Sam the Snowman, the narrator.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a stop-motion television Christmas special, released December 6, 1964, by Rankin/Bass, following the story of Rudolph, a reindeer who is bullied because of his red nose. It is based on the song of the same name, by Johnny Marks, and the poem that the song is based on from 1939 of the same title, by Robert L. May.
Story[]
Sam the Snowman narrates the story of Rudolph, the son of Donner, Santa Claus's lead reindeer. The day Rudolph is born, Donner and his mate Mrs. Donner are shocked to find the Rudolph has a glowing red nose in place of a normal one. Santa visits their cave to meet the new fawn, and upon finding out about Rudolph’s nose, warns Donner that if the nose does not stop glowing as soon as Rudolph grows up, there'll be no chance of Rudolph making the sleigh team. This leads to Donner trying to hide Rudolph’s nose with dirt but Mrs. Donner kisses it off.
Meanwhile, Hermey, one of Santa’s elves, is in a predicament of his own. He wishes to be a dentist, not a toy maker. The elf foreman is outraged at Hermey, and he and the other elves chastise him for his interest in dentistry. Despite this, Hermey continues his studies.
A year later, Rudolph’s parents take him to the Reindeer Games, where he and the other young bucks are trained how to fly pull Santa’s sleigh when they get older. Donner is still trying to hide Rudolph’s red nose, this time with a cover, which makes Rudolph sound as if he is extremely stuffy. He befriends two reindeer, Fireball, a blond buck, and Clarice, a beautiful and kind doe, who tells him he's cute. Rudolph is overcome with joy, and as such propels himself high into the air. When involved in some horseplay with Fireball, his cover is knocked off, revealing his nose. Fireball recoils in fear and shock, telling Rudolph to get away from him. The other bucks mock and tease Rudolph, and the coach Comet bans him from participating in the Reindeer Games. Clarice follows Rudolph when he runs off and tries to comfort him, but they are interrupted by her father who forbids Rudolph from being seen with her.
Rudolph runs away and meets and befriends Hermey, who doesn't mind Rudolph’s nose and together the two leave their town. They meet Yukon Cornelius who helps them escape the Abominable Snow Monster: Bumble. The trio eventually reach the Island of Misfit Toys and are allowed to spend the night there by the island's ruler King Moonracer. That night when Hermey and Yukon are asleep, Rudolph leaves, believing that his nose’s light is causing Bumble to go after them. Rudolph briefly befriends other animals, but is soon rejected because of his nose. Meanwhile, back home, Donner, Mrs. Donner and Clarice go to search for Rudolph.
8 months later, a now teen-aged Rudolph decides to return home, but is teased by three bucks who call him Ol' Neon Nose. He returns to his family's cave and finds it empty. Santa arrives and tells Rudolph that his family and Clarice left to look for him. As Santa needs Donner to do his Christmas Eve duties, Rudolph sets off to find his family and Clarice. He eventually finds them in Bumble’s cave, being terrorized by the Snowmonster. Rudolph battles Bumble, but is knocked unconscious in the process. Luckily, Hermey and Yukon arrive and knock out Bumble and pull out his teeth. Upon regaining consciousness, Bumble tries to attack the group, but Yukon sacrifices himself and sends himself and Bumble off a cliffside, much to the sadness of the others.
The group return home, where they are warmly welcomed by Santa and the other reindeer and elves. Yukon is revealed to have survived his fall and brings a now reformed Bumble with him. Santa reveals to everyone about the fog that could affect this deliveries, but upon seeing Rudolph’s red nose light up, he asks him to help him guide his sleigh through the fog. Watched on by his parents, Clarice, his friends and the other reindeer and elves, Rudolph guides Santa and the Sleigh Team through the fog and stops off at the Island of Misfit Toys in order to take the toys there to new homes. Thus, Christmas was saved, thanks to Rudolph and his shiny red nose.
Cast[]
- Billie Mae Richards as Rudolph
- Stan Francis as Santa Claus and King Moonracer
- Paul Kilgman as Donner, Coach Comet and Clarice's father
- Burl Ives as Sam the Snowman
- Paul Soles as Hermey
- Larry D. Mann as Yukon Cornelius
- Janis Orenstein as Clarice
- Carl Banas as the Elf Foreman and the Spotted Elephant
- Alfie Scopp as Fireball, the other young bucks and Charlie-in-a-Box
- Peg Dixon as Mrs. Claus and Mrs. Donner
- Bernard Cowan as the Bumble (uncredited)
Songs[]
- Jingle Jingle Jingle by Stan Francis
- We Are Santa's Elves by Santa's Elves
- There's Always Tomorrow by Janis Orenstein
- We're a Couple of Misfits/Fame and Fortune by Billie Mae Richards and Paul Soles
- Silver and Gold by Burl Ives
- The Most Wonderful Day Of The Year by The Misfit Toys
- Have a Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Burl Ives
Sequels[]
Three non-canon sequels were made for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Rankin/Bass produced two sequels: Rudolph's Shiny New Year (1976) and Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (1979) whilst Goodtimes Entertainment (the makers of the 1998 film Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie) produced Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and The Island Of Misfit Toys (2001). However, despite all three films being set after the original film, Rudolph is shown to be young in these films rather than a teenager which he became at the end of the 1964 film. This is explained canonically as it being a different universe from the one of 1964's Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, but in business terms, they wanted Rudolph to be more marketable.