Erickson Film & Design

The osborne bum project

Dr. Bum is depicted at three, different ages throughout his life: 32, 67 and 92. Osborne Bum can appear articulate and intelligent or senile and wacky, depending on the stage of his life. There is a long story behind the character. He has a PhD in Zoology and hosts a show, along with another zoologist named Dr. John (Jack) Mac, called "Wild Discovery," after the defunct show with the same name from the Discovery Channel. I called the channel, The Explorer Channel. From ages 32 to 67, Dr. Bum went on expeditions to a place known as Acromeglia—which was taken from a Ren & Stimpy cartoon episode. My former high school friends would play the parts of the animals he would encounter. We used their first names for the names of each species, basically to make fun of our very low budget. I got the idea from the Tree Geezer in the same Ren & Stimpy cartoon. It was like mixing Steve Irwin's animal encounters with a Ren & Stimpy mind-set.

At the age of 67, a much fatter, bumbling Dr. Osborne Bum retired from his expeditions. He began hosting a variety show called, Osborne Bum & His Big Fat Bum. This show covered a wide range of topics and featured Osborne's two brothers, as well. Each week, Dr. Bum would discuss his former adventures, as well as political events, the art of cooking, hunting, fishing, and bird watching--which resulted in the death of the bird, instead of simply watching it. This show was derived from the combined influences of Chris Farley, The Three Stooges and The Looney Tunes.

By the age of 87, Dr. Bum, became a loud, senile, gray-haired, grumpy, old man and ended his program. After being broadcast for twenty years, he was too old and senile to keep it going. He was then given another show to fill in an empty time-slot on public television entitled, Osborne Bum On Talk. That program was like a late-night talk show, gone horribly wrong. Osborne would be trying to interview a guest, but something always seemed to prevent it from going smoothly. In one episode, his stage crew would repeatedly shut off the main set lights and shine a bright stage light in his face. Another common occurrence was paying off security and attempting to "take over the show." Sometimes Osborne would be plagued by both predicaments at the same time. Dr. Bum continued to host the show for the next five years, until he reached the age of 92, when he retired from public life. He died five years later at age 98.

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