Today in history: A Charlie Brown Christmas

[Not Bill]

A fascinating piece on what by all accounts is a show if done today, would never be given the chance to air.

What the roomful of executives saw upon the first screening was a shock—a slow and quiet semireligious, jazz-filled 25 minutes, voiced by a cast of inexperienced children, and, perhaps most unforgivably, without a laugh track. “They said, ‘We’ll play it once and that will be all. Good try,’ “ remembers Mendelson. “Bill and I thought we had ruined Charlie Brown forever when it was done. We kind of agreed with the network. One of the animators stood up in the back of the room—he had had a couple of drinks—and he said, ‘It’s going to run for a hundred years,’ and then fell down. We all thought he was crazy, but he was more right than we were.”

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/...

I've got a definite softspot for the show. I was born and raised in Santa Rosa (Charles Schulz hometown) and was 3 when this first aired. Growing up with that show - many my age identified ourselves with those characters. And, you could almost always find Schulz at the (his) ice arena having lunch and was always available to anyone who happened to be there.

And back in the day, you only had one chance a year to see it.

Oh, and gotta mention Vince Guaraldi's soundtrack. Amazing piano work.

[Rusty]

I was amazed yesterday when I turned to this show and my son, five years old and accustomed to constant movement, action, loud noises, etc. in his cartoons, actually got a kick out of it.

[Jackie "the Librarian", Cool Star Trek Nerd]

Yep, it's funny to think it now, but the show was quite radical for its time.

[Charissa, That's Ms. Obnoxious Twat to You.]

I had no idea it was considered so radical. I have always just loved the Charlie Brown Xmas... it was one of the things I looked forward to this time of year. I could live without the frikking Peanuts sculptures that are now all over Santa Rosa. But whatever... at least it's not the goddamn painted cows that are all over Sonoma.

[Joe]

Painted Cows? We have them in Amarillo TX too. Here in Borger we have painted pumpjacks. Both are quite a waste of money in my opinion.

[Charissa, That's Ms. Obnoxious Twat to You.]

i hate that kind of art in a way that causes lasers to shoot out of my eyes and kill innocent bystanders.

[Félix]

The only cow in Sonoma that I liked was the one by the courthouse that was encrusted with pieces of broken glass. It was rather painful to mount, however.

Wow! Lasers, huh? Remind me to steer (no pun intended) clear of you.

[Joe]

Wait, I am wrong. They are horses in Amarillo not cows. Still stupid. There are a few of them encrusted with broken glass.

[Charissa, That's Ms. Obnoxious Twat to You.]

Larry... why on earth would you be mounting a cow in public? You really are one kinky MF aren't you? Or, sorry CF. : )

[Félix]

I never said I mounted it. I mean, I would never do such a thing (and admit it).

[Charissa, That's Ms. Obnoxious Twat to You.]

how would you know it was painful unless you tried? come on, admit it... you think the giant ass on that sculpture is sexy.

[Félix]

I never did it. (And I'll never do it again.)