several times and finally died of an overdose in January 1962.
Burns is pictured in prison clothes at the Los Angeles County Jail. She was held in contempt for arriving late to the narcotics trial of her husband David Mack. Both were facing narcotics charges. Photograph dated May 13, 1958.
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;26 x 21 cm.
Photographic prints
Identifier
00110856
Herald Examiner Collection
HE box 5139
CARL0005358981
http://173.196.26.125/cdm/ref/collection/photos/id/32447
Subject
Burns, Bob,--1890-1956--Family
Burns, Bob,--1890-1956--Family--Trials, litigation, etc
Los Angeles County Jail (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Children of celebrities--United States
Crime--California--Los Angeles
Criminals--California--Los Angeles
Narcotic habit--California--Los Angeles
Drug abuse--California--Los Angeles
Jails--California--Los Angeles
Women--California--Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Los Angeles Evening Herald Express photographs
Herald-Examiner Collection photographs

About the collections in Calisphere

Learn more about the collections in Calisphere. View our statement on digital primary resources.

Copyright, permissions, and use

If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.

Share your story

Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.

Explore related content on Calisphere: