'A Charlie Brown Christmas' Completes Its 50 Years: Special Program Aired On ABC
As the famous animated television special "A Charlie Brown Christmas" completes its 50 years, ABC aired a star studded celebration on Monday night at 8 p.m. ET.
"A Charlie Brown Christmas" 50th anniversary celebration was titled "It's Your 50th Christmas, Charlie Brown." Following the celebration the special will be aired at 9 p.m.
The special was based on the cartoon strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. It was produced by Lee Mendelson and directed by Bill Melendez. It was first aired on CBS on Dec. 9, 1965.
According to Mendelson, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" was not liked by CBS executives when it was shown to them in 1965. "They said, 'We'll play it once and that will be all. Good try,' Mendelson had told Pop Matters. He and Melendez thought we had ruined Charlie Brown forever when it was done. We kind of agreed with the network," he said, according to CNN.
"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," noted Mendelson.
"A Charlie Brown Christmas" portrays the significance of Christmas and what it is really about. It not only proposes the importance of Bible legends, but also the value of friends, animals, cooperation, hope, the prettiness of modest things and singing out loud, reported npr.
The soundtrack of the special, composed by Vince Guaraldi was super hit. It became popular with the holiday season every year and was also added to the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry. The kids voices in the special were not faked by adults, rather, Melendez it an authentic touch by cast some of his neighborhood kids in Southern California.
In the beginning, watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas" was considered exclusive as it was aired rarely, only during Christmas season. But now kids and families can watch it anytime and anywhere they want.
