How "A Charlie Brown Christmas" Came to Pass -- The unlikely beginnings of a holiday classic

Fact Monster. com ^ | 2005 | Holly Hartman

[summer]

The first of nearly 50 Peanuts television movies, A Charlie Brown Christmas is the longest-running cartoon special in history, airing every year since its debut in 1965. Whimsical, melancholy, and ultimately full of wonder, it is a holiday favorite for countless families. But this cartoon classic almost didn't make it on the air.

A Movie No One Wanted

In 1963 producer Lee Mendelson made a short documentary about Charles Schulz called A Boy Named Charlie Brown. It included a few minutes of animated Peanuts scenes by Bill Melendez, who had animated the kids for a series of Ford Motor commercials, and music by jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi. Sadly, no television network wanted to air it.

But in 1965, after the Peanuts made the cover of TIME magazine, an advertising agent for the Coca-Cola company who had seen the Schulz documentary called Mendelson. The agent asked if Mendelson had thought about creating a Peanuts Christmas special. Mendelson fibbed that he had; the following day, he and Schulz came up with the story.

The Wise Men Meet

The basics of the cartoon were laid out within a few hours. It would include ice-skating; a pageant (Mendelson and Schulz had both flubbed parts in school shows); a mix of Christmas carols and Guaraldi's contemporary jazz; and the message that Christmas is really about the joyful miracle of Jesus's birth.

Schulz wanted A Charlie Brown Christmas to have the religious meaning that was central to his own experience of Christmas. And though the special was made in California, Schulz wanted it to include snowy scenes that recalled his native Midwest.

Christmas Critics

Even Schulz admitted that he was probably the only person who could have gotten A Charlie Brown Christmas made. Television executives hated it from the start.

It was criticized as being too religious—Linus quotes straight from the King James Bible (Luke 2:8-14). It was criticized for featuring contemporary jazz, an offbeat choice for a cartoon. It was criticized for not having a laugh track. It was criticized for using the voices of real children (except for Snoopy, who was voiced by animator Melendez).

O Happy Night

But it was an instant hit with viewers and reviewers alike.

On Thursday, December 9, 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas was seen in more than 15 million homes, capturing nearly half of the possible audience. That week it was number two in the ratings, after Bonanza. It won critical acclaim as well as an Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program and a Peabody Award for excellence in programming.

Lost Footage

Unless you've watched A Charlie Brown Christmas from the get-go, you haven't seen the whole show. Coca-Cola, its first sponsor, had left its mark—or rather its logo, which appeared several times. For instance, in the skating scene, Snoopy throws Linus from the rink into a Coca-Cola sign (did you ever wonder where Linus lands?). Later sponsors objected, and the frames were edited out.

Several minutes' worth of footage was also clipped to allow more time for commercials, though some has been restored. Until 1997, the scene in which the Peanuts throw snowballs at a can on a fence was missing from both broadcast and video versions.

[summer]

I watched "A Charlie Brown Christmas" last night, just as I have every year during the Christmas season.

For the first time I couldn't help but wonder: In light of the fact Linus quotes from the Bible in the central scene of the program, would a wonderful program like this ever be produced today?

Then, later -- I found out from the above article: It almost didn't get produced back in 1965!

[summer]

"There will always be an audience for innocence in this country." —

Charles Schulz

[summer]

FYI. Also -- Merry Christmas! :)

[kenth]

Thank God for Charles Schultz. It's one of the very few Christmas programs that directly tells the true meaning.

[Liz]

"Merry Christmas."

[Liz]

Nice post.......thanks.

[summer]

My pleasure. :)

[Liz]

We should put you in charge of digging up and posting the histories of the best-loved Christmas film classics.....the ones running on The Family channel......Frosty The Snowman, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, and such.

[summer]

Re your post #5 - Oh, what a beautiful Christmas tree and angel there! Thank you, Liz!!! :)

[summer]

RE your post #8 - LOL... :)

[summer]

Re your post #4 - Yes, and -- he was a genius, too! :)

[cgk]

I bought this for my husband for our first Christmas. Now that we have a 3 year old in the house, she has gotten her mitts on it, so we need to repurchase it. It's one DVD I don't mind re-buying.

Thank you for posting! Merry Christmas...

[shezza]

Hark, the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on Earth and mercy mild,
God and sinner reconciled.
Joyful all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies,
With angelic hosts proclaim,
Christ is born in Bethlehem!
Hark, the herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King!

[scott says]

My all time favorite Christmas Music CD- A Charlie Brown Christmas by the Vince Guaraldi Trio

[SamAdams76]

It's a shame that so few new genuine Christmas movies and music are produced today. And I'm not talking about movies like "The Santa Clause" and songs like "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" either.

I think the last decent Christmas film was "A Christmas Story" and even that one was totally purged of the religious aspect of Christmas.

[raccoonradio]

>> It was criticized as being too religious

Yes, we had political correctness even back then. Also in 1960 when many radio stations balked at airing Stan Freberg's single "Green Chri$tma$". Why were they offended? Because it dared to criticize the holiday as being over-commercialized ("FIVE TUBELESS TIRES!")

Green Chri$tma$

CRATCHET: The people keep hoping you'll remember. But you never do.
SCROOGE: Remember what?

CRATCHET: Whose birthday we're celebrating.

SCROOGE: Well, ....... don't get me wrong. The story of Christmas, in its simplicity, is a good thing - I'll buy that. It's just that we know a good thing when we see it.

CRATCHET: But don't you realize Christmas has a significance, a meaning.

SCROOGE: A sales curve! Wake up, Cratchet, it's later than you think.
CRATCHET: I know, Mr. Scrooge, I know.

[JCEccles]

I vividly remember watching it the first time it was broadcast. The musical score by Vince Guaraldi was brilliant, an essential part of the overall success of the program.

[Liz]

You are very welcome.

[Liz]

This is cute, too.

[dixiechick2000]

Thanks for finding, and posting, this article.
I really enjoyed it.

This thread was made for you, devolve.
"And now, for something completely different." ;o)