Burl Ives Movies
After attending Charleston (Illinois) Teachers College and New York University, bearded, burly Burl Ives played pro football, then traversed the country as an itinerant handyman. His gifts as a guitarist and balladeer enabled Ives to secure radio work in the 1940s: one of his earliest series was titled, appropriately enough, The Wayfaring Stranger. A natural-born actor, Ives made his screen debut in 1946's Smoky. Throughout the rest of his career, there were two Burl Ives. The twinkly-eyed, grandfatherly Ives was the fellow who provided comedy relief in such films as Summer Magic (1963) and The Brass Bottle (1964), who starred in the easygoing culture-clash TV sitcom OK Crackerby (1965) who played the gruff-but-avuncular senior attorney on the weekly series The Bold Ones: The Lawyers (1969), and who recorded such song hits as "Itty Bitty Tear," "My Funny Way of Laughing" and that inescapable Holiday perennial, "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas." Then there was the "other" Burl Ives: the shark-eyed, intimidating, domineering patriarch who portrayed Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) and Ephraim Cabot in Desire Under the Elms (1959) and who won an Academy Award for his chilling portrayal of a mean-for-the-hell-of-it land baron in The Big Country (1958). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2008
This ambient release contains images of a yuletide fireplace that allows anyone with a TV to turn their own home into a Christmas wonderland. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Zalman King wrote and directed this soft-core Harlequinesque Romance that plays like Tennessee Williams meets Fredericks of Hollywood. April Delongpre (Sherilyn Fenn) is the daughter of a powerful senator and heiress to an old and respectable Southern family. April is engaged to marry the granite-handsome Chad Douglas Fairchild (Martin Hewitt) within a few days. But Chad has gone to Tuscaloosa to sign papers for their condo and the rest of the family has headed off to the lake, leaving April in the house alone with nothing to do except take long and languid showers--until she sets her eyes on the pecs of carnival roustabout Perry (Richard Tyson). Soon the two are making tasteful love in every nook and cranny of April's mansion. Unfortunately for the two sexual athletes, April's grandmother (Louise Fletcher) has assigned the local sheriff (Burl Ives) to keep an eye on her. And an eye on her he keeps, so that during the wedding ceremony, he has quite a story to tell. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sherilyn Fenn, Richard Tyson, (more)
- 1987
- Add Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story to QueueAdd Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story to top of Queue
Originally shown in two parts, this massive TV movie adaptation of C. David Heymann's biography stars Farrah Fawcett as Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton. With two failed marriages to her credit, 29-year-old Barbara marries film idol Cary Grant (James Read), the first man who loves her for herself and not her millions. This alliance goes the way of all of Barbara's romances; there will be four more marriages, the last when Ms. Hutton is 50-years-old. Shutting herself away in her Tangiers mansion, Barbara begins her long descent into the world of booze and drugs. Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story merely skims the surface of its subject's stormy life, but Farrah Fawcett's performance commands the audience's attention throughout the film's daunting 240 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Farrah Fawcett, James Read, (more)
- 1985
This Western comedy is set in the early 1900's and features the inept duo of Ben (Roy Clark) and Booger (Mel Tillis). The two men visit a bank seeking a loan but carry a shotgun with them. Understandably, this gives the wrong impression to the bank staff and before they know it, they are being chased all over creation by the sheriff (Burl Ives) and an army captain (Glen Campbell). Several songs are interspersed with the chase scenes, and Burt Reynolds makes a cameo appearance as an ace poker player who cleans out Ben and Booger. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mel Tillis, Burl Ives, (more)
- 1984
At this late date, it should hardly be necessary to inform viewers that The Ewok Adventure was inspired by those fuzzy little space muppets seen in the 1983 Star Wars sequel Return of the Jedi. This costly made-for-TV film was executive-produced by George Lucas, with special effects provided by Industrial Light and Magic. It was first telecast with great fanfare November 25, 1984; its soundtrack was simulcast on regional FM radio stations to provide a "full stereo" effect. The plot (frankly the least fascinating element of this project) concerns two young kids searching through space for their missing parents. The kids wind up on the forest moon of Endor, where dwell the courageous little Ewoks, commandeered by Wicket (Warwick Davis). The winner of an Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program (though not necessarily aimed exclusively at kids), Ewok Adventure was released theatrically as Caravan of Courage. It was followed in 1986 by a TV-movie sequel, Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, and by a Saturday-morning cartoon series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A little-seen film, suppressed by Paramount studio executives and never released theatrically in the U.S., this drama is a powerful saga about racism. Julie Sawyer (Kristy McNichol) hits a handsome white dog with her car one night and then nurses it back to health. One day, the theretofore mild-mannered dog saves her life by viciously attacking and killing a rapist who breaks into her home. Lucy discovers that the dog has been trained to attack black skin. She consults an animal trainer, Carruthers (Burl Ives), who urges her to have the dog exterminated. But a maverick black trainer, Keys (Paul Winfield), who has tried before to break the training of such dogs but never succeeded, steps in. Director Sam Fuller had made other controversial films, but this one frightened studio executives, who deep-sixed it. It was hailed by critics when it was released in Europe. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kristy McNichol, Paul Winfield, (more)
- 1982
In this magical animated feature, the beloved stuffed bunny of a small child miraculously becomes the first Easter rabbit. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1981
- PG
In this sci-fi film, a spaceship crash lands in the Midwest and strands an alien family. A gentle innkeeper takes in the marooned group. Except for their green chimpanzee that eats light bulbs, the aliens look like normal humans. Unfortunately, the family is pursued by a government agent determined to see that the aliens don't intermingle with the humans. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burl Ives, Christopher Connelly, (more)
- 1979
The Glacier Fox is an exciting documentary filmed in the frozen regions of Northern Japan. Director Korey Kurahara, who apparently was weaned on Disney's True Life Adventures, strikes just the right balance between reality and artifice. His "cast" consists of a family of wild foxes, each with his or her own distinct personality. The film explores the foxes' efforts to survive the elements and their ever-threatening environment. The Glacier Fox runs 90 minutes, and "runs" is just the right word to describe the breathless pace of this movie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
- PG
In this comedy, an elderly ex-vaudevillian is surprised to find a naked young woman in the trunk of his car. He soon discovers that she is a runaway fleeing from both the police and an enraged drug dealer she cheated out of $20,000. Meanwhile, the codger's daughter continually attempts to get him committed because of his overly generous support of his former colleagues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Burns, Brooke Shields, (more)
- 1978
Burl Ives, Leigh McCloskey, Carl Weathers and Connie Selleca top the cast of the made-for-TV Bermuda Depths. The plot gets under way when scientists arrive in the Bermuda Triangle to investigate underwater disturbances. This activity seems to be tied in with reported sightings of the ghost of a drowned girl. Pursuing their investigation, the scientists run afoul of a giant sea turtle. First telecast January 27, 1978, Bermuda Depths is a rare live-action effort from the Canadian cartoon firm of Rankin-Bass. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
The New Adventures of Heidi may be set in contemporary times, but it's still the same old yodel-ay-ee-hoo. Johann Spyri's disgustingly spunky moppet Heidi (Katy Kurtzman) is separated from her beloved grandfather (Burl Ives). She is sent to live with hateful relatives in New York City. Before winning over everyone except the audience, Heidi and her cohorts get to warble 10 original songs by Buz Kohan. Made for TV, The New Adventures of Heidi might have been more tolerable had it been interrupted by a pro football game. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
One of four dramatic miniseries carried by NBC under the blanket title Best Sellers, Captains and the Kings was adapted from a novel by Taylor Caldwell. Covering a time span from 1857 to 1912, this was the saga of the Irish-immigrant Armagh clan, with emphasis on the rags-to-riches career of Joseph Armagh (Richard Jordan). Achieving fame and prominence (if not full-fledged social acceptance) through a Byzantine series of investments in the oil industry, the elder Armagh was obsessed with the notion of having one of his sons become the first Irish-Catholic President of the United States (does this story sound vaguely familiar?). Along the way, Joseph and his offspring indulged in innumerable romantic liaisons, extramarital and otherwise. Featured in the all-star cast is Patty Duke Astin, who won an Emmy award for her portrayal of Bernadette Hennessey Armagh. Captains and the Kings was broadcast from September 30 to November 18, 1976 in seven installments, two of which ran 120 minutes, and the other six lasting 60 minutes -- a total of nine hours' air time in all. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
While on a hunting trip, Laura (Melissa Sue Anderson) accidentally shoots and wounds her father, Charles (Michael Landon). The only other person within miles of the accident is Sam (Burl Ives), a blind recluse who is reluctant to offer assistance, feeling that he is totally worthless. It is up Laura, and Laura alone, to restore Sam's self-confidence to the extent that the old hermit will help her find someone who can tend for her injured father. This 90-minute episode is one of several Little House on the Prairie installments filmed on-location in California's Gold Rush Country (though the action is set in Minnesota!). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1976
Assembled in Hungarian by novice producer Robert Halmi and equally "green" director Bill Feigenbaum, Hugo the Hippo is an easygoing feature-length cartoon. Hugo, a baby hippopotamus living in ancient times, is persecuted by a world populated by hippo-haters. Foremost among these reprobates is Aban Khan, who in the English-language version of this film is voiced by Paul Lynde. Hugo perseveres with the little help of some new friends, both animal and human. Only fitfully successful in theatres, Hugo the Hippo later gained a huge following thanks to its ready availability in the early days of videocassettes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ronny Cox, Jesse Emmet, (more)
Baker's Hawk is an old-style Western starring old-style Clint Walker. Burl Ives plays a recluse plagued by vigilantes. Ives is protected by Walker and his son, Lee H. Montgomery, on the basis of the lad's friendship with the old man. Baker's Hawk is based on a novel by Jack Bickham. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clint Walker, Burl Ives, (more)
- 1970
- PG
Set in the immediate post-Civil War era, The McMasters stars Brock Peters as a black Union soldier who finds he must figuratively fight the war all over again. Returning to his southern hometown, Peters quickly learns that nothing has really changed: he is a "free"man in name only. Peters' ex-master Burl Ives magnanimously gives the former slave a plot of land, but only Native-American David Carradine and his tribesmen are willing to work for a black man. The "invasion" of Indians serves to stir up the racial divisiveness even farther, thanks to local rabble-rouser Jack Palance. The McMasters was originally released in two versions with two different endings, succinctly summing up the film's "no easy answers" stance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burl Ives, Brock Peters, (more)
- 1970
The man with the "life wish" is multi-billionaire Burl Ives, who maintains an isolated medical research center. Stuart Whitman is hired as the new head of this center, where he is told to ignore any unusual goings-on and to keep his mouth shut. Slowly it dawns on Whitman that there's an inordinate number of wealthy old men entering the center--and the research lab is busy dissecting younger cadavers. Without revealing any more of the plot, we can point out that the film's closing line refers to Chinese leader Mao Tse-Tung, who was 80 years old at the time. The original title of Man Who Wanted to Live Forever was The Heart Farm, which would have given the game away from the outset. This TV movie was released theatrically in Europe as The Only Way Out is Dead, which likewise lowered the film's element of surprise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
The Whole World Is Watching is a TV movie starring Burl Ives, Joseph Campanella and James Farentino as a high-profile law partnership. They take on the case of student activist Rick Ely, who is accused of killing a campus cop during a riot. Basking in the publicity for his cause, Ely refuses to take the stand in his own defense. This leaves the lawyers but one alternative: to locate the only eyewitness, another radical with reasons of his own for keeping silent. Taking hold of a hot issue and provocative title, The Whole World Is Watching cops out by trying too hard to be fair to everyone. This film and the subsequent Sound of Anger were both pilot films for The Lawyers one-third of the rotating NBC weekly series The Bold Ones. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
The direction of Michael Ritchie, who later piloted such films as Downhill Racer, Smile and The Bad News Bears, is disappointingly commonplace in the made-for-TV Sound of Anger. Burl Ives is an expensive lawyer hired to pursue the defense on a murder case. The victim was a wealthy man; the accused are the man's daughter and her lover. Confronted by the sister of the male suspect, Ives confesses that he's been told to defend only the daughter and allow the lover to twist slowly in the wind. He rectifies this set-up as the case progresses. In addition to Burl Ives, Sound of Anger also starred James Farentino; both actors would appear in the spin-off series, The Lawyers (one of three rotating series on the umbrella weekly The Bold Ones). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
The legend of the bloody duo is presented from a different perspective in this offbeat outing that features actual footage of the criminal pair, fascinating interviews with former mobster Floyd Hamilton and Sheriff Frank Hammer. It also contains some reenactments. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Produced in the wake of the all-star "comedy spectacular" Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, Fantastic Flying Fools (originally titled Blast-Off, and also released as Those Fantastic Flying Fools) is based very loosely on a Jules Verne novel. A 19th century British newspaper offers a prize to the first scientist who is able to construct and launch a rocket to the moon. Contestants from all over the world compete for the prize, including Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines cast members Terry-Thomas and Gert Frobe. Much of the slapstick is tiresome and derivative, but there is one cute closing gag involving villains Terry-Thomas and Lionel Jeffries and a Siberian chain gang. There's precious little of the spirit of Jules Verne in Fantastic Flying Fools, save for the woodcut illustrations which decorate the opening credits. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burl Ives, Troy Donahue, (more)
