Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV special)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
by Johnny Marks
Written byRomeo Muller
Directed byLarry Roemer
Narrated byBurl Ives
ComposerJohnny Marks
Country of origin
  • United States
  • Canada
  • Japan
Original languageEnglish
Production
Producer
NBC
ReleaseDecember 6, 1964 (1964-12-06)
Related

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a 1964

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" which was itself based on the poem of the same name written in 1939 by Marks's brother-in-law, Robert L. May. Since 1972, the special has aired on CBS
. The network unveiled a high-definition, digitally remastered version of the program in 2005, re-scanned frame-by-frame from the original 35 mm film elements.

As with A Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer no longer airs merely once annually, but several times during the Christmas and holiday season. It has been telecast every year since 1964, making it the longest continuously running Christmas TV special in the United States. The 50th anniversary of the television special was marked in 2014,[3] and a series of postage stamps featuring Rudolph was issued by the United States Postal Service on November 6, 2014.[4] A special exhibit was also mounted at the Masterworks Museum in Bermuda, where the original puppets are held.[5] In 2019, Freeform (formerly ABC Family) started airing the special as part of its 25 Days of Christmas/Rankin-Bass Christmas holiday programming block.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was initially met with a positive reception among critics, who praised the voice acting, soundtrack, animation style, characters, and sets. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is often regarded as one of the best Christmas films ever made, being featured on numerous "top ten" lists. It has become widely popular among both young children and adults familiar with the Christmas season, and has garnered a large cult following since its initial debut.

Plot

Donner, Santa's lead reindeer, and his wife have a new fawn named Rudolph. They are surprised to find out he was born with a glowing red nose. Donner attempts to first cover Rudolph's nose with mud, and later uses a fake nose, so Rudolph will fit in with the other reindeer. The following spring, Rudolph goes out for the reindeer games, where the new fawns learn to fly and are scouted by Santa for future sleigh duty. Rudolph meets a doe named Clarice, who tells him he is cute, making Rudolph fly. While he celebrates with the other bucks, Rudolph's fake nose pops off, causing the other reindeer to mock him and Coach Comet to expel him.

Rudolph meets and joins Hermey, a misfit elf who left Santa's workshop to follow his dream to become a dentist, and Yukon Cornelius, a prospector who has spent his life searching for silver and gold. After escaping the Abominable Snow Monster, all three land on the Island of Misfit Toys. It is a place where unloved or unwanted toys reside with their ruler, a winged lion named King Moonracer, who brings the toys to the island until he can find homes and children who will love them. The king allows them to stay one night on the island and asks them to ask Santa to find homes for them. Rudolph leaves on his own, worried that his nose will endanger his friends.

Time passes and Rudolph, now a young stag, returns home to find that his parents and Clarice have been searching for him. He then travels to the Abominable's cave, where they are being held captive. Rudolph attempts to rescue Clarice until the monster knocks him down with a stalactite. Hermey and Yukon eventually show up with a plan to help out Rudolph. Hermey lures the monster out of the cave by imitating the sound of a pig and pulls out the Abominable's teeth after Yukon knocks him out. Yukon drives the toothless monster back over a cliff and falls with it.

Rudolph, Hermey, Clarice, and the Donners return home where everyone apologizes to them. Yukon returns with a tamed Abominable, now trained to trim a Christmas tree, explaining that the monster's bouncing ability saved both of their lives. Christmas Eve comes and while everybody is celebrating, Santa announces that a big snowstorm is approaching, forcing him to cancel Christmas. Blinded by Rudolph's bright nose, he changes his mind and asks Rudolph to lead the sleigh. Rudolph accepts, and their first stop is the Island of Misfit Toys, where Santa delivers the toys to children.

Cast

Hermey and Rudolph, during the "We're a Couple of Misfits" musical sequence.

Production

Original release advertisement

The special, with the teleplay by Romeo Muller, introduced several new characters inspired by the song's lyrics. Muller told an interviewer shortly before his death that he would have preferred to base the teleplay on May's original book, but could not find a copy.[9] Other than Burl Ives, all characters were portrayed by Canadian actors recorded at RCA studios in Toronto under the supervision of Bernard Cowan.[10]

Rankin and Bass chose Canadian voice actors for two reasons. First, while the last radio dramas in the U.S. had ended production a few years previously, many were still being produced in Canada, giving the producers a large talent pool to choose from.[11] Second, Rankin and Bass, financially stretched while making Tales of the Wizard of Oz a few years earlier, had been able to complete that series only due to the lower labor costs in Canada.[12]

Ives' parts were recorded later. He and his character were added to the cast just before the end of production, after NBC and General Electric, the show's sponsor, asked Rankin and Bass to add a name familiar to audiences to the cast.[12] Character designer Antony Peters intentionally made the Sam the Snowman character resemble Ives.[13]

After the script, concept designs and storyboards for Rudolph were done by

Willy McBean and his Magic Machine, to The Daydreamer and Mad Monster Party?[9]

In the original production, Billie Mae Richards, who voiced Rudolph, was credited as "Billy Richards" since Rankin and Bass did not want to disclose that a woman had done the part.[11] Antony Peters' name was also misspelled,[12] as was the year of the copyright notice (which used Roman numerals), listing it as MCLXIV (year 1164) and not MCMLXIV,[14] potentially weakening the copyright.[15][16]

The dolls for Rudolph and Santa cost $5,000 to make.[17][18]

Aftermath

Since those involved with the production had no idea of the future value of the stop-motion puppet figures used in the production, many were not preserved. Rankin claimed in 2007 to be in possession of an original Rudolph figure.

Atlanta, Georgia.[26]

In May 2023, it was revealed by Rankin-Bass historian Rick Goldschmidt that the restored puppets of Santa and Rudolph were actually “publicity” copies, used for photography and other purposes rather than being screen used copies from Japan where the animation was done. These puppets were displayed at the NBC headquarters in New York before eventually given back to Rankin-Bass, whose secretary Barbara Adams took them home for her children.[27]

Ives, and his

SAG or others in the States", Soles recalled in 2014.[12] He, Richards and the other main cast voices received only a thousand dollars over the three years after the special's original airing; it has in some years since made $100 million. While Richards said in 2000 that her compensation was a "sore subject" for her, she had no complaints about the work itself. "I feel so lucky to have something that has made such an impact on people, and it's because of the story first and foremost."[28]

Songs

  1. "Jingle, Jingle, Jingle" - Santa Claus
  2. "We Are Santa's Elves" - Elves
  3. "There's Always Tomorrow" - Clarice
  4. "We're a Couple of Misfits" - Rudolph and Hermey
  5. "Fame and Fortune" - Rudolph and Hermey
  6. "Silver and Gold" - Sam the Snowman
  7. "The Most Wonderful Day of the Year" - Misfit Toys
  8. "A Holly Jolly Christmas" - Sam the Snowman
  9. "
    Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
    " - Sam the Snowman

Versions

Original 1964 NBC broadcast edit

This version has the

GE College Bowl and Meet the Press, which were presumably preempted that Sunday for the inaugural 5:30 p.m. (EST) telecast. The College Bowl quiz show was also sponsored by GE.[29] The original does not include Santa traveling to the Island of Misfit Toys, but does include a scene near the end of the special in which Yukon Cornelius discovers a peppermint mine near Santa's workshop. He can be seen throughout the special tossing his pickax into the air, sniffing, then licking the end that contacts the snow or ice. Deletion of the peppermint segment in 1965, to make room for Santa traveling to the Island of Misfit Toys, leaves the audience to assume that Cornelius was attempting to find either silver or gold by taste alone.[9]

1965–1997 telecasts

The 1965 broadcast also included a new duet between Rudolph and Hermey called "Fame and Fortune", which replaced a scene in which the same characters sang "We're a Couple of Misfits". Viewers of the 1964 special complained that Santa was not shown fulfilling his promise to the Misfit Toys to include them in his annual toy delivery.[9] In reaction, a new scene for subsequent rebroadcasts was produced with Santa making his first stop at the Island to pick up the toys. This is the ending that has been shown on all telecasts and video releases ever since. Until sometime in the 1970s, the special aired without additional cuts, but eventually more commercial time was required by the network. In 1978, several sequences were deleted to make room for more advertising: the instrumental bridge from "We Are Santa's Elves" featuring the elf orchestra, additional dialogue by Burl Ives, and the "Peppermint Mine" scene resolving the fate of Yukon Cornelius.[9] The special's 1993 restoration saw "Misfits" returned to its original film context, and the 2004 DVD release showcases "Fame and Fortune" as a separate musical number.

1998–2004 CBS telecasts

Most of the 1965 deletions were restored in 1998, and "Fame and Fortune" was replaced with the original "We're a Couple of Misfits" reprise. A short slide reading "Rankin/Bass Presents" was inserted at the beginning of the special to reflect the company's name change.

Post-2005 telecasts

Starting in 2005, CBS re-inserted the "Fame and Fortune" scene, albeit with the soundtrack replaced by a rather roughly edited version of "We're a Couple of Misfits".[9] The special has also been edited to make more time for commercial advertising.

CBS did acquire streaming rights to the special, meaning it is available through its direct-to-consumer Internet service

Hulu + Live TV.[30]

2019–present Freeform broadcast edit

In May 2019, it was announced that

Hulu + Live TV, which have traditionally carried all network programming in the same fashion as cable and satellite providers; CBS parent company Paramount claimed, copyright ambiguity notwithstanding, that it did have streaming rights to the special.[34]

CBS still shows the version they have had since 2005, while Freeform's airings reinsert much of the material deleted or changed from CBS's broadcasts, such as the original version of "We're a Couple of Misfits" as well as the "Peppermint Mine" scene, making it the first time that the latter scene has been seen on television since the original broadcast. Freeform's print of the special also has the 2012 Universal Pictures logo preceding the special, due to their purchase of Classic Media's owner, DreamWorks Animation in 2016.

Home media

When Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was first released on VHS and LaserDisc by Family Home Entertainment and Broadway Video from 1989 to 1996 under the Christmas Classics Series label, the 1965 rebroadcast print described above was used. It got re-released in 1997 by Family Home Entertainment and Golden Books Family Entertainment. It used the same print, but with the GBFE logo at the end instead of the Broadway Video logo. All current video prints of Rudolph by Classic Media are a compendium of the two previous telecast versions of the special. All the footage in the current versions follow the original 1964 NBC broadcast (without the original GE commercials) up until the "Peppermint Mine" scene, followed by the final act of the 1965 edit (with the Island of Misfit Toys finale and the 1965 alternate credits in place of the original end credit sequence).

In 1998, the special was re-released on VHS by Sony Wonder and Golden Books Family Entertainment. In 1999, the special was released for the first time on DVD by the two companies. In 2010, the special was released for the first time on Blu-ray by Vivendi Entertainment. This edit has been made available in original color form by former rights holders Classic Media,[35] (which in 2012 became the DreamWorks Classics division of DreamWorks Animation, and finally in 2016, part of Universal Pictures)[36] As previously mentioned, this is also the version that had previously aired on CBS, albeit in edited form to accommodate more commercial time. On November 4, 2014, they re-released the special on a 50th anniversary edition on Blu-ray and DVD.[37] The same 50th anniversary Blu-ray edition was released with an exclusive storybook; this was only sold at Walmart. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment re-released the special again on DVD and Blu-ray in 2018. Universal re-released the special on 4K UHD Blu-ray as part of The Classic Christmas Specials Collection (with Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town) in 2022.

Soundtrack

The songs were written by Johnny Marks, with musical director Maury Laws composing the incidental score.[38] In addition to songs written specifically for the film, several of Marks' other holiday standards populate the instrumental score, among them "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" and "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day". Many of the songs are utilized in the score as musical themes for recurring characters and ideas, such as "Silver and Gold" (for Yukon Cornelius, sung by Burl Ives), "Jingle, Jingle, Jingle" (Santa, sung by Stan Francis) and "There's Always Tomorrow" (Clarice, sung by Janis Orenstein). Some of these themes are modified for dramatic purposes, particularly those of the Abominable Snow Monster, who has several interwoven themes; a primary motif, indicated by brass and an F minor key; a modulating chase theme led by tack piano; a tritonal attack theme combining the latter two; and finally the deleted song "The Abominable Snow Monster",[39] which is alluded to melodically during a scene in the Abominable's cave. None of the film's original score has ever been released.

In 1964, an LP record of the soundtrack was released on Decca Records. It contained different mixes of the original songs performed as they are in the special, with the exception of Burl Ives' material, which has been re-recorded. MCA Special Products released the soundtrack on CD in June 1995. It is an exact duplication of the original LP released in 1964. Tracks 1-9 are the remixed soundtrack selections while tracks 10-19 are the same songs performed by the Decca Concert Orchestra. The song "Fame and Fortune" is not contained on either release. On November 30, 2004, the soundtrack was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling over 500,000 copies.

Ives re-recorded "A Holly Jolly Christmas", with different arrangements, for the song's 1964 single release.[note 1] This version, along with a similarly newly recorded version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", was released the following year on his 1965 album Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.[40]

Merchandise

Books and other items related to the show have in some cases misspelled "Hermey" as "Herbie". Rick Goldschmidt, who wrote Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Making of the Rankin/Bass Holiday Classic, says the scripts by Romeo Muller show the spelling to be "Hermey".[41]

A Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer video game was released on November 9, 2010. The adaptation was published by Red Wagon Games for the Wii and Nintendo DS, and was developed by High Voltage Software and Glyphic Entertainment respectively. The Wii version was received poorly, and garnered extremely negative reviews from sites such as IGN giving it a 1.5/10.[42]

Reception

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer received an approval rating of 95% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on thirteen reviews, with an average rating of 9.37/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a yule-tide gem that bursts with eye-popping iconography, a spirited soundtrack, and a heart-warming celebration of difference."[43] In December 2018, a Hollywood Reporter/Morning Consult poll which surveyed 2,200 adults from Nov. 15–18, 2018, named Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer the most beloved holiday film, with 83 percent of respondents having a generally favorable response to the title.[44]

Sequels

The Rankin/Bass special inspired numerous television sequels made by the same studio:

In popular culture

The television special's familiarity to American audiences through its annual rebroadcasts, along with its stop-motion animation that is easy to recreate with modern technology and the special's ambiguous copyright status, has lent itself to numerous parodies and homages over the years.

Films by Corky Quakenbush

Animator Corky Quakenbush has produced parodies of Rudolph for several American television shows:

Uses in advertising

  • In 1964, Rankin & Bass produced several commercials for the General Electric-sponsored broadcast.[29]
  • In November 2007, the Aflac insurance company released a commercial that featured Rudolph, who has a cold but does not want to miss work. All his friends say he will be unable to pay for his expenses. Santa then tells them about Aflac. Charlie wonders what will happen if Rudolph is not better by Christmas, but Rudolph thinks the Aflac duck can do the work. Rudolph gets better in a week, but Blitzen is sick, so the Aflac duck fills in for him.[50]
  • In 2009,
    AT&T phone. The characters wonder why it is there with all of its features but soon discover why, when the phone shows a map of where it has 3G coverage. (Verizon's ad campaign touts its much wider 3G coverage compared to AT&T's.) The toy airplane replies: "You're gonna fit right in here!" and falls on the ground laughing.[citation needed
    ]
  • Starting in 2011, there have been several
    Bing.com commercials, filmed to look like the same stop-motion style as the special, which feature several characters including Rudolph, Yukon Cornelius, Hermey, the Bumble, and the Misfit Toys.[citation needed
    ]
  • A 2012 commercial for
    Windows phone features Bumble the Abominable Snowman (with his full set of teeth), speed-dating and getting advice from friends through Live Tiles. A follow-up features Bumble at Santa's North Pole pool party, and Santa using Live Tiles on his new Windows Phone to help him give his elves the holiday-season toy production directives.[citation needed
    ]
  • A 2013 commercial for Nissan shows a woman in a dealership briefly entering a fantasy, wherein Santa's Elves, including Boss Elf and Hermey, have expanded their manufacturing line to include Nissan cars. Furthermore, the Bumble makes an appearance test driving one to his obvious approval.[citation needed]
  • CBS celebrated the special's 50th anniversary in 2014 with Rudolph and Sam the Snowman celebrating with cast members from The Big Bang Theory and NCIS while passing by their studio lots.[51]
  • In 2014, the United States Postal Service used four characters (Rudolph, Hermey, Yukon Cornelius, and Bumble) for the year's "Contemporary Christmas" stamp issue.[4][52]
  • In 2015, the Rudolph characters began appearing in commercials for
    Lily Adams
    .

Other references

Dolly for Sue, a character from the television special (1964)
  • Dolly for Sue, a supporting character from the special, has sparked speculation since her debut. Being a seemingly normal-looking rag doll, there is no clear reason for Dolly being on the Island of Misfit Toys. For some time, it was debated that it had to do with her physical appearance, particularly her missing a nose.[53] Other speculations were raised, and many believed Dolly was only created because the rest of the toys on the island were "boys", so they created a "girl" toy to balance the cast. In the early 2000s, during an interview with Television Academy, Arthur Rankin Jr. revealed that the reason she stands out from all the other misfit toys is because she was a last-minute addition to the cast, and hinted at the possibly of it being due to psychological reasons.[54] On December 8, 2007, during a trivia game on Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, the mystery was seemingly put to rest as Rankin himself admitted in a recent interview: "she was cast off by her mistress and was clinically depressed."[55][56]
  • Mystery Science Theater 3000 made numerous references to the special in their movie hecklings, such as Rudolph's line "I'm cute!! I'm cuute!! She said I'm cuuuuuutte!!!!". In episode 321, which screened Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, the MST3K cast had their own ideas for potential residents on the Island of Misfit Toys including Toaster Dolls, Patrick Swayze's Roadhouse board game, the EZ Bake Foundry, and Mr. Mashed Potato Head.
  • The 2003 live-action Will Ferrell comedy Elf pays homage to the Rudolph special with similar stop-motion animation characters interacting with live actors, with Leon (Leon Redbone) appearing in place of Sam the Snowman. The elves also wear the same distinctive red, blue, and green costume design with cone-shaped hats.[57]
  • In 2010, the comedy website CollegeHumor made a short parody video called "Rudolph the Regular Reindeer", depicting what the special would've been like if Rudolph's nose had been surgically fixed as an infant.[58]

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Magical Animation of 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  2. .
  3. ^ "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer celebrates 50th anniversary". CBS News. December 9, 2014. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Rudolph all red-nosed over stamp of approval". United States Postal Service. November 6, 2014. Archived from the original on December 24, 2014. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the nation's longest-running and highest-rated Christmas television special 'went down in history' to receive its stamp of approval today. The set of four Limited Edition Forever stamps depicting Rudolph, Hermey, Santa and Bumble were created from still television frames from the special which premiered 50 years ago in 1964.
  5. ^ Wood, Heather (December 5, 2014). "Christmas special turning 50". The Royal Gazette [Bermuda]. royalgazette.com. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  6. ^ Young, John (September 14, 2010). "Billie Mae Richards, voice of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, dies at 88". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012.
  7. ^ Ford, Don (November 19, 2010). "'Rudolph' remembered". My View. Halton, Ontario: InsideHalton.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  8. ^ Turnbull, Barbara (December 11, 2014). "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer's Toronto connection". Toronto Star. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g 7 Facts About Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (YouTube). ChannelFrederator. December 19, 2017. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  10. ^ Braithwaite, Dennis (December 8, 1964). "Canadian voices". The Globe and Mail. p. 31.
  11. ^ a b Nelson, Valerie J. (September 14, 2010). "Billie Mae Richards dies at 88; Canadian actress best known as voice of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  12. ^ a b c d Brioux, Bill (December 4, 2014). "'Rudolph' Christmas special endures for 50 years despite being made on the cheap". Times Colonist. Victoria, British Columbia. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  13. .
  14. Akron Beacon-Journal
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  15. ^ Hayes, David P. "Guide to Roman Numerals". Copyright Registration and Renewal Information Chart and Web Site.
  16. ^ Cronin, Brian (December 16, 2018). "Did a Typo Accidentally Make Rudolph's TV Special Public Domain?". CBR. Retrieved December 25, 2023. However, as I have written in the past, the writer of the special hadn't even had the chance to read the book where Rudolph originated, so there are lots of new characters introduced in the special. That doesn't take away, though, from the fact that the special is mostly wrapped up in the very much copyrighted Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, so the special itself would likely be considered a derivative work, thus avoiding any specific issues arising from the rest of the special not being officially copyrighted. In other words, while it was not OFFICIALLY copyrighted, it likely would be considered protected under a sort of default copyright derived from being a work based on a copyrighted character like Rudolph.
  17. ^ "Jules Bass, co-creator of TV's 'Rudolph' and 'Frosty the Snowman,' dies at age 87". NPR. October 27, 2022. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023.
  18. ^ "Rudolph, Santa figures soar to sale of $368,000 at auction". WMTV. November 14, 2020. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023.
  19. ^ a b c Togneri, Chris (December 12, 2007). "Zelienople man saves Santa, Rudolph". triblive.com. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  20. PBS. May 15, 2006. Archived from the original
    on July 18, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
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  22. ^ Welch, Chris (December 23, 2015). "'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' figurines' new life". CNN. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  23. ^ "Rudolph and his nose-so-bright into auction will take flight". AP NEWS. Associated Press. October 15, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  24. ^ Profiles in History. "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer Auction 126". Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  25. ^ "Rudolph, Santa figures used in 1964 stop-motion animation TV special sell for $368K at auction". WABC-TV. Associated Press. November 15, 2020. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  26. ^ Hood-Cree, Cameron. "Center for Puppetry Arts gets original figures from 'Rudolph' cartoon". Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  27. ^ Goldschmidt, Rick (May 22, 2023). "Is the Mystery of "Screen-Used" Rankin/Bass Rudolph Puppets Solved?". Remind Magazine. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  28. ^ Kampert, Patrick (December 22, 2002). "They're no misfits; 'Rudolph' stars still working". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  29. ^ a b Original Rankin/Bass Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer GE Commercials (1964). MiserBrosPress. August 9, 2011. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2017 – via YouTube.
  30. ^ Sergent, Katie (December 13, 2023). "'Rudolph,' 'Frosty the Snowman' showings to be blacked out on CBS streaming platforms". WWMT. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  31. ^ Bennett, Anita (May 14, 2019). "Freeform Expands '31 Nights of Halloween' Programming With 'Ghostbusters' and Other Classics". Deadline.
  32. ^ Lowin, Rebekah (May 19, 2019). "Freeform Revealed Major Details About '25 Days of Christmas' for 2019". Country Living.
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  34. ^ Sergent, Katie (December 13, 2023). "'Rudolph,' 'Frosty the Snowman' showings to be blacked not out on CBS streaming platforms". WWMT. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  35. ^ "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Behind the Scenes". Tvparty.com. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  36. ^ Lieberman, David (July 23, 2012). "DreamWorks Animation Agrees To Pay $155M For Classic Media". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
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  38. ^ Laws, Maury (April 19, 2003). Author/Historian Rick Goldschmidt Interviews Maury Laws (audio). Percepto Records.
  39. ^ Goldschmidt, Rick (2014) [2001]. The Making of the Rankin/Bass Holiday Classic: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Miser Bros. Press. p. 63.
  40. ^ Torreano, Bradley. "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas - Burl Ives". AllMusic. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  41. ^ "Ask SAM: 'It's a Wonderful Life' pre-empted by 'Sound of Music Live'". Winston-Salem Journal. December 20, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
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  44. ^ Galuppo, Mia (December 4, 2018). "'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' Most Beloved Holiday Movie, Poll Finds". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
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  47. ^ Raging Rudolph (YouTube). November 30, 2006. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  48. ^ The Reinfather. May 7, 2007. Archived from the original (YouTube) on December 17, 2011. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  49. ^ A Pack of Gifts Now (YouTube). December 24, 2007. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  50. ^ Aflac - Rudolph (YouTube). November 11, 2007. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  51. ^ Happy Holidays From CBS & Rudolph 50th Anniversary In 2014 (YouTube)
  52. ^ "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". United States Postal Service. November 6, 2014. Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps. The Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps.
  53. ^ "Mystery In 'Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer' Has Been Solved". WPLW-FM. December 3, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  54. ^ "What Was Wrong with Rudolph's Dolly for Sue?". December 2019.
  55. ^ "The Dolly in 'Rudolph' is Actually on the Island of Misfit Toys for a Heartbreaking Reason". December 3, 2019.
  56. ^ "Not My Job". NPR.org. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
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Notes

  1. ^ None of the soundtrack's recordings were ever released as singles. Ives' 1964 single release of "A Holly Jolly Christmas", despite being released around the same time as the soundtrack, was a new recording; the one commonly heard today.
  1. ^ Recurring characters include Rudolph (voiced by Billie Mae Richards), Santa Claus (voiced by Stan Francis), and Mrs. Claus (voiced by Peg Dixon) in this special. Various actors portray the other reindeer.
  2. ^ Recurring characters include Frosty the Snowman (voiced by Jackie Vernon), Santa (voiced by Paul Frees), and Professor Hinkle Tinkerton (voiced by Billy De Wolfe) in this special. Santa's reindeer also feature.
  3. ^ Recurring characters include Santa (voiced by Mickey Rooney), Mrs. Jessica Claus (voiced by Robie Lester), and S.D. Kluger (voiced by Fred Astaire) in this special. Rudolph and Santa's other reindeer also feature.
  4. ^ Recurring characters include the Easter Bunny (voiced by Casey Kasem), and Santa (voiced by Frees) in this special. Santa's reindeer also feature.
  5. ^ Recurring characters in this special include Santa (voiced by Allen Swift), alongside his featured reindeer.
  6. ^ Recurring characters include Santa (voiced by Rooney), Mrs. Claus (voiced by Shirley Booth), Snow Miser (voiced by Dick Shawn), Heat Miser (voiced by George S. Irving), and Mother Nature (voiced by Rhoda Mann) in this special. Rudolph and Santa's other reindeer also feature.
  7. ^ Recurring characters include Easter Bunny (voiced by Robert Morse and Burl Ives), and Santa (voiced by Frees) in this special. Santa's reindeer also feature.
  8. ^ Recurring characters include Frosty (voiced by Vernon), Mrs. Crystal Frosty (voiced by Shelley Winters), and Jack Frost (voiced by Frees) in this special.
  9. ^ Recurring characters include Rudolph (voiced by Richards) and Santa (voiced by Frees) in this special. Santa's other reindeer also feature.
  10. ^ Recurring characters include Easter Bunny (voiced by Skip Hinnant), and S.D. Kluger (voiced by Astaire) in this special.
  11. ^ Recurring characters in this special include Santa (voiced by Frees), along with Rudolph and his other featured reindeer.
  12. ^ Recurring characters in this special include Santa Claus during a scene which compares the Ghost of Christmas Present to him (both characters were voiced by Frees).
  13. ^ The recurring character is Jack Frost (voiced by Robert Morse) in this special.
  14. ^ Recurring characters include Rudolph (voiced by Richards), Frosty (voiced by Vernon), Santa (voiced by Rooney), Mrs. Claus (voiced by Darlene Conley), Crystal (voiced by Winters), and Jack Frost (voiced by Frees) in this special. Santa's other reindeer also feature.
  15. ^ The recurring characters in the special include Santa (voiced by Swift), alongside his featured reindeer.
  16. ^ The recurring character is Frosty (voiced by John Goodman) in this special. Mother Nature is also referenced in the short.
  17. ^ Recurring characters include Rudolph (voiced by Kathleen Barr), Santa (voiced by Garry Chalk), and Mrs. Claus (also voiced by Barr) in this film. Santa's other reindeer, and various other characters from the 1964 original also feature.
  18. ^ Recurring characters include Frosty (voiced by Bill Fagerbakke), and Professor Tinkerton (voiced by Kath Soucie) in this special.
  19. ^ Recurring characters include Snow Miser (voiced by Juan Chioran), Heat Miser (voiced by Irving), Santa (voiced by Rooney), Mrs. Claus (voiced by Catherine Disher), and Mother Earth (voiced by Patricia Hamilton) in this special. Santa's reindeer also feature.

External links