A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

Repelled by the commercialism he sees around him, Charlie Brown tries to find the true meaning of 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:

That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown! (2008 DVD re-release)

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

TV-G

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The teacher's voice is dubbed by a trombone.

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Goofs

When Schroeder and Lucy are discussing what Beethoven contributed, he stops playing the piano, but the piano doesn't stop right away.

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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 ...

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Alternate Versions

The 2015 "50th Anniversary" broadcast on ABC inserts credits for Peter Robbins (voice of Charlie Brown), Christopher Shea (voice of Linus), and Tracy Stratford (voice of Lucy) at the end. Prior to this, none of the voice actors received onscreen credit for their work.

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Connections

Followed by What Have We Learned, Charlie Brown? (1983)

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Soundtracks

Happiness Theme
(uncredited)
Music by Vince Guaraldi
Performed by the The Vince Guaraldi Trio

User Reviews

Perfect Holiday Movie

One of the best Holiday movies of all time, I wonder why it's not on the AFI top 100 list?

****CAUTION SPOILERS*** THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH TELLS THE READER WHAT THE MOVIE IS ABOUT, IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW, PLEASE DON'T READ ANY FURTHER.

In case you haven't seen the movie, here is how it goes. Charlie Brown (a local boy who seems to fail in everything he does), is upset because no one has given him a Christmas card, plus all of his friends seem to have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. All his sister wants for Christmas are toys, she says, "I want what's coming to me." Charlie buys a tiny Christmas tree for the Christmas play, but it's made fun of by his friends. Fed up with everybody, Charlie finally yells, "Does anyone know the true meaning of Christmas?" What happens next is one of the best scenes in a Christmas movie ever! Charlie's friend stands up and announces to everyone in the room the true meaning of Christmas, quoting from the Bible.