Robert L. May adaptation of Rudolph. Though the song was turned down by such popular vocalists as Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore, it was recorded by the singing cowboy Gene Autry. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was released in 1949 and became a phenomenal success, selling more records than any other Christmas song, with the exception of "White Christmas". In 1941, May married another Ward employee, Virginia, and had five children with her. She was a devout Catholic, and he converted to Catholicism during the marriage. May wrote two sequels to "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". The first is mostly in prose (except that Rudolph
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