A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

Depressed at the commercialism he sees around him, Charlie Brown tries to find a deeper meaning to Christmas.

Director:

Bill Melendez

Writer:

Charles M. Schulz

Stars:

Ann Altieri, Chris Doran, Sally Dryer

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Uncredited cast:
Ann Altieri	...	Frieda (voice) (uncredited)
Chris Doran	...	Schroeder / Shermy (voice) (uncredited)
Sally Dryer	...	Violet (voice) (uncredited)
Bill Melendez	...	Snoopy (voice) (uncredited)
Karen Mendelson	...	Patty (voice) (uncredited)
Geoffrey Ornstein	...	Pig-Pen (voice) (uncredited)
Peter Robbins	...	Charlie Brown (voice) (uncredited)
Christopher Shea	...	Linus Van Pelt (voice) (uncredited)
Cathy Steinberg	...	Sally Brown (voice) (uncredited)
Tracy Stratford	...	Lucy Van Pelt (voice) (uncredited)

Storyline

When Charlie Brown complains about the overwhelming materialism that he sees amongst everyone during the Christmas season, Lucy suggests that he become director of the school Christmas paegent. Charlie Brown accepts, but it proves to be a frustrating struggle. When an attempt to restore the proper spirit with a forlorn little fir Christmas tree fails, he needs Linus' help to learn what the real meaning of Christmas is.

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Plot Keywords:

christmas tree | christmas | meaning of christmas | commercialism | ice skating | 

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Taglines:

Happiness is watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas."

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

TV-G

Did You Know?

Trivia

None of the children who voiced the characters received credit at the end.

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Goofs

The cels of Lucy in her psychiatry stand are not properly aligned to the background, so that the cutoff line of her body overlaps the edge of the tabletop.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Charlie Brown: [Charlie Brown and Linus stop at a wall on their trip to the pond for ice skating] I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus. Christmas is coming, but I'm not happy. I don't feel the way I'm supposed to feel.
[begins to walk with Linus again]
Charlie Brown: I just don't understand Christmas, I guess. I like getting presents and sending Christmas cards and decorating trees and all that, but I'm still not happy. I always end up feeling depressed.
Linus Van Pelt: Charlie Brown, you're the only person I know ...

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Alternate Versions

After the special's first airing in December 9, 1965, it was revised with several instances of new and overhauled animation (most famously the entire final shot with end credits was redone; Snoopy was shown to be singing in the original version, while in the revised he does not), different music placement (some scenes originally played in silence), as well as slight picture and sound editing to fix some awkwardly paced scenes. The revised version has been used as the base for all subsequent broadcasts and home video releases. A 16mm print of the original 1965 version resurfaced in 2018, and extensive comparisons between the original 1965 and the revised version can be found on YouTube and Vimeo in videos by 'Maxine C.'. Its worth noting that this print of the original 1965 version also contained the above-mentioned Coca Cola footage.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: The Best of Saturday TV Funhouse (2006)

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Soundtracks

O Tannenbaum
(uncredited)
Traditional tune, lyrics by Ernst Anschütz
Performed by the The Vince Guaraldi Trio

User Reviews

Completely Irresistible

How can you not love it? I'm a 46-year-old Jewish agnostic, and this still makes me laugh and brings a tear to my eye after dozens of viewings; and I don't think it's just nostalgia. I think if you can't enjoy this, you might as well just pack it in. Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without this and the ORIGINAL Grinch. Too bad the follow-ups, with the exception of course of It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, have never matched its humor, charm and heart. Favorite funny line? Lucy complains about always getting toys and bikes and clothes. "What do you want?" Charlie Brown asks. "REAL ESTATE!" Favorite touching moment? The transformation of the scrawny tree into a beautiful one of course.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 December 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Bill Melendez Productions, United Feature Syndicate (UFS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

25 min

Sound Mix:

DTS (DTS-HD Master Audio) Mono (Westrex Recording System) Dolby Digital (Mono)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3