Monday, December 9, 2019
Welcome to my Monday Blog, my friends!!
*” “As the holiday season of 1938 came to Chicago, Bob May wasn’t feeling much comfort or joy. A 34-year-old ad writer for Montgomery Ward, May was exhausted and nearly broke. His wife, Evelyn, was bedridden, on the losing end of a two-year battle with cancer. This left Bob to look after their four-year old-daughter, Barbara.
One night, Barbara asked her father, “Why isn’t my mommy like everybody else’s mommy?” As he struggled to answer his daughter’s question, Bob remembered the pain of his own childhood. A small, sickly boy, he was constantly picked on and called names. But he wanted to give his daughter hope, and show her that being different was nothing to be ashamed of. More than that, he wanted her to know that he loved her and would always take care of her. So he began to spin a tale about a reindeer with a bright red nose who found a special place on Santa’s team. Barbara loved the story so much that she made her father tell it every night before bedtime. As he did, it grew more elaborate. Because he couldn’t afford to buy his daughter a gift for Christmas, Bob decided to turn the story into a homemade picture book.
In early December, Bob’s wife died. Though he was heartbroken, he kept working on the book for his daughter. A few days before Christmas, he reluctantly attended a company party at Montgomery Ward. His co-workers encouraged him to share the story he’d written. After he read it, there was a standing ovation. Everyone wanted copies of their own. Montgomery Ward bought the rights to the book from their debt-ridden employee. Over the next six years, at Christmas, they gave away six million copies of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer to shoppers. Every major publishing house in the country was making offers to obtain the book. In an incredible display of good will, the head of the department store returned all rights to Bob May. Four years later, Rudolph had made him into a millionaire.
Now remarried with a growing family, May felt blessed by his good fortune. But there was more to come. His brother-in-law, a successful songwriter named Johnny Marks, set the uplifting story to music. The song was pitched to artists from Bing Crosby on down. They all passed. Finally, Marks As the holiday season of 1938 came to Chicago, Bob May wasn’t feeling much comfort or joy. A 34-year-old ad writer for Montgomery Ward, May was exhausted and nearly broke. His wife, Evelyn, was bedridden, on the losing end of a two-year battle with cancer. This left Bob to look after their four-year old-daughter, Barbara.
Within a few years, it had become the second best-selling Christmas song ever, right behind “White Christmas”. Since then, Rudolph has come to life in TV specials, cartoons, movies, toys, games, coloring books, greeting cards and even a Ringling Bros. circus act. The little red-nosed reindeer dreamed up by Bob May and immortalized in song by Johnny Marks has come to symbolize Christmas as much as Santa Claus, evergreen trees and presents. As the last line of the song says, “He’ll go down in history.”
Johnny Marks approached Gene Autry. The cowboy star had scored a holiday hit with “Here Comes Santa Claus” a few years before. Like the others, Autry wasn’t impressed with the song about the misfit reindeer. Marks begged him to give it a second listen. Autry played it for his wife, Ina. She was so touched by the line “They wouldn’t let poor Rudolph play in any reindeer games” that she insisted her husband record the tune.
WOW!! What a wonderful and inspiring story about our beloved Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer! I hope you all enjoy this tidbit of our history and maybe even share it with others!
This week, my prayer for us all, is that while we certainly can enjoy uplifting and fun and Christmas stories like Rudolph, more importantly as Christians though, we will feel the tender tug on our heart strings as we embrace the true meaning of Christmas…the blessed birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen!!
GOD is Good! GOD is Great!! Always!!!
I love you,
Margaret
My novel, the spiritual thriller, “That Melvin Bray”, is available on Amazon
Author Margaret McBride 
I had never heard or read the background of the original version of this family loved story. The events that took place says a lot about the integrity of Montgomery Ward. My mother’s favorite singer was Gene Autry. She probably knew this about him, but I didn’t. Glad he listened to his wife … just like God said to Abraham 🙂
Thank you, dear heart! I was moved also when I first read the story. My siblings and I all grew up with Gene Autry & he could do no wrong! And I agree with you, he married well!🤗 Thanks for sharing, Fay, you are always so welcome here!🎄 Merry Christmas! I love you.
❤️Margaret
Margaret, check your edited copy. It didn’t take the cut and paste part out from the first paragraph. This is what posted live:
“Now remarried with a growing family, May felt blessed by his good fortune. But there was more to come. His brother-in-law, a successful songwriter named Johnny Marks, set the uplifting story to music. The song was pitched to artists from Bing Crosby on down. They all passed. Finally, Marks As the holiday season of 1938 came to Chicago, Bob May wasn’t feeling much comfort or joy. *A 34-year-old ad writer for Montgomery Ward, May was exhausted and nearly broke. His wife, Evelyn, was bedridden, on the losing end of a two-year battle with cancer. This left Bob to look after their four-year old-daughter, Barbara.”*
Love you. 📝💜
On Tue, Dec 18, 2018 at 3:13 PM Author Margaret McBride wrote:
> Author Margaret McBride posted: ” Monday, December 17, 2018 Welcome to my > Monday Blog, my friends!! *As the holiday season of 1938 came to Chicago, > Bob May wasn’t feeling much comfort or joy. A 34-year-old ad writer for > Montgomery Ward, May was exhausted and nearly broke. His wife, Ev” >
Reblogged this on Author Margaret McBride.