Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1948 film) difficult to get through. Nevertheless, he and his reindeer brave out the storm and go anyway. While on the way, an airplane throws them off course; they land at Rudolph's house, where Santa greets him. Telling Rudolph, "I need you tonight to guide my deer on the rest of our flight", Rudolph helps them. Due to his bravery and his glowing nose, he is accepted and respected by his fellow reindeer and made their commander-in-chief by Santa; the reindeer enjoy a merry Christmas together. This 8 minute animated interpretation of the Christmas poem preceded Gene Autry's 1949 song "Rudolph, the
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV special) as an anomaly. The copyright of the "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" special lies in an area of uncertainty in regard to American federal copyright law. When the recording was originally published, the date of copyright (published in Roman numerals) was accidentally listed as 1164 (MCLXIV), omitting an M that should have been present (1964 in Roman numerals is MCMLXIV); this mistake was not corrected with subsequent edits and remains on televised prints to this day. The songs were validly and separately copyrighted, and the original character on which the special was based also remains under copyright and trademark protection, extending