Charlie Brown Christmas at 50

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Wes H, Nov 30, 2015.

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  1. Wes H

    Wes H Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Virginia
    Did anyone watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas" on ABC tonight? I wish they would have waited to show it on December 9th, which would have been the 50th anniversary of the original broadcast date. But I guess we can't complain when it's still shown at all after half a century!

    Watching it in it's current "digitally restored" version, on my 60" color screen, it looks great (allowing for the crude animation). I never could have imagined seeing it like this when I first watched the premiere in 1965 on my parents' black-and-white RCA TV.

    This special never gets old--just better!
     
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  2. Vinyl Addict

    Vinyl Addict Forum Resident

    Location:
    MA
    I couldnt get past the first 20 minutes of the hour long special they had on, but I did catch the CB Christmas. I never miss it
     
  3. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Yeah, that special was the antithesis of "special." What a dog.
     
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  4. applebonkerz

    applebonkerz Senior Member

    The actual anniversary special shown the hour before the digitally restored version was disappointing I thought. Years ago, not sure how long ago now there was a special shown after the Christmas episode that was incredibly interesting and entertaining in a historical aspect. Perhaps some of the older interview segments shown in this new version were taken from that older version. Seeing the original Lucy being interviewed I find very interesting. I believe the older version had interviews with more of the original voice actors too.

    It's a shame they think that having flavors of the day performing songs is what is needed to celebrate the original animated show.
     
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  5. Scope J

    Scope J Senior Member

    Location:
    Michigan
    Way too early , i watch it
    on Christmas Eve or day .
     
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  6. John54

    John54 Senior Member

    Location:
    Burlington, ON
    I hope someone shows it again in a couple of weeks, I like to watch it every year.
     
  7. Texastoyz

    Texastoyz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Texas, USA
    They'll usually repeat it again. I've noticed that the holiday specials that the the networks air get shown at least twice now, for the past couple of years.
     
  8. JohnO

    JohnO Senior Member

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    I would really like to (again) see the original version as originally shown with all the original commercials, and the complete original animation which integrated the sponsors into that animation. The original sponsor was Coca-Cola, and wiki says the show was commissioned by Coca-Cola. I think the next sponsor was Dolly Madison snack cakes, which was using Peanuts characters on packaging at the time, and I think the animation was redone in spots to integrate Dolly Madison. Perhaps there were Dolly Madison animated Peanuts commercials during those years (I am not sure I remember). Every version since has had awkward cuts. It could have been cute to put out a 50th anniversary DVD of both versions with the integrated sponsor animations and original commercials, and I would buy that. The show was paced just for the original 30 minute time slot with commercials, not whatever they do to it today for broadcast, and not what they've done on DVD without commercials. I have a VHS and a DVD of it, (both official), but I don't remember exactly what they did on those, but they're not right, and there could be a dozen different DVD versions by now.

    Someone got a BW copy of the original, but I think there's more missing or changed animation now than just these two snips:



    Original Coca-Cola ending:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_oCutN7_W4
     
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  9. MaltairX

    MaltairX Well-Known Member

    Location:
    USA
    Watched the DVD on Thanksgiving. For some reason I found it laugh out loud funny this year.
     
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  10. ky658

    ky658 Senior Member

    Location:
    Ft Myers, Florida
    My thoughts exactly! Why is it that when they do these type of programs, whoever is popular (currently) gets the nod (and they probably weren't even born when this special originally aired).
     
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  11. mmars982

    mmars982 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    I watched it & thought it was entertaining. Didn't watch the actual Charlie Brown Christmas (I DVR'd the special thinking it would record that too, but it didn't. I'll get out the DVD later this month anyway).

    I'll never understand why they didn't get Coca Cola to sponsor this special - using the clip above would have made a cool ad.

    I had no idea Fergie did the voice for Sally in some of the TV specials!
     
  12. daglesj

    daglesj Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norfolk, UK
    Never got the appeal. Just always felt 'too American' to me as a kid.
     
  13. Wes H

    Wes H Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Virginia
    That's why I didn't bother with the "special" that preceded the actual showing of A Charlie Brown Christmas. I saw the program guide listing of the "guests" (singers) who I knew had nothing to do with the original production in any way, so I didn't waste my time. Maybe the network was trying to cast a wider net, hoping to snag some new viewers with "today's" popular singers... and/or they just needed to pad an hour they'd pre-sold to the advertisers.

    The 2009 Blu-ray edition includes a "Making Of" feature with great interviews (Jeannie Schultz, Bill Melendez, Lee Mendelson, kids used as voices) and insights regarding their creative process, troubles with the network, and the decision to use Vince Guaraldi's great jazz compositions. They should have just run that after the feature and said "good night."
     
  14. Wes H

    Wes H Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Virginia
    Maybe the Paley Center for Media (formerly the Museum of Television and Radio) has a copy of the color original intact. They seem to have everything else that was ever broadcast on the planet. But even if they do, it's unlikely anyone could pry a copy out of their hands.
     
  15. Wes H

    Wes H Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Virginia
    Interesting... I never thought about that. I suppose Peanuts does rely (to some extent) on its suburban American setting to work its appeal.

    Do you guys watch "The Simpsons"?
     
  16. daglesj

    daglesj Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norfolk, UK
    It was popular many years ago and I had a few early boxsets but I don't know anyone that still watches it. Hasn't come up in conversation for many years.
     
  17. Myke

    Myke Trying Not To Spook The Horse

    It's 2015, anybody can watch it whenever they want.
     
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  18. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    have the DVD watch it every Christmas...
     
  19. HiFi Guy 008

    HiFi Guy 008 Forum Resident

    Location:
    New England
    Hasn't this been shown only in edited versions on TV for years?
    If so, was this the un-edited version?
     
  20. JohnO

    JohnO Senior Member

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    Here are excerpts of a 1975 aircheck, which was sponsored by both Coca-Cola and Dolly Madison! It was only 10 years old then!

    Note the missing in-animation sponsoring where Snoopy throws Linus into the sign, watch from 2:25,
    and the crudely chopped ending, watch from 3:55.
    This is pretty much how it was shown for many years, except almost every year there were more and more trims for more commercials in the same half hour time slot :realmad:
    This aircheck also starts with the then current CBS Special intro discussed on another thread, watch from the beginning -



    but in 1965 it had this intro:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq0mUCFlizg
     
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2015
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  21. dewey02

    dewey02 Forum Resident

    Location:
    The mid-South.
    I thought the same, but then I noticed that there WAS a Coca Cola commercial that ran during one of the commercial breaks. For the 5oth anniversary, they surely could have reconstructed the original beginning and ending. Or even if they did some of these extras during the dumb "50 year special" instead of having the current popular singer croon some song.

    The same goes for Rudolf' program. Why they couldn't insert the Peppermint mine scene, the replaced songs, and even show some of the original elf commercial break scenes where they plug products. Just make the show 1/2 hour longer and show some true special items, instead of having currently popular artists promoting themselves.
     
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  22. OnTheRoad

    OnTheRoad Not of this world

    Darn it !!

    It's been so warm around here this December season....I forgot it was near Christmas and didn't see it.

    Well....I just put on my music tonight !

    [​IMG]
     
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  23. Wes H

    Wes H Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Virginia
    You're in luck... ABC is going to repeat both the special (such as it is) and the classic cartoon on Dec. 24th. See below--and note that they are promoting this as "...the uncut original 1965 special...":

    ABC Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas on November 30, 2015 & December 24, 2015

    It's been 50 years since the classic holiday special A Charlie Brown Christmas debuted, and ABC is commemorating the event with a new hour-long retrospective special, It's Your 50th Christmas, Charlie Brown, airing from 8 - 9 PM (Eastern/Pacific) on both Monday, November 30 and again on Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24.

    Each evening, the uncut original 1965 special will air immediately following the retrospective, from 9 - 10 PM (the rest of that hour will be filled out, as usual, by Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales).

    It's Your 50th Christmas, Charlie Brown will be hosted by Kristen Bell and produced by Lee Mendelson, who produced the classic special 50 years ago. According to the press release, the show will feature "spectacular live performances, from the memorable music of Vince Guaraldi, to Kristen Chenoweth singing 'Happiness' from the Peanuts Broadway hit 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown,' and a performance from Matthew Morrison of an original song, 'Just Like Me.' Other musical guests set to perform classic songs are Sarah McLachlan, Boyz II Men, Pentatonix, David Benoit and The All-American Boys Chorus." There will also be "Hollywood notables reminiscing about their most treasured A Charlie Brown Christmas moments."

    So tune in one or both nights for two hours of Christmas memories with the Peanuts gang!
     
  24. Grunge Master

    Grunge Master 8 Bit Enthusiast

    Location:
    Michigan
    Charlie Brown Christmas and Great Pumpkin are the only shows that I have made sure not to miss every year since I was probably 3. There are moments in each when I start to tear up, just because for a moment I'm a kid sitting in the La Z Boy in the living room, excited about the upcoming holidays. And Charlie Brown literally feels like an old friend to me.
     
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  25. Wes H

    Wes H Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Virginia
    I know what you mean. I still recall the emotions of seeing and connecting with these the first time they came on. Watching them now is like reaching back through time.
     
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