QUIZ: A CHRISTMAS CAROL
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NUGGET OF KNOWLEDGE Johnny Marks wrote the music for "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" as well as "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (a gold record for Brenda Lee) and "A Holly Jolly Christmas," a Burl Ives recording which sold 8 million copies.
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on DECEMBER 31ST THANKS FOR READING TIDBITS!
(Solution on Next Page)
• In 1939 the president of the Montgomery Ward department store chain asked his advertising copywriter to design a free gift that the hired Santas could hand out to the children who came to sit on Santa’s lap. He wanted something that would be plastered with the department store name and serve as great advertising. They had previously given away a coloring book to every child, but this year they wanted something different. • Robert May was the advertising executive who got this job. He decided to create an illustrated booklet that kids would keep; something that parents would read to them every single Christmas. With the aid of artist Denver Gillen, May invented a new Christmas character named Rollo. • The store officials liked the idea and the poem, but nixed the name Rollo. So it became Reginald. They didn’t like that name either. Then May’s daughter suggested a new name, which was unanimously approved. • That year, 2.4 million copies of the booklet were handed out across the country. • In 1947 a friend of May’s named Johnny Marks put the poem to music and tried to get famous singers to perform it. No one was interested in the song. Finally, Gene Autry agreed to do the song in 1949. It went straight to the top of the Hit Parade. • Since then, over 300 different recordings have been made, with 80 million copies sold. The song is second only to “White Christmas” as the bestselling Christmas record of all time. Burl Ives even voiced a movie about it in 1964. It’s one of the first holiday songs children learn. What was the name they agreed on, now a famous Christmas character as well as a song? (answer at top of next page)