Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor, writer and
folk musicFolk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer. As an actor, Ives's work included comedies, dramas, and voice work in theater, television, and motion pictures. Music critic
John RockwellJohn Rockwell is a music critic, editor, and dance critic. He studied at Phillips Academy, Harvard, the University of Munich, and the University of California, Berkeley, earning a Ph.D. in German culture....
said, "Ives's voice ... had the sheen and finesse of opera without its latter-day
PuccinianGiacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
vulgarities and without the pretensions of operatic ritual. It was genteel in expressive impact without being genteel in social conformity. And it moved people."
Early life
Ives was born in 1909 near
Hunt CityHunt City is an unincorporated town in Hunt City Township, Jasper County, Illinois, USA.-Geography:Hunt City is located at at an elevation of .-Famous residents:...
, an unincorporated town in
Jasper County, Illinois
, the son of Levi "Frank" Ives (1880–1947) and Cordelia "Dellie" White (1882–1954). He had six siblings: Audry, Artie, Clarence, Argola, Lillburn, and Norma. His father was at first a farmer and then a contractor for the county and others. One day Ives was singing in the garden with his mother, and his uncle overheard them. He invited his nephew to sing at the old soldiers' reunion in Hunt City. The boy performed a rendition of the folk ballad "Barbara Allen" and impressed both his uncle and the audience.
Ives had a long-standing relationship with the
Boy Scouts of AmericaThe Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
. He was a
Lone ScoutLone Scouts of America was a Scouting organization for American boys that operated from 1915 until it merged with the Boy Scouts of America in 1924. The LSA was founded by W. D. Boyce, a Chicago newspaper entrepreneur and one of the founders of the BSA...
before that group merged with the Boy Scouts of America in 1924. The collection of his papers at the New York Library for the Performing Arts includes a photograph of Ives being "inducted" into the Boy Scouts in 1966. Ives received the organization's
Silver Buffalo AwardThe Silver Buffalo Award is the national-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. It is presented for noteworthy and extraordinary service to youth on a national basis, either as part of, or independent of the Scouting program...
, its highest honor. The certificate for the award is hanging on the wall of the Scouting Museum in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Ives often performed at the quadrennial Boy Scouts of America jamboree, including the 1981 jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia, where he shared the stage with the Oak Ridge Boys. There is a 1977 sound recording of Ives being interviewed by Boy Scouts at the National Jamboree at Moraine State Park, Pennsylvania; on this tape he also sings and talks about
ScoutingScouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
, teaching, etc. Ives is also the narrator of a 28-minute film about the 1977 National Jamboree. In the film, which was produced by the Boy Scouts of America, Ives "shows the many ways in which Scouting provides opportunities for young people to develop character and expand their horizons."
From 1927-29, Ives attended Eastern Illinois State Teachers College (now
Eastern Illinois UniversityEastern Illinois University is a state university located in Charleston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a comprehensive university with a...
) in
Charleston, IllinoisCharleston is a city in and the county seat of Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 21,838 as of the 2010 census. The city is home to Eastern Illinois University and has close ties with its neighbor Mattoon, Illinois...
, where he played football. During his junior year, he was sitting in English class, listening to a lecture on
BeowulfBeowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
, when he suddenly realized he was wasting his time. As he walked out the door, the professor made a snide remark, and Ives slammed the door behind him. Sixty years later, the school named a building after its most famous dropout.
Ives was also involved in
FreemasonryFreemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
from 1927 onward.
On July 23, 1929 in
Richmond, IndianaRichmond is a city largely within Wayne Township, Wayne County, in east central Indiana, United States, which borders Ohio. The city also includes the Richmond Municipal Airport, which is in Boston Township and separated from the rest of the city...
, Ives did a trial recording of "Behind the Clouds" for the Starr Piano Company's Gennett label, but the recording was rejected and destroyed a few weeks later.
1930s–1940s
Ives traveled about the U.S. as an itinerant singer during the early 1930s, earning his way by doing odd jobs and playing his
banjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
. He was jailed in
Mona, UtahMona is a city in Juab County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 850 at the 2000 census. At the time this was sufficient under Utah state law for Mona to become a city, which it did at the end of 2000...
, for
vagrancyA vagrant is a person in poverty, who wanders from place to place without a home or regular employment or income.-Definition:A vagrant is "a person without a settled home or regular work who wanders from place to place and lives by begging;" vagrancy is the condition of such persons.-History:In...
and for singing “Foggy, Foggy Dew,” which the authorities decided was a bawdy song. Around 1931 he began performing on
WBOWWBOW is a radio station broadcasting a Sports radio format. Licensed to Terre Haute, Indiana, the station serves the Terre Haute area. It first began broadcasting in 1983 under the call sign WPFR...
radio in
Terre Haute, IndianaTerre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
. He also went back to school, attending classes at Indiana State Teachers College (now
Indiana State UniversityIndiana State University is a public university located in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States.The Princeton Review has named Indiana State as one of the "Best in the Midwest" seven years running, and the College of Education's Graduate Program was recently named as a 'Top 100' by U.S...
).
In 1940 Ives began his own
radioRadio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
show, titled The Wayfaring Stranger after one of his ballads. Over the next decade, he popularized several traditional folk songs, such as “Foggy, Foggy Dew” (an English/Irish folk song), “
Blue Tail Fly"Blue Tail Fly", "De Blue Tail Fly", or "Jimmy Crack Corn" is thought to be a blackface minstrel song, first performed in the United States in the 1840s that remains a popular children's song today....
” (an old
Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
tune), and “
Big Rock Candy MountainBig Rock Candy Mountain, first recorded by Harry McClintock in 1928, is a song about a hobo's idea of paradise, a modern version of the medieval concept of Cockaigne...
” (an old
hoboA hobo is a term which is often applied to a migratory worker or homeless vagabond, often penniless. The term originated in the Western—probably Northwestern—United States during the last decade of the 19th century. Unlike 'tramps', who work only when they are forced to, and 'bums', who do not...
ditty). He was also associated with the '
Almanac SingersThe Almanac Singers were a group of folk musicians who, as their name indicates, specialized in topical songs, especially songs connected with the labor movement...
' (Almanacs), a folk singing group which at different times included
Woody GuthrieWoodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
,
Will GeerWill Geer was an American actor and social activist. His original name was William Aughe Ghere. He is remembered for his portrayal of Grandpa Zebulon Tyler Walton in the 1970s TV series, The Waltons....
and
Pete SeegerPeter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
. The Almanacs were active in the
American Peace MobilizationThe American Peace Mobilization was a peace group, officially cited in 1947 by United States Attorney General Tom C. Clark on the Attorney General's List of Subversive Organizations for 1948, as directed by President Harry S...
(APC), an anti-war group opposed to American entry into
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and Franklin Roosevelt's pro-Allied policies. They recorded such songs as 'Get Out and Stay Out of War' and 'Franklin, Oh Franklin'.
In June 1941, the APC re-organized itself into the pro-war American People's Mobilization. Ives and the Almanacs re-recorded several of their songs to reflect the group's new stance in favor of US entry into the war. Among them were '
Dear Mr. President"Dear Mr. President" is a song by Pink featuring the Indigo Girls, and was recorded for Pink's fourth album, I'm Not Dead. Pink said that the song was an open letter to the President of the United States, George W. Bush, and that it was one of the most important songs she had written...
' and '
Reuben JamesReuben James was a Boatswain's Mate of the United States Navy, famous for his heroism in the Barbary Wars.-Career:...
'(name of a US destroyer sunk by the Germans before US entry into the war).
In early 1942, Ives was drafted into the U.S. Army. He spent time first at Camp Dix, then at
Camp UptonCamp Upton was an installation of the United States Army located in Yaphank on Long Island in Suffolk County, New York. It was located near Camp Mills.-History:...
, where he joined the cast of
Irving Berlin'sIrving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
This Is the ArmyThis Is the Army is a 1943 American wartime motion picture produced by Hal B. Wallis and Jack L. Warner, and directed by Michael Curtiz, and a wartime musical designed to boost morale in the U.S. during World War II, directed by Sgt. Ezra Stone...
. He attained the rank of corporal. When the show went to Hollywood, he was transferred to the Army Air Force. He was discharged honorably, apparently for medical reasons, in September 1943. Between September and December 1943, Ives lived in
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
with actor
Harry MorganHarry Morgan is an American actor. Morgan is well-known for his roles as Colonel Sherman T. Potter on M*A*S*H , Pete Porter on both Pete and Gladys and December Bride , Detective Bill Gannon on Dragnet , and Amos Coogan on Hec Ramsey...
(who would later go on to play Officer Bill Gannon in the 1960s version of
Jack WebbJohn Randolph "Jack" Webb , also known by the pseudonym John Randolph, was an American actor, television producer, director and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet...
's TV show
DragnetDragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
, and Colonel Sherman T. Potter on M*A*S*H). In December 1943, Ives went to New York City to work for CBS radio for $100 a week.
On December 6, 1945, Ives married 29-year-old script writer Helen Peck Ehrlich. Their son Alexander was born in 1949.
In 1945 Ives was cast as a singing cowboy in the film Smoky (1945).
His version of the 17th century English song "
Lavender Blue"Lavender Blue," also called "Lavender's Blue," is an English folk song and nursery rhyme dating to the seventeenth century, which has been recorded in various forms since the twentieth century. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 3483...
" became his first hit and was nominated for an
Academy Award for Best Original SongThe Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
for its use in the 1949 film,
So Dear to My HeartSo Dear to My Heart is a 1948 feature film produced by Walt Disney, released in Chicago on November 29, 1948 and nationwide on January 19, 1949 by RKO Radio Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution. Like 1946's Song of the South, the film combines animation and live action...
.
1950s: Communist blacklisting
Ives was identified in the 1950 pamphlet
Red ChannelsRed Channels: The Report of Communist Influence in Radio and Television is an anti-Communist tract published in the United States at the height of the Red Scare...
and
blacklistedThe Hollywood blacklist—as the broader entertainment industry blacklist is generally known—was the mid-twentieth-century list of screenwriters, actors, directors, musicians, and other U.S. entertainment professionals who were denied employment in the field because of their political beliefs or...
as an entertainer with supposed Communist ties. In 1952 he cooperated with the House Unamerican Activities Committee (HUAC) and agreed to testify. He stated that he was not a member of the
Communist PartyThe Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
but that he had attended various union meetings with fellow folk singer
Pete SeegerPeter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
simply to stay in touch with working folk. He stated: "You know who my friends are; you will have to ask them if they are
CommunistsCommunism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
."
Ives's statement to the HUAC ended his blacklisting, allowing him to continue acting in movies. But it also led to a bitter rift between Ives and many folk singers, including Seeger, who accused Ives of betraying them and the cause of cultural and political freedom in order to save his own career. Ives countered by saying he had simply stated what he had always believed. Forty-one years later, Ives reunited with Seeger during a benefit concert in New York City. They sang "Blue Tail Fly" together.
1950s–1960s
Ives expanded his appearances in films during this decade. His movie credits include East of Eden, "Big Daddy" in
Cat on a Hot Tin RoofCat on a Hot Tin Roof is a 1958 American drama film directed by Richard Brooks. It is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name by Tennessee Williams adapted by Richard Brooks and James Poe...
,
Desire Under the ElmsDesire Under the Elms is a 1958 American film version of the 1924 play Desire Under the Elms written by Eugene O'Neill. The film was directed by Delbert Mann from a screenplay by O'Neill and Irwin Shaw. The cast included Sophia Loren as Abbie , Anthony Perkins as Eben, Burl Ives as Ephraim, Frank...
,
Wind Across the EvergladesWind Across the Everglades is a 1958 film directed by Nicholas Ray. Ray was fired from the film before production was finished, and several scenes were completed by screenwriter Budd Schulberg, who also supervised the editing....
,
The Big CountryMeanwhile, Terrill insists on riding into the canyon. Initially, Leech refuses to accompany him, and the other men follow his lead. However, after Terrill rides out alone, Leech catches up with him. The remaining hands again align themselves with Leech by following. The group soon rides into a trap...
, for which he won an
Academy Award for Best Supporting ActorPerformance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
;
Ensign PulverEnsign Pulver is a 1964 American film and a sequel to the 1955 film Mister Roberts. The movie features Robert Walker Jr., Burl Ives, Walter Matthau, Tommy Sands, Millie Perkins, Kay Medford, Peter Marshall, Jack Nicholson, Richard Gautier, George Lindsey, James Farentino, and James Coco.- Synopsis...
, the sequel to Mister Roberts; and
Our Man in HavanaOur Man In Havana is a novel by British author Graham Greene, where he makes fun of intelligence services, especially the British MI6, and their willingness to believe reports from their local informants....
, based on the
Graham GreeneHenry Graham Greene, OM, CH was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world...
novel.
1960s–1990s
In the 1960s Ives began singing
country musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
with greater frequency. In 1962 he released three songs that were popular with both country music and popular music fans: "
A Little Bitty Tear"A Little Bitty Tear" is a song written by the American country music singer-songwriter Hank Cochran. It has been recorded by many musical acts, including Cochran himself and Burl Ives.-History:...
", "Call Me Mister In-Between", and "Funny Way of Laughing".
Ives had several film and television roles during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1962 he starred with
Rock HudsonRoy Harold Scherer, Jr., later Roy Harold Fitzgerald , known professionally as Rock Hudson, was an American film and television actor, recognized as a romantic leading man during the 1950s and 1960s, most notably in several romantic comedies with Doris Day.Hudson was voted "Star of the Year",...
in
The Spiral RoadThe Spiral Road is a 1962 American drama starring Rock Hudson, Gena Rowlands, Burl Ives, Reggie Nalder and Neva Patterson. It was directed by Robert Mulligan with a screenplay by John Lee Mahin and Neil Paterson adapted from the novel by Jan de Hartog. It also featured an early score by composer...
, which was based on a novel of the same name by
Jan de HartogJan de Hartog was a Dutch playwright, novelist and occasional social critic who moved to the United States in the early 1960s and became a Quaker.- Early years :...
. In 1964, he played the genie in the movie
The Brass BottleThe Brass Bottle is a 1964 American fantasy film about a modern man who accidentally acquires a djinn. Though the word is commonly translated into English as "genie", author F. Anstey made a distinction between the two in the novel of the same name which provides the basis of the film.The film...
with Tony Randall and Barbara Eden. Also in 1964, Ives played the narrator, Sam the Snowman, in the Rankin-Bass stop-motion animated
television specialA television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular...
,
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed ReindeerRudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a Christmas television special produced in stop motion animation by Rankin/Bass. It first aired Sunday, December 6, 1964, on the NBC television network in the USA, and was sponsored by General Electric under the umbrella title of The General Electric Fantasy Hour...
. The yearly rebroadcast of the popular seasonal television special has forever linked Ives to the Christmas season.
Ives performed in other television productions, including
PinocchioPinocchio is a 90-minute musical adaptation of Carlo Collodi's classic story. It aired on NBC on December 8, 1968 as part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame series....
and
RootsRoots is a 1977 American television miniseries based on Alex Haley's fictional novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Roots received 36 Emmy Award nominations, winning nine. It also won a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award. It received unprecedented Nielsen ratings with the finale still...
. He starred in two television series: O.K. Crackerby! (1965–66), which co-starred Hal Buckley, Joel Davison and Brooke Adams, and
The Bold Ones: The LawyersThe Bold Ones: The Lawyers is an American legal drama that aired for three season on NBC from December 1968 through February 1972.-Synopsis:...
(1969–72). O.K. Crackerby!, which was about the presumed richest man in the world, replaced
Walter BrennanWalter Brennan was an American actor. Brennan won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on three separate occasions, which is currently the record for most wins.-Early life:...
's somewhat similar
The TycoonThe Tycoon is a 32-episode American situation comedy television series broadcast by ABC. It starred Walter Brennan as the fictitious businessman Walter Andrews...
on the ABC schedule from the preceding year. Ives occasionally starred in macabre-themed productions. In 1970, for example, he played the title role in "The Man Who Wanted to Live Forever," in which his character attempts to harvest human organs from unwilling donors. In 1972, he appeared as old man Doubleday in the episode "The Other Way Out" of Rod Serling's
Night GalleryNight Gallery is an American anthology series that aired on NBC from 1970 to 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, The Twilight Zone, served both as the on-air host of Night Gallery and as a major contributor of scripts, although...
, in which his character seeks a gruesome revenge for the murder of his granddaughter.
Ives and Helen Peck Ehrlich were
divorceDivorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d in February 1971. Ives then married Dorothy Koster Paul in London two months later. In their later years, Ives and Dorothy lived in a waterfront home in
AnacortesAnacortes is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is a consolidation of the name Anna Curtis, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman. Anacortes' population was 15,778 at the time of the 2010 census...
, in the
Puget SoundPuget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
area, and in Golden, New Mexico, on the Turquoise Trail. In the 1960s, he had another home just south of
Hope TownHope Town features one of the last operational kerosene-fueled lighthouses in the world. This lighthouse was built in 1862 and became operational two years later, it is striped horizontally red and white. Its light can be seen from away....
on
Elbow CayElbow Cay is a six-mile long cay in the Abaco Islands of the Bahamas. Originally populated by British loyalists fleeing the newly independent United States of America in 1785, it has survived on fishing, boat building, and salvage...
, a barrier island of the
AbacoThe Abaco Islands lie in the northern Bahamas and comprise the main islands of Great Abaco and Little Abaco, together with the smaller Wood Cay, Elbow Cay, Lubbers Quarters Cay, Green Turtle Cay, Great Guana Cay, Castaway Cay, Man-o-War Cay, Stranger's Cay, Umbrella Cay, Walker's Cay, Little Grand...
s in the Bahamas.
In honor of Ives's influence on American vocal music, on October 25, 1975, he was awarded the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club Award of Merit. This award, initiated in 1964, was "established to bring a declaration of appreciation to an individual each year who has made a significant contribution to the world of music and helped to create a climate in which our talents may find valid expression."
Ives lent his name and image to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's "This Land Is Your Land — Keep It Clean" campaign in the 1970s. He was portrayed with the program's fictional spokesman,
Johnny HorizonJohnny Horizon was a mascot used by the Bureau of Land Management in the United States in the 1970s primarily for its anti-litter campaign.First used in 1968 , and resembling a cigaretteless Marlboro Man, reached his greatest usage in the years leading up to the United States Bicentennial...
.
Ives' "A Holly Jolly Christmas" and "
Silver and GoldThe term Silver and Gold may refer to:*Silver and Gold , an album by ASAP*Silver & Gold , an album by Vanessa L. Williams*Silver & Gold, an album by Neil Young*Silver and Gold, a song by U2...
" are now considered Christmas standards some 45 years after they were first featured in the 1964 CBS-TV presentation of the Rankin & Bass stop-motion animated family special
Rudolph the Red-Nosed ReindeerRudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a Christmas television special produced in stop motion animation by Rankin/Bass. It first aired Sunday, December 6, 1964, on the NBC television network in the USA, and was sponsored by General Electric under the umbrella title of The General Electric Fantasy Hour...
. Johnny Marks had composed the title song (originally an enormous hit for singing cowboy
Gene AutryOrvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
) in 1949, and producers Rankin & Bass retained him to compose the TV special's soundtrack. Ives voiced Sam the Snowman, the banjo-playing "host" and narrator of the story, explaining how Rudolph used his "nonconformity," as Sam refers to it, to save Christmas from being cancelled due to an impassable blizzard. The following year, Ives re-recorded all three of these Johnny Marks hits, which Ives had sung in the TV special, but with a more "pop" feel than in the TV special. He released them all as singles for the 1965 holiday season, capitalizing on their previous successes.
Burl Ives was seen regularly in television commercials for
LuzianneLuzianne is the brand name for a line of Southern beverages and packaged goods, most famously Luzianne coffee and iced tea. Though most Luzianne products are available throughout the country, the popularity of the brand rests mainly in the Southern United States...
tea for several years during the 1970s and 1980s when he was the company's commercial spokesman.
Death
Ives was a renowned pipe smoker; the cover of his first album depicted a pipe and a fishing hat with the words "Burl Ives" in between. He also smoked cigars. In the summer of 1994 he was diagnosed with
oral cancerOral cancer is a subtype of head and neck cancer, is any cancerous tissue growth located in the oral cavity. It may arise as a primary lesion originating in any of the oral tissues, by metastasis from a distant site of origin, or by extension from a neighboring anatomic structure, such as the...
after being hospitalized for back surgery. After several operations he decided against having further surgery. In April 1995 he fell into a
comaIn medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
. Ives died of complications of
mouth cancerOral cancer is a subtype of head and neck cancer, is any cancerous tissue growth located in the oral cavity. It may arise as a primary lesion originating in any of the oral tissues, by metastasis from a distant site of origin, or by extension from a neighboring anatomic structure, such as the...
on April 14, 1995 at his home in
Anacortes, WashingtonAnacortes is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is a consolidation of the name Anna Curtis, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman. Anacortes' population was 15,778 at the time of the 2010 census...
; he is interred in Mound Cemetery in
Hunt City Township, Jasper County, IllinoisHunt City Township is one of eleven townships in Jasper County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 294.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, Hunt City Township covers an area of .-Unincorporated towns:...
.
Broadway roles
Ives's
BroadwayBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
career included appearances in
The Boys From SyracuseThe Boys from Syracuse is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart, based on William Shakespeare's play, The Comedy of Errors, as adapted by librettist George Abbott. The score includes swing and other contemporary rhythms of the 1930s. The show was the first musical...
(1938–39), Heavenly Express (1940),
This Is the ArmyThis Is the Army is a 1943 American wartime motion picture produced by Hal B. Wallis and Jack L. Warner, and directed by Michael Curtiz, and a wartime musical designed to boost morale in the U.S. during World War II, directed by Sgt. Ezra Stone...
(1942), Sing Out, Sweet Land (1944), Paint Your Wagon (1951–52), and Dr. Cook's Garden (1967). His most notable Broadway performance (later reprised in a 1958 movie) was as "Big Daddy" Pollitt in
Cat on a Hot Tin RoofCat on a Hot Tin Roof is a play by Tennessee Williams. One of Williams's best-known works and his personal favorite, the play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955...
(1955–56), written specifically for Ives by
Tennessee WilliamsThomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
.
Author
Ives's autobiography, The Wayfaring Stranger, was published in 1948. He also wrote or compiled several other books, including Burl Ives' Songbook (1953), Tales of America (1954), Sea Songs of Sailing, Whaling, and Fishing (1956), and The Wayfaring Stranger's Notebook (1962).
Popular culture references
The Ren & Stimpy Shows first season episode "Stimpy's Invention" featured a record, "Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy", which parodied Ives' singing style and re-created some of his crusty dialogue from
The Big CountryMeanwhile, Terrill insists on riding into the canyon. Initially, Leech refuses to accompany him, and the other men follow his lead. However, after Terrill rides out alone, Leech catches up with him. The remaining hands again align themselves with Leech by following. The group soon rides into a trap...
and
Summer MagicSummer Magic is a 1963 Walt Disney Productions feature film starring Hayley Mills, Burl Ives, and Dorothy McGuire in a story about a Boston widow and her children taking up residence in a small town in Maine. The film was based on the book "Mother Carey's Chickens" by Kate Douglas Wiggin and was...
. Ives is known to
Star WarsStar Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
fans for his role as the narrator in the
1984-Events:* The Walt Disney Company founds Touchstone Pictures to release movies with subject matter deemed inappropriate for the Disney name.* Tri-Star Pictures, a joint venture of Columbia Pictures, HBO, and CBS, releases its first film....
made-for-TV film
Caravan of Courage: An Ewok AdventureFor the series of road trips travelled by Hamish and Andy see:Caravan Of Courage The Ewok Adventure is a 1984 American made-for-TV film based in the Star Wars setting. It was released theatrically in Europe as Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure, and is known by that title today...
.
The Christmas film
ElfElf is a 2003 comedy film directed by Jon Favreau, written by David Berenbaum and starring Will Ferrell, James Caan, and Zooey Deschanel. It was released in the United States on November 7, 2003 and grossed over $220,400,000 worldwide.-Plot:A baby crawls into Santa Claus' sack while he is...
, starring
Will FerrellJohn William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
, features a snowman resembling the character Ives voiced in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, voiced by
Leon RedboneLeon Redbone is a singer and guitarist specializing in interpretations of early 20th-century music, including jazz and blues standards and Tin Pan Alley classics....
.
In
The King of QueensThe King of Queens is an American sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007.This show was produced by Hanley Productions and CBS Productions , CBS Paramount Television ,and CBS Television Studios in association with Columbia TriStar Television , and Sony Pictures...
episode "Baker's Doesn't", Arthur (
Jerry StillerGerald Isaac "Jerry" Stiller is an American comedian and actor.He spent many years in the comedy team Stiller and Meara with his wife Anne Meara...
) is talking to Spence (
Patton OswaltPatton Oswalt is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor and voice actor. He is best known for portraying Spencer Olchin in the popular sitcom The King of Queens, voicing Remy from the film Ratatouille and Thrasher from the Cartoon Network original series Robotomy.-Early life:Oswalt was born...
) and decides not to write a new
ChristmasChristmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
song, but a new
HanukkahHanukkah , also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE...
song instead because "all they have is '
Dreidel, Dreidel"I Have a Little Dreidel" is a Chanukah song in the English speaking world, and also has an Yiddish version. This children's tune is about making a dreidel and playing with it...
' and
that Adam Sandler song"The Chanukah Song" is a humorous song written by comedian Adam Sandler with Saturday Night Live writers Lewis Morton and Ian Maxtone-Graham and originally performed by Sandler on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update on December 3, 1994. Sandler subsequently performed the song as part of his...
". He says that their song has nothing new to say that hasn't been said a thousand times by Burl Ives, God rest his soul. Plus I have no idea if he's dead or alive."
Director
Wes AndersonWesley Wales Anderson is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer of features, short films and commercials....
included a number of songs (among them "Buckeye Jim") by Ives on the soundtrack for his 2009 film
Fantastic Mr. FoxFantastic Mr Fox is a children's novel written by British author Roald Dahl. It was published in 1970 by George Allen & Unwin in the UK and Alfred A. Knopf in the U.S., with illustrations by Donald Chaffin. The book was later published with new illustrations by Jill Bennett, Tony Ross and Quentin...
.
Albums
- Okeh Presents the Wayfaring Stranger
Released in August 1941, Okeh Presents the Wayfaring Stranger is an album consisting of four 10-inch records by Burl Ives. This record set marked Ives's debut as a recording artist...
(1941, Okeh K-3, 4 records, 10 inch, 78 rpm)
- The Wayfaring Stranger
The Wayfaring Stranger is an album consisting of three 10-inch records by Burl Ives. It was released in 1944, but it should not be confused with Ives' The Wayfaring Stranger , which was also released in 1944 but contains different songs...
(1944, Asch 345, 3 records, 10 inch, 78 rpm, reissued in 1947 as Stinson 345 [same catalog number], 10 inch, 78 rpm)
- The Wayfaring Stranger
Released in August 1941, Okeh Presents the Wayfaring Stranger is an album consisting of four 10-inch records by Burl Ives. This record set marked Ives's debut as a recording artist...
(1944, Columbia C-103, 4 records, 10 inch, 78 rpm)
- BBC Presents The Martins and the Coys (1944, BBC World, 6 records, 12 inch, 78 rpm)
- Lonesome Train: A Musical Legend (1944, Decca A-375, 3 records, 12 inch, 78 rpm, reissued in 1950 as Decca DL 5054, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
- Sing Out, Sweet Land! (1945, Decca A-404, 6 records, 10 inch, 78 rpm)
- A Collection of Ballads and Folk Songs (1945, Decca A-407, 4 records, 10 inch, 78 rpm, reissued in 1950 as A Collection of Ballads and Folk Songs, Volume 1, Decca DL 5080, 10 inch 33 1/3 rpm)
- Ballads and Folk Songs, Volume 2 (1946, Decca A-431, 4 records, 10 inch, 78 rpm, reissued in 1949 as Decca DL 5013, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
- A Collection of Ballads, Folk and Country Songs, Volume 3 (1949, Decca A-711, 3 records, 10 inch, 78 rpm, reissued in 1950 as Decca DL 5093, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
- The Wayfaring Stranger (1949, Stinson SLP 1, 10 inch, 78 rpm, reissued circa 1954 as Blue Tail Fly and Other Favorites, Stinson SL 1 [same catalog number], 12 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
- Animal Fair: Songs for Children (1949, Columbia MJV 59, 2 records, 10 inch, 78 rpm)
- Mother Goose Songs (1949, Columbia MJV 61, 10 inch, 78 rpm)
- The Return of the Wayfaring Stranger
A classic folk album by Burl Ives , The Return of the Wayfaring Stranger is an 78-rpm set consisting of four 10-inch discs. Released in 1949, the album was concurrently presented as a 10-inch LP, assigned the catalog number CL-6058...
(1949, C-186, 4 records, 10 inch, 78 rpm, also released as Columbia CL 6058, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
- The Wayfaring Stranger (1950, Columbia CL 6109, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
- Hymns Sung by Burl Ives (1950, Columbia C-203, 4 records, 10 inch, 78 rpm; Columbia CL 6115, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
- More Folksongs (1950, Columbia C-213, 4 records, 10 inch, 78 rpm; Columbia CL 6144, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
- Burl Ives Sings the Lollipop Tree, The Little Turtle, and The Moon Is the North Wind's Cookie (1950, Columbia MJV 110, 10 inch, 78 rpm)
- Tubby the Tuba (Victor Jory)/Animal Fair: Songs for Children (1950, Columbia JL 8013, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
- Sing Out, Sweet Land! (1950, Decca DL 8023, 12 inch, 33 1/3 rpm, reissued in 1962 as Decca DL 4304/74304 [simulated stereo])
- Historical America in Song
Historical America in Song, released in 1950 by Encyclopædia Britannica Films, is an album set by folk singer Burl Ives. Each of the six albums consists of five 12-inch vinylite records, for a total of thirty 78 rpm records...
(1950, Encyclopædia Britannica Films, 6 albums in 30 records, 12 inch, 78 rpm)
- Christmas Day in the Morning (1952, Decca DL 5428, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
- Folk Songs Dramatic and Humorous (1953, Decca DL 5467, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
- Women: Songs About the Fair Sex (1953, Decca DL 5490, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
- Coronation Concert (1954, Decca DL 8080, 12 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
- The Wayfaring Stranger (1955, Columbia CL 628, 12 inch, 33 1/3 rpm, reissued in 1964 as Columbia CS 9041 [simulated stereo])
- The Wild Side of Life (album) (1955, Decca DL 8107, 12 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
- Men: Songs for and About Men (1955, Decca DL 8125, 12 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
- Down to the Sea in Ships (1956, Decca DL 8245, 12 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
- Women: Folk Songs About the Fair Sex (1956, Decca DL 8245, 12 inch, 33 1/3 rpm, with 4 additional songs)
- Burl Ives Sings In the Quiet of the Night (1956, Decca DL 8247)
- Burl Ives Sings... For Fun
Burl Ives Sings... For Fun is a 1956 album by American folk singer Burl Ives.-Reception:In his Allmusic review, critic Bruce Eder wrote of the album "The mood is lighthearted, but it's not all wafting innocuous melodies, as "Goober Peas" calls up some serious echoes."-Track listing:...
(1956, Decca DL 8248)
- Children's Favorites (1956, Columbia CL 2570, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
- Burl Ives Sings Songs for All Ages (1957, Columbia CL 980)
- Christmas Eve with Burl Ives (1957, Decca DL 8391)
- Songs of Ireland
Songs of Ireland is an album by the Brobdingnagian Bards released on Saint Patrick's Day in 2002. Unlike the band's previous albums which featured songs of various Celtic origins, this album is a compilation of almost entirely Irish songs....
(1958, Decca DL 8444)
- Captain Burl Ives' Ark (1958, Decca DL 8587)
- Old Time Varieties (1958, Decca DL 8637)
- Australian Folk Songs
__notoc__Australian Folk Songs is an album by Burl Ives, one of the byproducts of his visit to Australia in 1952. Invited there by the Australia Broadcasting Commission, Ives met Reverend Dr. Percy Jones, a professor of music from Geelong...
(1958, Decca DL 8749)
- A Lincoln Treasury (contains Lonesome Train: A Musical Legend) (1959, Decca DL 9065)
- Cheers (1959, Decca DL 8886/78886)
- Burl Ives Sings Little White Duck and Other Children's Favorites
A staple of childhood for more than 50 years, Burl Ives Sings Little White Duck and Other Children’s Favorites is a 12-inch LP album of folk songs for children recorded by Burl Ives for Columbia Records between 1949 and 1951. The label, in 1950, crafted a "shared" 10-inch children's LP...
(1959, Harmony HL 9507, reissued circa 1963 as Harmony HS 14507 [simulated stereo], reissued again in 1974 as Columbia C 33183 [simulated stereo])
- Ballads (1959, United Artists UAL 3030/UAS 6030)
- Return of the Wayfaring Stranger (1960, Columbia CL 1459, 12 inch, 33/13 rpm)
- Burl Ives Sings Irving Berlin (1960, United Artists UAL 3117/UAS 6117)
- Manhattan Troubadour (1961, United Artists Records UAL 3145/UAS 6145, reissued with two fewer songs as Burl Ives Favorites, 1970, Sunset SUS 5280)
- The Best of Burl Ives (1961, Decca DX 167/DXS 7167 [simulated stereo], 2 records, reissued in 1973 as MCA 4034 [simulated stereo], 2 records)
- The Versatile Burl Ives! (1961, Decca DL 4152/74152)
- Songs of the West
Songs of the West is one of several albums from the early 1960s that signalled Burl Ives's move away from folk music into country western and pop. In Ives's discography this album is immediately preceded by The Versatile Burl Ives! and followed by It's Just My Funny Way of Laughin, two Decca...
(1961, Decca DL 4179/74179, reissued as MCA 196)
- It's Just My Funny Way of Laughin'
It's Just My Funny Way of Laughin' is a 1962 album by Burl Ives, recorded in Nashville, Tennessee. It scored No. 24 on Billboard s 1962 Pop Albums Chart. During the same year, the title song, composed by Hank Cochran, scored No. 3 on Billboard's Contemporary Adult Singles Chart, No. 9 on the...
(1962, Decca DL 4279/74279)
- Burl Country Style (1962, Decca DL 4361/74361)
- Spotlight on Burl Ives and the Folk Singers Three (1962, Design DLP/SDLP 156)
- Sunshine in My Soul (1962, Decca DL 4329/74329)
- Songs I Sang in Sunday School (1963, Word W-3229-LP/ WST-8130-LP)
- Burl Ives and the Korean Orphan Choir Sing of Faith and Joy
Burl Ives and the Korean Orphan Choir Sing of Faith and Joy is an album by the American folk singer, Burl Ives. Released on the Herald label in 1963, this is a collection of gospel hymns, most having verses and a chorus...
(1963, Word W-3259-LP/WST-8140-LP)
- Singin' Easy (1963, Decca DL 4433/74433)
- The Best of Burl's for Boys and Girls (1963, Decca DL 4390/74390 [simulated stereo], reissued in 1980 as MCA 98 [simulated stereo])
- Walt Disney Presents Summer Magic (1963, Buena Vista BV 3309/STER 4025)
- Burl Ives Presents America's Musical Heritage
Burl Ives Presents America's Musical Heritage, released in 1963 by the Longines Symphonette Recording Society, is a six-album box set by folk singer Burl Ives...
(1963, Longines Symphonette Society LW 194-LW 199, 6 records)
- Walt Disney Presents Burl Ives' Animal Folk
Walt Disney Presents Burl Ives' Animal Folk is one of several albums for children by the folk singer Burl Ives....
(1963, Disneyland ST 3920)
- Walt Disney Presents Burl Ives' Folk Lullabies (1964, Disneyland ST 3924)
- Scouting Along with Burl Ives
Scouting Along with Burl Ives is a 1964 album, subtitled The Official Boy Scout Album. Ives was commissioned by the Boy Scouts of America to make this album, which is now available on CD at ScoutStuff.org. Ives is accompanied by a choir of boys and an orchestra directed by Sid Bass...
(1964, Columbia CSP 347)
- True Love (1964, Decca DL 4533/74533)
- Burl Ives Sings Pearly Shells and Other Favorites
Pearly Shells and Other Favorites is a 1964 album by Burl Ives, produced by Milt Gabler and directed by Owen Bradley. Featuring songs composed by Harlan Howard, Merle Kilgore, Tillman Franks, Mel Tillis, and Freddie Hart, among others, the album reached No. 65 on Billboard's 1965 Pop Album Chart....
(1964, Decca DL 4578/74578, reissued as MCA 102)
- Chim Chim Cheree and Other Children's Choices (1964, Disneyland ST 3927)
- My Gal Sal and Other Favorites (1965, Decca DL 4606/74606)
- On the Beach at Waikiki (1965, Decca DL 4668/74668)
- Have a Holly Jolly Christmas
Have a Holly Jolly Christmas is a Christmas album by Burl Ives released in 1965.-Track listing:#"A Holly Jolly Christmas" – 2:15#"Christmas is a Birthday" – 2:42#"Santa Claus is Coming to Town" – 2:09#"Christmas Child" – 2:50...
(1965, Decca DL 4689/74689, reissued as MCA 237)
- Shall We Gather at the River? (1965, Word W-3339-LP/WST-8339-LP)
- The Lollipop Tree (1965, Harmony HL 9551/HS 14551)
- The Daydreamer (1966, Columbia OL 6540/OS 2940)
- Burl's Choice (1966, Decca DL 4734/74734)
- Something Special (1966, Decca DL 4789/74789)
- I Do Believe (1967, Word W-3391-LP/WST-8391-LP)
- Burl Ives Sings (1967, Coronet CXS 271)
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (album) (1967, Decca DL 4815/74815)
- Greatest Hits (1967, Decca DL 4850/74850)
- Burl's Broadway (1967, Decca DL 4876/74876)
- The Big Country Hits (1968, Decca DL 4972/74972)
- Sweet, Sad and Salty (1968, Decca DL 5028/75028)
- The Times They Are A-Changin'
The Times They Are A-Changin' is a 1968 album by Burl Ives, produced by Bob Johnston. It was probably recorded at Columbia Studios in Nashville, with local session musicians...
(1968, Columbia CS 9675)
- Christmas Album (1968, Columbia CS 9728)
- Got the World by the Tail (1969, Harmony HS 11275)
- Time (1970, Bell 6055, reissued as The Talented Man, 1978, Bulldog 1027)
- How Great Thou Art (1971, Word WST-8537-LP)
- Christmas at the White House
Christmas at the White House is a 1972 album with a lengthy subtitle: Burl Ives Sings the Favorite Carols and Hymns of America's Presidents. It purports to be a collection of thirteen presidents' favorite Christmas songs. It has not yet been released on CD.Some of the selections were apparently...
(1972, Caedmon TC 1415)
- Payin' My Dues Again (1973, MCA 318)
- Song Book (1973, MCA Coral CB 20029)
- Little Red Caboose and Other Children's Hits (1974, Disneyland 1359)
- The Best of Burl Ives, Vol. 2 (1975, MCA 4089, 2 records)
- Hugo the Hippo (1976, United Artists LA-637-G)
- Christmas by the Bay
Christmas by the Bay, recorded at the Sail Loft in the Washington Navy Yard, is Burl Ives's last original Christmas album. It includes only one new Christmas song by Ives: "The Sense of Christmas." The other songs are new performances of previously recorded songs: "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer";...
(1977, United States Navy Band)
- We Americans: A Musical Journey With Burl Ives (1978, National Geographic Society NGS 07806)
- Live in Europe (1979, Polydor 2382094)
Hit Singles
| Year |
Single |
Chart positions |
| US The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
|
US
ACThe Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
|
US Country |
UK The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
|
| 1948 |
"Blue Tail Fly "Blue Tail Fly", "De Blue Tail Fly", or "Jimmy Crack Corn" is thought to be a blackface minstrel song, first performed in the United States in the 1840s that remains a popular children's song today....
" (with The Andrews Sisters and Vic Schoen's Orchestra) |
24 |
- |
- |
- |
| 1949 |
"Lavender Blue "Lavender Blue," also called "Lavender's Blue," is an English folk song and nursery rhyme dating to the seventeenth century, which has been recorded in various forms since the twentieth century. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 3483...
(Dilly Dilly)" (with Captain Stubby and The Buccaneers) |
16 |
- |
13 |
- |
| "Riders In the Sky (A Cowboy Legend)" |
21 |
- |
- |
- |
| 1951 |
"On Top of Old Smoky "On Top of Old Smoky" is a traditional folk song and a well-known ballad of the United States which, as recorded by The Weavers, reached the pop music charts in 1951....
" (with Percy Faith and His Orchestra) |
10 |
- |
- |
- |
| 1952 |
"The Wild Side of Life "The Wild Side of Life" is a song made famous by country music singer Hank Thompson. Originally released in 1952, the song became one of the most popular recordings in the genre's history, spending 15 weeks at No...
" (with Grady Martin and The Slewfoot Five) |
30 |
- |
6 |
- |
| 1954 |
"True Love Goes On and On" (with Gordon Jenkins and His Orchestra and Chorus) |
23 |
- |
- |
- |
| 1957 |
"Marianne" (with The Trinidaddies) |
84 |
- |
- |
- |
| 1961 |
"A Little Bitty Tear "A Little Bitty Tear" is a song written by the American country music singer-songwriter Hank Cochran. It has been recorded by many musical acts, including Cochran himself and Burl Ives.-History:...
" (with The Anita Kerr Singers and Owen Bradley's Orchestra) |
9 |
1 |
2 |
9 |
| 1962 |
"Funny Way of Laughin'" (with Owen Bradley's Orchestra) |
10 |
3 |
9 |
29 |
| "Call Me Mr. In-Between" (with Owen Bradley's Orchestra) |
19 |
6 |
3 |
- |
| "Mary Ann Regrets" (with Owen Bradley's Orchestra and Chorus) |
39 |
13 |
12 |
- |
| 1963 |
"The Same Old Hurt" (with Owen Bradley's Orchestra and Chorus) |
91 |
- |
- |
- |
| "Baby Come Home To Me" |
131 |
- |
- |
- |
| "I'm the Boss" (with Owen Bradley's Orchestra and Chorus) |
111 |
- |
- |
- |
| "This Is All I Ask" |
67 |
- |
- |
- |
| "It Comes and Goes" |
124 |
- |
- |
- |
| "True Love Goes On and On" (second entry) |
66 |
- |
- |
- |
| 1964 |
"Pearly Shells (Popo O Ewa)" (with Owen Bradley's Orchestra) |
60 |
12 |
- |
- |
| 1965 |
"My Gal Sal My Gal Sal is a 20th Century Fox musical starring Rita Hayworth and Victor Mature. The film is a biopic of 1890s composer and songwriter Paul Dresser and singer, Sally Elliot. The story it was based on was written by Paul Dresser's brother, novelist Theodore Dreiser...
" (with Owen Bradley's Orchestra) |
122 |
- |
- |
- |
| "Chim Chim Cher-ee "Chim Chim Cher-ee" is a song from Mary Poppins, the 1964 musical motion picture. It was originally sung by Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews. "Chim Chim Cher-ee" is also featured prominently in the award winning Cameron Mackintosh/Disney stage musical of the same name which premiered in London at...
" |
120 |
- |
- |
- |
| 1966 |
"Evil Off My Mind "Evil on Your Mind" is the name of a popular Country music song, originally made famous by Grand Ole Opry star, Jan Howard in 1966.In the mid-60s, Jan Howard was not acquiring any significant hits. Only one of her songs hit the Top 20, which was in 1960 with, "The One You Slip Around With", which...
" |
- |
- |
47 |
- |
| 1967 |
"Lonesome 7-7203 "Lonesome 7-7203" is a 1963 single by Hawkshaw Hawkins, written by Justin Tubb. It was the final single release of his career, released in 1963 on the King label.-History:...
" |
- |
- |
72 |
- |
| 1968 |
"I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" (with Robert Mersey's Orchestra) |
133 |
35 |
- |
- |
| 1965 |
"Have a Holly Jolly Christmas Have a Holly Jolly Christmas is a Christmas album by Burl Ives released in 1965.-Track listing:#"A Holly Jolly Christmas" – 2:15#"Christmas is a Birthday" – 2:42#"Santa Claus is Coming to Town" – 2:09#"Christmas Child" – 2:50...
" |
- |
30 |
- |
- |
Singles (selected)
- Foggy, Foggy Dew / Rodger Young
The Ballad of Rodger Young is an American war song by Frank Loesser, written and first performed during World War II in March 1945. The ballad is an elegy for Army Private Rodger Wilton Young, who died after rushing a Japanese machine-gun nest on 31 July 1943, and is largely based on the citation...
(1945, 10 in., 78 rpm, Decca 23405)
- Grandfather Kringle / The Twelve Days of Christmas
"The Twelve Days of Christmas" is an English Christmas carol that enumerates a series of increasingly grand gifts given on each of the twelve days of Christmas. Although first published in England in 1780, textual evidence may indicate the song is French in origin...
(1951, 10 in., 78 rpm, Columbia MJV-124)
- Great White Bird / Brighten The Corner Where You Are (1953, 7 in., 45 rpm, Decca 28849)
- That's My Heart Strings / The Bus Stop Song
"The Bus Stop Song" is a popular song. The title references the movie, Bus Stop, in which it was introduced....
(1956, 7 in., 45 rpm, Decca 30046)
- We Loves Ye Jimmy / I Never See Maggie Alone (1959, 7 in., 45 rpm, Decca 30855)
- A Little Bitty Tear
"A Little Bitty Tear" is a song written by the American country music singer-songwriter Hank Cochran. It has been recorded by many musical acts, including Cochran himself and Burl Ives.-History:...
/ Shanghied (1961, 7 in., 45 rpm, Decca 31330)
- Funny Way of Laughing / Mother Wouldn't Do That (1962, 7 in., 45 rpm, Decca 31371)
- Call Me Mr. In-Between / What You Gonna Do, Leroy? (1962, 7 in., 45 rpm, Decca 31405)
- Mary Ann Regrets / How Do You Fall Out of Love? (1962, 7 in., 45 rpm, Decca 31433)
- The Twelve Days of Christmas
"The Twelve Days of Christmas" is an English Christmas carol that enumerates a series of increasingly grand gifts given on each of the twelve days of Christmas. Although first published in England in 1780, textual evidence may indicate the song is French in origin...
/ Indian Christmas Carol (1962, 7 in., 45 rpm, Decca 25585)
- I'm the Boss / The Moon Is High (1963, 7 in., 45 rpm, Decca 31504)
- True Love Goes On and On / I Wonder What's Become of Sally (1963, 7 in., 45 rpm, Decca 31571)
- On The Front Porch / Ugly Bug Ball (1963, 7 in., 45 rpm, Buena Vista 419)
- Four Initials on a Tree /This Is Your Day (1964, 7 in., 45 rpm, Decca 31610)
- Pearly Shells / What Little Tears Are Made Of (1964, 7 in., 45 rpm, Decca 31659)
- Salt Water Guitar / The Story of Bobby Lee Trent (1964, 7 in., 45 rpm, Decca 31811)
- A Holly Jolly Christmas / Snow for Johnny (1965, 7 in., 45 rpm, Decca 31695)
- Evil Off My Mind / Taste of Heaven (c. 1967, 7 in., 45 rpm, Decca 31997)
- Lonesome 7-7203 / Hollow Words (1967, 7 in., 45 rpm, Decca 32078)
- That's Where My Baby Used to Be / Bury the Bottle With Me (1968, 7 in., 45 rpm, Decca 32282)
- I'll Be Your Baby Tonight / Maria, If I Could (1968, 7 in., 45 rpm, Columbia 4-44508)
- Santa Mouse / Oh, What a Lucky Boy I Am (1968, 7 in., 45 rpm, Columbia 4-44711)
- Gingerbread House / Tumbleweed Snowman (c. 1970, 7 in. 45 rpm, Big Tree BT-130)
- The Best Is Yet to Come & Stayin' Song / Blue Tail Fly (1972, 7 in., 45 rpm, MCA 1921)
- Mrs. Johnson's Happiness Emporium / Anytime You Say (1973, 7 in., 45 rpm, Decca 33049)
- The Tail of the Comet Kohoutek / A Very Fine Lady (1974, 7 in., 45 rpm, MCA 40175)
- It's Gonna Be a Mixed Up Xmas / The Christmas Legend of Monkey Joe (1978, 7 in., 45 & 33 1/3 rpm, Monkey Joe MJ1)
- The Night Before Christmas
"A Visit from St. Nicholas", also known as "The Night Before Christmas" and "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" from its first line, is a poem first published anonymously in 1823 and generally attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, although the claim has also been made that it was written by Henry...
/ Instrumental (1986, 7 in., 45 rpm, Stillman/Teague STP-1013)
Radio work (selected)
- Back Where I Came From, CBS (30 September 1940 – February 28, 1941)
- The Wayfarin' Stranger, CBS & WOR (1941–1942, 1946–1948)
- Burl Ives Coffee Club, CBS (5 July 1941 – January 24, 1942)
- The Columbia Workshop, CBS
- "Roadside" (March 2, 1941)
- "The Log of the R-77," second installment of Twenty-Six by Corwin (May 11, 1941)
- "The People, Yes," third installment of Twenty-Six by Corwin (May 18, 1941)
- "A Child's History of Hot Music" (March 15, 1942)
- G. I. Jive, military radio (c. 1943)
- Columbia Presents Corwin, CBS
- "The Lonesome Train" (March 21, 1944)
- "El Capitan and the Corporal" (July 25, 1944)
- The Theatre Guild on the Air, ABC
- "Sing Out, Sweet Land" (October 21, 1945)
- Hollywood Star Time, CBS
- "The Return of Frank James" (March 10, 1946)
- The Burl Ives Show, Syndication (1946–1948)
- Hollywood Fights Back, ABC (November 2, 1947)
- The Kaiser Traveler, ABC (24 July – September 4, 1949)
- Burl Ives Sings, Syndication (1950s)
Theater appearances (selected)
- Pocahontas Preferred (1935–1936)
- I Married an Angel (1938)
- The Boys from Syracuse
The Boys from Syracuse is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart, based on William Shakespeare's play, The Comedy of Errors, as adapted by librettist George Abbott. The score includes swing and other contemporary rhythms of the 1930s. The show was the first musical...
(23 November 1938 – June 10, 1939)
- Heavenly Express (18 April – May 4, 1940)
- This Is the Army (4 July – September 26, 1942)
- Sing Out Sweet Land (December 27, 1944 – March 24, 1945)
- She Stoops to Conquer (1950)
- Knickerbocker Holiday
Knickerbocker Holiday is a musical written by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson ; it was directed by Joshua Logan. Among the songs introduced was the "September Song", now considered a pop standard.- History :...
(1950)
- The Man Who Came to Dinner (1951)
- Paint Your Wagon (12 November 1951 – July 19, 1952)
- Show Boat (1954)
- Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a play by Tennessee Williams. One of Williams's best-known works and his personal favorite, the play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955...
(March 24, 1955 – November 17, 1956)
- Dr. Cook's Garden (September 25–30, 1967)
Television
- Playhouse 90
Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California...
: The Miracle Worker (1957)
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
- O.K. Crackerby! (1965–1966)
- Pinocchio
Pinocchio is a 90-minute musical adaptation of Carlo Collodi's classic story. It aired on NBC on December 8, 1968 as part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame series....
(1968)
- Alias Smith and Jones “The McCreedy Bust” (1971)
- The Bold Ones: The Lawyers
The Bold Ones: The Lawyers is an American legal drama that aired for three season on NBC from December 1968 through February 1972.-Synopsis:...
(1969–1972)
- Roots
Roots is a 1977 American television miniseries based on Alex Haley's fictional novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Roots received 36 Emmy Award nominations, winning nine. It also won a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award. It received unprecedented Nielsen ratings with the finale still...
(1977)
- Little House on the Prairie: The Hunters (1977)
- The New Adventures of Heidi (1978)
- The Bermuda Depths
The Bermuda Depths is a Japanese / American co-production 1978 fantasy film originally broadcast as a made-for-TV movie written by Arthur Rankin Jr. of Rankin/Bass fame. Special effects and creature elements were handled by Tsuburaya Productions, most famous for the Ultraman franchise.It is...
(1978)
- Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure
For the series of road trips travelled by Hamish and Andy see:Caravan Of Courage The Ewok Adventure is a 1984 American made-for-TV film based in the Star Wars setting. It was released theatrically in Europe as Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure, and is known by that title today...
(1984)
Films
- Smoky (1946)
- Estação West (1948)
- So Dear to My Heart
So Dear to My Heart is a 1948 feature film produced by Walt Disney, released in Chicago on November 29, 1948 and nationwide on January 19, 1949 by RKO Radio Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution. Like 1946's Song of the South, the film combines animation and live action...
(1948)
- Sierra (1950)
- East of Eden (1955)
- The Power and the Prize
The Power and the Prize is a 1956 drama film directed by Henry Koster. It was nominated for an Academy Award in 1957....
(1956)
- Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a play by Tennessee Williams. One of Williams's best-known works and his personal favorite, the play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955...
(1958)
- Desire Under the Elms
Desire Under the Elms is a 1958 American film version of the 1924 play Desire Under the Elms written by Eugene O'Neill. The film was directed by Delbert Mann from a screenplay by O'Neill and Irwin Shaw. The cast included Sophia Loren as Abbie , Anthony Perkins as Eben, Burl Ives as Ephraim, Frank...
(1958)
- The Big Country
Meanwhile, Terrill insists on riding into the canyon. Initially, Leech refuses to accompany him, and the other men follow his lead. However, after Terrill rides out alone, Leech catches up with him. The remaining hands again align themselves with Leech by following. The group soon rides into a trap...
(1958)
- Wind Across the Everglades
Wind Across the Everglades is a 1958 film directed by Nicholas Ray. Ray was fired from the film before production was finished, and several scenes were completed by screenwriter Budd Schulberg, who also supervised the editing....
(1958)
- Day of the Outlaw
Day of the Outlaw is a 1959 film starring Robert Ryan and Burl Ives. It was directed by André De Toth; this film being his last Western feature film. Parts of it were filmed on location in snowy Bend, Oregon.-Plot:...
(1959)
- Our Man in Havana
Our Man in Havana is a 1959 film directed and produced by Carol Reed and starring Alec Guinness, Burl Ives, Maureen O'Hara, Ralph Richardson, Noel Coward and Ernie Kovacs. The film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Graham Greene...
(1959)
- Let No Man Write My Epitaph (1960)
- The Spiral Road
The Spiral Road is a 1962 American drama starring Rock Hudson, Gena Rowlands, Burl Ives, Reggie Nalder and Neva Patterson. It was directed by Robert Mulligan with a screenplay by John Lee Mahin and Neil Paterson adapted from the novel by Jan de Hartog. It also featured an early score by composer...
(1962)
- Summer Magic
Summer Magic is a 1963 Walt Disney Productions feature film starring Hayley Mills, Burl Ives, and Dorothy McGuire in a story about a Boston widow and her children taking up residence in a small town in Maine. The film was based on the book "Mother Carey's Chickens" by Kate Douglas Wiggin and was...
(1963)
- The Brass Bottle
The Brass Bottle is a 1964 American fantasy film about a modern man who accidentally acquires a djinn. Though the word is commonly translated into English as "genie", author F. Anstey made a distinction between the two in the novel of the same name which provides the basis of the film.The film...
(1964)
- Ensign Pulver
Ensign Pulver is a 1964 American film and a sequel to the 1955 film Mister Roberts. The movie features Robert Walker Jr., Burl Ives, Walter Matthau, Tommy Sands, Millie Perkins, Kay Medford, Peter Marshall, Jack Nicholson, Richard Gautier, George Lindsey, James Farentino, and James Coco.- Synopsis...
(1964)
- Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon
Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon is a 1967 British science fiction comedy film directed by Don Sharp and produced by Harry Alan Towers...
(1967)
- The McMasters (1970)
- Baker's Hawk (1976)
- The Bermuda Depths
The Bermuda Depths is a Japanese / American co-production 1978 fantasy film originally broadcast as a made-for-TV movie written by Arthur Rankin Jr. of Rankin/Bass fame. Special effects and creature elements were handled by Tsuburaya Productions, most famous for the Ultraman franchise.It is...
(1978)
- Just You and Me, Kid
Just You and Me, Kid is a 1979 comedy film that stars Brooke Shields, George Burns, Ray Bolger and Burl Ives. It was directed by Leonard Stern. It is rated PG for brief nudity and adult language.-Plot:...
(1979)
- Earthbound
-Plot summary:When a family of aliens is stranded in the Midwest after their spaceship crashes, a kind innkeeper takes them in. But their peace is threatened by a government agent who wants to assure that the aliens cannot intermingle with humankind.-Cast:...
(1981)
- White Dog
White Dog is a 1982 American drama film directed by Samuel Fuller using a screenplay written by Fuller and Curtis Hanson loosely based on Romain Gary's 1970 novel of the same title...
(1982)
- Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure
For the series of road trips travelled by Hamish and Andy see:Caravan Of Courage The Ewok Adventure is a 1984 American made-for-TV film based in the Star Wars setting. It was released theatrically in Europe as Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure, and is known by that title today...
(1984)
- Uphill All the Way
Uphill All The Way is a 1986 motion picture starring Roy Clark, Mel Tillis, Glen Campbell, Burl Ives and Trish Van Devere....
(1986)
- Two Moon Junction
Two Moon Junction is a 1988 American English language erotic thriller and romance film written and directed by Zalman King, starring Sherilyn Fenn and Richard Tyson...
(1988)
- Alex Saves Christmas (2011) (songs)
Concerts (selected)
- Royal Winsor, New York City, April 28, 1939
- Town Hall, New York City, December 1, 1945
- Opera House, San Francisco, February 9, 1949
- Columbia University, New York City, 19 October 1950
- Royal Festival Hall, London, 10 May 1952
- Albert Hall, London, 20 October 1976
- Reuben F. Scarf's house, Sydney, Australia, GROW
GROW is a peer support and mutual-aid organization for recovery from, and prevention of, serious mental illness. GROW was founded in Sydney, Australia in 1957 by Father Cornelius B. "Con" Keogh, a Roman Catholic priest, and psychiatric patients who sought help with their mental illness in...
Party, 1977.
- Royal Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool,1979 accompanying The Spinners.
- Chautauqua, New York, 1982 (VHS)
- Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois, April 27, 1990
- Brodniak Hall, Anacortes, Washington, 1991 (VHS)
- Mt. Vernon, Washington, February 1993 (VHS)
- Folksong U.S.A., 92nd Street Y, New York City, 17 May 1993
External links