The History of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Robert L. May, who worked as a catalog advertising copywriter for Montgomery Wards department store, wrote the story. The head of the department store knew that May was a good poet and thus asked him to come up with ideas for a booklet of illustrated poems. They wanted to distribute the booklet to potential customers as a way to get more people to shop at their store.
May had been bullied as a child, because of his meak appearance. He drew his ideas for the Christmas story from his childhood memories.
He first wanted to name the reindeer Rollo, then Reginald before finally settling on the name Rudolph. May asked his friend and colleague Denver Gillen to sketch real life reindeer. They presented the illustrations to the department store.
The story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was published as a booklet during the 1939 Christmas season. Sales soared to more than 3.5 million copies. The booklet sold 6 million copies in 1949.
The department store awarded May the copyrights to his Christmas story that same year after a major publisher wanted to purchase the rights to print the story.
Montgomery Ward’s corporate president, Sewell Avery, knew that May was in debt from paying his deceased wife’s medical bills. Mr. Avery let May have the copyright to his story in January 1947.
The story was subsequently printed by a publishing house and also made into a 9 minute cartoon, which was a big hit in movie theaters.
May’s brother in-law, songwriter Johnny Marks, adapted the song in 1949. Children and adults loved the lyrics and melody of the song titled „Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer.“ Dinah Shore and Bing Crosby didn’t want to sing the song. Gene Autry ended up singing the song, which was #1 on the Billboard pop single charts in December of 1949.
This is a nice entry. A little holiday history never hurts!
Thank you stevenscoins!! Happy New Year!!
Better luck next time!