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Directed by:	Bill Melendez
Written by:	Charles M. Schulz
Release date:	December 9, 1965
Running time:	25 minutes
Rating:	TV-G
Available on:	VHS Laserdisc DVD iTunes Blu-ray

A Charlie Brown Christmas is the first animated television special based on the popular newspaper comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz, and the first Christmas special for the franchise. It was produced and directed by former Warner Bros. and UPA animator Bill Melendez, who also supplied the voice of Snoopy. Originally sponsored by Coca-Cola, the special debuted on CBS in 1965, and has been aired during the Christmas season every year since (on CBS through 2000, and on ABC since 2001). The special has been honored with both an Emmy and a Peabody Award.

Synopsis

Charlie Brown is feeling depressed due to the over-commercialization of Christmas; his little sister Sally has written to Santa Claus asking for cash, and his beagle Snoopy has decked out his doghouse in the hope of winning a Christmas decorations contest. Lucy recommends that he direct the school's Christmas pageant in order to lift his spirits.

Charlie Brown arrives at the rehearsals, but try as he might, he cannot seem to get control of the situation as the uncooperative kids are more interested in modernizing the play with dancing and lively music. Charlie Brown, on the other hand, is determined not to let the play become commercial and to focus on the traditional side of the story.

Thinking the play requires "the proper mood", Charlie Brown decides they need a Christmas tree, so Lucy dispatches Charlie Brown to go get a "big, shiny aluminum tree". Accompanied by Linus, Charlie Brown heads off to the Christmas tree lot and finds a small baby tree which is the only real tree on the lot. Linus is not sure about Charlie Brown's choice, but Charlie Brown is convinced that after decorating it, it will be just right for the play.

When they return to the school auditorium with the tree, everybody, especially Lucy, laughs at Charlie Brown about his choice. Second guessing himself, Charlie Brown begins to wonder if he really knows what Christmas is all about, loudly asking if anyone can tell him what Christmas is all about, to which Linus eloquently responds by quoting the second chapter of the Gospel according to Luke, verses 8 through 14 from the King James Version.

Charlie Brown now realizes he does not have to let commercialism ruin his Christmas. With a newly found sense of inspiration, he quietly heads home with the tree, deciding to decorate it and show the others it will work in the play. He arrives home to find that Snoopy's doghouse has won the first prize in the decorating contest. But when he places a single ornament from the doghouse onto his tree, the whole thing bends over, and Charlie Brown is afraid that he has killed it. However, the rest of the gang comes to cheer him up, with Linus wrapping his blanket around the tree and everyone else placing the remaining decorations from Snoopy's doghouse to the tree, much to Charlie Brown's surprise, and then singing "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" along with him.

Production and reception

Bringing the Peanuts characters to television was not an easy task. The production was done on a low budget, resulting in a somewhat choppy animation style and, from a technical standpoint, poorly mixed sound. With the exception of the actors who voiced Charlie Brown (Peter Robbins), Linus (Christopher Shea), and Lucy (Tracy Stratford), none of the children had any experience doing voice work.

CBS' network executives were not at all keen on several aspects of the show, forcing Schulz and Melendez to wage some serious battles to preserve their vision. Among them, the executives had problems with the scene with Linus reciting the story of the birth of Christ from the Gospel of Luke (because they assumed that viewers would not want to sit through passages of the King James Version of the Bible; Charles Schulz insisted on keeping this scene in, remarking, "If we don't tell the true meaning of Christmas, who will?"), the absence of a laugh track, the use of children doing the voice acting, and the jazz soundtrack by Vince Guaraldi (which they thought would not work well for a children's program). When executives saw the final product, they were horrified and believed the special would be a complete flop. CBS programmers were equally pessimistic, informing the production team, "We will, of course, air it next week, but I'm afraid we won't be ordering any more." Mendelson and Melendez said to themselves, "We've just ruined Charlie Brown."

To the surprise of the executives, the premiere of A Charlie Brown Christmas was the second-highest rated program of the week, reaching well over 15 million homes. Charlie Brown was second only to the blockbuster Bonanza; more people watched the special that week than Lucille Ball, Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, The Andy Griffith Show, and The Beverly Hillbillies. ^[1]

In the following years, A Charlie Brown Christmas reached an even larger audience. Two airings of the special appear on the "All-Time Top 10 Christmas Ratings" list -- 1967, which got a 34.3, and 1969, which got a 34.8 rating. The only other shows rated higher than the 1969 Charlie Brown Christmas are the annual Bob Hope Christmas Specials, a popular tradition in the late 60s and early 70s. ^[2]

Broadcast history and availability

CBS held broadcast rights to the special from 1965 until 2000. Afterwards, ABC took over broadcast rights to this and other Peanuts animated holiday specials (including the traditional Halloween special, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown) in 2001.

Home video releases

The special was first released to home video by Hi-Tops Video in 1984. It was released on VHS again in 1990, this time being sold exclusively at Shell gas stations. The special was released on VHS again when Paramount Home Video acquired the video rights to the Peanuts cartoons in 1994. Paramount issued it a second time in 1996, this time in a plastic case. At the same time, they also released it to Laserdisc; this release also included the non-holiday Peanuts special You're the Greatest, Charlie Brown.

Paramount later released the special on DVD in 2000, where it was accompanied by It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown. Following Warner Home Video's acquisition of the video rights to the Peanuts specials, a "Remastered Deluxe Edition" DVD was released in September 2008, again with It's Christmastime Again as a bonus special, but also with a new behind-the-scenes featurette. A Blu-Ray edition of this release was released a year later. Warner also made the special available as an iTunes and a PlayStation Network digital download, also accompanied by not only It's Christmastime Again, but also the non-holiday special It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown. The special is also available on the 2-disc set Peanuts 1960s Collection.

Edits

The special has notably not been shown in its original form since the 1960s, due to having to cut out plugs for the special's original sponsor, Coca-Cola. In the original airing, immediately following Charlie Brown crashing into the tree during the opening sequence, Linus got tossed at a Coca-Cola billboard, and the end credits used to close with a subtitle reading "Merry Christmas from your local Coca-Cola bottler." Also, from 1966 through 1996, subsequent broadcasts cut out the scene where the kids throw snowballs at a tin can on a fence. The scene with the can was reinstated in the 1990 VHS release (and all subsequent video releases), and it later returned to the televised broadcasts of the special in 1997.

The special has been shown this way every year since then, except when it was aired alongside the premiere broadcasts of Prep & Landing in 2009 and Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice in 2011; in these broadcasts, the following scenes were cut to create space for more commercials:

Sally asking Charlie Brown to help her write a letter to Santa Claus.
Snoopy eating a stack of bones while reading a newspaper on top of his doghouse.
While Pig-Pen is building a snowman, Charlie Brown approaches and comments on the dust cloud kicked up in the snowstorm.
Several of the kids trying to catch snowflakes on their tongues.
Lucy, Schroeder, and Linus throwing snowballs at a can on a fence.
Shermy's only line after being informed by Lucy that he will be playing a shepherd in the Christmas play.
Lucy asking Schroeder to play a simple version of "Jingle Bells", only to hear him play three of them (conventional piano, Hammond organ, and toy piano on one finger).

Linus Christmas Monologue

"Lights, please.

"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. For behold, I bring 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 Saviour, 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, good will toward men.'

"That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

--Linus Van Pelt, A Charlie Brown Christmas, 1965.

Songs

A Charlie Brown Christmas features original music written by Vince Guaraldi, and performed by his jazz trio.

A soundtrack album of the special's musical score was released in 1965 on Fantasy Records, which was a well-known jazz label, and Guaraldi's home label at the time. The album became an instant classic, and remains available to this day. A single of "Christmas Time is Here", backed with "What Child is This", was also released.

In addition to the score album, in 1977 Charlie Brown Records (distributed by Disneyland/Buena Vista Records) released a book and record set, with a catalogue number of 3701, containing an LP of the special's entire soundtrack, including songs, dialogue, and sound effects. It also included a 12-page booklet with pictures from the special. Charlie Brown Records also released a condensed version of the special's story on a 7" 33 1/3 RPM book and record set, with a catalogue number of 401.

Trivia

Christopher Shea, who voiced Linus, would star in the first-season Christmas episode of That Girl, "Christmas And The Hard Luck Kid", broadcast a year later.

References in other media

A Charlie Brown-like Christmas tree makes an appearance on the set of the Joker's TV special in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Christmas With the Joker".
During the song at the end of It's a Wonderful Tiny Toons Christmas Special, the line "If your Christmas tree's pathetic" is illustrated by a shot of Buster and Babs, drawn to look like Charlie Brown and Lucy, coming upon a tree like the one in the special, which then crumbles.
In the Futurama episode "Xmas Story", a group of kids appear skating similar to the opening scene. Bender, having just fallen off a cliff, crashes through the ice, causing them to fall into the water.
In two of the segments produced for A Very Cartoon Cartoon Fridays Holiday Special, characters from Dexter's Laboratory, Cow and Chicken, Johnny Bravo, The Powerpuff Girls, Ed, Edd n Eddy, and Courage the Cowardly Dog are shown mimicking the dancing scene and the closing scene.
At the end of A Johnny Bravo Christmas, Johnny and some of his party guests are shown mimicking the Peanuts gang's dancing moves.
The FoxTrot strip published on December 20, 2001, has Peter watching the special on TV as an excuse to not do his homework. Andy makes him go do his homework anyway, though, because they have the special on videotape.
- The Sunday strip published on December 17, 2006, has Roger trying to find a Christmas tree, but all the ones at the lot are already sold. He then sees a little tree that hasn't been sold. The last panel reveals him screaming in horror when he finds Linus and Charlie Brown walking away with the tree (which looks just like the one Charlie Brown picks up in the special).
From 2002 through 2005, Nickelodeon ran a series of vignettes every Christmas, one of them a parody of A Charlie Brown Christmas starring the characters from Rugrats. Titled "A Chuckie Finster Christmas, Channukah, Kwaanza, Winter Solstice", the spot features Chuckie in the Charlie Brown role. Tommy later attempts Linus's recitation of Luke 2:8-14 in The Bible, prompting Angelica to scream "You blockhead! It's about the presents! Lots and lots of presents!", which the rest of the babies agree on.
In The Fairly OddParents movie Channel Chasers, Charlie Brown's Christmas tree can be seen in the world of the Christmas special that Timmy, Cosmo, and Wanda briefly visit.
In the Kim Possible episode "A Very Possible Christmas", as Ron is foiling his plans, Dr. Drakken yells out "All I want is what's coming to me! All I want is my fair share!"
The Simpsons episode "'Tis the Fifteenth Season" ends with the cast singing "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" in the same manner as the ending to A Charlie Brown Christmas.
- In addition, the later Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror IXX" features a imitation of the dancing scene in the segment "It's the Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse!" (which itself is a parody of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown).
- Another Simpsons episode, "Donnie Fatso", had Charlie Brown's Christmas tree make a cameo as Nelson Muntz's Christmas tree in the opening sequence's couch gag.
The Internet cartoon Homestar Runner has made several references to the special, among other Peanuts references. A Holiday Greeting, for instance, features Strong Bad trying to sing "O Holy Night" in an auditorium identical to the one seen in the special.
The Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends Christmas episode, "A Lost Claus", uses a jazz musical style in the soundtrack similar to this special. It also features a cameo appearance by Snoopy's decorated doghouse and Charlie Brown's Christmas tree.
At the beginning of the American Dad! episode "The Most Adequate Christmas Ever", Haley states "I picked up all the Charlie Brown holiday specials, from the very first one where he learns the true meaning of Christmas to the one from the '80s where he meets the kid with AIDs." (The latter description is probably a reference to the 1990 Peanuts special Why, Charlie Brown, Why?, which featured a character with leukemia and had a sequence set during Christmastime.)
In the Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! episode "O' Figgity Fig Tree", there is a parody of the dance scene of the special. Also, in "A Great and Grumpy Holiday", Wubbzy goes past the tree from the special while looking for a tree to put in Wuzzleburg Square (and muttering "Oh, good grief" in response).
The end credits of Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation! has a shot with Phineas, Ferb, and their friends mimicking the dancing scene.
Charlie Brown's Christmas tree can be seen in the background of Magee's office in Prep & Landing and Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice.
The title of The Cleveland Show episode "A Cleveland Brown Christmas" is a direct parody of this special's title.
In the iCarly episode "iChristmas", Carly, Sam, Freddie and Spencer hum "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing", similar to the scene where the kids hum the song.
In a real-life version of life imitating art, because of budget cuts, the city of Concord, California had a "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree" for the 2009 holiday season in the city's Todos Santos Plaza.^[3]
Charlie Brown's Christmas tree appears in the title card for the Fish Hooks episode "Merry Fishmas, Milo".

Cast

Voice actor	Character
Peter Robbins	Charlie Brown
Tracy Stratford	Lucy van Pelt
Christopher Shea	Linus van Pelt
Bill Melendez	Snoopy
Kathy Steinberg	Sally Brown
Chris Doran	Schroeder Shermy
Ann Altieri	Frieda
Sally Dryer	Violet Gray
Karen Mendelson	Patty
Geoffrey Ornstein	Pig-Pen

Note: 3, 4, and 5 make appearances, but do not have speaking roles.

References

↑ A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition, by Lee Mendelson with reminiscences by Bill Melendez. 2000, HarperCollins Publishers Inc. The book's information is quoting an Advertising Age top ten list from January 10, 1966.
↑ A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition, by Lee Mendelson with reminiscences by Bill Melendez. 2000, HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
↑ City Opts for "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree", KTVU.com, December 4, 2009; retrieved December 13, 2009

External links

Peanuts Wiki: A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas at the Internet Movie Database
The special's TV Tropes page
Archived ABC Feature Page for A Charlie Brown Christmas

Christmas Specials Based on Comic Strips

Seasin's Greetinks! • The Captain's Christmas • Mister and Mistletoe • "The Christmas Story" • "The Christmas Horse" • "Hazel's Christmas Shopping" • "The Fifteen-Foot Christmas Tree" • "Spinach Greetings!" • "A Christmas Tale" • "Just 86 Shopping Minutes Till Christmas" • A Charlie Brown Christmas • "Christmas with the Addams Family" • A Family Circus Christmas • Ziggy's Gift • The Smurfs' Christmas Special • "Baby's First Christmas" • "The Play" • The Bestest Present • "North Pole Cat" • 'Tis the Season to Be Smurfy • A Garfield Christmas Special • "Heatwave Holiday" • A Wish For Wings That Work • It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown • A Christmas Angel • Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales • "A Baby Blues Christmas Special" • I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown • "A Huey Freeman Christmas" • A Dennis the Menace Christmas • "Caroling Capers" • "Home for the Holidays" • The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol

[0] A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition, by Lee Mendelson with reminiscences by Bill Melendez. 2000, HarperCollins Publishers Inc. The book's information is quoting an Advertising Age top ten list from January 10, 1966.

[1] A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition, by Lee Mendelson with reminiscences by Bill Melendez. 2000, HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

[2] City Opts for "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree", KTVU.com, December 4, 2009; retrieved December 13, 2009

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