Barbarajo's Full Review: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Sorry to bum anyone out but the most wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful time of the year is just around the corner. Christmas my friends is a scant 2 months away. I figured that I would get a jump start on the holiday season by reviewing one of my all time favorites, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.
We all love A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS and HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, but no one's nose has shined longer or brighter than that of the RANKIN / BASS "Animagic" classic RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER.
Premiering on NBC December 6th, 1964, RUDOLPH has become the longest running, highest rated television special in the history of the medium.
A little behind the scenes history
According to Producer Arthur Rankin, at first Johnny Marks (Author of the classic song) didn't want to do the special. He was very protective of the song. The song provided a very large income to Marks and he was afraid that over exposure might interfere with its success.
Fortunately, a neighbor convinced him to go ahead with it and he ended up writing some very memorable songs in addition to RUDOLPH.
Apparently, the original pre-production work on the show did not include Sam The Snowman played by Burl Ives. In Fact, Larry D. Mann had recorded all of the songs as Yukon Cornelius that Burl would later sing as Sam, such as Silver & Gold.
In all likelihood, Burl Ives was brought in by General Electric,(the original sponsor) as a star name to sell the show to the network. This became the beginning of a tradition that RANKIN / BASS continued well into the eighties. Who better than to portray Sam than America's leading balladeer? Ives even looks like the character!
One of the key players to this animation's HUGE success is a man named Romeo Muller. Romeo embellished this story written by Robert L. May, with memorable characters and scenes that will never be forgotten. For instance the Island of Misfit Toys, the Abominable Snowmonster (Bumble), Yukon Cornelius and Rudolph's dentist friend Herbie the elf were all Romeo's creations.
Herbie the Dentist's original name was Hermey. So some may remember him as Hermey.
The Number one question asked about the special is:
What is wrong with the MISFIT GIRL DOLL?
I myself have been asking that same question since 1964. I have been so mystified that I decided to research it. I was surprised to come up with anything on the subject but apparently it really is the number one question asked. Here is the ridiculous answer that I found.
"Apparently, her problem was more psychological than physical!" This is actually stated by Rick Goldschmidt author of The enchanted world of Rankin / Bass. - Producer and Co-producers of RUDOLPH.
He does go on to say however, that if you read his book, more details are provided. I am not that curious. Well.... maybe I am.
Johnny Marks was given the task of writing several new songs for the special and he delivered classics such as:
Holly, Jolly Christmas. This was so well received that it became a huge hit for Burl Ives, who re-recorded it and issued it immediately.
We're A Couple Of Misfits, Silver and Gold, There's Always Tomorrow, We are Santa's Elves, The Most Wonderful Day Of The Year and Jingle, Jingle, Jingle" are other hits from RUDOLPH penned by Marks.
Marks is also most famous for Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree and I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day.
Now onto the story!
This enchanting animation is wonderful for children too. LOL! There are so many morals to this story but perhaps the best lessons to be learned here is to accept those that are different and to follow our dreams.
Clarissa falls in love at first sight of Rudolph during the Reindeer games for tryouts for Santa's team. Her admiration inspires him to jump higher than any other reindeer while shouting, "I'm cute. I'm cute. She thinks I'm cute." Unfortunately, this is short lived. When his false nose falls off, even Santa makes fun of poor Rudolph. Shunned by the other reindeer because of his glowing nose, Rudolph decides to run away. En-route to who knows where, he teams up with Herbie who is also running away. You see, Herbie is a toy-making elf who wants nothing more in life than to be a dentist. His boss or elf friends do not accept him, like Rudolph, so he too runs away. (I always wonder where his parents are). Along their journey, they make new friends, end up on the Island Of Misfit Toys ruled by King Leo and discover the many perils of the world.
Christmas may be cancelled due to a fierce blizzard. That is, if Santa can't find a way to guide his sleigh through it. I think most of us know the rest of the story but for those that may not, I don't want to ruin it.
The CBS network now airs RUDOLPH, usually to kick off it's holiday programming shortly after Thanksgiving.
RUDOLPH has a HUGE following and the flood of RUDOLPH merchandise this year will be proof of that.
Last year, CVS PHARMACY could hardly keep their ISLAND OF MISFIT TOY doll line on store shelves and this year they are making up for that in a big way. I should know, I was their best customer. I drove all over Long Island to get every one of these limited collectables. For those interested, they come in small and large sizes and are already on sale at CVS. The Misfit Girl Doll was not sold last year. We fanatics are hoping it will be available this year.
I was 12 years old in December of 64. My Dad, still young at heart 36 years later was really excited about the premier of RUDOLPH. that year. He came home with a huge spread of Chinese food that night so that we could all enjoy watching it in the living room. Remember those funky snack trays? We had double sets to accommodate our family.
Since 1964, I have faithfully watched RUDOLPH each year. I have also passed on the traditional Chinese dinner while watching it, to my son and my 15 nieces and nephews. They all look forward to this tradition each year.
A couple of years ago, I was tending bar at my American Legion Post the night that RUDOLPH. was to be aired. I was faced with the possibility of not being able to watch it. Although I have the tape, I still prefer to watch the actual telecast. Well, just in case the hard-core guys didn't give me a hard time, I went ahead with my plans for the evening. I purchased my Chinese food and several Santa hats. To this day, I still get a warm feeling when I envision these ex combat vets, now in their fifties singing along to the now famous tunes of RUDOLPH, wearing the hats! It brought back great memories for them.
If you do not have this family classic, I highly recommend purchasing it.
In my humble opinion, RUDOLPH will definitely fly brightly into the new millenium and certainly, "He'll go down in his-to-ry!"
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