A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition - Hardcover

Schulz, Charles M.; Mendelson, Lee; Melendez, Bill; Felix, Antonia

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060198516 ISBN 13: 9780060198510

Publisher: Harper Resource, 2000

Synopsis

A behind-the-scenes account of one of the most popular holiday animated films includes Executive Producer Lee Mendelson's personal reminiscences about its making, segments from Vince Guaraldi's original score, and production notes. 50,000 first printing.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Since its top-rated debut on CBS in December 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas has been one of America's most beloved television shows. Year after year, fans of all ages tune in to the Emmy-winning Christmas special that has earned a permanent place in the nation's popular culture.

This collector's treasury contains the entire script of A Charlie Brown Christmas, illustrated with full-color stills from the animated film. Producer Lee Mendelson and animator Bill Melendez pay tribute to the program with personal memories and reflections about the show, including charming anecdotes about their long friendship and working career with Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz. Offering rare, behind-the-scenes insights, they also share memories of the late, great jazz pianist/composer Vince Guaraldi and provide never-before-published background sketches, storyboards, production sheets, and other materials that bring the making of the show to life.

A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition also brings the sound of the show home with the piano/vocal musical scores for Guaraldi's "Christmas Time Is Here" and "Linus and Lucy," two songs that have become standards of American popular music.

As the very first Peanuts special, A Charlie Brown Christmas brought Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Snoopy, and the rest of the gang to television. In addition to breaking the mold by using jazz music (which exposed millions of people to jazz for the first time and inspired a generation of jazz pianists), A Charlie Brown Christmas broke new ground by using real children for the voices instead of adult actors. Schulz, Mendelson, and Melendez created these and other innovations that made A Charlie Brown Christmas a unique and timeless work of animation art.

A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition celebrates this award-winning and history-making show with warmhearted memories, fascinating trivia, and colorful animation art that will delight fans of all ages.

Synopsis:

The most popular Christmas TV special of all time, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is viewed every year by millions, young and old. Especially poignant this year both because of the show's anniversary and the recent death of creator Charles "Sparky" Schulz on the day of his official farewell Sunday strip, the 40th anniversary of this heartwarming, moving, often hilariously funny and sophisticated animated cartoon will be marked by the publication of our four-color gift book, "A Charlie Brown Christmas." This book features more than 150 never-before-reproduced in book form four-color frames from the animated cartoon, the original script, pieces of Vince Guaraldi's musical score with handwritten behind-the-scenes production notes, interviews with some of the original "child" actors (who had lent their voices to the first-ever animated cartoon to feature real children), an introduction by the cartoon's executive producer Lee Mendelson, reminiscences by original Peanuts animator Bill Melendez, and much more. "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is a fitting salute to the artist who forever changed the face of cartooning, and to the annual Christmas event that the Peanuts gang have celebrated for the last 35 years. It is a must-have for all Peanuts fans, young and old.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Resource
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0060198516
• ISBN 13: 9780060198510
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192
• Editor: Felix Shaner