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 | holiday in title | christmas in title | christmas | meaning of christmas | 

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Taglines:

Happiness is watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas."

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Drama | Family

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Certificate:

TV-G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Over the decades, with American TV networks making more broadcast time for commercials, this special was increasingly cut for time until there was a storm of protest from fans. When the special was acquired by the ABC TV network, a compromise was reached to both answer those complaints and to take advantage of the opportunity to sell more advertising time for a reliably high-rated annual rerun. This consisted of broadcasting an uncut version of the special in an hour timeslot, and using the remaining time after the special to run a companion piece, Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales (2002).

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Goofs

When Charlie Brown and Linus go looking for a Christmas tree, Linus taps on a metal tree and says "This one really brings Christmas close to a person". The tree makes a sound the second before he taps on it, not when he taps on it.

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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

For some reason there is one scene after the 'tasting of the snowflakes' that has been cut out of all subsequent CBS airings but is retained for the home video release. The scene shows Linus using his blanket as a whip to knock a soup can off of a fence. Lucy then turns to him and says, "You think you're so smart with that blanket! What're you gonna do with it when you grow up?". "Maybe, I'll make it into a sports coat!" Linus replies.

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Connections

Featured in Nostalgia Critic: Rover Dangerfield (2010)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

This is a Must See

I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 400 Christmas MOVIES.

BEWARE OF BOGUS REVIEWS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW. WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE PRODUCTION. NOW I HAVE

A Charlie Brown Christmas is an animated television special based on the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. Produced by Lee Mendelson and directed by Bill Melendez.

In the special, lead character Charlie Brown finds himself depressed despite the onset of the cheerful holiday season. Lucy suggests he direct a school Christmas play, but he is both ignored and mocked by his peers. The story touches on the over-commercialization and secularism of Christmas, and serves to remind viewers of the true meaning of Christmas.

This special seems not only get better with age but, it also gets better each time you see it.

There is many pop culture references that have sprung from this special. The most popular is "A Charlie Brown Tree".

If its been some time since you last saw this then watch it again. Better yet buy the DVD. The Abc Broadcast cuts a few things. A DVD is worth the money!

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