← Back to Reviews
in
The director of this 1965 CBS Christmas special truly is a jack of all trades. José Cuauhtémoc Meléndez (A.K.A Bill) got his start at Disney's animation department in 1938 working on classics such as: Fantasia (1940), Pinocchio (1940) and Dumbo (1941). He then received a job animating programs for Warner Brothers, which he continued to do for over half a century!
While working on an automotive commercial in 1959, Meléndez was introduced to "The Peanuts" creator, Charles M. Schulz. Series creator, Charles "Charlie" Schulz was so impressed by Meléndez's proficiency and dedication to his craft that he became the only cartoonist that the series creator ever gave permission to animate, "The Peanuts."
Meléndez would go on to become the longest running staff member for "The Peanuts" related programming, producing/directing and animating: over 70 specials, hundreds of commercials and even four movies! He made such a significant impact on the series that even after his death in 2008, producers Craig and Bryan Schulz used archival recordings of Meléndez, for the voice of Snoopy in the recent 2015 film, The Peanuts Movie, because it wouldn't be a Peanuts movie without him! His legacy started with his first directing gig in this 1965 holiday classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas.
The special is all about Charlie Brown's quest for the true meaning of Christmas. Charlie, like many others, has been put down in the dumps by the over commercialization of the holidays. His depression only escalates as the story progresses, so Lucy gives him the idea to direct a Christmas play. Through the reading of the New Testament, (Luke 2:8-14) Charlie learns its about celebrating the birth of Christ.
A Charlie Brown Christmas premiered on CBS at 7:30 P.M. on December 9th 1965 and as implied by the quote above, the producers and TV executives initially thought the special was going to bomb, but this couldn't be further from the truth. The non-conventional usage of a jazz score and the removal of a laugh track, don't hinder the special, but rather give the audience a better way of connecting with Charlie's depressed state of mind. In addition, the usage of child actors adds a sense of realism to the program.
The strongest element in, A Charlie Brown Christmas is without a doubt its soundtrack. The musical score was composed by San Francisco born jazz pianist, Vince Guaraldi. Guaraldi was first approached by TV producers, Lee Mendelson and Bill Meléndez in the early 1960's to create a musical score for a documentary about Charles Schulz. When that program got canned, Guaraldi worked on A Charlie Brown Christmas instead. Guaraldi made seven original pieces and a few covers for the special. It was his work through A Charlie Brown Christmas that put the composers name on the map and led future filmmakers Martin Scorsese (The Wolf of Wall Street) and Robert Zemeckis (Cast Away) to use his work in their later works.
Since 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas has been enjoyed by millions on an annual bases and even was presented the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming in 1966. To this award the series creator, Charles Shulz joked, "Charlie Brown is not used to winning, so we thank you." This program is a winner certainly worth watching.
December 3rd:
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Directed By Bill Melendez
"My golly, we've killed it."
-Bill Melendez
-Bill Melendez
The director of this 1965 CBS Christmas special truly is a jack of all trades. José Cuauhtémoc Meléndez (A.K.A Bill) got his start at Disney's animation department in 1938 working on classics such as: Fantasia (1940), Pinocchio (1940) and Dumbo (1941). He then received a job animating programs for Warner Brothers, which he continued to do for over half a century!
While working on an automotive commercial in 1959, Meléndez was introduced to "The Peanuts" creator, Charles M. Schulz. Series creator, Charles "Charlie" Schulz was so impressed by Meléndez's proficiency and dedication to his craft that he became the only cartoonist that the series creator ever gave permission to animate, "The Peanuts."
Meléndez would go on to become the longest running staff member for "The Peanuts" related programming, producing/directing and animating: over 70 specials, hundreds of commercials and even four movies! He made such a significant impact on the series that even after his death in 2008, producers Craig and Bryan Schulz used archival recordings of Meléndez, for the voice of Snoopy in the recent 2015 film, The Peanuts Movie, because it wouldn't be a Peanuts movie without him! His legacy started with his first directing gig in this 1965 holiday classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas.
The special is all about Charlie Brown's quest for the true meaning of Christmas. Charlie, like many others, has been put down in the dumps by the over commercialization of the holidays. His depression only escalates as the story progresses, so Lucy gives him the idea to direct a Christmas play. Through the reading of the New Testament, (Luke 2:8-14) Charlie learns its about celebrating the birth of Christ.
A Charlie Brown Christmas premiered on CBS at 7:30 P.M. on December 9th 1965 and as implied by the quote above, the producers and TV executives initially thought the special was going to bomb, but this couldn't be further from the truth. The non-conventional usage of a jazz score and the removal of a laugh track, don't hinder the special, but rather give the audience a better way of connecting with Charlie's depressed state of mind. In addition, the usage of child actors adds a sense of realism to the program.
The strongest element in, A Charlie Brown Christmas is without a doubt its soundtrack. The musical score was composed by San Francisco born jazz pianist, Vince Guaraldi. Guaraldi was first approached by TV producers, Lee Mendelson and Bill Meléndez in the early 1960's to create a musical score for a documentary about Charles Schulz. When that program got canned, Guaraldi worked on A Charlie Brown Christmas instead. Guaraldi made seven original pieces and a few covers for the special. It was his work through A Charlie Brown Christmas that put the composers name on the map and led future filmmakers Martin Scorsese (The Wolf of Wall Street) and Robert Zemeckis (Cast Away) to use his work in their later works.
Since 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas has been enjoyed by millions on an annual bases and even was presented the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming in 1966. To this award the series creator, Charles Shulz joked, "Charlie Brown is not used to winning, so we thank you." This program is a winner certainly worth watching.