The Chicago-based Montgomery Ward company, department store
operators, had been purchasing and distributing children's coloring books as
Christmas gifts for their customers for several years. In 1939, Montgomery Ward
tapped one of their own employees to create a book for them, thus saving money.
34-year old copywriter Robert L. May wrote the story of Rudolph the Red-nosed
Reindeer in 1939, and 2.4 million copies were handed out that year. Despite the
wartime paper shortage, over 6 million copies had been distributed by 1946.May
drew in part on the story "The Ugly Duckling" and in part from his
own experiences as an often taunted, small, frail youth to create the story of
the misfit reindeer. Though Rollo and Reginald were considered, May settled on
Rudolph as his reindeer's name.
Writing in verse as a series of rhyming couplets, May tested the
story as he went along on his 4-year old daughter Barbara, who loved the
storySadly, Robert Mays wife died around the time he was creating Rudolph,
leaving Mays deeply in debt due to medical bills. However, he was able to
persuade Sewell Avery, Montgomery Ward's corporate president, to turn the
copyright over to him in January 1947, thus ensuring May's financial
security.May's story "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was printed commercially
in 1947 and in 1948 a nine-minute cartoon of the story was shown in theaters.
When May's brother-in-law, songwriter Johnny Marks, wrote the lyrics and melody
for the song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", the Rudolph phenomenon
was born. Turned down by many musical artists afraid to contend with the legend
of Santa Claus, the song was recorded by Gene Autry in 1949 at the urging of
Autry's wife. The song sold two million copies that year, going on to become
one of the best-selling songs of all time, second only to Bing Crosby's
"White Christmas". The 1964 television special about Rudolph,
narrated by Burl Ives, remains a holiday favorite to this day and Rudolph
himself has become a much-loved Christmas icon.
No comments:
Post a Comment