A look at the very very fist Rankin-Bass Christmas special, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" . Rudolph, the character, was created by Robert Lewis May in a booklet for Montgomery Ward. Then of course, it was made into a song. May's Brother-in-law adapted the story in 1949. There was a short film released in 1948 by Max Fleischer that predates the song and the special we are talking about this time.
Videocraft International (Rankin Bass) got in idea of working on a special based off the song. I say song because, Romeo Muller, long time Rankin Bass writer, said that the special is based off the song because they couldn't find a copy of the book. This was the first Christmas themed special from Rankin and Bass. It first aired on December 6 1964 on NBC under the "General Electric Fantasy Hour" . The special aired on CBS since 1972 and Freefrom, the cable network, currently airs a version from the current owners of the special, Universal. It has distinction of being the longest continuously running Christmas TV special.
Something that became a mainstay for the company later, but didn't at the start. They had to take a short song and make that work for an hour long (with ads) special. At the time Christmas specials had to be hour long, Charlie Brown's team broke the door open to make it where networks could have 30 minute specials.
The special decides to fill in some of the gaps from the song, which is a more story song, so that did give them some material. They really needed to get from "Join in any Reindeer Games" to "Then one Foggy Christmas Eve" with something happening between those lines.
The special gives us what later becomes something Rankin Bass liked doing for their Christmas specials, a narrator and host to present the story to the viewer. In this case it's Burl Ives as a snowman named Sam. (He's not Frosty, does he know Frosty? I don't know) It's two years after the big snow storm that's not mentioned in the song. (Foggy Christmas Eve not Blizzard of the century)
Don't ask him about Frosty, for the love of everything please don't / Copyright NBC Universal
Burl Ives' voice is a comforting hug guiding you through the story. He explains how everyone in Christmas Town is preparing for uhhh Christmas. ( I want to see how they prepare for Halloween) Mrs. Claus wants Santa to eat eat eat, and get fat because she wants to put on the appearance for some reason, even though kids are supposed to be sleeping! (Hmm she wants that insurance money)
He alludes to big snow storm (the NFL owns the term Super Snow) and now he mentions Rudolph and we are like what the heck , who's Rudolph? He's there to tell us the story using the song (yay!) ( I mean if Rudolph is that famous then we should already know him, this would be his E! True Hollywood Story episode, and we made reference 80% of you don't get, wonderful!)
You know Donner, well he's apparently, Santa's lead reindeer and now he's a father, the father of Rudolph. The parents notice that Rudolph's nose lights up (do they hear the annoying noise it makes too?) and they are shocked. Santa shows up to see the new reindeer is also surprised by the nose. Santa has time to sing a song. (The songs help fill time) This is a song Santa sings about his jingle bells and that he's the king of jingling. (I fight him for that title, any time, come on! )
I also might eat the reindeer that can't pull my sleigh / Copyright NBC Universal
Donner worries that his son won't be good enough for Santa and decides to give Rudolph a false nose. This also sets up the villain of the special, the Abominable Snow Monster, who will be part of this special later, when we need him for plot driving.
The other plot because, there's no way this special could last an hour on just Rudolph's story, includes Santa's elves. There's one named Hermey who even looks different to the other elves(minus the head elf) and he doesn't like to make toys. The others are confused and disturbed by this, he wants to be a dentist. (He found out he can get more vacation days as one)
Well, some elves are Santa's lawyers, why can I be a dentist?/ Copyright NBC Universal
I don't know about you but this part confuses me because the head elf says that if Hermey doesn't finish his toy making he'll be fired, which I mean he would want right? Like he hates making toys , then he sings a song about is he such a misfit, and sings that he quits. Then later, I get to how this confuses me. Back to Rudolph, Donner still makes Rudolph were a fake nose, he really wants Rudolph to live up to the family name. Rudolph sings the same song as Hermey. It's setting up that these two are different from the rest and that they feel bad that they don't conform to what is expected of them, it's a very fitting someway to what the 60's culture became.
They found a way to include the part of the song about Reindeer games. While Santa gets a song from the elves singing about how great they are, no wonder Santa didn't like it. Hermey didn't show up because apparently, he didn't quit even though he said he's quitting make up your mind! The head elf says come to elf practice. (Not sure how you practice to be what you are?) Anyway, now he decides to quit.
Rudolph sees a cute girl reindeer named Clarice who plays sweet girl who has crush on Rudolph and Rudolph has crush on as well. (Reindeer love, the most disturbing of loves) She calls him cute and he jumps and leaps and impresses the reindeer coach, comet. It shows that Rudolph is able to do reindeer functions despite having a nose that glows. They find out that he has a glowing nose and the reindeer freak out because they are reindeer and reindeer are cowards. The reindeer starts to laugh and call him names (yes) and Santa is annoyed too. Again, it doesn't effect his flying and stuff, so reindeer are also idiots. Clarice shows him kindness, but her father is freaked out by the red nose and tells her to get away from him. (Rudolph has a powerful red nose, why would you anger him?)
Hermey and Rudolph finally meet up after setting up how they are both misfits and they are now both independent. The original 1964 showing had a scene called "We're a couple of Misfits" a song that was played with Hermey and Rudolph sung in duet. The song was replaced in 1965 airing with "Fame and Fortune". The CBS post 2005 airings use images from this song with the misfits song, which is strange. The Freeform/ Blu Ray airings use the Misfit song with the original footage to match the song. Going back to the airings on CBS (and a little NBC) It's funny that the Fame and Fortune song was there for 32 years then they randomly switch back to "We're a couple of misfits" they changed a song most people would remember. CBS would edit it again in 2005 doing a mishmash of Fame footage and Misfit song (ironic) The Blu Ray and Freefrom cuts don't do that.
Hermey and Rudolph have to run from the snow monster, because plot. That's when they meet Yukon Cornelius. There's also finally, a song sung by Burl Ives. (I guess they didn't want to pay him too much) Yukon, Rudolph, and Hermey escape the snow monster. Rudolph keeps blaming his nose, but they do get away from the creature, since bumbles can't swim.
He was looking for gold and Jack Daniels/ Copyright NBC Universal
Rudolph's family and Claire go and search for Rudolph, while, the trio make it to the Island of Misfit toys. They meet a Charlie in a box, that apparently kids don't want to play with for some reason. I also don't get why kids wouldn't want a cowboy riding an ostrich toy, Half bird fish thing, or gun that shoots jelly, those are cool as heck. (and convenient) Rudolph and group can't stay on the Island because the king toy is like "living things can't run away to islands"(he's wrong). Rudolph leaves Yukon and Hermey that night and travels on by himself, growing embiggened.
"No living things here but you are living" "Silence or I'll eat you or something" /Copyright NBC Universal
Rudolph makes it back home and finds out everyone else is looking for him. He goes searching an finds them trapped with the snow monster and it's a "fight" not really because the creature just bonks him on the head. Yukon and Hermey go to find Rudolph. Thanks to the Bumble not just eating Rudolph and the others quickly, he lets the plot happen. (shameful really) Yukon has Hermey make pig noises to trick the bumble and defeat it. (Weird he didn't shoot it, darn 1960's get on that!) Sadly, Yukon falls down with the bumble off the cliff and the kill count is 1.
Took out his teeth, maybe Hermey shouldn't be a dentist after all/ Copyright NBC Universal
. One thing that the special shows explicitly is the people who made fun of Hermey and Rudolph do apologize to them .There are also people who say that Santa is only using Rudolph for his nose powers and that's not true either. But again, social media sites and websites that live on Clickbait have nothing better to do, so they go write anything they can because they have too much time on their hands. Anyway....
Oh wait, no, Yukon is not dead, and remember the bumble has no teeth now thanks to Hermey so he's powerless. (And going to die from not being able to eat, great work!) Oh yeah, that part of the song where's it's one Foggy Christmas Eve , but yet it's also a blizzard because fog is a blizzard now. Then Santa figures out that Rudolph has light for a nose and asks Rudolph if he can lead his sleigh. (Or if you are a Huffpost writer, Santa finds use in Rudolph for exploitive purposes after being mean to him the entire special, because I need clicks, Verizon washed their hands of that site for a reason)
Anyway, Rudolph accepts and Christmas travel is back on. Now, back to some history.
So in the 1964 original airing. had scene of Yukon finding a peppermint mine and there was no scene of Santa delivering the misfit toys.. Some viewers apparently complained, and this 1964 viewers so they took their time wrote letters and mailed them (when complaining took thoughtful effort ). In 1965, they added a scene of Santa doing just that and cutting the peppermint scene. That scene didn't broadcast again until 2019 on the Freeform airing, while CBS' version still keeps that cut. It is on the home media though.
This is a special that really doesn't need my reviewing. The special is a pinnacle of Rankin Bass' canon. Its stop motion isn't smooth as later works would have but it has a charm that works and still is quality work. There's a warmth to this special that brings to the holiday season, it's part of holiday special canon for a reason and the record of being the longest running continually aired Christmas special. It's not my #1 favorite Rankin Bass special, but it's the list. The story of characters who want their place in the world and non conform to the standard is well done, and the way they added story to short song was well done. I enjoyed the trio characters and the Santa lore is interesting that he gets fattened up for Christmas is an interesting touch. The songs are great as well, minus that elf song. Burl Ives was a great choice to narrate, whomever made that decision, thank you! His voice lends a great warmth to the special and genuinely makes the viewer interested in the story presented.
If you are someone who hasn't seen it, do give it watch!
That's it for now, tune in next time, when we ride our ostrich to the bread store to get bread to make toast to use our jelly pistol!
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