Holiday Treasures: The General Electric Commercials Showcased in the Premiere of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" -- Ed Martin

CBS will present its annual telecast of amp8220Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeeramp8221 tonight arguably the best holiday television special of all time and certainly one of the most durableIt will make many readers of this column feel very old indeed to note that amp8220Rudolphamp8221 this year will mark its 50th anniversary though not its 50 th telecast as CBS some years actually runs it twice during the season How can it be that a halfcentury has passed since its premiere on December 6 1964 And how can it be that with the exceptions of amp8220A Charlie Brown Christmasamp8221 which premiered on CBS on December 9 1965 and amp8220Dr Seussamp8217 How the Grinch Stole Christmasamp8221 first seen on CBS on December 18 1966 there hasnamp8217t been another holiday season special since amp8220Rudolphamp8221 that has become a genuine annual tradition Somehow I donamp8217t think NBCamp8217s amp8220How Murray Saved Christmasamp8221 which made its premiere this past Friday is going to hold up If you want to include on that shamefully small list amp8220Frosty the Snowmanamp8221 which premiered on CBS on December 7 1969 please feel free to do so amp8220Frostyamp8221 never worked for me Itamp8217s a matter of personal taste But I understand Frosty has a vocal fan base and I donamp8217t want to compromise anyoneamp8217s holiday joyFifty years later certain interesting aspects of the very first telecast of amp8220Rudolphamp8221 have been long forgotten likely because much of the adult audience that enjoyed it that night is no longer with us or too old to remember much of anything Did you know that it was presented in 1964 by General Electric as part of The General Electric Fantasy Hour Or that it was first seen on NBC The Peacock would run it every year through 1971 in 1972 CBS wisely acquired it and has run it ever sinceMany advertisers have flocked to the annual telecasts of amp8220Rudolphamp8221 over the years but they couldnamp8217t be a part of the original presentation because it served as an exclusive showcase for commercials promoting small General Electric appliances Some of the spots featured the elves from Santaamp8217s workshop in amp8220Rudolphamp8221 In the image below the elves have spelled out amp8220GEamp8221 in wrapped gifts General Electricamp8217s spankingnew coffee pot of the day can be seen near the bottom of the amp8220Gamp8221There is an excellent compilation of the GE commercials that ran throughout the original telecast on YouTube Click on any of the images in this column to watch it Viewed today they appear to be transmissions from another dimension in prehistoric black and white and geared largely to young suburban housewives who were busy making the perfect home for their familiesElectric knives electric toothbrushes electric blankets electric wall clocks can openers and vacuum cleaners were among the new household musthaves of the day These commercials may look as old as the mountains but they have an undeniable charm and the music and animation throughout make them almost as entertaining as amp8220Rudolphamp8221 itself This may be the best example ever of commercial content fitting seamlessly and yet unobtrusively into the presentation of a television programIamp8217ve been a big a fan of amp8220Rudolphamp8221 since I first saw it in the Sixties I remember how excited my brother and I would get when the opportunity to watch it drew near I remember the urgency of it all We had to be in front of our black and white TV set when it was on lest we miss a minute of our only opportunity to see it that year And I remember the sadness that followed when amp8220Rudolphamp8221 ended because we would have to wait another 12 months to see it again Perhaps thatamp8217s the reason why amp8220Rudolphamp8221 still feels like a special that has to be watched when it is actually on rather than at my convenience via DVR or DVDThe now priceless General Electric commercials arenamp8217t the only unique content from the first telecast of amp8220Rudolphamp8221 Did you know it featured an ending different from the one we have all come to know in which Rudolph reneged on his promise to return with Santa to the Island of Misfit Toys and rescue his hopeless little friends from their lonely existence Thatamp8217s right amp8211 Charlie in the Box the Spotted Elephant Dolly and the rest were forgotten and left to shiver in the snow Following that telecast there was such an outcry from traumatized children everywhere that the ending was quickly remade into the one we have known forever with the misfits happily scooped up and delivered to little girls and boys on Christmas Eve as it should beAlso at the end of that original 1964 telecast Yukon Cornelius discovered a Peppermint Mine near Santaamp8217s workshop That explains why he always licks his pickaxe every time he tosses it amp8211 heamp8217s hoping to taste peppermint That scene was cut to make room for the rescue of the misfit toys and has never been seen againEd Martin is the Editor of MediaBizBloggers and the television and video critic for the Myers Business Network Follow him on Twitter at PlanetEdCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates at MediaBizBloggerThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries

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Holiday Treasures: The General Electric Commercials Showcased in the Premiere of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" -- Ed Martin

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