"A Charlie Brown Christmas" Turns 50
Written by Tyler Elliott, Former Student on Monday, December 7, 2015
Christmas time is here! One of America’s most beloved Christmas time traditions, “A Charlie Brown Christmas," had its 50th anniversary on Monday, November 30. Good grief! This Charles Schulz classic has been loved by young and old alike since its first television debut on November 30, 1965.
“[I remember] watching it as a family every holiday season, enjoying the Peanuts singing Christmas carols, and Charlie Brown picking out the tree,” said Char Elliot, 50.
"A Charlie Brown Christmas is almost as popular today as it was back then, being watched by millions and played on TV stations all across the U.S. as Christmas time draws near each year. Memorabilia is sold all over such as shirts, books, and toys.
“The replica trees are very popular as well” Char said. “We use one as a center piece."
The movie itself originally was not very popular. CBS network executives were not fond of it when it was first presented to them back in 1965. They agreed to play it only once. After playing it, however, the audience went wild for it and the show became a hit everywhere.
The creators wanted real kids to play the voices, as opposed to adults faking kids voices which made some of the “actors” non-professionals. Charlie Brown, Linus, and Lucy were voiced by real child actors, but all the other characters were voiced by average kids from director Bill Melendez’s neighborhood.
Having kids voice the characters occasionally had drawbacks. Some of the kids were so young that they could not even read, such as Christopher Shea, who voiced Linus. Melendez had to recite the script line by line to him.
Linus Van Pelt's famous speech he gave about “the true meaning of Christmas," one of the most famous lines of the movie was almost cut out. Linus recites Luke 2:8-14 from the Bible. Shulz, being a religious man, wanted to leave the speech in, even though the producers did not. Eventually it was left in, and it soon to become one of the movies most famous moments.
The infamous soundtrack is jazz, which Charles Schulz hated, but it soon became as famous and recognizable as the movie, being played with Christmas time music on radio stations everywhere. From the catchy piano riffs of "Linus and Lucy," to the soft piano and all the characters singing “Christmas Time, Is Here!”, it all makes the movie that much more memorable.
