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Burl Ives

Burl Ives

Actor · Died April 14, 1995, aged 85 · Hunt City, Illinois, USA

Oscar winner · Golden Globe winner · 1 other major award body

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American singer and actor of stage, screen, radio and television. Ives began as an itinerant singer and banjoist, and launched his own radio show, The Wayfaring Stranger, which popularized traditional folk songs. In 1942 he appeared in Irving Berlin's This Is the Army, and then became a major star of CBS radio. In the 1960s he successfully crossed over into country music, recording hits such as "A Little Bitty Tear" and "Funny Way of Laughin'". A popular film actor through the late 1940s and '50s, Ives's best-known film roles included parts in So Dear to My Heart (1949) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), as well as Rufus Hannassey in The Big Country (1958), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Ives is often remembered for his voice-over work as Sam the Snowman, narrator of the classic 1964 Christmas television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which continues to air annually around Christmas.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 14, 1909
Died
April 14, 1995 (aged 85)
From
Hunt City, Illinois, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
34 on MovieCove · 60 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 29% in 30 days

What are Burl Ives' films like?

Across their 29 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Drama10 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 44th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 45th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Animation3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile
: browse their Animation movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 76th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 80th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
24%
Morality
22%
Self
21%
Power
12%
Society
11%
Survival
7%
Ideas
3%
Family bonds12 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice8 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception5 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 29 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 14 · Serious 3 · Dark 12

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 17 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 10 · Charged 11 · Intense 8

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 12 · Shifting 14 · Whiplash 3

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 17 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 5

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 18 · Even-paced 11 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 15 · Engaged 14 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 12 · Affecting 9 · Heavy 8

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 24 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

26 analyzed roles

Usually the Mentor: 11 of 26 analyzed roles.

Mentor
11 of 26
Shadow
8 of 26
Trickster
2 of 26
Ally
2 of 26
Threshold guardian
1 of 26
Shapeshifter
1 of 26
Herald
1 of 26
Show the 26 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
17
Warm
11
Melancholic
11
Joyful
6
Contemplative
7
Other
27

How their films linger

Bittersweet11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet14
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous7
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Burl Ives' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 34 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Burl Ives' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

60 credits, 34 with a MovieCove page; 20 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed(2023)

    as Dr. Brits Jansen

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation(2020)

    as Big Daddy

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Tennessee Williams: Orpheus of the American Stage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as Big Daddy (archive footage)

  • Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 6 episodes · as F.W. Woolworth

  • Two Moon Junction(1988)

    as Sheriff Earl Hawkins

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Uphill All the Way(1986)

    as Sheriff John Catledge

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • The Ewok Adventure(1984)

    as Narrator (voice)

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • White Dog(1982)

    as Carruthers

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Earthbound (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    as Ned Anderson

  • Just You and Me, Kid(1979)

    as Max

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The New Adventures of Heidi(1978)

    as Grandfather

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • The Bermuda Depths (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Dr. Paulis

  • Roots(1977)

    Show 1 episode · as Senator Arthur J. Justin

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Baker's Hawk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    as Mr. McGraw

  • Captains and the Kings (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 8 episodes · as Old Syrup

  • The First Easter Rabbit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    as Narrator / Older Stuffy (voice)

  • Gifts of an Eagle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Actor

  • Little House on the Prairie(1974)

    Show 1 episode · as Sam Shelby

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • The Bobby Darin Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Tennessee Williams' South (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Actor

  • Alias Smith and Jones (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 4 episodes · Actor

  • Night Gallery(1969)

    Show 1 episode · as Old Man Doubleday

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • The Man Who Wanted to Live Forever(1970)

    as T.M. Trask

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Smothers Brothers Summer Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The McMasters(1970)

    as McMasters

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Bold Ones: The Lawyers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Show 27 episodes · as Walter Nicholls

  • The Whole World Is Watching(1969)

    as Walter Nichols

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Sound of Anger(1968)

    as Walter Nichols

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Pinocchio (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    as Geppetto

  • The Name of the Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Show 1 episode · as Arthur Jellicoe

  • The Other Side of Bonnie and Clyde (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Those Fantastic Flying Fools(1967)

    as Phineas T. Barnum

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • The Daydreamer(1966)

    as Father Neptune (voice)

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • O.K. Crackerby (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 17 episodes · Actor

  • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer(1964)

    as Sam the Snowman (voice)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Daniel Boone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 2 episodes · as Prater Beaseley

  • Ensign Pulver(1964)

    as Captain Morton

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Brass Bottle(1964)

    as Fakrash

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Summer Magic(1963)

    as Osh Popham

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Actor

  • Mediterranean Holiday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Narrator (US Version) (voice)

  • The Spiral Road(1962)

    as Dr. Brits Jansen

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Let No Man Write My Epitaph(1960)

    as Judge Bruce Mallory Sullivan

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Our Man in Havana(1959)

    as Dr. Hasselbacher

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Day of the Outlaw(1959)

    as Jack Bruhn

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Wind Across the Everglades(1958)

    as Cottonmouth

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Cat on a Hot Tin Roof(1958)

    as Harvey 'Big Daddy' Pollitt

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Big Country(1958)

    as Rufus Hannassey

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Desire Under the Elms(1958)

    as Éphraïm Cabot

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Miracle Worker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    as Captain Keller

  • Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Show 1 episode · as Jonathan J. Dwire

  • The Power and the Prize(1956)

    as George Salt

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • East of Eden(1955)

    as Sam the Sheriff

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Wonderful World of Disney (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • General Electric Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Show 1 episode · as King David

  • Sierra(1950)

    as Lonesome

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • So Dear to My Heart(1948)

    as Uncle Hiram Douglas

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Station West(1948)

    as Hotel Clerk (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Green Grass of Wyoming (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Gus

  • Smoky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Willie

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 58 titles from 1946 to 1994; peak year 1963.

Biggest box office

Two Moon Junction (1988)

$1.5M worldwide

Highest rated

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

East of Eden (1955)

Film career

MilestoneAward win
19461994

Peak 1963 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 6 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting58 of 58: 58 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score65th

By decade

1940s4 · acting1950s12 · acting1960s19 · acting1970s16 · acting1980s6 · acting1990s1 · acting

Billing

usually 3rd · top billed in 19% of 16 roles
4863

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

an Oscar, a Golden Globe and 1 other major award from 6 major nominations, 1959–1965.

WinNomination
  1. 1965
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Recording for Children
  2. 1963
    • Grammy Award, won · Best Country & Western Recording
  3. 1962
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Country & Western Recording
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Solo Vocal Performance, Male
  4. 1959
    • Oscar, won · Best Actor in a Supporting Role
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Supporting Actor

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Burl Ives' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 64th percentile, the median of all 31; across their 29 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 61st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Approval · how many liked their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Reach · how many have seen their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Midcredits score across 34 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up13
  • 50th to 74th9
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

17 of their 34 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Crowd Pleaser17
  • Mixed12

Most divisive · actor

The New Adventures of Heidi (1978)

86th percentile spread · 48% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

Midcredits 97th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the acting 71/100 in their films, across 25 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 46. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Burl Ives' work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore6 titles15–57 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles15–46 · median 24 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles18–37 · median 21 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles24–50 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles29–51 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Burl Ives work with?

People who share at least 2 of Burl Ives' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Romeo Muller shares the most, 2.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles