Hello,
"You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen,
Comet and Cupid and Donder and Blitzen,
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all?
....
Then how the reindeer loved him,
As they shouted out with glee,
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,
You’ll go down in history!”
Words and Music by Johnny Marks (1949)
Every time I hear Gene Autry’s rendition of “Rudolph, the Red Nose Reindeer,” I can’t help but smile. The Rudolph story is a marvelous story about individuality, acceptance of people for who they are, and the miracles that can occur by being yourself.
I didn’t realize until I was reading Ace Collins’ book, Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas, that there is a true sad story behind Rudolph. Collins’ book and my curiosity to learn more led to this year-end article.
“Rudolph, the Red Nose Reindeer” didn’t start out as a song but as a poem to support a Christmas promotional effort to sell toys.
In 1939, managers at top retailer Montgomery Ward decided that instead of buying and distributing coloring books to their customers, they would save money by creating their own coloring book. They felt giving away their own unique coloring book would be a generous gift since many people were still reeling from the impacts of the depression.
Robert May, a 34-year-old in-house advertising copywriter, was asked if he could write an uplifting animal story as the give-away gift. At the time, life was rough for May. May was not pursuing his career goal:
“Instead of writing the great American novel, as I'd always hoped. I was describing men's white shirts."
Moreover, his wife, Evelyn, was dying of cancer and he was struggling to pay for her medical treatments as well as support his 4-year-old daughter, Barbara.
May accepted the assignment. May hoped to write a “story of acceptance” with a lesson of “tolerance and perseverance” overcoming “adversity.” He decided the animal would be a reindeer because it is a Christmas animal and Barbara liked the reindeer at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo. He drew on his childhood memories of being a shy child and believed the reindeer needed to be some sort of “ugly duckling” that could relate to Santa Claus.
The draft of the book took about 50 hours to write and his daughter, Barbara, was an instrumental player. May commented “She was my guinea pig” and “I ran the words on her for size.” Another way to look at it is that she was his ideal client and he was writing for her to achieve an emotional personal connection.
When he read the final version to Barbara and her grandparents (May’s wife died before the book was finished), he realized the story accomplished what he had hoped.
In 1939, 2.4 million copies of the soft-covered booklet were distributed. World War II wartime paper restrictions prevented Montgomery Ward from distributing booklets again until 1946. In 1946, Montgomery Ward resumed distribution and dispersed 3.6 million copies, but 1946 was also the last year Montgomery Ward did so.
Apparently, May didn’t get a substantial bonus for writing Rudolph, but Montgomery Ward gave him and Denver Gillen, the story illustrator, credit for Rudolph. Despite the popular success of Rudolph, May continued to struggle financially.
In 1946, May received an offer from RCA Victor to record the whole poem as a spoken-word record. He needed to turn down the opportunity, or at least he thought he did, because Montgomery Ward held the rights.
But Miracles Do Happen.
Sometime in late 1946 or early 47, Sewell Avery, the head of Montgomery Ward, gave the rights to the Rudolph poem to Robert May. The poem became Robert May’s Intellectual Property (IP). In 1947, Rudolph was released as spoken-word record. May started to use his IP to get out of debt and support his family.
Although May owned the rights to Rudolph, he couldn’t find a publisher for the book. By 1947, Montgomery Ward had distributed over 6 million copies of the work and there was a feeling that the market was flooded with Rudolph books. May didn’t give up. He continued to persevere just like Rudolph.
But Miracles Do Happen
Harry Elbaum, the head of Maxton Publishers, a small publishing company in New York, took a chance and published 100,000 hard copy books at 50 cents each for the 1947 Christmas season.
“Finally, I found a publisher, a little guy with a big nose, who said he knew what it was like for Rudolph and was willing to take a chance on a printing.” Robert May
In 1949, May approached his brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, and discussed turning the story into a song. Marks, a professional music composer, happened to be destined to be one of the most successful American Christmas song composers. In 2011, the New York Daily News declared that Marks, along with Irving Berlin and Mel Torme, wrote the score of modern Christmas.
Marks agreed to write the song for May. However, finding a top-notch artist to sing the song was a challenge. He was turned down by artists such as Bing Crosby, Dinah Shore, and Perry Como.
But Miracles Do Happen
Gene Autry, known as the “Singing Cowboy,” at first turned Marks down. Gene Autry’s wife convinced Autry to record “Rudolph, the Red Nose Reindeer” for the 1949 holiday season. The song hit the top of the Billboard’s country-western and pop charts, making Rudolph a world-famous Christmas character. The song’s popular success triggered a number of events including the NBC and GE Rudolph, the Red Nose Reindeer Christmas Special. This special is known as the longest-running Christmas TV special.
Conclusion
The Rudolph story highlights many business concepts from May engaging his daughter, gaining access to the story rights, and May and Marks’ ability to persevere, but I rather highlight something else.
"Rudolph, The Red Nose Reindeer" is a children’s Christmas story and an effective reminder that everyone is different. Celebrate being different by being yourself. Use your differences for the good, both professionally and personally. Treat everyone who is different with respect or treat them like you would like to be treated, not just at this time of year, but all year round.
In a 2018 Time magazine article, Barbara May Lewis, the instrumental 4-year-old daughter, said it best.
“Rudolph was made fun of, but he took his difference and made good use of it. He didn’t let it get him down. It didn’t get in the way when it came time to shine.”
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Looking forward to seeing you
Shine in 2023!
From Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
Montgomery Ward Department Store “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” Book, 1939
One final note to bring this story back to business:
In 1939, Montgomery Ward and Sears, Roebuck and Company (now known as Sears) were the top two retailers in the United States. Montgomery Ward permanently closed its doors in 2001. Today Sears is barely a player in the retail market, but both retailers left enduring Christmas legacies. Montgomery Ward’s legacy is “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer,” which is one of the most famous Christmas stories of all time. Sears’ legacy is the Christmas catalog (started in 1933 as the Sears Christmas book and later known as the Christmas Wish Book) which so many retailers embrace today. Neither retailer was afraid to be different.
Laura Burford
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