1 post tagged “hermey”
It had been a few years since I had last watched Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the claymation classic from 1964 that airs every December on CBS. While watching Rudolph and crew battle everything from the Abominable Snow Monster to the mean bastard reindeer who made fun of Rudy's nose, I was struck by the importance of one of the main characters: Hermey, the elf who didn't want to make toys, but would rather teach children the lesson of flossing.
Hermey was a monumental elf in that he was the first openly gay character on network television, which was pretty crazy for the early 1960's when the only gays were still unhappily married to their wives (and vice versa). Throughout much of the film, Hermey claims to be a "misfit" that doesn't "fit in." Yet, through it all, he finds his way and maintains his independence, eventually becoming a dentist at the end of the film.
"Dentists" was 1960's lingo for homosexuality. I can't believe it took me 20 odd years to realize this. The message of Rudolph is still to be true to yourself, but suddenly, it has taken on a stronger significance for me. If not for Hermey, there would be no Ellen. No Anderson Cooper. No Tom Cruise Top Gun volleyball scene.
Each year, entertainment commentators count how many openly gay characters there are on network television. Since the demise of Will & Grace, these numbers have dwindled. However, recently Grey's Anatomy fans gained an openly gay character (Dr. Hahn) to embrace, only to suddenly lose her when she was let go from the show for reasons unknown (perhaps because she was not a dead character from two seasons ago). Some message boarders lamented, "Another gay character off of network television." Well, my friends, Hermey fills that void. Maybe not on a weekly basis, but at least for one day a year, spreading Christmas joy and the message of tolerance. Score one for CBS.
