Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was originally created as a promotion for Montgomery Ward. He first appeared in a 1939 book and later in this 8-minute 1948 film, which predates the stop motion version by 16 years. As far as we know, the Library has the only complete version of the original 1948 release. The full film: http://go.loc.gov/iUG950MboMP | The Library of Congress

Rudolphus! 🔔 Tori Longdon sings Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer in 9th-Century plainsong, with neumes (early musical notation) on screen. While the first Christmas carols were in Latin, the character of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer first appeared in a 1939 booklet written by Robert L. May and published by the department store Montgomery Ward. The song appeared ten years later - written by songwriter Johnny Marks, its recording by Gene Autry hit No. 1 on the U.S. charts the week of Christmas 19