A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of the TV specials we most associate with and look forward to at Christmas every year, and this week marks the 45th anniversary of the premiere. It was on Dec. 9, 1965, to be exact, that the Peanuts gang made its cartoon debut, in a special that almost didn't make it to air. Along the way, Schulz and company would have to convince network executives at CBS, the special's original network, that they didn't want to use a laugh track; that they wanted to use actual children to voice the young characters; even, though executives fretted about it. All the worry was for naught, as 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' was an immediate hit, drawing a nearly 45 percent viewership share and getting rave magazine reviews and kicking off a four-decades-plus run that would solidify its status as a beloved holiday tradition.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
We still refer to a sparse spruce as a Charlie Brown tree
A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of the TV specials we most associate with and look forward to at Christmas every year, and this week marks the 45th anniversary of the premiere. It was on Dec. 9, 1965, to be exact, that the Peanuts gang made its cartoon debut, in a special that almost didn't make it to air. Along the way, Schulz and company would have to convince network executives at CBS, the special's original network, that they didn't want to use a laugh track; that they wanted to use actual children to voice the young characters; even, though executives fretted about it. All the worry was for naught, as 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' was an immediate hit, drawing a nearly 45 percent viewership share and getting rave magazine reviews and kicking off a four-decades-plus run that would solidify its status as a beloved holiday tradition.
