'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' animated special celebrates its fiftieth anniversary

'Rudolph' first aired on television 50 years ago this month. The animated Rankin/Bass special tells the story of the title reindeer who is teased because he is different. However, when disaster strikes, the denizens of the North Pole soon discover that's not always a bad thing.

|
Classic Media
'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' celebrates its fiftieth anniversary this year.

This year, a certain red-nosed reindeer is celebrating a very big birthday.

The Rankin/Bass holiday special “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” aired for the first time 50 years ago. Created by the same studio that crafted the holiday classics “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” and “The Year Without a Santa Claus,” among others. “Rudolph” follows the titular reindeer, who is the son of one of the reindeer who pulls Santa’s sleigh, but soon finds himself to be a misfit because his nose is red and shiny. He befriends Hermy, an elf who wants to be a dentist rather than make toys. When an Abominable Snowman and a snowstorm threaten the North Pole, its residents learn that being different isn’t a bad thing. The special includes such classic songs as the title tune, “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas,” and “Silver and Gold,” among many others.

According to NPR, the story of Rudolph originated with writer Robert L. May, who penned a children’s book about the reindeer as a holiday promotion for the department store Montgomery Ward. More than 2 million copies of the book were handed out that year at Montgomery Ward locations in the US, according to NPR. May’s brother-in-law wrote a song about the reindeer and his adventures, and when Gene Autry recorded a version, the reindeer with the glowing red nose became even more popular. 

Fifty years later, “Rudolph” is still a favorite – according to the Salt Lake Tribune, the program still regularly wins its time slot when it airs on TV. Actor Paul Soles, who voiced the elf Hermey, told CBS that he recently attended Comic-Con and met both adults and child fans there. “The profound impact this show’s had on their lives is such a reward for an actor," he said. "You look in the face across the table at these little kids and you realize exactly why you do shows like this.”

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' animated special celebrates its fiftieth anniversary
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Culture-Cafe/2014/1224/Rudolph-the-Red-Nosed-Reindeer-animated-special-celebrates-its-fiftieth-anniversary
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe