A Charlie Brown Christmas

The forum for general posting. Come join the madness. :)
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
fuzzywuzzy
Posts: 533
Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2007 1:50 pm
Location: Jellystone National Park

A Charlie Brown Christmas

#1 Post by fuzzywuzzy » Tue Nov 27, 2007 12:53 pm

At 8:00 pm est on ABC ... I hope that they are going to replay this...its not even Dec yet! :(

The Peanuts gang's timeless holiday chestnut first aired in 1965. The comic strip's creator, Charles M. Schulz, wrote the script for this animated treat, which finds Charlie Brown complaining about Christmas commercialism while trying to mount a school pageant with his friends... and Snoopy. But it's Linus' take on the true meaning of the holiday that steals the show and makes clear why this gem for all seasons snared both Peabody and Emmy awards for children's programming. Afterward, there's a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the tale, featuring comments by Schulz and a tribute to its composer, Vince Guaraldi.

fuzzy[/quote]
"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it."
— Mark Twain

"Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else."
- Judy Garland

User avatar
earendel
Posts: 13599
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2007 5:25 am
Location: mired in the bureaucracy

Re: A Charlie Brown Christmas

#2 Post by earendel » Tue Nov 27, 2007 1:02 pm

fuzzywuzzy wrote:At 8:00 pm est on ABC ... I hope that they are going to replay this...its not even Dec yet! :(

The Peanuts gang's timeless holiday chestnut first aired in 1965. The comic strip's creator, Charles M. Schulz, wrote the script for this animated treat, which finds Charlie Brown complaining about Christmas commercialism while trying to mount a school pageant with his friends... and Snoopy. But it's Linus' take on the true meaning of the holiday that steals the show and makes clear why this gem for all seasons snared both Peabody and Emmy awards for children's programming. Afterward, there's a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the tale, featuring comments by Schulz and a tribute to its composer, Vince Guaraldi.

fuzzy
[/quote]

This is my favorite Charlie Brown special, followed by "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."
"Elen sila lumenn omentielvo...A star shines on the hour of our meeting."

User avatar
wintergreen48
Posts: 2481
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2007 1:42 pm
Location: Resting comfortably in my comfy chair

#3 Post by wintergreen48 » Tue Nov 27, 2007 1:17 pm

It is not only the best Christmas Special, it is the best TV show ever done. Everything comes together perfectly, the story, the music, the themes behind everything. Apart from this, has there EVER been a network 'Christmas' special that actually said anything about the real meaning of Christmas? And if this had not been done 42 years ago, is it even possible that someone could do something like it today?

It works on multiple levels as well, with perfect visuals. Watch Linus' left hand when he delivers, and then finishes, his 'the meaning of Christmas' speech-- the gestures perfectly match the meaning of the words.

I love this show. Unfortunately, they seem to be running it earlier and earlier each year-- it will eventually start showing up in early September, but it really should go about a week before Christmas.

User avatar
Bob Juch
Posts: 26487
Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 11:58 am
Location: Oro Valley, Arizona
Contact:

#4 Post by Bob Juch » Tue Nov 27, 2007 1:24 pm

I see ABC has a Shrek Christmas special on Wednesday.

Somehow I don't think it's going to be rerun as long as Peanuts's has been.
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.
- Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)

Si fractum non sit, noli id reficere.

Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows up, he'll never be able to drive in New Jersey.

User avatar
PlacentiaSoccerMom
Posts: 8134
Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 10:47 am
Location: Placentia, CA
Contact:

#5 Post by PlacentiaSoccerMom » Tue Nov 27, 2007 1:32 pm

My favorite holiday special has always been "The Year Without a Santa Claus" because I like the Heat Miser/Cold Miser song.

User avatar
tlynn78
Posts: 8723
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2007 9:31 am
Location: Montana

#6 Post by tlynn78 » Tue Nov 27, 2007 2:41 pm

I'm a sucker for all the Christmas specials, but CB's Christmas prolly ranks number one. I don't really like to watch the Halloween one. I mean, really, ROCKS?? Poor Chuck. It used to make me cry every year when I was little. Our Costco has a package deal with SC is Coming to Town, Rudolph, Frosty, and one other that escapes me right now, and I've been eyeing it for the last couple of weeks, and will prolly give in and get it next time I go. My kids will only watch with me if they feel like humoring me, but now I have a grandson I can keep captive - I mean, share them with.
I also prefer the classic Grinch to Jim Carrey's version, although his was entertaining.

Image


t.
To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead. -Thomas Paine
You can ignore reality, but you can't ignore the consequences of ignoring reality. -Ayn Rand
Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities. -Voltaire

User avatar
mrkelley23
Posts: 6277
Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 6:48 pm
Location: Somewhere between Bureaucracy and Despair

#7 Post by mrkelley23 » Tue Nov 27, 2007 2:45 pm

Rudolph still does it for me.
For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled. -- Richard Feynman

User avatar
gsabc
Posts: 6487
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2007 8:03 am
Location: Federal Bureaucracy City
Contact:

Re: A Charlie Brown Christmas

#8 Post by gsabc » Tue Nov 27, 2007 2:56 pm

earendel wrote:
fuzzywuzzy wrote:At 8:00 pm est on ABC ... I hope that they are going to replay this...its not even Dec yet! :(

The Peanuts gang's timeless holiday chestnut first aired in 1965. The comic strip's creator, Charles M. Schulz, wrote the script for this animated treat, which finds Charlie Brown complaining about Christmas commercialism while trying to mount a school pageant with his friends... and Snoopy. But it's Linus' take on the true meaning of the holiday that steals the show and makes clear why this gem for all seasons snared both Peabody and Emmy awards for children's programming. Afterward, there's a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the tale, featuring comments by Schulz and a tribute to its composer, Vince Guaraldi.

fuzzy
This is my favorite Charlie Brown special, followed by "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."[/quote]

That's because those are the only two where nearly all the lines came directly from the comic strip itself. The writing for the other specials was done specifically for the special. I don't know how much input Schulz had on them.

Favorite non-Charlie Brown Christmas cartoon: Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol, closely followed by the Claymation special (with the California Raisins and some singing camels; the animation for the stained glass window scene is amazing). Neither is broadcast as often as they should be.
I just ordered chicken and an egg from Amazon. I'll let you know.

User avatar
Appa23
Posts: 3749
Joined: Thu Oct 11, 2007 8:04 pm

#9 Post by Appa23 » Tue Nov 27, 2007 3:05 pm

wintergreen48 wrote:It is not only the best Christmas Special, it is the best TV show ever done. Everything comes together perfectly, the story, the music, the themes behind everything. Apart from this, has there EVER been a network 'Christmas' special that actually said anything about the real meaning of Christmas? And if this had not been done 42 years ago, is it even possible that someone could do something like it today?

It works on multiple levels as well, with perfect visuals. Watch Linus' left hand when he delivers, and then finishes, his 'the meaning of Christmas' speech-- the gestures perfectly match the meaning of the words.

I love this show. Unfortunately, they seem to be running it earlier and earlier each year-- it will eventually start showing up in early September, but it really should go about a week before Christmas.
Amen, Wintergreen. There is so much nuance to Linus' short presentation.

Last year, in the Christmas play that we always seem to do, I portrayed a pastor who misses the "true meaning" of the holy day as I worry about planning a huge, mega Christmas Eve service. Near the end of the play, I am to deliver a sermon. The playwright told me that I should feel free to personalize the script.

I spoke for a few minutes about the Charlie Brown Christmas special. How it used to be the highlight of the season for me, especially when my daughter was younger. I noted that I needed my very own Linus, to jar me into the word and the "reason for the season". It led nicely into another character being invited to read that passage.

User avatar
earendel
Posts: 13599
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2007 5:25 am
Location: mired in the bureaucracy

Re: A Charlie Brown Christmas

#10 Post by earendel » Tue Nov 27, 2007 6:18 pm

gsabc wrote:Favorite non-Charlie Brown Christmas cartoon: Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol, closely followed by the Claymation special (with the California Raisins and some singing camels; the animation for the stained glass window scene is amazing). Neither is broadcast as often as they should be.
I haven't seen Magoo's Christmas Carol in a long time - I used to love watching it.
"Elen sila lumenn omentielvo...A star shines on the hour of our meeting."

Post Reply