Original Rankin/Bass Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer GE Commercials (1964)

[ls14]

General Electric Rocks

[EmpressDR]

Oh, i was both grateful for and jealous of your book! That was my idea years ago, in the 1970s--to one day write the behind the scenes book of Rudolph. Wonderful Thanks for writing it and uploading these

[AlbieGray]

WOW! This is a classic. :D

[TIPTON340]

Twenty-three years later GE would buy NBC from RCA.

[chuckcollins]

Your announcer is Mel Brandt. Incidentally, Mr. Brandt was also the regular announcer for the G.E. COLLEGE BOWL which was pre-empted by this programme.

Thank you for posting this most rare footage. It is most appreciated. There are few constants in life and thankfully RUDOLPH is one of them.

I have long-wished to see these pieces of film when you revealed that they existed over a decade ago. Now that I have, IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL DAY OF THE YEAR!

Merry Christmas! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

[cstoczyn]

Long Live General Electric!!!!

[cstoczyn]

Long Live Santa Claus!!!!

[cstoczyn]

HO-HO-HO!!!!

[cstoczyn]

Happy Holidays!!!!

[cstoczyn]

Merry Christmas!!!!

[micmac99]

Looks like Rudolph pre-empted College Bowl and Meet the Press that day at 5:30 PM Eastern, because the announcer does promos for next week's episodes of those shows "at its regular time."

[SongsJerome]

Where did you find this?

[sorarl1]

Why was everything a knife sharpener??

[poughkeepsiejohn1]

Then again, General Electric did (and still) owns NBC, which ran the show. It was also a much simpler time for most of us. Who had any idea that GE would end up becoming the hated company it is today, partiuclarly for not paying taxes? Maybe David Letterman was on to something when he poked fun of GE when he was on NBC all those years.

[AlanH220]

@poughkeepsiejohn1 Actually, in those days NBC was owned by RCA. GE was only a paid sponsor (they owned the 30 minute period on Sundays when GE College Bowl was telecast). GE came to own 100% of NBC when they acquired RCA many years later. I actually remember seeing the original broadcast of "Rudolph" as my family were avid College Bowl fans and tuned in the same time each Sunday (on WRCV-TV, Philadelphia!).

[poughkeepsiejohn1]

Boy, I remember these days. I never thought I'd see The General Electric Fantasy Hour again. It didn't last too long. However, "Rudolph" has stayed on the air since 1964! 

[Solipx]

Oh how simple! Mom and Dad carving the turkey, our androcentric, benevolent corporatist-starist hegemony beaming, delightedly, over its progeny. Why wouldn't Mom want an iron?

Come, my fifties friends. Come to 2011. I can guide you, for I bridge the gap from your time to ours.

Venez, commençons l'envolée!