A Charlie Brown Christmas is the first animated television special based on the popular newspaper comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz, and also the first Christmas special for the franchise. Acme is proud to ask you to join us in watching the perennial showing of this depressing little special.
The original broadcast included some brief animated sections which included the logo of Coca-Cola, the show's original sponsor. These have been edited out of subsequent broadcasts and the video release. Right after the opening title, Linus crashed into a sign advertising Coca-Cola after being tossed by Snoopy. The closing carol originally included the complete verse (instead of fading out) with a final on-screen "Merry Christmas from your local bottler of Coca-Cola" right after the United Feature Syndicate credit at the end.
A short documentary about the development of the Charlie Brown Christmas special: A Christmas Miracle: The Making of A Charlie Brown Christmas -
When they first saw the show, CBS executives were horrified at the idea of an animated Christmas special with such a blatant message. They also strongly objected to the fact that the show had no canned laughter. In addition, they greeted Vince Guaraldi's jazz score as an intrusion in the special that audiences would never accept. However, when CBS learned to their astonishment of the special's spectacular ratings earned on its initial broadcast and the glowing reviews for it, the network promptly contracted the producers for more specials.
A Charlie Brown Christmas Vince Guaraldi Trio -
Producer Lee Mendelson wrote the lyrics for Vince Guaraldi's Christmas Time is Here music, and his son Glenn, along with his then sixth-grade class, sang the vocals.
Christmas Charlie Brown mashups
In honor of our depressed little pal: Let's all get in the mood and have a depressing Christmas -
Joel the Lump of Coal The Killers- (feat Jimmy Kimmel) -
The Killers teamed up with talk show host Jimmy Kimmel for their ninth annual Christmas song benefiting HIV/AIDS awareness brand Product Red. They debuted the heartbreaking tale about a lump of coal named Joel on the December 1, 2014 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!
River Joni Mitchell -
At the start of 1970, Joni Mitchell's relationship with her boyfriend Graham Nash was crumbling. On top of this, she was feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the mass adulation her recordings were receiving. The singer needed to get away, so she took off on a trip to Europe, metaphorically skating away on a river to escape the crazy scene. While Mitchell was in Crete, she sent Nash a telegram to tell him their romance was over.
Silent Night/7 O' Clock News Simon & Garfunkel -
The voice of the newscaster is that of Charlie O'Donnell, who was then a radio disc jockey.
Pretty Paper Roy Orbinson -
This was written by Willie Nelson, who at the time was a successful songwriter but relatively unknown performer. It's a Christmas song where the singer goes about preparing for the holiday, but notices an unfortunate homeless person who can't afford the luxuries of the season. Unsure how to handle this, the singer decides he is just too busy and carries on with his preparations.
And what could be the saddest Christmas song written:
Christmas Will Break Your Heart -
Christmas, I love you but you're bringing me down.
Before you go - since you're in the mood, let's all get together and listen to William S Burroughs read his Christmas story, The.Junky's Christmas.
Francis Ford Coppola produced this short Claymation film based on William S. Burroughs short story The Junky’s Christmas. The piece was directed by Nick Donkin and Melodie McDaniel.
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