| A Charlie Brown Christmas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Based on | Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz |
| Written by | Charles M. Schulz |
| Directed by | Bill Melendez |
| Voices of |
|
| Theme music composer | Vince Guaraldi |
| Opening theme | "Christmas Time Is Here" |
| Ending theme | "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" |
| Composer | Vince Guaraldi |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Lee Mendelson |
| Producer | Bill Melendez |
| Editor | Robert T. Gillis |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Budget | $76,000-96,000[1] |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | December 9, 1965 |
| Related | |
| |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
A Charlie Brown Christmas is a 1965 animated television special. It is the first TV special based on the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz, and features the voices of Peter Robbins, Christopher Shea, Kathy Steinberg, Tracy Stratford, and Bill Melendez. Produced by Lee Mendelson and directed by Melendez, the program made its debut on the CBS television network on December 9, 1965.[nb 1] In the special, Charlie Brown (Robbins) finds himself depressed despite the onset of the cheerful holiday season. After Lucy van Pelt (Stratford) suggests he direct a neighborhood Christmas play, his best efforts are ignored and mocked by his peers when he chooses a puny Christmas tree as a centerpiece.
After the comic strip's debut in 1950, Peanuts had become a worldwide phenomenon by the mid-1960s. The special was commissioned and sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company, and was written over a period of several weeks, and produced on a small budget in six months. In casting the characters, the producers took an unconventional route, hiring child actors. The program's soundtrack was similarly unorthodox, featuring a jazz score by pianist Vince Guaraldi. Its lack of a laugh track (a staple in US television animation in this period), in addition to its tone, pacing, music, and animation, led both the producers and the network to predict the project would be a disaster. However, contrary to their collective apprehension, A Charlie Brown Christmas received high ratings and acclaim from critics. It received an Emmy and a Peabody Award, and became an annual presentation in the United States, airing on broadcast television during the Christmas season for 56 years before becoming exclusively available on Apple TV+ streaming service. Its success paved the way for a series of Peanuts television specials and films. Its jazz soundtrack achieved commercial success, selling five million copies in the US.[3] Live theatrical versions of A Charlie Brown Christmas have been staged.
- ^ Solomon 2013, p. 11.
- ^ TV Guide, Manitoba-Saskatchewan Edition, December 4–10, 1965.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
Cite error: There are <ref group=nb> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=nb}} template (see the help page).