Thursday, June 24, 2010

Burl Sighting

I watched Fantastic Mr. Fox with Annabelle the other night. The best animated film I've seen in a long time. It wasn't noisy or obnoxious. It didn't veer from one cliff-hanging scene to the next. It was a pretty quiet movie. It was clever and funny. Its humor was smart --and didn't rely on current pop culture references for easy laughs. And throughout the film were charming little touches. Like when the young boy fox Ash and his cousin Kristofferson are sharing a bedroom, arguing over who gets to sleep where, and Kristofferson finally resigns to his place on the floor, a Burt Ives tune is softly playing. Burl Ives! You can clearly hear that distinctive Burl voice, enveloping the scene. Some obscure tune that I've never heard before.

Well, checking online to see the soundtrack for Fantastic Mr. Fox, I see that there was not one but three Burl Ives tunes included in the movie! How about that?! The music was so quiet I didn't pick up on the other two. The three Burl Ives tunes were "Buckeye Jim," "The Grey Goose" and something called "Fooba Wooba John." Yes, Burl Ives singing Fooba Wooba John. Now that is what I call a movie soundtrack. I challenge everyone who reads this blog to watch this movie and see if you can pick out the three Burl tunes. The first person who can successfully name the scenes in which Burl appears gets a prize!

Here, to get you started, I have included a clip of Buckeye Jim. Enjoy!

5 comments:

  1. i must admit i kinda like this song, and not necessarily for the words, (cause what does it mean??) but for the sound of ives voice and the lilting, back and forth melody in the background. okay...what's the prize??

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  2. gtfooh!
    holy crap. holy toledo. holy moly. my ears! my earrrrrrrrrsss!! i can't take another second of this wheedle-dee old bumpkin!! if i had to go to sleep to the sound of burl ives, i would scream in agony and have nightmares of his big fat disembodied head with a shlocky goatee. i don't get it. i can't relate. MAYBE it's enjoyable if you like cheesy folky music - no make that folky cheese music.

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  3. Intriguing song, kinda whimsical, kinda mournful ("you can't go").

    Ha, I knew that would get a rise out of Laura!

    Go, big Burl!

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  4. Yeah, a red bird danced with a green bullfrog, but an old woman died of the hoof and paw. Sweetness mixed with melancholy, as with so many folk songs. Burl is LAYING DOWN!!!! Who could deny it?

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