Burt Gummer

### Cause of Death

Swallowed by a graboid then killed from detonated explosives used to kill the graboid

### Nationality

Israeli-American

**Bertram (Burt) Gummer** (1955-2020) is a fictional character and the overhaul main protagonist of the Tremors franchise, played by actor Michael Gross. Although he is not the main character of the first two *Tremors* movies, his eccentric personality has made him a favorite among Tremors fans and the de-facto star of the franchise, along with the vicious Graboids. Burt appears as a main character in *Tremors,* the tritagonist of *Tremors 2: Aftershocks* and the main protagonist of *Tremors 3: Back to Perfection*, *Tremors: The Series*, *Tremors 5: Bloodlines* and *Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell*. Burt's ancestor, **Hiram Gummer** (also played by Gross), appears in *Tremors 4: The Legend Begins*.

Burt Gummer is a firearms enthusiast, and a paranoid survivalist. He and his (as of *Tremors 2*) former wife, Heather Gummer (played by Reba McEntire), were the first persons in the film series to directly kill a Graboid thanks to the large supply of weapons kept in their basement. He has an "overkill" approach to trouble and takes himself deadly seriously, much to the annoyance or amusement of others. Even Earl Basset noted that Burt puts "a whole new shine" on the meaning of overkill; Burt retorted: "When you need it and don't have it, you'll be singing a different tune." According to Tyler Reed, he is the "Martha Stewart of whatever it is" that he does.

## Background

Although very little is known about Burt's past, it is widely hinted that he was involved in the military, though the actual creators dispute about this. In the Tremors TV Series, Burt went to Teluca in an episode to uncover a government conspiracy for the townsfolk to prove it was a Graboid problem, rather than an alien conspiracy that the government won't let them visit the "mothership", according to Rosie (The diner co-owner next to Red). Burt proceeded to go on about how he was all too familiar with cover-ups, which would lead one to believe he was involved, again, in the military. It's possible he was in a secret branch, and witnessed something he didn't like.

What is known, however, is that during the cold war, Burt settled in Perfection, Nevada with his wife after checking several places that would fit their survivalist nature. He and Heather actually bought up the very land that Burt's great-grandfather had built his house on. This was all sometime before the Tremors movie series. It was later revealed in Tremors 4 that his ancestor Hiram Gummer, also played by Gross, settled in Rejection (Perfection's previous name), and married the local town-mistress. Stampede Entertainment's official website states that Hiram and his wife left in 1902 for San Francisco after a disagreement with Nevada bureaucrats over the date of the town's founding, and never returned. Hiram did leave Burt and his family with a large supply of silver bars which Burt has apparently been using to turn his home into a graboid proof fortress as well as acquiring weaponry which originally was for defense against the possibility of the Cold War heating up but now to fight against the Graboids. When Burt's house was destroyed in Tremors 3 it took out his weaponry stockpile as well as his stockpile of silver bars.

Burt has a strange affection with guns since middle-school, evidenced by him telling Desert Jack that he converted his BB gun to automatic by the eighth grade. One controversy is how he gets his weapons and ammo, despite all of his guns being legal (except a submachine gun he is seen to own). He has an exceptionally hard time making friends and trusting people, due to his self-preservation mind set, but is willing to help others should the need arise; though his ways of helping may seem unorthodox due to inexperience sometimes. At times he will try to give more "rational" explanations to bizarre goings-on in Perfection, only be met with stares of disbelief as his ideas are just as or even more unbelievable.

## History

### Before *Tremors*

Born into the Gummer family, Burt's home life remains unknown. What his relationship with his parents was like was never spoken about.

Being an avid gun fan, one of Burt's childhood memories was converting his BB gun to full-auto. He would eventually go to a gun show in Florida in 1974. There, he met Jasmine Welker, who was burning her bra in the parking lot. The two of them got along and had sex that night. He left, never looking back; unknown to him, Burt had sired a child. The existence of this child would remain unknown to him for the next 40 years.

Burt eventually married Heather Gummer, and settled down in Perfection, Nevada due to the geographic isolation providing protection. Burt never had to hold a job, thanks the numerous bars of silver left behind by his ancestor Hiram. They built a house with a built-in gun range, with a huge collection of guns. He kept numerous spare magazines of ammo inn the drawers underneath the gun-racks. Burt liked living in Perfection as Chang's Market didn't have a price scanner that could build records of his purchases. He also became good friends with the handymen Valentine "Val" McKee and Earl Bassett. In 1990, he hired them to work on the linoleum at his house when they had time.

### *Tremors*

Burt is buying hollow-point bullets from Walter Chang, who ignores his complaints that they are hydro-shock hollow-points. Val and Earl come in, and Val tells them about how Earl explained how to think ahead; they also ask for Rhonda LeBeck about any strange vibrations in the ground. Burt immediately tenses up at the idea that the government will "imminent domain" him out of his home; Heather comforts him. Earl laughs at him, saying Burt will have a heart-attack before World War 3.

Val and Earl later return to Perfection, unknowingly bringing a Grabber on their tire axle. Examining the remains of the creature, Burt guesses that it could be a mutation of nature; however, he points out more than one of these had to be around to have killed Old Fred and his cattle. Burt starts relishing the danger, as the duo reveal that the creatures killed the road-workers and blocked the only road out of town. Once it's decided Val and Earl will try riding on horseback to Bixby, Burt and Heather head out to find Rhonda before she's killed by the creatures; they gift the duo with a better rifle and head off.

24 hours later, they return home, having failed to find Rhonda and annoyed that there is no sign of the creatures, not even droppings. They head to the basement and start re-filling their ammo. Burt calls Chang's Market on the radio, getting Val instead as Walter was killed by the creatures. Burt is informed that the monsters are coming from underground. One is drawn by the sound of their ammo refilling machine, and breaks into the room. Burt starts unloading ammo into the monster with Heather backing him up. Using an elephant gun, Burt blows a hole through it's head, claiming victory.

They head to the roof, building bombs as Val calls on the radio. The plan is for the Gummers to go for help, but the plan is made moot when the creatures start tearing the town apart from the below and eat the tires on their cars. To Burt's surprise, the CAT is driven up to his home and he boards with plenty of ammo. "Goddamn. Armored transport." However, he is left annoyed that his survival tactics didn't count on underground attacks.

The creatures later trap the CAT, forcing Burt to use bombs to scare them off. Upon trying to trick them into swallowing bombs, it only works once. The second causes the stockpile to explode once it spits the dynamite out. To Burt's surprise, Val manages to trick the last monster into head off a cliff. Burt later gives Val and Earl new tires for their truck.

### *Tremors 2: Aftershocks*

Following the events of the Perfection Incursion of 1990, the creatures were named Graboids to honor Walter Chang, who chose the name. Burt and Heather got some fame for killing the one in their rec room, which was then mounted with other trophies. However, a year later, the Soviet Union dissolved and there was no imminent danger of a World War. Burt and Heather drifted apart, and she decided to leave him, taking the HK Mag.

Depressed, Burt watched war stories in his den. However, fate was kind to him; Earl called him to Mexico, where there were dozens of Graboids on the run. Burt instantly took the offer, and loaded up a truck full of tons of ammo and explosives, along with a powerful gun to add to his collection. Once at the oil refinery, he got a seismograph monitor and starting taking out Graboids. This even included a Graboid that ate the chain that Grady Hoover used as a lure. However, the readings soon stopped...

At night, Burt decided to return to HQ, but found himself surrounded by new monsters spawned from the Graboids. He emptied his handguns into the creatures and ran them over. At the end of the fight, he found one was stunned and tied it up in the truck. He returned to the refinery during the day, where he had Earl and Grady cage the creature for study. Burt learned that it sense heat and was deaf and blind; it also spat out a new creature once it ate enough. However, the tables turned when they found out that one more of the monsters managed to sneak onto the truck and munched on the M.R.E.s Burt brought.

After hiding for a while, the team decided the best course of action was to lock the creatures in the garage. Unfortunately, there was sweet corn in there and they began to multiply like rabbits. Earl used a fire extinguisher to hide his body head and set a bomb, much to Burt's horror. He told them to run as far as possible as two and a half tons of explosives will leave a crater.

Once the explosion happened, the refinery was gone along with all the monsters. Burt decided to get his $50,000 per Graboid and head back to Perfection until another Graboid incursion occurred.

### *Tremors 3: Back to Perfection*

In Argentina, a Graboid gave birth to what was now called Shriekers, which became a small army within a day after attacking a chicken truck. Using an anti-aircraft gun, Burt mowed them down and was rewarded with an ultrasonic watch.

Back in Perfection, the anti-graboid barrier had been installed at his house, preventing any underground attacks. Burt saw that Desert Jack's Graboid Tour had been set up during his time away. Unfortunately, new Graboids hatched and attacked. Nancy made the stupid move of calling the government, who proved what Burt had believed; they wanted to try capturing a Graboid for study, and were willing to kick everyone out of the valley for their safety. Forcing Jack Sawyer to work with him, Burt learned that Melvin Plugg was attempting to seal the valley for housing; this resulted in a graboid swallowing Burt whole. Using his walkie, Burt ordered Jack to drive through his driveway, killing the graboid when it crashed into his moat. Jack used a chainsaw to free Burt from the graboid.

Unfortunately, the next day Shriekers were born and ate the government agents. A second graboid dubbed El Blanco, due to its sterility (e.i. it can't become Shriekers and thus is only a threat if it hears noise), constantly followed Burt, and trapped the team on boulders. The next day, Burt radioed Mindy to make a racket over the radio; she complied by playing rock music. This distracted El Blanco, allowing Burt to sent his truck off to distract him. When Burt, Miguel Sanchez, Jodi Chang, and Jack attempted to kill he Shriekers, Burt saw that the creatures mutated again, leaving husks behind. It turns out the creatures gained wings and could now glide by lighting farts. This resulted in Miguel's death. Jodi dubbed the creatures Ass Blasters.

Managing to get home, Burt was surprised an Ass Blaster was able to find them. Getting in his panic room, Burt revealed they can wait-out the creatures for years. However, it began melting the door. Realsing if it ate his food, an Ass Blaster blitzkrieg was awating them, Burt opened his escape hatch for the duo and placed some gasoline next to the door. Saying **"trick or treat, you son of a bitch."** Burt jumped into his escape route right as the gas exploded. His home blew up along with all his guns. However, much to his anger, Burt was radioed by Nancy, who told him Ass Blasters go into a coma after eating too much.

Forced to hide in the junkyard, the trio managed to build a potato gun and ignite three Ass Blasters. However, a fourth evaded the attack. At that moment, Burt realized El Blanco was attracted to his watch, tossing it on the Ass Blaster, and letting it get eaten.

The next day, much to his amusement, Burt toyed with Melvin by leaving him stranded away from his car on a rock. This forced him to wait out El Blanco, who Burt was toying with using a remote-controlled car.

### *12 year gap*

Burt continued to fight the Graboids, containing them to North America; he was forced to keep some alive due to them being an endangered species.

### *Tremors 5: Bloodlines*

By this point, Burt had grown popular enough for his own TV show: *The Survivalist: starring Burt Gummer*. He had also cut off all ties with the residents of Perfection, deciding that a solo life was best; as he was now in his late 50s Burt wanted peace. However, an Ass Blaster sighing in Africa lead Burt to meeting his long-lost son Travis B. Welker. The two become a duo hunting monsters around the world.

### *Tremors: A Cold Day In Hell*

Burt now runs Chang's Market in the otherwise apparently abandoned and demolished Perfection. Though Burt claims to be managing the market, Travis claims that Jodi Chang, now working at a law firm, allows Burt to squat there. Burt is visited repeatedly by the IRS who levee tax leans and an eviction against Burt.

Burt is contacted by Valerie McKee, Val McKee's daughter who alerts Burt to the presence of Graboids in the Arctic. Burt reluctantly agrees to go and takes Travis with him. In the Arctic, Burt, who has been displaying signs of illness, collapses. Burt is diagnosed as being infected with an extremely aggressive and hostile parasite from a Graboid. Burt realizes that he was infected by the Graboid that swallowed him during the Perfection Graboid Incursion of 2001. With the only cure being antibodies harvested from a live Graboid, Burt refuses due to the apparent impossibility and aids in the killing of two of the Graboids. With Burt's condition worsening, he is relegated to a hospital bed, but still manages to assist in harvesting the needed antibodies from a distance. The group eventually use a storage container to trap one of the Graboids, spearing it from the side to hold it in place, and cutting off its front tentacles. Travis reaches in the Graboid's mouth with a syringe and draws venom from its internal gland sac. Using the Graboid antibodies, Burt is cured of his illness and makes a recovery.

In the aftermath, a DARPA agent that Burt has been suspicious of grants Burt immunity to tax leans and the deed to his property. As Burt suspected all along, the man desires to use the captured Graboid as a weapon. However, Burt has one of the scientists fly an RC plane laden with a bomb into the Graboid's mouth, allowing Burt to kill it and deprive DARPA of their new weapon.

Throughout the movie, several references are made to the previous films of the series. Several characters note that Burt now wears a Cubs hat and questions if he changed teams, a reference to Burt wearing the same hat all the time throughout the movies. However, Burt insists that he has merely changed hats. When killing a Graboid, Burt exclaims "broke into the wrong goddamn hanger, didn't you, you bastard?!", a reference to his line after he and Heather killed a Graboid in their basement in the first movie. In another part, Burt discovers that they are completely cut-off and comments on how "that brings me back," a reference to the original film when the Graboids cut Perfection off completely from the rest of the world.

### *Tremors: Shrieker Island*

While taking on the Queen Graboid, Burt leads it to a cliff edge with his friends having set up explosives and spikes on the ground below. As the Graboid emerges from the ground, Burt shoves Jimmy aside, saving his life and gives the Graboid the middle finger. Burt is swallowed by the Graboid just before it goes over the cliff. The Graboid crashes into the spikes and is killed by the detonated explosives, killing Burt along with it.
In the aftermath, Burt's friends find only his baseball cap and sunglasses and are devastated to realize that he must've perished. Burt's friends construct a memorial to him on the cliff top where Burt died, leaving their weapons on top of it along with Burt's hat and sunglasses.

## Victims

### Tremors (1990)

1. Graboid #2 - Shot in the wrong god damn rec room

### Tremors 2: Aftershocks (1996)

* Chain Graboid - Tankin! out by Burt
* 3 Graboids - Killed offscreen by Burt's cluster charge
* 19 Shriekers - Killed by Burt and his truck
* Shrieker #23 - Blown the fuck up by Burt's anti-tank gun
* 19 Shriekers - Blown up in the greatest warehouse explosion ever!

### Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (2001)

* 71 Shriekers - Annihilated by WW2 turret and leftovers from Part 2
* *Graboid #1 - Knocked itself dead on Burt's Graboid Barrier*
* Ass Blaster #2 - Butane butt blown up
* Ass Blaster #4 - This is my boom boom stick
* Ass Blaster #5 - Boom boom stick strikes again
* Ass Blaster #6 - The boom boom stick trilogy

### Tremors 5: Bloodlines (2015)

1. Ass Blaster #1 - The Voorhees strategy
2. Ass Blaster #2 - Blasty you're a firework™
3. Johan Dreyer - ! got a crush on you
4. Grabber #1 - They detach now? [Shot by Burt]
5. Grabber #2 - They detach now! [Shot by Burt]
6. Grabber #3 - High noon showdown
7. Grabber #6 - Gushed
8. Queen Bitch - Lightning never kills twice

### Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell (2018)

1. Ass Blaster #2 - I want to take his ass/off (Shot and blown up)
2. Grabber #1 - Like shootin' precambrian fish in a barrel
3. Grabber #2 - Like shootin' precambrian fish in a barrel
4. Grabber #3 - Val/Burt Firing Squad
5. Grabber #5 - I need a nap (Shot by Burt)
6. Graboid #2 - Don't wizz on the electric fence
7. Sally Graboid - Practically blown up in every way

### Tremors: Shrieker Island (2020)

1. Graboid #2 - Shoot the red barrel!
2. Graboid #3 - That's one dynamighty explosion!
3. Shrieker #5 - I'll take mine charred and shredded
4. Shrieker #6 - I'll take mine charred and shredded
5. Shrieker #7 - I'll take mine charred and shredded
6. Shrieker #8 - I'll take mine charred and shredded
7. Shrieker #9 - America's first steel company skill -Established 1866
8. Queen Graboid - But what did it cost? Everything... (Launched off cliff and blown up)

## Notes

* Burt is considered a Legend and a Superhero in some circles.
* April 14 is also known as Burt Gummer Day. It was founded in 2017 by Imgur user @BabyFarkMcGeeZax to celebrate the legendary Burt Gummer. At the end of Tremors: Shrieker Island, a message orders fans to celebrate Burt Gummer Day on April 14 and to pay their taxes.
* As of the sixth film, Burt has trusted Travis with being his successor. By that point, Burt had reached his 60s and an adventurous life would be too much for him.
* Has appeared on 60 minutes.
* One of his cars license plates reads UZI 4U. Another's is WRM N8R as seen on the tremors two poster, which, if read is, Uzi for you, and Worm-Nator.....The Uzi being a famous 9mm Israeli submachine-gun.
* The fact that his first name is Bertram is stated in the Tremors FAQ.
* The item that Burt covered up in Tremors 2 was a type of cannon shell that he was hoping to add to his collection.
* Prior to the Shriekers ambushing him in Tremors 2 Burt claims to have never run out of ammo.
* Burt has the highest number of confirmed Graboid kills by a single individual in the series.
* A running theme in Tremors 2 and 3 is that Burt will be completely prepared for the Graboids, only to be completely disarmed as a result of a previously unknown aspect of the Graboids biology:
	+ In Tremors 2, he arrives in Mexico with an army truck full of weapons and ammunition, only to subsequently exhaust it all fighting off the newly evolved Shriekers (save for his anti-tank gun).
	+ In Tremors 3, Burt's Graboid-proof home/bunker was completely defenseless against the new Ass Blasters. After he unnecessarily detonated it along with his amassed food stores and weapons (see below), he was stunned that after all his planning, he ended up as a refugee.
* Another running gag in the same two movies is that Burt's plans against the creatures would only end up aiding them:
	+ In Tremors 2, Burt lured a pack of Shriekers to a warehouse and trapped them inside, but moments later found out that it was filled with sweets for the Shriekers to eat and reproduce.
	+ In *Tremors 3*, after an Ass Blaster invaded his house, he detonated it, in order to destroy his food stores along with the creature and prevent the same from happening again; but shortly after Nancy informed him that eating too much would only make the Ass Blaster fall into a coma and suggested that his food stores would be the best weapon against the creatures. This left him bemoaning the situation, asking "what kind of supreme being could condone such irony?".
* In *Tremors 2*, he was unable to understand Spanish, as he had to use a dictionary to translate the word "Dulces" (Sweets). By the time of Tremors 3, he had improved somewhat, as he was able to understand the Argentinian reporter's question and even partially responded in Spanish; although he actually used a mixture of English and a very deficient Spanish.
* Burt proves his knowledge of survival in *Tremors 5*, where he shows how to get a meal and how to survive while trapped in a cage in the African heat.
* Although Burt was the only character of *Shrieker Island* to not win the "Dull Machete", he didn't win the "Golden Chainsaw" neither because his death was considered too mean-spirited and pointless,