Stubs - A Charlie Brown Christmas

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) Featuring the voices of Peter Robbins, Chris Shea, Kathy Steinberg. Tracy Stratford, Bill Melendez, Ann Altieri, Chris Doran, Sally Dryer, Karen Mendelson, Geoffrey Ornstein Directed by Bill Melendez. Script by Charles M. Schultz. Based on Peanuts, a comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. Produced by Bill Melendez. Color. USA Run time: 25 minutes. Animated, Christmas.

For many, watching A Charlie Brown Christmas is as much a tradition as watching It’s A Wonderful Life (1946). Based on the very popular comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schultz, the favorite Christmas special almost didn’t make it to air.

The special grew out of Lee Mendelson’s desire, in the early 1960s, to do a documentary about Charles M. Schultz and Peanuts. As part of the planned half-hour documentary, Mendelson wanted one or two minutes of animated material. Enter Bill Melendez, an animator Schultz had worked with prior on a project for Ford Motors. But the networks were not interested in the documentary.

In April 1965, Time magazine featured Schultz’s Peanuts gang on their cover, prompting John Allen of the New York-based McCann Erickson Agency to contact Mendelson. The Coca-Cola Company was looking for a special to sponsor during the holiday season and Peanuts seemed a natural. However, they needed an outline in less than a week. Mendelson and Schultz rose to the challenge and presented one that is pretty much true to the final animated special: "winter scenes, a school play, a scene to be read from the Bible, and a soundtrack combining jazz and traditional music."

Lee Mendelson, a fan of jazz, heard Vince Guaraldi's crossover hit "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" on the radio and had hired him to work on the documentary that never aired.  For that project, Guaraldi had composed the suite, "Linus and Lucy", to serve as the theme. He recycled that composition for A Charlie Brown Christmas, as well as two originals, "Skating", and "Christmas Time Is Here".

Coke liked the idea and that gave Melendez about six months to put the show together, four of which consisted of working on the animation. The story goes that having never worked on a half-hour special before, Melendez phoned Bill Hanna of Hanna-Barbera for advice, but Hanna declined to give any. CBS gave the production a budget of $76,000, but Melendez went $20,000 over budget, delivering a completed special just 10 days before its premiere.

The initial reception between those involved and the network was that the special was a disaster. Complaints included the show's slow pace, the music not fitting, and the animation being too simple. Mendelson would later recall, “If it hadn't been scheduled for the following week, there's no way they were gonna broadcast that show." The only person with a positive opinion was animator Ed Levitt, who told Mendelson that, “This show is going to run for a hundred years."

 Charlie Brown (Peter Robbins) confesses to Linus (Chris Shea) how he's not feeling the Christmas spirit.

The story is probably all too familiar to most, and it opens with Charlie Brown (Peter Robbins) and Linus (Chris Shea) on their way to join their friends ice skating on a frozen pond. Charlie Brown confesses to Linus that despite the onset of Christmas, he isn’t feeling it.

The Peanuts gang skating on a frozen lake.

After skating, with Snoopy of course out front, Linus tries to help Charlie Brown and suggests he visit Lucy's (Tracy Stratford) psychiatric booth. For a nickel, he gets to tell her his problem. She runs down a list of possible psychoses, finally determining that Charlie Brown suffers from the fear of everything.

Lucy (Tracy Stratford) correctly determines what Charlie Brown fears, everything.

She suggests getting involved in a Christmas project and invites him to direct the school Christmas play.

Charlie Brown becomes even more discouraged by his observations of Christmas' commercialization, which include Snoopy (Bill Melendez) decorating his doghouse for a neighborhood lights and display contest. Even his younger sister, Sally (Cathy Steinberg), is only after presents from Santa. She dictates her letter to Santa Claus to Charlie Brown. In it, she asks for a long list of gifts, and preferably cash.

After roles are handed out, which includes Linus as a shepherd and Snoopy playing all the animals, the play’s rehearsal devolves into the cast dancing to the jazzy tones from Schroeder’s piano. Sensing that the play needs a “proper mood”, Charlie Brown, with Linus in tow, leaves to find a Christmas tree.

At the tree lot, which includes a lot of fake, then aluminum, trees, Charlie Brown picks a small sapling that, ironically, is the only real tree there. Linus is dubious about Charlie Brown's choice, but Charlie Brown is convinced that once decorated, the little tree will be perfect.

Charlie Brown's Christmas tree is laughed at by the cast of the show.

However, back at rehearsal, Lucy and the others scorn Charlie Brown about the tree and walk away laughing at him.

Charlie Brown asks if anyone knows what Christmas is about. Linus does.

In despair, Charlie Brown loudly asks if anyone knows what Christmas is all about; Linus says he does and, walking to center stage, asks for a spotlight and recites the Gospel annunciation to the shepherds.

Linus Van Pelt: "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not:"

[Linus drops his security blanket on purpose]
"for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.'"[Luke 2:8-14 KJV]

When he finishes, Linus turns to Charlie Brown and quietly says, "That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

Realizing that he doesn't have to let commercialism ruin his own Christmas, Charlie Brown decides to take the tree home to decorate it and show the others that it will work in the play. He stops at Snoopy's doghouse, which has, of course, won the contest, and takes a large red ornament from it to hang on his tree. But heavy bulb causes the tiny tree to bend to the ground. Dejected, Charlie Brown walks away.

Charlie Brown is dejected when the tree bends under the weight of one ornament.

The others, having heard Linus' recitation, realize that they were too hard on Charlie Brown and quietly follow him. They come across the drooping tree. Linus gently uprights the tree, bulb and all, and lovingly wraps his blanket around the tree's base, giving it a skirt and support.

The others, in a mad dash of hands, give the tree a makeover, using other decorations from Snoopy’s winning display. The results are a very full and beautiful little Christmas tree. Even Lucy concedes to Charlie Brown's choice. The kids then start humming "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing".

"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"

Hearing them, Charlie Brown returns to see the transformation of his little sapling into a magnificent Christmas tree. All the kids shout, "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!", and then sing "Hark" with Charlie Brown joining in as snow begins to fall.

The special aired for the first time on CBS on December 9, 1965, preempting The Munsters sitcom.  Forty-five percent of all televisions that were on that night watched the special, making it the 2^nd highest show that week, losing to Bonanza on NBC. Despite the initial negative reviews from the network, the special was praised by the likes of The Hollywood Reporter, which called it "delightfully novel and amusing," as well as Terrence O'Flaherty of the San Francisco Chronicle, who wrote, "Charlie Brown was a gem of a television show."

A Charlie Brown Christmas was awarded the Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program in 1966. Following its success, other specials were ordered and there were additional ones that were holiday-themed, including It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966), A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973), It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (1974), Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (1975), and It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown (1976). There has also been a stage play based on the special.

The special aired annually on CBS until 2000. In 2001, ABC began to air it until 2019. In 2020, the Apple TV+ streaming service acquired rights to all of the Peanuts specials, but there is a proviso that this one, as well as It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, also air on free TV as well.

The special will always have a special place in many people’s hearts. It seems to be the right mix of Midwestern values and humor. While jazz music may not be an obvious choice, it really works here. It certainly sets it apart from many of the mainstream more sedate Christmas specials of its day. Linus’ oratory gives the special the right amount of religious overtures. It is not heavy-handed and works to ground the special and the season to its original purpose.

Animation may have improved a great deal in the meantime, but A Charlie Brown Christmas has aged fairly well. A recent remastering of the special to high def will allow it to live on looking even better than it originally did.

If you have never seen the special, then I would highly recommend it. Otherwise, you’re invited to watch it over and over again. A Charlie Brown Christmas always seems to put me in the mood of the season.