Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
“Could it be that some of you are not acquainted with the story of Rudolph?”
also
“Donner! You should be ashamed of yourself!”
Ok…we know Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a TV movie. But it’s Christmas.
On the chance that some of you might truly not be acquainted with the story…
RtRNR is a 1964 “Animagic” (stop motion) telling of the origin story of the most famous reindeer of all. Rudolph’s tale - relayed by Sam the Snowman (Burl Ives - East of Eden) begins with his birth as the son of Donner (Paul Kligman - Captain America cartoon), Santa’s lead reindeer - no pressure there - and an unnamed Doe (presumably Mrs. Donner).
His parent’s joy quickly turns to shame when it is revealed that Rudolph (Billie Mae Richards - Care Bears) was born with a “defect” - a brightly shining nose that appears to glow. We’ll set aside the question of whether this makes him the world’s first known mutant deer (the X-Men do not appear in this version of the story), but he quickly finds himself hiding his secret from the other reindeer.
What’s the big deal about a glowing nose?
Apparently conformity is a big thing in Christmas Town. Rudolph’s father’s distress is palpable and he goes to great lengths to cover up his son’s proboscis problem…only to have no less than Santa, who comes off as a real jerk, telling Donner “you should be ashamed of yourself!” (to have a son like that).
Whew. Tough place to grow up.
It is also tough for Hermey the Elf (Paul Soles - The Incredible Hulk), a “misfit” who, against all expectations, doesn’t want to make toys. His story runs parallel to Rudolph’s until they two meet and the movie really begins to take off. As it does, we are introduced to a quickly expanding cast, including the prospector Yukon Cornelius, the Abominable Snow Monster, the residents of the Island of Misfit Toys, and many more.
If you’ve seen the movie, you know how it ends. We won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen it, but will say it involves a lot of fog, flying, and people learning to embrace each other’s differences.
That is, of course, what Rudolph is all about: recognizing that everyone can contribute. It this simple lesson that makes this movie timeless and something for all of us to return to - not just during the holiday season…and not just those of us with red noses.
You can catch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer flying HERE, on Hulu Live, and on CBS All Access.
Four out of Five Magical Reindeer.
🦌🦌🦌🦌
A fan of Rudolph? You might want to tie your sleigh to one of these!
