How many times have you seen the Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer Christmas special? Can you quote it as you watch and sing along with all the songs?
For millions of us, the classic Rudolph TV special has become a must-watch-every-year Christmas tradition. It almost wouldn’t feel like Christmas without it. But did you know that Tuesday, December 9th, marks the show’s 50th anniversary?
Rudolph originally aired on December 6th, 1964, and has aired every year since, making it the longest running television special in history at 50 straight years. GE sponsored the first showing on NBC, but it has been running on CBS since 1972. It was produced by Rankin/Bass, who specialized in stop-motion animation and went on to make The Little Drummer Boy, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, and many more Holiday and Made-for-TV specials.
Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas are also classics from the 60s that are still favorites, but Rudolph truly is the most famous TV special of all.
Happy 50th, Rudolph. And Hermey. And Sam the Snowman. And Yukon Cornelius. And misfit toys…
Just in case you want to join in any reindeer games, you can test your Rudolph knowledge by taking the Rudolph trivia quiz at http://xmasfun.com/RudolphTrivia.aspx
[tw-divider]Here’s a schedule of other Christmas specials on TV:[/tw-divider]
How Murray Saved Christmas – NBC Dec 5th 7pm
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – CBS Dec 9th 7pm
Frosty Returns – CBS Dec 13th 8:30pm
Charlie Brown Christmas – ABC Dec 20th 7pm
Shrek the Halls – ABC Dec 23rd 7pm
How the Grinch Stole Christmas – ABC Dec 25th 7:30pm
