The Surprisingly Sad True Story Behind ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’

Gene Autry sang about Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer as "the most famous reindeer of all" — and there are numbers to back him up. The "Rudolph" song topped the charts in 1949; the stop-motion animated version of his story, which premiered in 1964, is known as the longest-running Christmas TV special; and a recent Hollywood Reporter/Morning Consult poll declared it the "most beloved holiday film," picked by 83% of respondents.

Gene Autry sang about Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer as "the most famous reindeer of all" — and there are numbers to back him up. The "Rudolph" song topped the charts in 1949; the stop-motion animated version of his story, which premiered in 1964, is known as the longest-running Christmas TV special; and a recent Hollywood Reporter/Morning Consult poll declared it the "most beloved holiday film," picked by 83% of respondents.