Hello, everyone. Welcome back to the countdown.

A sweet vintage Christmas card image from Pinterest. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Guess which beloved holiday special is turning 60 this year? And how many of you feel as old as I do just by reading about that milestone? “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” premiered December 6, 1964 on NBC as an animated TV special and it returns to that network this year for the first time in five decades (It moved to CBS in 1972 where it remained until this year).

Both the song & the TV special are based on a story by New York native Robert L. May who wrote it in 1939 as an in-house advertising copywriter for the department store, Montgomery Ward. It was used as the subject of a free coloring book the store distributed to their shoppers. It was turned into a song in 1949 by May’s brother in law, songwriter Johnny Marks, and performed by Gene Autry the same year.

Top: A copy of the 1939 coloring book distributed by Montgomery Ward in 1939 found on the Smithsonian Museum’s website. Bottom: A copy of the 1949 Gene Autry record. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Coincidentally, this year also marked the 100th birth anniversary of American screenwriter, director and producer Arthur Gardner Rankin, Jr. (July 19, 1924 – January 30, 2014). He & his friend, fellow director and producer, Jules Bass (September 16, 1935 – October 25, 2022) created Rankin/Bass Productions which not only brought Rudolph’s story to life but many others as well including “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town”, “Frosty the Snowman” and “The Little Drummer Boy”.

Top: The Rankin/Bass logo. Bottom: The men behind the production team: Arthur Rankin Jr. (L) and Jules Bass (R) circa 1964. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Marks was brought in to write additional songs for the Rudolph special including two sung by Burl Ives, the voice behind the dapper Sam The Snowman narrator of the TV story. It centered around the reindeer who “had a very shiny nose” which did not fit in with the mainstream crowd, so he ran away. Eventually he found others who felt as different as he including Hermey, the elf who dreamed of being a dentist; arctic prospector Yukon Cornelius & his team of five dogs; Bumble, The Abominable Snow Monster of the North and an entire island of misfit toys. By the show’s end, Rudolph returned home to show that despite being different, he not only found his people but was vital to helping Santa guide his sleigh on Christmas Eve during a terrible snow storm.

Sixty years later, Rudolph’s story & song remain as beloved as ever by “misfits” everywhere.

Seven iconic moments related to the 1964 TV special: 1. Burl Ives (L) and songwriter Johnny Marks (R) – along with figurines of Sam The Snowman and Rudolph – circa 1964. 2. Santa and Rudolph. 3. Rudolph and his crush, Clarice. 4. Ives’ Christmas alter ego, Sam The Snowman. 5. Yukon Cornelius and Hermey find the misfit toys on their island. 6. Cornelius encounters Bumble, a/k/a The Abominable Snowman. 7. The gang at the end after Rudolph’s triumphant return home. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Gene Autry: “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (1949, written by Johnny Marks).

Burl Ives: “Silver and Gold” (1964, written by Johnny Marks).

Burl Ives: “Holly Jolly Christmas” (1964, written by Johnny Marks).

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs?

Until next time, happy listening!!!