Transcript

You'll NEVER see "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" the same after THIS

From Glenn Beck · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 11 min · 1,218 words · 13 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "You'll NEVER see "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" the same after THIS", an episode of Glenn Beck published December 25, 2025 (11 min, about 1,218 words). It mentions 9 people, works and ideas, including Robert May, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Montgomery Ward, Johnny Marx, Gene Autry.

What this episode is about

The content explores the nostalgic and transformative impact of classic Christmas stories, particularly "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," highlighting how cultural perceptions of the holiday season have evolved over time. It recounts the origin story of Rudolph, detailing how Robert May, a copywriter grappling with personal grief, crafted the tale for Montgomery Ward during the challenging era of the Great Depression.

Key takeaways

  • Christmas magic once thrived in shared innocence, now overshadowed by the relentless tick-tock of adult life.
  • Rudolph's story emerged from grief, reminding us that hope can blink brightly in the darkest times.
  • A corporation's empathy in 1939 changed a life—proof that kindness can outshine even the shiniest of profits.
  • Robert May's perseverance turned mockery into legend; every misfit holds the potential to save the world.
  • From hospital corridors to cultural icons: the journey of Rudolph teaches us that creativity can heal.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 3:00: Montgomery Ward, Robert May, Charlie Brown Christmas
  2. – 6:00: Robert May, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Montgomery Ward, Johnny Marx
  3. – 9:00: Johnny Marx, Bing Crosby, Robert May, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Notable quotes from "You'll NEVER see "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" the same after THIS"

  • Don't forget Friday is Frosty the Snowman. Charlie Brown Christmas is tonight.
    about Charlie Brown Christmas · at
  • Montgomery Ward, which had been around forever, was competition to Sears. They had been buying a giving away children's Christmas booklets every year. Someone in the executive chain finally said what.
    about Montgomery Ward · at
  • When he finished it, he printed, the company did, 2.4 million copies of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. That first Christmas, 2.4 million, and it was an instant sensation. It passed.
    about Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer · at
  • And they gave him full ownership of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reader. All rights, all royalties, all future potential.
    about Robert May · at
  • In 1949, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Gene Autry became the second bestselling song of all time, only behind White Christmas. It sold over 25 million copies,.
    about Gene Autry · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Robert May — Person · Central referenced creator · 5 mentions · first at
    He is described as the Montgomery Ward copywriter who created the original Rudolph story while coping with his wife's illness and financial strain.
  • Johnny Marx — Person · Referenced collaborator (songwriter) · 4 mentions · first at
    Described as Evelyn's brother who adapted May's story into the famous song, linking the booklet to the music hit.
    He took the story and shaped it into a melody that we all know.
  • Gene Autry — Person · Referenced performer (recording artist) · 1 mention · first at
    He is cited as the artist who recorded the 1949 hit version of 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,' making it a major commercial success.
  • Bing Crosby — Person · Referenced performer (declined opportunity) · 2 mentions · first at
    Mentioned as the first-choice singer who was offered the song but declined, highlighting the contingency behind the eventual Gene Autry recording.
    Bing Crosby was offered. He said no.

Books & papers

  • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer — Book · Referenced work · 3 mentions · first at
    The central Christmas story discussed in the podcast, originating from a Montgomery Ward booklet.

Companies & orgs

  • Montgomery Ward — Company · Business focus · 6 mentions · first at
    The company that commissioned and initially published Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, showing unexpected generosity.
  • Rankin and Bass — Company · Referenced work · 1 mention · first at
    The production company that brought Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer to stop motion animation.
    And then 25 years after the original booklet, Rankin and Bass brought the Rudolph to stop motion animation and Burl Ives played the snowman and the.

Media & podcasts

  • Charlie Brown Christmas — Media · Referenced work · 1 mention · first at
    A Christmas special mentioned alongside Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in the context of holiday programming.
  • White Christmas — Media · Referenced work · 1 mention · first at
    A Christmas song mentioned as the only song to outsell Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
    In 1949, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Gene Autry became the second bestselling song of all time, only behind White Christmas. It sold over 25 million copies,.

Full transcript with timestamps

I remember as a kid Christmas was a lot different than it is today. I remember my parents always saying, "It's Christmas again already." And not understanding that cuz it seemed like Christmas was a million miles away. It seemed like the year dragged on and dragged on and it was a different life by the time you got to Christmas. Cuz it was for you. Now that I'm older, I wish things would slow down a little bit, but it's just time is merely perspective now, I guess. But I remember being a kid and there was like this I don't know this this this code.

I don't remember how it happened. And it wasn't I don't think it was because of advertising. I remember hearing about it at school in the playground. And it was never from a teacher. It was always really from my friends. Tonight, tonight's Rudolph the Red-Nosed Ranger. Don't forget Friday is Frosty the Snowman. Charlie Brown Christmas is tonight. And we would we would wait at Christmas time. At Christmas time, we couldn't wait to see what ever followed this sound on.

Let me take you to a time before CBS television existed. It was 1939 and the country was clawing its way out of the Great Depression. Money was tight. dreams were even tighter. Montgomery Ward, which had been around forever, was competition to Sears. They had been buying a giving away children's Christmas booklets every year. Someone in the executive chain finally said what corporations always say, "Why are we paying somebody else to make these books? What why don't we just write our own stories? Can we do we have anybody in house that can do this cheaper?"

And somebody said, "Yeah, we do. We have this guy named Robert May and he was a copywriter, unassuming. I mean, he did not look like a guy who was writing Christmas stories, a myth maker. He was in a office. His office for Montgomery Ward was barely whiter than the desk inside of it. And when they came to him, he was a man who was drowning in grief. His wife, Evelyn, was dying of cancer. The two of them had one daughter. She was small, Barbara. And Robert's medical bills were just stacking up. And in the middle of all this, Montgomery Ward came to him and said, "Hey, can you write a cheery little Christmas story for children?"

He said later, he almost turned them down. Almost said, "Are you kidding me? How do how do I possibly write joy when my life is collapsing around me? He said he went home and that night he looked at his daughter, this little girl trying to make sense of her mom dying, make sense of sorrow that was way too big for her world. And he remembered the offer to write something of joy. And he thought, if I can give her something, even if I even if I can't give her stability, if I can give her a moment, it's worth it. So he started thinking back in his life and he remembered being a small, shy child and he always felt different. He always felt he always felt less than.

And so this character started to form, a character that was mocked for what made him different until that day. That difference is what saved the world. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Rudolph wasn't a reindeer. First, Rudolph was Robert May. He was every child who felt small, who felt different. And he would write in bursts. He would scribble lines between doctor visits and shaping rhymes in the hospital hallways. He would draft a few lines and then he would go into his wife's hospital room with his daughter and he would read them aloud. His mom was fighting for breath.

When Evelyn died, he stopped writing. Montgomery Ward urged him, "Finish it. Finish it." And he did. When he finished it, he printed, the company did, 2.4 million copies of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. That that first Christmas, 2.4 million, and it was an instant sensation. It passed from hand to hand. It was read aloud in living rooms across America. the country the country didn't know that the man behind it, but it they knew the feeling of hope being born out of heartbreak. And then something that I'm not sure would happen now happened.

Montgomery Ward, which was usually really strict about intellectual property, did something unprecedented. They saw the devastation in Robert May's life and they said, "Robert, we see you're struggling with these bills. You wrote this. You struggled with this." And they gave him full ownership of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reader. All rights, all royalties, all future potential. That is an act of Christmas generosity that is unheard of and especially in that era when everyone was struggling and it changed the course of May's life and his daughter.

His wife died but his wife's brother was a songwriter named Johnny Marx. He took the story and shaped it shaped it into a melody that we all know. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Bing Crosby was offered. He said no. They offered it to a singing cowboy. And he's like, I don't think this fits my image, but I'll give it a whirl. Gene Autri. In 1949, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Gene Autry became the second bestselling song of all time, only behind White Christmas. It sold over 25 million copies, and it turned Robert May's grief story and sorrow into cultural bedrock.

And then 25 years after the original booklet, Rankin and Bass brought the Rudolph to stop motion animation and Burl Ives played the snowman and the abominable snow monster in the island of misfit toys. Nobody wants a Charlie in the box. And the American myth was complete.

Economists have tried to figure out what the rights were worth in total. They looked at the the entire empire, the books, the records, the TV specials, the merchandising, the international licensing. It's well over $und00 million in revenue adjusted for inflation. The money that is flowing to the May and the Marx family today, the rights that Montgomery Ward handed to the grieving widowerower because it seemed like the right thing to do. Well over a quarter of a billion dollars. one of the most valuable intellectual properties in Christmas Hero in history, handed to a man who just needed hope for his daughter wrote it for that reason.

And I think that's why we waited as kids and we still love it as adults because behind the red nose and behind the jingle bells and the puppets and the fat snowman is this a single man who in a very small office rode his way through heartbreak and then a company showed unexpected compassion. And that created something remarkably true. The Christmas myth about a reindeer born from the pain of a father just trying to give his daughter one spark of light in the dark. And that's why we waited for that sound at this time every year.

And while that sound isn't there anymore for our children, now it's the Apple logo. It's the same story. It's the same magic and it's the same message.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "You'll NEVER see "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" the same after THIS"?

Glenn Beck (Guest).

What is "You'll NEVER see "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" the same after THIS" about?

The content explores the nostalgic and transformative impact of classic Christmas stories, particularly "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," highlighting how cultural perceptions of the holiday season have evolved over time. It recounts the origin story of Rudolph, detailing how Robert May, a copywriter grappling with personal grief, crafted the tale for Montgomery Ward during the challenging era…

What is mentioned in this Glenn Beck episode?

9 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Robert May, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Montgomery Ward, Johnny Marx, Gene Autry, Rankin and Bass. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "You'll NEVER see "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" the same after THIS"?

The episode runs 11 min; the transcript is about 1,218 words in 13 timestamped sections.

More from Glenn Beck

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated January 26, 2026.