Which Surprising Actor Was Replaced by Burl Ives in ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’?

Though most viewers can’t imagine the classic 1964 Rankin/Bass Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer special being any different than the version they know and love, at one point, there was a major difference: the character of Sam the Snowman, made famous by Burl Ives, was originally portrayed by Larry D. Mann, the voice actor who played Yukon Cornelius in the final special.