It was a foggy night so it was a perfect night to watch Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer.  Rudolph has gotten a bad rap lately, and if you only consider lines in isolation and forget the time period, it is understandable.  But I want to set the record straight and show the beloved, animated film from my youth for the classic it is.  Maybe because it was released the year I was born I have an affinity for something as old as I am.  I bought the DVD many years ago so I can watch anytime in December that I choose, but I remember the joy of laying on my stomach on the floor in front of the TV to watch it the one and only time it was available.  It is still obvious where the commercial breaks were edited into the film.  Now I glide through them.

One of the first objections I have heard people make about this movie is when Santa first meets Rudolph, discovers his non-comformity, and rebukes him for being different.  Meanwhile his father, Donner, promises Santa he will grow out of it.  What people miss is how impressive this little fawn is being able to say, "Santa" and is acknowledged by the bearded gift-giver as being smart and sturdy.  As a parent and a teacher, I have seen the brutality of children toward those who are "different."  While I raised my daughters to be accepting of all people, and their careers in mental health therapy have shown this to have resonated with them, kids who don't fit-in with whatever is deemed the norm are ostracized.  I understand Donner's concern that his young buck will be bullied, which is why he tries to hide it with a fake, clay nose.  I want to note here, however, that Rudolph's mother is completely accepting of Rudolph just as he is but is shut down by her husband.  In 1964, the husbands and fathers were in charge so it is not surprising that Donner reacted as he did.  

This is also a time when phrases such as "man's work" and "woman's work" were completely understood, which leads me to the second issue some people take with this movie.  When Rudolph runs away with Hermey, the dentist, Donner tells his wife to stay home because searching for their son is "man's work."  To her credit, as well Clarice's, who has defied her father by continuing to see Rudolph, they broke from this role and headed out on their own.  Independent women following their own minds was quite radical for 1964, which I believe overshadows Donner's misogynistic comment.

Another complaint I have heard over the years is that Santa only accepts Rudolph when he needs he to perform a specific task.  Not true.  Santa apologizes to Rudolph as soon as he returns, and it is not until Santa is about to cancel Christmas that he realizes how helpful Rudolph's nose can be.  The Head Elf also apologizes to Hermey, who immediately schedules him for a dental appointment.  That Head Elf was quite brutal to Hermey by not letting him take a break with the other elves and telling him to act like an elf or he will be fired.  The resilient Hermey says, "You can't fire me, I quit."  But even the Head Elf made a brief attempt to understand Hermey when he asks him what is wrong.  This leads to one of my favorite lines, "Not happy in my work, I guess."  This has been an indispensable line throughout my working life!

The friendship that develops between Rudolph and Hermey is admirable as they decide, "Let's be independent together."  It took me 56 years to find such a relationship that is interdependent AND independent-together simultaneously.  To find someone in this world with whom we can be "misfits together" is truly a gift because once you fit in with someone else, you are no longer a misfit.  And finding an entire island of misfits is encouraging.  Seeing a Charlie-in-the-box hopping around inspires us that everyone is differently able.  When King Moonracer offers his wisdom that living creatures cannot hide away on an island, Yukon Cornelius sagely states, "Even among misfits, your misfits."  

The Abominable Snow Monster is the biggest bully of all, but I always feel sorry for him when Yukon knocks him out and Hermey removes all his teeth.  Yes, the bully gets puts in his place, but leading him into Santa's castle on a leash seems a bit harsh.  Apparently, however, Cornelius knows a lot about the Bumble, that he sinks and he bounces, which tells me this is why he does not desert him but instead befriends him and brings him to Santa's workshop as a new member of the family.

Yes, I just offered an analysis of a children's Christmas movie based on a 1939 Montgomery Ward coloring book written by Robert May, who was Jewish and had just lost his wife to cancer.  He wrote the story for his young daughter, but I wonder if he knew how many young children would be inspired by that little red-nosed reindeer, who overcame the bullying of his father, his friends, and his future boss.