At 50, ‘Rudolph’ sets television record
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
The longest-running holiday special still has a very shiny nose.
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” premiered on television Dec. 6, 1964, and is now one of the holiday season’s perennial favorites. The story of the reindeer who saves Christmas is beloved among children and adults alike.
The Rankin-Bass animated film production company used Japanese puppets and stop motion to tell the tale, bolstered by a soundtrack featuring Burl Ives’ rendition of the theme song.
In the story, Santa’s reindeer Donner and his wife have a son, Rudolph, who has the distinction of a nose that glows. He runs away after being made to feel an outcast and links up with an elf who dreams of becoming a dentist and an adventurer seeking silver and gold.
