Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (song) Rudolph's general acceptance in the mythology as the lead reindeer of Joulupukki, the Finnish Santa. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (song) "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is a song by songwriter Johnny Marks based on the 1939 story "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" published by the Montgomery Ward Company. Gene Autry's recording hit No. 1 on the U.S. charts the week of Christmas 1949. In 1939 Marks's brother-in-law, Robert L. May, created the character Rudolph as an assignment for Montgomery Ward and Marks decided to adapt the story of Rudolph into a song. The song had an added introduction, paraphrasing the poem "A
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer widely parodied and imitated in the decades since its original airing. The success of the special led to two sequels "Rudolph's Shiny New Year" (premier air date December 10, 1976) which continued the reindeer's journeys, and the series was made into a trilogy with the 1979 feature-length film "Christmas in July", which integrated the "Rudolph" universe into that of Rankin/Bass's adaptation of "Frosty the Snowman". "" (1998) is an animated feature film. It received only a limited theatrical release before debuting on home video. Its inclusion of a villain, a love interest, a sidekick, and a strong protector are more