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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

Happiness is watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas."

---

Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Family

---

Certificate:

TV-G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Not long after the animation was finished Tracy Stratford's voice broke, which is why she never voiced Lucy in another Peanuts special.

---

Goofs

When Linus is making his speech Charlie Brown is behind him and to his left, and he has is not wearing his red coat. When Linus is briefly shown from his right Charlie Brown is in the background wearing his coat. When the shot cuts back to a front view the coat is off again.

---

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 ...

---

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.

---

Connections

Referenced in Mad: Garfield of My Dreams/I Hate My Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012)

---

Soundtracks

Skating
(uncredited)
Music by Vince Guaraldi
Performed by the The Vince Guaraldi Trio

User Reviews

A Very Different Christmas

A Charlie Brown Christmas is probably the most unique Christmas film you can find. It's different because the Peanuts gang seem melancholy and introspective much of the time. I mean, do kids really worry about the commercialization of Christmas?!

Nevertheless, the special really speaks to adults and probably older kids, and keeps you thinking after it's over. It has a very good message, and the music, while also melancholy, sticks with you for a long time afterwards. You could probably play a few notes of their "Christmastime" song, and I'll immediately picture this film. This movie should definitely become part of anybody's holiday collection, even if it's only to stand out from the other material.

My IMDb Rating: 9/10. My Yahoo! Grade: A- (Almost Perfect)

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