Research Catalog

Details

Additional authors

1. Amory, Cleveland

Description

1. 26 lin. ft. (51 boxes)

Summary

1. The Burl Ives papers contain mainly professional files, pertaining to all aspects of his career.

Subject

1. Ives, Burl, 1909-1995
2. Actors -- United States -- 20th century
3. Folk singers -- United States
4. Folk songs -- United States
5. Motion picture actors and actresses -- United States
6. Television actors and actresses -- United States
7. Voice actors and actresses -- United States

Genre/Form

1. Galley proofs.
2. Photographs.
3. Scores.
4. Scrapbooks.
5. Motion picture plays.
6. Television scripts.

Call number

1. *T-Mss 1965-001

Language

1. English

Access (note)

1. Collection is open to the public. Library policy on photography and photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.

Location of other archival materials (note)

1. Music Division, Library of Congress.

Biography (note)

1. Although perhaps best remembered for his work on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the multitalented folk singer Burl Ives (1909-1995) also achieved considerable success as a recording artist, actor, and author.

Indexes/finding aids (note)

1. Collection guide available in repository and on internet.

Author

1. Ives, Burl, 1909-1995.

Title

1. Burl Ives papers, 1913-1975.

Restricted access

1. Collection is open to the public. Library policy on photography and photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.

Biography

1. Although perhaps best remembered for his work on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the multitalented folk singer Burl Ives (1909-1995) also achieved considerable success as a recording artist, actor, and author. Born in Hunt City Township, Illinois, Ives learned American folk songs at an early age, accompanying himself on the guitar and the banjo. After three years at Eastern Illinois State College, he embarked on a cross-country trip to collect traditional folk songs. In 1933, Ives moved to New York, where he attended both Julliard and New York University, studying acting and voice. He made his Broadway debut with a small role in The Boys from Syracuse (1938), appeared in This is the Army (1942), and later earned a major role in Walter Kerr's folk music revue, Sing Out, Sweet Land! (1944), for which he won a Donaldson Award. Ives' singing career also built steadily through radio appearances and a recording contract with Decca. As a recording artist, he promoted American folk songs and produced an impressive catalogue of hits, including Blue Tail Fly (1949), Lavender Blue (1949), and A Holly Jolly Christmas (1964). Ives would continue to record music in a wide array of genres, including children's albums. He made his film debut as a singing cowboy in Smoky (1946), but his breakthrough role came with the Disney film, So Dear to My Heart (1949). Ives' stage career flourished during the 1950s, culminating in his role as Big Daddy in Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955). This performance proved Ives' ability as a serious actor and it led to more prestigious film work, including East of Eden (1955) and The Big Country (1958), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also worked steadily in television during the 1950s and 1960s, most notably as a voice actor in the animated holiday special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964), and eventually starred in his own situation comedy, OK Crackerby! (1965), created by Cleveland Amory. In later life, Ives continued to make recordings, as well as act in film and television, but slowed his pace, settling in Anacortes, Washington, where he remained until his death.

Location of other archival materials

1. See also the Burl Ives collection in the Music Division, Library of Congress.

Indexes

1. Collection guide available in repository and on internet.

Connect to:

1. Request Access to Theatre Division Special Collections material
2. Finding Aid

Occupation

1. Actors.
2. Folk singers.

Added author

1. Amory, Cleveland.
2. Ives, Burl, 1909-1995. Wayfaring stranger.

Research call number

1. *T-Mss 1965-001