Wig Bubbles

There has been a steady flow since the beginning of December, but this week the TV networks are increasing the concentration of holiday “classics” for us to enjoy. All the favourites will be there: Alistair Sim as Scrooge; A Charlie Brown Christmas; Frosty the Snowman; and, of course, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, narrated by that lovable snowman Burl Ives. Rudolph has already brought his reindeer games our way this season, but you’ll have at least 19 more opportunities to catch him between now and Dec. 25. That’s nearly two dozen visits with Mr. Ives, a man forever to be remembered as Sam the Snowman.

The actor and singer is less well-remembered, however, for his equally powerful role as a friendly witness during the McCarthy hearings. In March of 1952 Ives volunteered to sit down in front of the House un-American Activities Committee and fess-up to his socialist/liberal/pinko past, while ratting-out a handful of peers. Ives later admitted to giving unwelcome shout-outs to four colleagues — among them, fellow folk-music troubadour Pete Seeger. Other sources, including the influential leftist publication Sing Out!, placed the number of names named at well over 100. “I believe,” Ives told the committee as he concluded his career-killing laundry-list, “that in no Communist country would such a hearing be possible at all.” The man with the funny way of laughing soon saw his then-dormant career begin to flourish. Seeger, meanwhile, joined dozens of artists unable to find much in the way of work. Ives’ friend Richard Dyer Bennet, a key figure in the folk-music revival, saw his career effectively end in the wake of Sam the Snowman’s name-dropping. Continue reading →