Joe Franklin's guest is Johnny Marks, who wrote "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer" in 1949.
Gene Autry's original recording of Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer sold 1.75 million copies its first Christmas season (1949) and 1.5 million the following year. It eventually sold a total of 12.5 million. Cover versions included, sales exceed 150 million copies, second only to Bing Crosby's "White Christmas."