"Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" - Max Fleischer (1944)

Here is another one of those magical creations by Max Fleischer, who is undoubtedly my favorite cartoon animator. In this retelling of the classic Christmas story of Rudolph the Red Nosed reindeer, Max Fleischer went to great lengths in devising a story to go around the basic plot.

He sets the story in the woods of the great North where the reindeer play and await the Christmas season. Rudolph is the youngest of the herd, and with his shiny red nose he takes a lot of grief from the others.

But, when Christmas Eve comes around; bringing with it the worst fog Santa has ever seen; Rudolph is called upon to guide Santa and Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen through the weather and get the job done.

This cartoon has a great rendition of the song “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” by Johnny Marks. It’s sung in the tight harmonies which were typical of the late 1940’s and 1950’s. The lush quality of the whole production smacks of the post war world into which I was born about 6 years later. I remember it making the rounds on TV when I was about 5, which is probably the reason I can still recite the names of the reindeer from memory over 50 years later!  Watch this one with your kids/grandkids. They’ll remember it forever.

Warning: This song may become lodged in your head for a day or two. Although it can be annoying, I assure you that it is harmless.