Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1948 film)

Last updated
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Directed by Max Fleischer
Written by Robert L. May
Screen Adaptation:
Joseph Stultz
Based on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
by Robert L. May
Produced byMax Fleischer
Starring Paul Wing
Narrated byPaul Wing
CinematographyCharles Schettler
Music by
Animation by
Backgrounds byScenic Artist:
Shane Miller
Color process Technicolor
Production
company
Distributed byJam Handy Organization
Release date
  • November 11, 1948 (1948-11-11)
Running time
8:11
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a 1948 animated short film produced and directed by Max Fleischer [1] for Jam Handy based on the 1939 Robert L. May poem of the same name, about a flying reindeer who helps Santa Claus. [2]

Contents

Plot

In the "hills", several reindeer children are busy having a fun time: ice skating, tree climbing, leap-frogging, even decorating a Christmas tree. One young reindeer decorating a tree spots a red object and, curious, tickles it with a leaf. It turns out to be Rudolph, who flops out of the tree with a sneeze. The reindeer who revealed him teases him over his shiny red nose, which hurts his feelings. When he tries to wrap the nose to hide it and join the others on the ice, another snatches the cover away. Rejected and saddened after being teased and made fun of by the other reindeer children, Rudolph returns home where his mother greets him and tries to cheer him up by reminding him to hang his stocking for Santa. He quickly does so, imagining Santa giving him a lot of toys, and quickly goes to bed, though his sleep is incredibly fitful, saddened by the other reindeer's teasing and taunting.

Meanwhile in the North Pole, Santa Claus peeks out of his workshop and takes notice of the heavy fog, noting that it would be tough to get though on his own. When the grandfather clock strikes midnight, Santa quickly rushes in to get his reindeer and get ready for the travel ahead. As they travel, Santa warns that they'd have to fly low to get through the fog, only to crash into some trees. The Reindeer get loose and they try again. Over a town, Santa and the reindeer nearly crash into an airplane and, a little later, crash onto a rooftop. The reindeer and sleigh are stuck on the roof, but they're able to break free.

Reaching Rudolph's house, Santa gives presents to a set of reindeer children, but is caught off-guard by the light in Rudolph's room, only to learn that it's Rudolph's shiny red nose. Surprised by this, he gets an idea and wakes Rudolph. Rudolph attempts to hide his nose, but Santa stops him and tells him of his perils. Agreeing to help him, Rudolph leaves a note for his parents before joining Santa on his journey, leading the other reindeer throughout the rest of the night.

The next morning, news of Rudolph's journey reaches his hometown and all the other reindeer race to a stadium where Santa appoints Rudolph as the commander-in-chief. Blushing from head to toe, Rudolph bashfully tells everyone "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night". [3]

Voices

Production

This 8-minute animated interpretation of the Christmas poem preceded Gene Autry's 1949 song "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and the later more famous animated 1964 version by Rankin/Bass. It was based on Robert L. May's 1939 story, rather than the song. [5] The 1964 special more closely resembles the song rather than the original story. [6]

The short was created to advertise Montgomery Ward department stores, publisher of the original story. The original release included a credit for the company, and lacked the famous song, with the opening credits instead playing over an instrumental version of "Silent Night, Holy Night". A 1951 re-release added a choral version of the song to the credits and removed the Montgomery Ward name. [7]

Distribution

The reissue is widely available on public domain videotapes and DVDs, as well as online. The original version is stored at the Library of Congress; there, it was posted online in 2014. [7]

In other media

The song and the scenes were added in Very Merry Christmas Songs, the Christmas video volume from Disney's Sing Along Songs . [8] It was also featured on Rifftrax in 2009. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer</span> Fictional reindeer created by Robert L. May

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a fictional reindeer created by Robert L. May. Rudolph is usually depicted as the ninth and youngest of Santa Claus's reindeer, using his luminous red nose to lead the reindeer team and guide Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve. Though he initially receives ridicule for his nose as a fawn, the brightness of his nose is so powerful that it illuminates the team's path through harsh winter weather. Ronald D. Lankford, Jr., described Rudolph's story as "the fantasy story made to order for American children: each child has the need to express and receive approval for his or her individuality and/or special qualities. Rudolph's story embodies the American Dream for the child, written large because of the cultural significance of Christmas."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Marks</span> American songwriter (1909–1985)

John David Marks was an American songwriter. He specialized in Christmas songs and wrote many holiday standards, including "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", "A Holly Jolly Christmas", "Silver and Gold", and "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment</span> Former production company known mainly for animated holiday specials

Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment was an American production company located in New York City, and known for its seasonal television specials, usually done in stop motion animation. Rankin/Bass's stop-motion productions are recognizable by their visual style of doll-like characters with spheroid body parts and ubiquitous powdery snow using an animation technique called Animagic.

<i>Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer</i> (TV special) 1964 Christmas TV special

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a 1964 stop motion Christmas animated television special produced by Videocraft International, Ltd. It first aired December 6, 1964, on the NBC television network in the United States and was sponsored by General Electric under the umbrella title of The General Electric Fantasy Hour. The special was based on the 1949 Johnny Marks song "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.

<i>Rudolphs Shiny New Year</i> American-Japanese 1976 animated TV special

Rudolph's Shiny New Year is a 1976 Christmas and New Year's stop motion animated television special and a standalone sequel to the 1964 special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. The special premiered on ABC on December 10, 1976.

<i>The Year Without a Santa Claus</i> 1974 stop-motion television special

The Year Without a Santa Claus is a 1974 stop motion animated Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. The story is based on Phyllis McGinley's 1956 book of the same name. It is narrated by Shirley Booth and starring the voices of Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn, and George S. Irving. It was originally broadcast on December 10, 1974, on ABC.

<i>A Claymation Christmas Celebration</i> 1987 American television Christmas special

Will Vinton's Claymation Christmas Celebration is an animated Christmas television special originally broadcast on the American CBS TV network on December 21, 1987. The special featured stop motion clay animation and was produced and directed by Will Vinton. The special debuted alongside A Garfield Christmas and the two continued to be aired back to back in subsequent years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Claus's reindeer</span> Legendary sleigh-pulling flying reindeer

In traditional festive legend and popular culture, Santa Claus's reindeer are said to pull a sleigh through the night sky to help Santa Claus deliver gifts to children on Christmas Eve.

Arthur Gardner Rankin Jr. was an American director, producer and screenwriter, who mostly worked in animation. Co-creator of Rankin/Bass Productions with his friend Jules Bass, he created stop-motion and traditional animation features such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town, and the 1977 cartoon special of The Hobbit. He is credited on over 1,000 television programs.

<i>Santa Claus Is Comin to Town</i> (TV special) 1970 Christmas TV special

Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town is a 1970 American stop motion Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions in New York, New York. The film is narrated by Fred Astaire and stars the voices of Mickey Rooney, Keenan Wynn, Robie Lester, Joan Gardner and Paul Frees, as well as an assistant song performance by the Westminster Children's Choir. The film tells the story of how Santa Claus and several Claus-related Christmas traditions came to be. It is based on the hit Christmas song, "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town", which was written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie for Leo Feist, Inc. and introduced on radio by Eddie Cantor in 1934; and the story of Saint Nicholas.

<i>Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys</i> 2001 animated film

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys is a 2001 direct-to-video animated Christmas adventure musical film directed by Bill Kowalchuk for GoodTimes Entertainment. It was released on VHS and DVD on October 30, 2001. The film takes place after the events of the original special. The film thus revisits classic characters like Yukon Cornelius, Hermey the elf, Abominable Snow Monster, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, who is now famous in the North Pole.

<i>Frosty the Snowman</i> (TV special) 1969 Christmas TV special

Frosty the Snowman is a 1969 American animated Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. It is the first television special featuring the character Frosty the Snowman. The special first aired on December 7, 1969, on the CBS television network in the United States, airing immediately after the fifth showing of A Charlie Brown Christmas; both scored high ratings. The special has aired annually for the network's Christmas and holiday season every year since.

<i>Rudolph and Frostys Christmas in July</i> 1979 American-Japanese feature film/television special

Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July is an American-Japanese Christmas/Independence Day film produced by Rankin/Bass Productions, featuring characters from the company's holiday specials Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) and Frosty the Snowman (1969), among others. It was filmed in Japan using the company's trademark "Animagic" stop-motion animation style. The film was originally a theatrical film released through Avco Embassy Pictures where it ran for only 2–3 weeks and was considered a box office flop. Later that year, the film premiered on television in the US on November 25, 1979, on ABC.

Robert L. May was an American retailer. He was best known for creating the fictional character Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

"Hooves of Fire" is one of three animated BBC Christmas comedy television specials, filmed using stop motion techniques, and presented in 1999 in aid of Comic Relief.

Christmas with The Chipmunks is the name given to four different Christmas music albums by Alvin and the Chipmunks. These albums were released individually in 1962, 1963, 2007 and 2008.

<i>Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie</i> 1998 animated film by William R. Kowalchuk

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie is a 1998 American Christmas animated adventure musical film about the character of the same name, who first appeared in a 1939 story by Robert L. May. The film was the first theatrical feature from GoodTimes Entertainment, long known as a home video company. It stars Kathleen Barr as the voice of the titular Rudolph, and also features celebrity talents including John Goodman, Eric Idle, Whoopi Goldberg, Debbie Reynolds, Richard Simmons and Bob Newhart. The film disappointed at the box-office, recouping only $113,484 of its $10 million budget from its theatrical release.

<i>A Motown Christmas</i> 1973 compilation album by Various Motown Artists

A Motown Christmas is a Christmas music compilation album, originally released as a 2-LP set by Motown Records on September 25, 1973. It contains various seasonal singles and album tracks recorded by some of the label's artists from the 1960s and early 1970s. Some of the music had previously been released on the 1968 compilation Merry Christmas from Motown.

<i>Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer</i> (soundtrack) 1964 soundtrack album by cast

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a soundtrack album to the 1964 Rankin/Bass television special of the same name. The original cast recordings from the TV special are supplemented with instrumental versions recorded by the Decca Concert Orchestra on the Compact Disc version. All songs used in the television special were written by Johnny Marks.

<i>Morningtown Ride to Christmas</i> 2001 studio album by The Seekers

Morningtown Ride to Christmas is the twelfth studio and first Christmas album by Australian band, The Seekers. The album was recorded in Melbourne and released in November 2001 and was certified platinum in Australia.

References

  1. ↑ MUBI
  2. ↑ Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 259. ISBN   9781476672939.
  3. ↑ FilmAffinity
  4. ↑ Flickchart
  5. ↑ Library of Congress Unveils ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ Restoration|Animation World Network
  6. ↑ "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" from History.com, archived from 24 Dec 2020
  7. 1 2 Mashon, Mike (16 December 2014). "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer's First Starring Film Role". Library of Congress Blogs: Now See Hear!. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  8. ↑ Disney Sing-Along-Songs: Very Merry Christmas Songs (Video 1988)- Connections - IMDB
  9. ↑ RiffTrax
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.