10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’
Charles Schulz's 'Peanuts' characters have become timeless classics, thanks to their long-lasting presence in newspapers and their many animated TV specials. (“It's Arbor Day Again, Charlie Brown!”) A big part of the characters' success is thanks to the classic 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' TV special.
Since it first aired in 1965, the beloved special has practically become required viewing for families celebrating the holiday season. Its message of anti-commercialism and good will towards man mixed with Schulz’s trademark humor of caustic kids in a cynical world is a perfect remedy for the holidays that can get sappier than your aunt’s homemade egg nog.
At the time of its airing, 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' received rave reviews, record ratings and an annual presence on television and home video for decades to come. And yet 46 years later, few fans know about its rocky beginnings that were fraught with much frustration and cynicism by the network executives who commissioned it and the producers who fought so hard to preserve Schulz's humor and pathos. In celebration of the special's annual TV airing, here are some things you might not know about 'A Charlie Brown Christmas.'
Since it first aired in 1965, the beloved special has practically become required viewing for families celebrating the holiday season. It’s message of anti-commercialism and good will towards man mixed with Schulz’s trademark humor of caustic kids in a cynical world is a perfect remedy for the holidays that can get sappier than your aunt’s homemade egg nog.
Hulu
Most of the voice actors were cast from kids in the director's neighborhood
Hulu
Some of the child actors were so young, they couldn't read the script
Hulu
Charles Schulz refused to let CBS executives insert a laugh track
Hulu
Schulz actually hated jazz music
Guaraldi's involvement with the 'Peanuts' dates back to before production started on the Christmas special. Mendelson had been working with Schulz on a documentary called 'A Boy Named Charlie Brown' that featured a soundtrack of jazz music composed by Guaraldi. Despite his feelings about jazz, Sparky insisted that they use Guaraldi's music again for 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' with a mix of traditional Christmas hymns because it created the perfect “bubbly, childlike tone” for the show.
Hulu
Linus' “True Meaning of Christmas” speech was almost cut
Hulu
The network execs and sponsors hated the special and wanted to bury it
Hulu
The producers thought it would be a flop and that they “ruined Charlie Brown forever”
Hulu
Snoopy got all the action scenes because he was the easiest to animate
Some earlier runs of the special included product placements for Coca-Cola
Hulu
It is the second longest-running Christmas special of all time