During his lengthy career, Burl Ives recorded hundreds of songs and played many notable characters.
But – at least for my generation — he’s perhaps best-known for playing Sam the Snowman, narrator of the stop-motion animated Christmas classic, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (which, coincidentally, is the longest-running TV special in history and first aired 50 years ago this month.)
I caught a bit of the program on television a few nights ago, and it reminded me of some photos of Mr. Ives I discovered in my grandmother’s photo album.
Turns out he was an avid yachtsman who, for many years, owned a home in the Aunt Pat’s Bay area of Hope Town. Funny that a man so famous for playing a snowman should winter in Abaco — which is about as far away from flurries and frost as one can get!
P.S. Can anyone identify the man with Mr. Ives in the above photo?
This is so nice! Love the photos! Burl Ives also stayed at Man O War once in the home of my great great grandmother Elizabeth “Lizzie” Albury. She had what was described to me as a type of bed and breakfast.
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Wow, Priscilla. That’s really cool. Sounds like Mr. Ives spent quite a bit of time in Abaco — and who can blame him? 🙂
I always heard he owned land in White Sound, one lot of which Van Allen built a home, and another where Chuck and Janice Sutherland build “Light’n Up,”
I hadn’t heard that. Thanks for the info. 🙂
Amanda, we believe the gentleman walking with Burl Ives is Woodis Key, who would have been a Taxi Driver at that time.
Thanks, Robert! It would make sense he’d have a cab driver.
Hope the writer sees this !!! I was always told that burl and my grandfather shared an island in the Bahamas. I wish I could find out more about it. Email me please lularoefawncockman@gmail.com
Hi, Fawn. Thanks for your note. I’ve not heard this story — do you know where in the Bahamas the island would have been?
Amanda
Amanda we rented his house back in the early eighties
Very cool!
hello little house by the ferry its dennis the vizsla dog hay dada sez he always wunderd why a snowman wood hav a mustash and a beerd and now he nos!!! ha ha ok bye