Rudolph stands tall as ‘seasonal icon’

In many American households, Orvon Grover “Gene” Autry ranks right up there as a “Father Christmas” figure. 

Nicknamed the “singing cowboy,” Autry became famous for ushering in the holiday season with happy, feel-good songs that children and adults could enjoy…and sing along. 

Autry’s first yuletide hit, “Here Comes Santa Claus,” was released in 1947. Autry recorded “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” in 1949 and “Frosty the Snowman” in 1950. 

Now, some 70 years later, these happy holiday tunes are still receiving air-time on American radio stations. 

Rudolph’s story was originally written in verse by Robert L. May for the Montgomery Ward chain of department stores in 1939. 

Writing for History.com, Christopher Klein said the company had tasked May, a 34-year-old advertising copywriter in its Chicago headquarters, to write a Christmas-themed children’s story with an animal as the central character. 

That was easy enough; May’s 4-year-old daughter, Barbara, “loved visiting the reindeer” at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo. 

He came up with the idea of a “misfit reindeer ostracized because of his luminescent nose who used his physical abnormality to guide Santa’s sleigh and save Christmas. Seeking an alliterative name, May scribbled possibilities on a scrap of paper – Rollo, Reginald, Rodney and Romeo were among the choices – before circling his favorite. Rudolph.” 

“Christian Andersen’s fairy tale ‘The Ugly Duckling’ inspired the storyline,” Klein wrote, “as did May’s own childhood when he endured taunts from schoolmates for being small and shy.” 

May once said: “Rudolph and I were somewhat alike. Frail, poorly coordinated, I was never asked to join the school teams.” 

May recruited an associate in the company’s art department, Denver Gillen, to illustrate the story. 

Klein said: “Montgomery Ward had high hopes for its new 32-page, rhyming booklet, a free gift to children visiting any of the department store’s 620 locations.” Rudolph was an instant, smash success. 

In 1947, Klein reported that Montgomery Ward’s CEO Sewell Avery, “stirred either by the holiday spirit or belief that the story had maxed out its revenue-making potential, signed the copyright for ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ over to May.” 

In 1949, the legendary songwriter Johnny Marks (May’s brother-in-law) set Rudolph’s story to music. After Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore reportedly turned down the opportunity to record the song, it fell into the lap of Gene Autry. 

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” is “a piece of modern folklore and a metaphor for overcoming obstacles, embracing differences and recognizing everyone’s unique potential,” Klein commented.

A bit of reindeer trivia. Everyone agrees that the first six reindeer named in the song are Dancer, Dasher, Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid. Originally, the last two reindeer mentioned were Dunder and Blixem (Dutch words for “thunder and lightning”). Now-a-days, they are referred to Donner and Blitzen. 

Two Scottish scientists upset the universe in 2009 with their revelation that all of Santa’s reindeer must be females. 

Edinburgh University professors Gerald Lincoln and David Baird said: “Of the 40 various species of deer on Earth, only female reindeer have antlers. The males of the species shed their headgear before mid-December. Hence, only female reindeer still have antlers at Christmas.” 

In a letter to the editor of The Beaver County (Pa.) Times, Ruth Barrett of New Brighton, Pa., declined to comment about how women follow directions better than men, but she did suggest: “Let’s rename ‘Rudolph’ to ‘Rudolphina.’ After all these trips around the world guiding Santa’s sleigh in all kinds of weather, and wearing that red nose that glows, she deserves it.”

 

Frosty gets his due as winter’s official snowman 

Frosty the Snowman came to life one day…70 years ago…in Armonk, N.Y., a small hamlet within the Town of New Castle in Westchester County. 

Ordinarily, citizens there gather for a “Frosty Day” festival and parade on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. This year, however, organizers reported that Frosty was “in COVID-19 quarantine,” so the event had to be canceled. Hopefully, he’ll be back again next year. 

“Frosty the Snowman” originated as a children’s song in 1950, written by Patty Fenwick’s step-grandfather, Jack Rollins, and his songwriting partner Steve Nelson. 

The Frosty festival website said Patty was just a young girl growing up in nearby White Plains, N.Y. “I was so excited to go out and play in the first snowfall. Grandpa Rollins wanted to go outside and play with me in the snow as well. I was so excited to build the first snowman of the year. The next day I woke up to find our snowman melted away. I was very upset,” Patty recalled. 

“Grandpa, being the ‘I can fix it’ grandpa, wanted to make me feel better. So, he said, ‘Please don’t cry. I promise you he will be back someday soon.’ I knew Grandpa Rollins always fixed things, so I immediately felt better.” 

Rollins relayed this story to Nelson, and they created the classic tune. Nelson lived in Armonk, and family members confirmed to the Friends of Frosty organization that the song “was conceived in beautiful Armonk,” and the traffic cop was patterned after John “Hergie” Hergenhan, the first Armonk police chief. 

Also in 1950, Frosty became a Little Golden Book written by Annie North Bedford and illustrated by Corinne Malvern.

 Frosty may have been kin to Snowy. The story “Snowy the Traveling Snowman” was released in 1944, written by Ruth Burman and illustrated by Elsa Garratt. It contains similarities to Frosty’s story. Snowy “bumpity-bumps” while Frosty “thumpity-thumps.” 

“Frosty” went on to enjoy an extensive acting career in film and television. He got married in “Frosty’s Winter Wonderland,” a 1976 animated Christmas TV special. The children of the village decide Frosty needs an adult companion, so they build a snowwoman, who Frosty names Crystal. 

She comes to life when Frosty presents her with a bouquet of snow flowers, a gift of love. A snow parson is found in town who pronounces Frosty and Crystal as husband and wife. 

Later on, the children come along – twins. Milly is a snowgirl and Chilly is a snowboy.

As a family man, Frosty is changing his image, according to humorist Paul Aldridge, who has tweaked the song’s lyrics. 

Hence, “Frosty the Snowperson has gone eco-friendly green, so his eyes of coal have been replaced by light bulbs that burn clean. He’s thrown away his corncob pipe, he will not smoke or chew. He drives a Prius hybrid car, recycles and reuses-es-es. He’s trying hard not to leave a carbon footprint when he goes thumpity-thump-thump.”