Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a 1964 Christmas stop motion animated television special produced by Rankin/Bass. It first aired Sunday, December 6, 1964, on the NBC television network in the United States, and was sponsored by General Electric. The special was based on the Johnny Marks song “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” which was itself based on the poem of the same name written in 1939 by Marks’ brother-in-law, Robert L. May. The show added new characters including misfit elf Hermey and prospector Yukon Cornelius. Voicing Sam the Snowman, folk singer Burl Ives narrates, sings the title song and introduces the future standard “Holly Jolly Christmas.” Since 1972, the special has aired on CBS; the network unveiled a high-definition, digitally remastered version of the program in 2005.
“Rudolph” also is part of the “25 Days of Christmas” stunt on the Freeform cable channel, where airings are scheduled on December 5, 6, 19 and 20, as well as on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
