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Storyof Red-Nosed Reindeer Brings Writer Happy EndingCHICAGO, Dec. 18.—(/P—Theboss called in Bob May, and asked him to write a Christmas tale for kids.5“Write an animal story,” he said. ‘Write it in verse.”rings, scarfs, watches, and a bank y with a nose that lights up when a y coin drops through the slot. j gA Rudolph color movie began a round of motion picture houses in I November. It was scheduled to be | shown in 1,500 theaters in 888 cities May was chosen because he made and towns. Twenty-five additional a living putting words together and I Rudolph creations are being consid-because the song parodies he wrote * ered for 1949.for an office party had gone over i The reindeer plays as big a role big in May’s life as Harvey, the rabbit,mu_- „Too • 1Q«Q _n orivpr- ' P^ys in the affairs of Elwood P.tisTng copy writer for Montgomery Dowd of'the .tjW^But ^unlike Ward and Company, began to dreamup a fable. An animal for a Christmas varn? A reindeer, of course.Dowd, can push his pet aside while he works or relaxes.May usually parks Rudolph out-S^2rt5 -as ss..shunned by other deer. , onpg think Rudolph is a per-“Children, being the little people fect decr but— of the world, would identify them- „ Wp ‘taikcd Rudolph so much at selves with the underdog.” May the dinner table,” May said, “the reasoned. W ith a happy ending, it pbildren passed a rule that there would be a sure fire formula.” | wouid be no Rudolph talk until May, a thin, dark browed, me- after their bedtime.”thodical young man. put the story May, now 43 and in charge of gdown on paper in prose. From there written advertising material for ”on, it should have been fun. But Wards retail stores, is happy butit wasn’t. married.His wife, ill w’ith cancer for two “I’ve become a temporary celeb-years died. May was feeling low rity.” he said. ‘Everybody calls me and was as he put it, “pretty well Rudolph. Hundreds of letters have broke” The boss offered to turn come from parents kids, teachers, over the tale to another man. May ministers and child psychologists, refused to give it up. So far this month I've been on fiveWorking at home and in spare radio programs.”time at the office—50 hours in all he put it into rhyme. After he finished each part, he read it to his daughter. Barbara, 4.“She was my guinea pig.” May recalled .“I tried the words on her for size.”Little Barbara thus was the first of millions of kids to hear the story of “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” It went like this:Rudolph w as a good deer but the others wouldn’t play w’ith him. Everybody laughted at his big shiny schnoz Everybody, that is, but Rudolph. He w’ept.Then, one Christmas, a thick fog stopped Santa Claus after he had set out to distribute toys. That's where Rudolph came in. Santa hitched him at the head of the reindeer team. His nose cut through the gloom like a headlight on a train, and he guided Santa to homes , lf around the world. Rudolph became g a hero ! yThe tale was printed In an Ulus- ; y trated book with the by-line of V Robert L. May. The company gave g 2.400.000 copies to children at its j y stores during the 1939 Yule season, j y “I was tickled to see my name on j g them,” May said. j yRudolph hibernated during World yWar II. But 3.600.000 copies of his If story were handed out in 1946 as g good will “give-aways.” yHe told an interviewer he felt like “a fairly well paid white collar worker who struck oil.”“The well may keep on gushing”he said, “or it may ease off to a trickle. Right now’ it looks as if Rudolph will take care of us.”In 1947 Sew’ell Avery. Ward’s board chairman, decided May should have the copyright on Rudolph and any royalties. A publisher put 100,-000 Rudolph books on sale. Manufacturers in various fields became interested. Rudolph record albums were sold. Rudolph also appeared as a stuffed toy and on slippers, picture puzzles, charm bracelets and sweat shirts.The supply of some of the things fell short of the demand. A mother advertised in the Huron, S. D., Hu-ronite: “Wanted to buy—Rudolph red-nosed reindeer, stuffed. Will pay double price.” Her seven-year-old daughter got one free when May’s firm heard about it.There are 24 Rudolph products this year—including about 250.000 of the books, games, tree ornaments,
Newspaper Details
Austin Christmas American Statesman
Austin, Texas, US
Sat, Dec 25, 1948
Page 19
Full Page
Clipped by
Karen J.
USA 02 Dec 2023
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