There's a few more things I forgot to mention in the video: For FreeForm's airing of the special, their print contains audio from the old Classic Media Blu-ray releases. This is evident by the fact that in the Silver and Gold song, the "for" in "everyone wishes for silver and gold" was cut out. This is odd considering that the audio is correct on the Deluxe Edition Blu-ray and DVD, which the FreeForm print is based on. This is also an issue on the digital release of the 2022 4K version, despite it being correct on the actual discs. Also Rankin/Bass historian, Rick Goldschmidt (who runs Miser Bros Press), claimed to own a copy of the original ending in full color. He's tried contacting NBCUniversal to see if they could put it in the next home video release. Not only that, but a planned Rankin/Bass documentary was going to feature footage of the full color original ending, but it ultimately went unreleased due to lack of funding and permission from NBCUniversal. I don't know what's stopping Rick from releasing it on RU-vid or Internet Archive, but I digress.
Great video! The official home media releases is definitely my go to way to watch Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer. I would have to say that the best home media release of Rudolph in my personal opinion would have to be the new 2022 4K remastered version that was released on 4K Ultra HD and on the recent complete Rankin/Bass Christmas Collection Blu-ray set. The picture is more sharper, the colors are corrected and overall it's best way to watch Rudolph in my opinion.
The 4K remaster has a very minor frame blending glitch during Santa's "Jingle Jingle Jingle" song number (it occurs when Santa wraps his jingle bells around Rudolph only for Rudolph to lose his balance).
The Blu-ray version of The Complete Rankin/Bass Christmas Collection uses the 4K restoration for Rudolph. The DVD version from last year used the 2018 Deluxe Edition.
I think the addition of Santa arriving to pick up the Misfit Toys and the montage of them being dropped off Santa’s sleigh during the credits was a smart one as it gives a more satisfying conclusion to the Misfit Toys’ story, where without it, the aforementioned toys just become one-scene wonder characters without much impact or importance to the plot.
I can actually confirm that the scene with Donner setting out to find Rudolph was cut (or rather edited down). I remember having an 80's airing of the special recorded off of TV, and when I got an official VHS copy of it some years later, I noticed it was a little longer with Donner saying, "No! This is man's work!", which was new to me.
Every Christmas when I watch this special, I always watch the crusty, low quality DVD. The reason I do that is because the crust, grain and other natural film elements adds an extra layer of nostalgia that I also heavily associate with other really old things I grew up on like classic MGM, WB & HB cartoons.
@itsjayden8002 Then maybe you might wanna start watching my simulated vintage CBS Rankin/Bass Christmas Special. I purposefully used the most accurate and complete versions of them I could find, but I also specifically avoided the versions that were abnormally clear and pristine to get that classic TV look. I also put some great vintage commercials in the ad breaks for nostalgia too. It's been really popular lately with just over 1.1 million views so evidently a lot of people like it.
Given that the special WILL BE 60 years old next year and that NBCUniversal NOW owns the rights to the pre-1974 Rankin/Bass library (the deal was made 2 YEARS after the 50th Anniversary release so i can see why it isn't released). SURELY the colorized version of the initial airing CAN BE released as a special 60th anniversary Blu-ray/4K Ultra/DVD edition of the special with MORE unreleased Rudolph materials (if there IS one at least)
I feel like the only way we'll be able to see all that stuff happen is if Rick Goldschmidt was involved. But knowing his behavior, I wouldn't blame Universal for not wanting to work with him.
I have NEVER seen the peppermint mine scene! That DOES explain a lot! That, and I never knew the misfit song was removed for a while, I'm so glad I've always known that version! That's a longtime favorite of mine. Now to see if I can find the full version online...
I remember even as a kid I noticed the TV broadcast of this special was altered a bit. Coz I remember at school, I don't remember what grade I was in, but the teacher played this special for us on the TV through either a DVD or VHS, I can't remember, but then coincidentally later that night the same special would broadcast on TV, and I remember being so confused at the Misfits song, coz I wondered what happened to that one scene where Hermie punched that snowman version of his boss in the face.
Thanks a lot for posting this and the original one too! I used them to help make sure I used the most complete and accurate version of Rudolph I could find for my simulated vintage CBS Rankin/Bass Christmas Special.
I came here from discovering that "Fame and Fortune" existed in the first place. Now I'm tempted to check out the Freeform airing. How did that 2005 onward one EVER go to air? That editing with the Misfits song over Fame and Fortune's animation is frankly inexcusable if you ask me.
Well, Freeform has the misfit song, not fame and fortune (thankfully). Freeform’s airing is perfect. I agree, CBS’s airing sucks. It’s crazy to think that CBS has been airing this version for 18 years
@@KCandFriendsUSAif you mean the credits imo the credits aren’t really a big deal to skip out. I would rather have the full original film than a highly edited version with credits
Up until last year, I totally forgot about that creepier line read. For the past decade, I was more used to the original less creepier edit. Then when I bought the 4K disc last year, I was silly enough to select the 2.0 English option and oh boy was I in for a rude awakening at the end. 😨😨😨
Thanks for this very interesting study of a holiday classic. Your close look helps me get even more enjoyment out of a film I have loved for many years.
After this season, CBS should trade broadcast rights to Rudolph and Frosty (along with Frosty Returns) to NBC in exchange for broadcast and cable rights to It's a Wonderful Life. This would reflect corporate ownership. The Rudolph and Frosty specials are owned by DreamWorks Animation, a sister company to NBC, while It's a Wonderful Life is owned by Paramount Pictures, a sister company to CBS.
I get where you're coming from. But I feel like the take they used in the original version (that's also used on current home media releases) worked way better. In in the original take, you can really hear the wind howling and Santa's voice sounds very echoey when he says "Merry Christmas". It really sells the impression that he's up there high in the sky
I agree with how you thought the 1965 version of Santa saying “Merry Christmas” sounds creepy. I’m so glad that they brought back the original of it. I’m very curious on where the 1965 version of the line came from. Did they randomly decide to pitch up the audio of the line to be higher? Or was that just an alternate take that the actor had recorded? What’s interesting is that this change only occurs when Santa says “Merry Christmas” the second time. When he says it the first time, it uses the exact same audio that was in the original version
@@KingLaneCreations Probably. It makes me wonder why they decided to use an alternate take for the 1965 version. Even then, why did they only use an alternate take for when Santa said "Merry Christmas" the second time but kept the original take of when he said it the first time
I wanted to watch Frosty and Rudolph on Freeform last year and was met with Life Size 2 instead because the cable company I use blocked them from playing. I was very disappointed. At least I was still able to watch The Year Without a Santa Claus because that one is my favorite Rankin/Bass special.
christmas eve 2019 my dad made me go to my uncle's house, and i didn't wanna be forced to interact with family, so i sat alone in my cousin's room watching the freeform cut of rudolph for the first time. i remember freaking out when they played the full unedited misfits song, and freaking out even more when they showed the yukon peppermint mine scene. it was like so shocking to me that they were actually airing that on tv
Lane, have you seen any of the Dreamworks holiday specials? you know, Shrek the Halls, Merry Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda Holiday, Dragons gift of the Night Fury, ect? or even The Penguins in a Christmas Caper or Donkey's Caroling Christmas-Tacular? those were some of my favorite Christmas specials to watch over the holidays. even more than the Rankin/Bass ones!
I also remember the general electric commercials that features the characters at that time. Wish thay would put them on a DVD as a special feature. I did find them on RU-vid.
What about the Bumble wearing a polka dot handkerchief at the end because he had a toothache all along? I remember seeing that as well as many other people but there's no footage to be found
You made a mistake Lane; the 1998 Golden Books VHS release still used the 65 version; the restoration wouldn't appear on home media until 1999, when it was rereleased by Golden Books Family Entertainment on VHS and for the first time on DVD.
Really? I once grew up watching the 1998 tape, and that one used the original version minus the ending. I personally don't think I made a mistake, however I would love to see proof that the 1998 tapes did in fact use the 65 version.
@@vm4kbdopenings121if you mean the DVD overall, the menu screens are similar to the 2000 DVD; the version of the film like the 2000 DVD has a bit of a warmer color palate and after the special ends there's a special credit sequence referencing the Golden Books restorations of the Rankin Bass specials (said credit sequence was also attached to the ends of "Frosty the Snowman", "The Little Drummer Boy", and "Santa Claus is Comin to Town")
@@KingLaneCreations It's not too hard to find proof; look on RU-vid or the Internet Archive for the opening/closing to the 1998 and 99 releases, or in the case of internet archive, full uploads of the tapes in question. Plus, the Golden Books Family Entertainment Christmas Video trailers were changed in visuals, music and narration in 1998 and in 1999. The 1998 version has the unrestored footage, and an orchestral instrumental of "Holly Jolly Christmas" from the 60's Rudolph Soundtrack album, and the 1999 version has the restored footage, as well as the music used for the Rudolph DVD menu as the background music.
I don't think they re-recorded it. I think, for an unknown reason, they just used a different take that the actor had recorded during the original production
Nice Job Talking About the Changes But I am Kinda Curious Of Why CBS Choose To Change Were A Couple Of Misfits In the 2005 and Later Broadcasts (Talking about that Weird Frankenstein Edit They Did)? Did The Footage Of It Disorted or Can't Work In HD Please Someone Tell Universal To Give The Freeform Version To CBS Please
Starting In the 90's older re-runs were sped up so they fit more commercials in their time slot. Especially when TNT used to show their MGM /WB / Hanna-Barbera library
Ah, you weren't the only person to notice the sped-up, higher-pitched versions of those video uploads. I'll tell you exactly what's going on here. There's the genuine bitrate - the bitrate that the video is *supposed* to be played ... the bitrate that the video was recorded. But then, there's the current playback rate ... the one used in RU-vid. If you increase the current playback rate *without* updating the file, the speed of the video playback will increase, and the pitch of the sounds will increase as well. We still see this in modern RU-vid times ... even affecting some mainstream videos of The Smurfs. Check out those 12-minute, 11-minute episodes that are inexplicably reduced to 10 and a half minutes; that's what's going on; the playrate rate is higher than the bitrate the video was recorded in.
Not sure if this has been mentioned here or in previous version: look at the Island of Misfit Toys and Final Credits and you only see 6 reindeer plus Rudolph. There are supposed to be 8 reindeer plus Rudolph. Who was left out?
I noticed that too! I heard somewhere that they had 6 other reindeer rather than 8 because the puppets were expensive to make and they had a tight budget.
I noticed that too! I heard somewhere that they had 6 other reindeer rather than 8 because the puppets were expensive to make and they had a tight budget.
Donner and Comet are missing. Donner stayed behind so Rudolph could be the lead reindeer and Comet was disqualified because of him not letting Rudolph join the reindeer games
That was a change exclusively seen on home video releases, hence why I didn't mention it in this video. From what I remember, Classic Media thought his clothes were meant to be green back when they restored the film in 2007. Even though his suit was always meant to be blue judging by images of the promotional puppet and full color printed ads. However, they changed it back to blue in 2014 for the 50th anniversary Blu-ray release. All future releases of Rudolph since then have the correct blue suit.
Interestingly, none of the misfit toys were actually misfits. The jack in the box was named Charlie but who would know? The elephant had spots, that's cute. The squirt gun worked fine just fill it with water instead of jelly. And then we learn from the credit scene that the bird actually could fly. I guess the boat was kind of a misfit but I think lots of toy boats aren't actually made for the water. Or maybe it learned to float.
From my personal experience, I would choose the 2022 4K Ultra HD release for both Blu-ray and 4K. For DVD, I like the Golden Books/Classic Media releases from 2000-2002 the best.
Do you really not know why there were scenes cut for the 80s versions and beyond? Because in the 60s, there was 50 minutes of programming and 10 minutes of commercials per hour. In the 70s, that would have been cut to 48 programming, 12 commercials. And in the 80s, just 44 minutes of programming and 16 minutes of commercials. These days, it would be 40-42 minutes of programming and 18-20 minutes of commercials.
Great job with this, you do great research with the differences in each cut of the special. But I do need to let you know the snowman narrator voiced by Burl Ives is not Santa. They are different characters. I mean, they both have white beards and everything, but I just wanted you to know, thanks. Great stuff tho!
@@ManAndDogFan Funny story, when I saw the special as a kid, I thought he said "Call Me Santa" when he introduced himself. I found it interesting that a snowman was named Santa. Later on, when I listened to the audio more carefully and realized that he actually said "Call me SAM". Once I heard that, I was immediately like "Oh, his name is Sam. That makes way more sense"
Lol, kinda like how a lot of people mistake Hermey’s name to be Herbie. Some merchandise even has his name labeled as Herbie even though it’s Hermey@@superjackster0165
From 1964? If that’s what you mean, it’s no longer available, but it’s the full original movie just without Santa picking up the misfit toys at the end
@@ManAndDogFanSame with Home Video. Ever since 1998, every home video release of Rudolph features the original 1964 version of the special but with the 1965 ending
I enjoyed your post but you did not address something that's been troubling me. In the Peppermint scene. As the sleigh is lifting off, Rudolph's parents and Clarisse are watching from the ground and Donner is bragging about his boy. However, in an earlier scene, Santa tells Rudolph that he will never get his sleigh off the ground without his father; who is trapped in the Abominable's cave along with his mother and Clarisse.
The elf killed the swimming bird out of revenge for two reasons: 1. The elf was unhappy because he had to relive the year prior to deliver it. 2. It was the first reject toy the elf made and he got a long beating for it, so he backhanded that thing out of the sleigh. You also can't trust anybody involved with the film when they say "the bird learned to fly", considering that they forgot to resolve the story arc. 😊
