? Rankin/Bass’s Avengers assemble in 1979’s Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July. The studio’s longest holiday special ever opens with the shine on Rudolph’s nose blipping out of existence, and what happens to Frosty and his whole family is worse.  ****  ? Guest:  Brandon Medley (@brandmed, Blessed Are the Geek, Star Weirdos).  ****  ? Topics & Tangents:  1. Frosty’s a dad! And Rudolph’s a fake uncle!  2. King Winterbolt’s genie of the ice scepter, allegedly Thurl Ravenscroft, is the stuff of nightmares.  3. The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus may be the most metal Christmas special, but this is a contender.  4. Rudolph’s entire story gets retconned into a long play to stop Winterbolt’s foggy Christmas Eve from grounding Santa.  5. Ethel Merman on The Muppet Show.  6. Scratcher is a great evil reindeer, but we’d like it better if he was Fireball.  7. A couple of songs were cut for time from TV, including: Chicken Today, Feathers Tomorrow and I See Rainbows When I Look at You.8. Walt Disney World’s Candlelight Processional.  ****  ? Retro Commercial Break:  Commercial Break: Atari Christmas Commercial, aired during a 1981 ABC Movie Special airing of Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July, preserved by the Museum of Classic Chicago Television.  ****  “Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July” © 1979 Rankin/Bass Productions.Full show notes with links at adventcalendar.house.  Say hi on Twitter @adventcalhouse.