Edgar Allan Pooh . . . by considering its anti-bullying theme (which would be right up the alley of First Plagiarist-Elect Melancholia T.). Some might criticize it for cheap, shoddy, clumsy animation, distorted sound, and uninspired story-telling, but we can't all be Looney Tunes. Others might trace the 21st Century Scourge of Dark Skies Vandalism and Anti-Airliner Terrorists armed with LASER pointers to RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, but that would be a stretch. Maybe "Cannibalism" is not exactly the right word to characterize Santa's first Christmas Night Visit depicted here as being to a household of 40,000 reindeer (at least, that's the number of Rudolph's family members filling Donner Pass Stadium at the end of this cartoon), but there must be some apt term to cover this (not to mention these 39,999 hop-scotching, leap-frogging, ice-skating, and tree-climbing four-legged hoofers). However, since both 1948 and 2016 were U.S. Presidential Election Years (marking the two biggest upsets in American History), perhaps the main take-away here is that RUDOLPH climaxes with Santa appointing its young title character "Commander-in-Chief." It it just a coincidence that "Santa" can be rearranged to spell "Satan," as can the Cyrillic symbols denoting the Nom De Guerre of D.J. Trump's puppeteer, Putin (or that D.J. will surely join 1948's upset winner--Truman--as the ONLY U.S. "Commanders-in-Chief" to fire off nuclear weapons?)?

Horst in Translation ([email protected]) There is certainly no need to elaborate on the story of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" as it is so well-known, even over 65 years after this 8.5-minute cartoon was made. The director is Max Fleischer and he is certainly a name to many with an interest in these old brief animation movies. The narrator here is Paul Wing, his only effort in that position. I must say the voice acting was okay all in all, but I would have preferred an older actor to voice Rudolph as he does not look like a very young reindeer anymore and the voice actor here certainly still was very young. Anyway, this short film here is evidence that not only Warner Bros and Disney were the big players in the 1940s when it came to animation. I think this was a decent watch and with under 10 minutes, you cannot really do a lot wrong. Check it out during the holidays if you like. I give it a thumbs up.

tavm Long surpassed by the 1964 Rankin/Bass version, this 1948 animated version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer directed by Max Fleischer is enjoyable in its own right. Narrated by Paul Wing, the story begins with the lead character already not allowed to skate on ice with the others (all of whom wear pillows on their backs to break their falls). His mother then calls him (there's no father here) and as Rudolph sleeps in his bed, Santa has trouble with his eight reindeer (who he calls by name as they pass him) with the fog and blizzard in his way. If you know the song by heart (and who doesn't?), you can figure out what happens next and I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't heard of this story yet. Nice animation throughout and good pacing for a 7-minute short. Worth seeing for Fleischer, Rudolph, and animation fans.

Ron Oliver A JAM HANDY PICTURE Cartoon Short.On a particularly foggy Christmas Eve, RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER turns his humiliating birth defect into a beneficial asset...Two decades before Rudolph came to the small screen, Robert L. May's enduring creation was given the Max Fleischer special touch in this nostalgic cartoon. Johnny Marks' infectious song leads into the well-known story of Santa's Winter weather troubles & how the bullied little deer saved the day/night. A few of the graphics are reminiscent of Fleischer's splendid SUPERMAN series.The cartoon adds some new details to the story - Mama Rudolph in a dress & apron is a rather strange sight - but basically this version, narrated by Paul Wing, laid the groundwork for later adaptations. While rather obscure, if uncovered this would make a fine addition to a family's Christmas Eve viewing.