Posted on 12/25/2017 2:29:20 AM PST by Oshkalaboomboom
Watching A Charlie Brown Christmas has been a tradition for millions since it first aired on December 9, 1965. While many love the iconic Vince Guaraldi score, the humor and the animation, one part of the special has always stood out and made it unique: Linus’s recitation of the Gospel of Luke.
In 2015, The Washington Post published a retrospective on A Charlie Brown Christmas. Michael Cavna explained Peanuts creator Charles Schulz’s mission in making the special:
Charles Schulz insisted on one core purpose: A Charlie Brown Christmas had to be about something. Namely, the true meaning of Christmas. Otherwise, Schulz said, “Why bother doing it?”
To Coca-Cola’s credit, Mendelson says, the corporate sponsor never balked at the idea of including New Testament passages. The result — Linus’s reading from the Book of Luke about the meaning of the season — became “the most magical two minutes in all of TV animation,” the producer says.
Schulz stood strong, despite efforts to talk him out of quoting from the Bible. On December 5, 2005, USA Today recounted:
[Executive producer Lee] Mendelson and animator Bill Melendez fretted about the insistence by Peanuts creator Charles Schulz that his first-ever TV spinoff end with a reading of the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke by a lisping little boy named Linus.
"We told Schulz, 'Look, you can't read from the Bible on network television,' " Mendelson says. "When we finished the show and watched it, Melendez and I looked at each other and I said, 'We've ruined Charlie Brown.' "
According to a recounting on MentalFloss.com, CBS executives told Schulz: “You can't read from the Bible on network television.”
Mental Floss writer Kara Kovalchik recounted what happened next:
But CBS had made a commitment to their sponsor, so they aired the special as scheduled on December 9, 1965. And, as often happens in the world of entertainment, the original gut reaction of the suits was completely wrong. A Charlie Brown Christmas drew in 15.4 million viewers, placing it second in the ratings that week after Bonanza. A few months later, Charles Schulz and Lee Mendelson found themselves onstage accepting an Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program.
And so, the Charlie Brown creator persevered and created a Christmas classic that endures 52 years later.
In case you don’t remember the iconic moment, here it is:
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 and goodwill towards men.’
“That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”
That show is still great. Wish someone would start shows like that again. It would be nice....
Great story. Thanks.
L
I still look forward to watching this every year.
Not kidding, when it came out, I was in my last year of college, leading to USAF Pilot Training, followed by a tour in Thailand, six months of concentrated training in a new airplane following the overseas, followed by five years in Alaska, also considered an overseas tour. What TV there was, wasn’t much. Spent the next year in training for a new job, followed by another overseas tour in Greece. The muppets was it for TV in Greece.
It shows every year. It is a charming thirty minutes with a powerful message
I highly recommend it for your viewing.
It was nice because, without commercials, it is very short.
The soundtrack is one of my favorites, and just hearing it can bring me back.
The feature is very simple, but as other people have opined, it is a piece of culture frozen in time.
There is something wonderful about hearing Gospel in a children's cartoon.
I did notice something else which I remember hearing a lot as a kid, that they would never allow into a cartoon today, where Lucy has this dialog with Linus:
Lucy: Memorize these lines, so you can recite them on cue.
Linus: This is ridiculous! I can’t memorize something like this so quickly! Why should I be put through such agony? Give me one good reason why I should have to memorize this! (Linus hugs blanket tight)
Lucy: I’ll give you five good reasons: (Lucy mechanically makes fist) One, two, three, four, five!
Linus: Those are good reasons. Christmas is not only getting too commercial, it’s getting too dangerous.
I haven’t seen it in a while. I’m glad it hasn’t changed!
It made me laugh...brought back childhood memories!
:)
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