PEOPLE IN AMERICA - Burl Ives

PEOPLE IN AMERICA - May 19, 2002: Burl Ives

By Paul Thompson

VOICE ONE:
I’m Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Shirley Griffith with the VOA Special English Program, PEOPLE IN AMERICA. Today we tell about

Burl Ives. He won a Grammy award for his music and an Oscar for his acting¹.

 

((THEME))

VOICE ONE:

In nineteen-fifty-eight Burl Ives appeared in the western movie, "The Big Country."
He played the part of a man who controls huge amounts of land. In the movie, he is
not a nice man. He is mean and respects nothing but power. He causes problems for
the people around him.

Burl Ives won the Academy² Award Oscar that year as the Best Supporting Actor.
People who knew him well say it was really great acting. That is because Burl Ives was one of the nicest men
they had ever met. Burl Ives was not mean. He was a large, friendly man who loved to make people happy with
his acting and especially with his music.

Except when he was acting in a movie, Burl Ives always smiled. He loved making music and wanted other people
to enjoy the music he made. If you listen closely³ to his voice, you can tell he was smiling when he sang his songs.
Listen now as he sings “Blue Tail Fly.
”

((CUT ONE: “BLUE TAIL FLY”))

VOICE TWO:

Burl Ives was one of seven children. He was born in June, nineteen-oh-nine in the middle western state of
Illinois. Mister⁴ Ives said he began learning⁵ songs as a very little boy. His grandmother taught him to sing while
she smoked tobacco in a pipe.

As a young man, Burl wanted to teach history. So, he began attending Eastern Illinois Teacher’s College in
nineteen-twenty-seven. But he was not a very good student.

The president of the college told him one day he would never be a very good teacher. He said, “Burl why don’
t you look around a little. You are always singing, why don’t you try that.
”

VOICE ONE:

Burl Ives said he did not even go back to his room to pick up his clothing. He just went down the road and never
looked back. He took his guitar and began traveling around the United States.

He worked at many jobs. He also learned⁶ many songs. Songs from cowboys. Songs from farmers. Songs from
people who worked on ships. Songs from people who worked in mines. He learned songs from anyone who
would teach him something new.

Burl Ives went to New York City in the early nineteen-thirties. He was admitted to the famous Julliard School of
Music to study. He also got jobs in New York. He sang in small eating and drinking places. He sang the songs he
had learned. By nineteen-thirty-eight he was performing in theaters. He was singing on the radio and was part of


a group called The Weavers⁸, which became famous.

He began recording⁹ the folk songs he had learned. Critics said no one ever sung them better. He recorded “Blue
Tail Fly” and made it famous. Another of his songs that became very popular was called, “Big Rock Candy
Mountain.” The song is a funny story about a homeless man who tells of a place where you do not have to
work, where food is free and tobacco is free. It is a place called Big Rock Candy Mountain.

((CUT TWO: “BIG ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN.”))

VOICE TWO:

Songs like “Big Rock Candy Mountain” could be heard on the Burl Ives radio program each week. The radio
program was called "The Wayfaring¹⁰ Stranger." It was first broadcast in nineteen-forty. Burl Ives had recorded
many songs but he did not have a major hit until nineteen-forty-seven. That song was “Lavender Blue.
”

((CUT THREE: “LAVENDER BLUE”))

VOICE ONE:

During the nineteen fifties, Burl Ives recorded hundreds of songs on many albums.
He also began serious movie work. He had played the part of Big Daddy in the
famous Tennessee Williams play "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" on Broadway in New
York City.

He was asked to play the same part in the movie of the same name. Movie experts
praised his powerful performance as "Big Daddy." The movie was released¹¹ in nineteen-fifty-eight, the same year
he won his Oscar for the movie "Big Country."

In nineteen-sixty-one, Burl Ives recorded a song that became another major hit. It made the top ten list of hit
songs in country and western and popular music. The song was “Little Bitty Tear.
”

((CUT FOUR: “LITTLE BITTY TEAR”))

VOICE TWO:

“Little Bitty Tear” was followed a year later with another hit, “It’s Just My Funny Way of Laughin.” The
song earned Burl Ives a Grammy Award that year for Best Country and Western Recording.

Burl Ives never seemed to slow down. He was always extremely busy. He had another hit record in nineteen-
sixty-four with his recording of “ Pearly Shells.” And, while he was recording songs for adults, he was also
recording songs for children.

VOICE ONE:

It is his songs for children that will perhaps keep Burl Ives’ memory alive for many years to come. His most
famous are two Christmas songs, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Raindeer,” and “Frosty the Snowman.
”

These songs were used in cartoon movies first shown on American television in the nineteen-fifties and sixties.
Burl Ives provided¹² the voice of some of the animals and people. He also sang most of the songs. A snowman in
one of the movies even looks like Burl Ives.

Both of these moves are still shown on television during the Christmas holiday
season each year. They have become Christmas traditions. Here, Burl Ives sings
“Rudolph the Red Nosed Raindeer.
”

((CUT FIVE: "RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED RAINDEER"))

VOICE TWO:


Burl Ives never really retired¹³. He moved to the northwestern state of Washington in
his last years, but he continued to sing as long as he could. He died of cancer on
April Fourteenth, nineteen-ninety-five. He was eighty-five years old.

((CUT SIX: "IT’S JUST MY FUNNY WAY OF LAUGHIN’")
)
VOICE ONE:
This VOA Special English program was written by Paul Thompson and directed by

Caty Weaver⁷. I’m Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Shirley Griffith. Join us again next week for PEOPLE IN AMERICA program on the Voice of

America.

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1 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

2 academy   

n.(高等)专科院校；学术社团，协会，研究院

参考例句：

• This is an academy of music.这是一所音乐专科学院。
• I visited Chinese Academy of Sciences yesterday.我昨天去访问了中国科学院。

3 closely   

adv.紧密地；严密地，密切地

参考例句：

• We shall follow closely the development of the situation.我们将密切注意形势的发展。
• The two companies are closely tied up with each other.这两家公司之间有密切联系。

4 mister   

n.(略作Mr.全称很少用于书面)先生

参考例句：

• Mister Smith is my good friend.史密斯先生是我的好朋友。
• He styled himself " Mister Clean ".他自称是“清廉先生”。

5 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

6 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

7 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

8 weavers   

织工，编织者( weaver的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Navajo are noted as stockbreeders and skilled weavers, potters, and silversmiths. 纳瓦霍人以豢养家禽，技术熟练的纺织者，制陶者和银匠而著名。
• They made out they were weavers. 他们假装是织布工人。

9 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

10 wayfaring   

adj.旅行的n.徒步旅行

参考例句：

• The radio program was called The Wayfaring Stranger. 该栏目叫做“旅途中的陌生人”。 来自互联网
• Have you not asked wayfaring men, And do you not recognize their witness? 伯21:29你们岂没有询问过路的人麽．知道他们所引的证据麽。 来自互联网

11 released   

v.释放( release的过去式和过去分词 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. 事后才说他们本不应该释放他，这倒容易。

12 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

13 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。