Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
Happy Holidays, friends! This year the HDYR gang meets up with a few other misfits in Christmastown for a look back at the Rankin/Bass claymation classic, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. It’s aired on CBS every single year since 1964, but there have been quite a few nips, tucks, additions, and subtractions in that time. We go over all of the different versions, some of the more problematic elements that modern audiences might get hung up on, and debate how successfully they expanded on the premise of a pretty threadbare poem/song.
Topics include: Burl Ives and his grudge against storks, the grumpiest little Santa Claus this side of the North Pole, the problem with having everyone behave like a monster towards Rudolph, the oddly cruel ending for the film’s actual monster, whether or not the island of misfit toys should have been saved for their own movie, the other Rankin/Bass holiday specials, and much more!