FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE “THE BESTEST PRESENT”
Original Air Date: December 5, 1985

The Pattersons lose a priceless family heirloom as well as their shot of going to series…

BACKSTORY

For Better or For Worse premiered in newspapers September of 1979, but two years later, strip creator Lynn Johnston did the unthinkable. Whereas most cartoon characters are created as immortal being stuck in an indeterminate time, Johnston opted to age the characters in real time.

The strip’s title comes from the Anglican Book of Prayer

As a result, characters aged naturally with the rest of the world. Characters got married, divorced, had children, came out of the closet, and died as the Patterson family grew up and grew old. Being a strip set and produced in Canada, For Better or For Worse produced a short series of animated specials for CTV, starting with “The Bestest Present” in 1985, which premiered on HBO in America, and subsequently ran on The Disney Channel along with the other specials.

30 years and 2,000 papers later, Johnston announced a “half retirement” along with yet another unprecedented plan for The Pattersons. Their time line would be rebooted and classic For Better of For Worse strips set at the beginning would run alongside new strips set in the past, some of which would employ repurposed art from the original 80s run. This idea eventually fizzled out, and For Better or For Worse has appeared exclusively as reruns since 2010.

BREAKDOWN

I suppose it’s easy to be cynical about Christmas Specials like this one, but specials like For Better or For Worse’s “The Bestest Present” are pretty much the sole reason I started this site: To celebrate recognizable obscurities!

For one, I grew up loving newspaper comics. I’d even go as far to say, I loved them more than comic books. Hey, they weren’t always “Funnie” but at least they tried, while avoiding the super-seriousness associated with super heroes.

How ’bout a little animal cruelty in your opening montage?!

Yeah, just as we saw with successful Comic-to-Christmas transitions like A Charlie Brown Christmas and A Garfield Christmas Special (as well as the Opus’ unsuccessful A Wish For Wings That Work) Xmas specials have been used on many occasions as something of a “pilot” for comic strips. Or rather, their big shot at crossover, television stardom.

Furthermore, seeing comic strip characters leap off the page and spring to life with full motion and voices, is by definition: SPECIAL.

Not great, but certainly special

Did you ever read the Sunday Funnies growing up? I sure as hell did. I even had my grandparents save and send me the ones from their town newspaper because they had strips my paper didn’t. Okay, so you know how you rush to strips like The Far Side and Foxtrot, and gloss over shit like Blondie and Wizard of Id? Obviously, I loved the funnier, more cartoony, talking animal variety of comic strip, however, I always read For Better or For Worse.

Lawrence, on the right, came out as gay in 1993. No, seriously

I honestly have no idea why. It was rarely hilarious, and even got a little heavy at times, but yeah, I read it every day nonetheless. Perhaps, it’s because Michael Patterson was around the same age as me, and once Lynn Johnston started aging the characters, I got to kinda grow up with him. Actually, it’s probably more likely I just loved the look of the family dog, Farley. Ain’t he the cutest?!

According to canon, this dog is fucking DEAD

Anyhoo, this was The Patterson’s shot at television stardom, and it didn’t quite take, at least not in The States, anyway. And maybe, that’s one of the reasons: It’s Canadian.

The centerpiece of the entire special

Not that its northernmost roots should count against For Better or For Worse. After all, I had no idea it was set and written in Canada until researching the strip. However, as seen in A Cosmic Christmas and George and The Christmas Star, there’s an inherent stunted awkwardness present in a lot of 80s Canuck cartoons.

“The Bestest Present” also feels a tad restrained by the television medium. The characters are voiced with a corny flatness, seemingly inspired by Peanuts Christmas Specials, perhaps under the assumption that poor line reads are key to “classic” stature.

Delving lightly into bitterness

Worse still, there are glimmers of something real and original here. The characters seem to want to be a little meaner, a little more authentic to the modern family, but unfortunately The Simpsons had yet to appear and redefine what was acceptable for animated family behavior. Too bad, really, because the comic, at the time, went a lot of places both mediums rarely tread.

I’m no stranger to a rainy Christmas

I initially thought I hated For Better or For Worse’s special simply because it moves so damned slowly. But I actually think it’s got more to do with that it ain’t all that Christmasy! Some of it began to endear it to me since, as a boy growing up in Florida, it took me years and a lot of dumb questions to learn why the hell we didn’t get snow like everyone else on TV and comics during Christmas. But they live in Canada?! There’s more snow than air up there!

This is all your fault!

But yeah, not a lot happens. Elizabeth loses her rabbit while on a family shopping trip and almost the entire special concerns a half-assed quest to get it back.

“This is what a rabbit looks like!”

The only footwork comes from Papa Patterson, who heads back to the department store to look for the irreplaceable rabbit, made by Lizzie’s grandma, and fails big time.

Considering a divorce

So how does he compensate for his shortcomings as A Man? With THE CREEPIEST SONG I HAVE EVER HEARD!

Daddy LOVES his daughter

Meanwhile, some creepy old janitor found the bunny, and uses it as an springboard to spout off one of the nastiest monologues about Christmas ever. Whatever, he’s just lonely. And a janitor.

Christmas, Schmistmas. Nobody deserves shit

So we know full well where the bunny is the whole time, then it snows miraculously, and the kids all seem to forget about it altogether.

Better than bunnies!

But then Michael has the bright idea to put an ad in the newspaper classifieds offering a reward for the Lizzie’s rabbit. A nice sentiment, but one could construe this as For Better or For Worse passing off a biased pro-newspaper agenda. That’s their bread and butter, baby!

Lo and behold, the bunny gets shipped back to the house, and Elizabeth opens it, and a slightly boring Christmas is rather dully saved.

“I HAVE SEEN HORRORS YOU COULDN’T IMAGINE!”

At this point, I was running at peak cynicism. Girl loses stuffed rabbit, boy puts ad in paper, girl gets stuffed rabbit back. Seriously? Is this really interesting enough to justify, let alone sustain, a half-hour animated special?

Whoa, that is a pretty badass gift

But wouldn’t you know it?! The Pattersons end up warming the heart after all… They make a tremendous effort to reach out to the old fart and thank him on Christmas Day.

“Are we overdressed?”

And the kindest Scrooge ever is invited over for Christmas dinner! D’awwww

Okay, slightly redeemed

None. Canada has no such hang ups, apparently.

No Santa either, save for a department store robot.

Why hire a human being?

Sadly, For Better or For Worse’s “The Bestest Present” is an obscurity for a reason. It’s slow, sappy, and little more than an animated pilot that takes place around the Holidays. The ending got me more than a little mushy for reasons I’m not even sure of, however, I sincerely doubt this thing’ll make it back into homes as anything other than a morbid curiosity for fans of classic comic strips.

PRODUCT INFORMATION (Shop Amazon through us – it helps!)

Strangely, For Better or For Worse‘s “The Bestest Present” is ONLY available through its official site, but at least it’s cheap and region free. However, you can find several For Better or Worse comic treasuries on Amazon, as well as later animated adaptations.

Yesterday’s Christmas Special
A COSMIC CHRISTMAS

2010′s Dec. 23 Christmas Special
A GARFIELD CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

2009′s Dec. 23 Christmas Special
A MUPPET FAMILY CHRISTMAS 

]]> http://www.acartoonchristmas.com/2011/12/23/for-better-or-for-worse-christmas/feed/ 2 http://www.acartoonchristmas.com/2011/12/19/podcast-cartoon-christmas-music/ http://www.acartoonchristmas.com/2011/12/19/podcast-cartoon-christmas-music/#comments Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:04:29 +0000 cantista http://www.acartoonchristmas.com/?p=5173

Sit back and listen to the finest Christmas music this site has ever covered…

DOWNLOAD

Presented by Laser Time 

FEATURED CHRISTMAS SPECIALS:
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire
Batman: Christmas with The Joker
A Garfield Christmas Special
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
A Chipmunks Christmas
How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol
Spongebob Squarepants in “Christmas Who?”
Community’s “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas”
Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (soundtrack)
The Small One
George and the Star
Twas The Night Before Christmas
A Claymation Christmas
South Park
Santa Claus is Comin’ To Town
John Denver and The Muppets: A Christmas Together
The Christmas Toy
Fraggle Rock’s “The Bells of Fraggle Rock” 

Yesterday’s Christmas Special
A ROCKY & BULLWINKLE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

2010′s Dec. 19 Christmas Special
COMMUNITY “ABED’S UNCONTROLLABLE CHRISTMAS”

2009′s Dec. 19 Christmas Special
HE-MAN AND SHE-RA: A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 

]]> http://www.acartoonchristmas.com/2011/12/19/podcast-cartoon-christmas-music/feed/ 3 http://www.acartoonchristmas.com/2011/02/14/be-my-valentine-charlie-brown/ http://www.acartoonchristmas.com/2011/02/14/be-my-valentine-charlie-brown/#comments Mon, 14 Feb 2011 17:55:38 +0000 cantista http://www.acartoonchristmas.com/?p=3364

BE MY VALENTINE, CHARLIE BROWN
Original Air Date: January 28, 1975

It’s Valentine’s Day, and no one is spared from the Holiday heartbreak

BACKSTORY:
Although Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown was hardly the first time Peanuts had tackled issues of the heart in an animated special, it was the first time Schulz and company had addressed Valentine’s Day after success with Thanksgiving, Easter, Halloween, Election Day, and of course, A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Not to be confused with these, which aired in 1967 and 1973

By 1975, production on Peanuts specials had kicked into high gear following two successful theatrical films and had been premiering not one, but two CBS specials each year. As such, Be My Valentine was nominated for an Emmy alongside It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown. Strangely enough, they both lost to Yes, Viginia, There is a Santa Claus directed by the longtime Peanuts producer, Bill Melendez.

BREAKDOWN:
Ahh… another morose Charlie Brown tale, featuring a Holiday with even more depressing potential than that of Christmas! And it never ceases to surprise me just how much melancholy entertainment Schulz can wring from any American tradition.

You’re doing it wrong. But then, so is everyone else

I’m not a sports fan, but I can only compare the look on my face as I watched Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown to the pre-rage expression of a superfan watching the opposing team run an interception into their end zone. “No… this can’t be happening?”

An image synonymous with Valentine’s Day

Obviously, I love these specials to death, and given that Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown contains the most memorable scenes right behind A Charlie Brown Christmas and It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, it’s safe to say scores of other Peanuts fans do too. I’m just not sure why…

Snoopy and Woodstock violently exchange Valentines

Honestly, rewatching these has really made me (shudder to) think: Do I like seeing horribly depressing things happen to children? The Peanuts Gang isn’t a band of bratty, smart-mouthed kids who speak like adults and beg for bad things to happen to them.

The downside of being “Hot for Teacher”

Theirs is certainly a darker humor, usually childlike revelations stemming from a naive perception of the world around them. This makes it easy for kids to relate to, sure, however almost cripplingly depressing for adults like myself who realize they never bothered to find the answers. “You’re right, Lucy/Linus/Chuck. That is another shitty aspect of LIFE.”

Pretty much…

Of course, it’s not all schadenfreude at the expense of preteens, that’s just what I’m choosing to fixate on. For what was, even at the time, a slower paced cartoon, there are more than a few A+ instances of animated gaggery sprinkled throughout Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown, with Snoopy and Woodstock bringing the comedic levity throughout. See?

Perhaps my heart has swollen on the eve of this Holiday, where I’m miraculously NOT single this year, so I couldn’t help but obsess over the opinions and attitudes expressed by these children and the nature of love, which are strangely cynical beyond their years.

“Holla at me?”

As Lucy tries to gain the attention of maestro Schroeder, she winds up exploring the entire course of a failed relationship. All the pain and all the anguish. The only problem is, she does so out loud… and quite violently.

“You can’t eat! You can’t sleep! You want to smash things!”

Then, Lucy’s always been a short-fused bitch. But hey, that’s what we all love about her, right? As the Peanuts’ default “Hot Piece of Ass,” we have no doubt the temperamental gal in the blue dress will inevitably find dudes banging down her door for the rest of her days, men uncontrollably attracted to the forceful demeanor of this black-haired firebrand… Perhaps I’m projecting too much? Whatever!

A speechless cameo from Shermy, one of the original Peanuts characters Schulz retired from the strip in 1970

The rest of the gang plunge doe-eyed and naively into crushes the audience knows right from the beginning, will yield nothing more than traumatic and repressed anecdotes that’ll be forever pondered by psychiatric professionals who specialize in the treatment of Rockwell-ian Caucasians with enormous heads.

“Bitch please”

Linus futilely decides to thrust his affection towards Mrs. Othmar, the kids’ teacher and siren-voiced, offscreen trumpet blat. Anyone watching can tell this isn’t going to pay off with the statutory hotness of a modern-day news story… But the fact that Linus parades his obsession around Sally, the one who so desperately desires to be the object of his affection, exacerbates the heartbreak to levels I’m never entirely prepared for.

Screw love

This is the romantic equivalent of how most people watch horror movies. Each and every smiley step these kids take towards inevitable rejection, I’m watching through crooked fingers, screaming “NO! Don’t go in there!” at the screen.

Right… this is should end well

But none of them come close to the bleakness, as always, embodied in Good Ol’ Charlie Brown. He’s not even pining after The Little Red Headed Girl this time around. Instead the romantic idol his heart adventurously seeks is that of… just a Valentine’s Day card, man! He’s checking his mailbox every day, while grinning from ear to ear merely at the notion of being the object of someone’s – ANYONE’S! – affection.

Look closer, maybe you missed something

What did you think was going to happen?! Ever wonder why kids in public schools have to bring Valentines for the entire class? Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown is that reason. And the nightmarish scenario of not receiving a single heart-shaped well-wish from his classmates actually prompted viewers all over the nation to flood Charlie Brown with very real Valentines of very real pity after this special aired.

Oh yeah, Vince Guaraldi is back to score the sadness!

So how does the special make it up to us? Well… compared to the way the children banded together at the end of A Charlie Brown Christmas to realize Chuck’s vision of the Holiday while reevaluating their own outlook, the resolution in Be My Valentine is a bit more… low rent. Just a real bummer of a payoff.

Or, is it more aptly suited to a Holiday in question, in that it confuses love with that of a popularity contest… hmmm. Either way, Schroder is 100% correct. However, Charlie Brown is so starved for some kind of acceptance, he gobbles up their halfassed act of pity like the four course meal he was originally expecting. So, not the Valentine’s Day Chuck was expecting, just the one he deserved? I dunno… how do you feel now?

Snoopy acts out the closing credits with puppet versions of the entire cast. Guess who the one on the left is?

PRODUCT INFORMATION:

Be My Valentine Charlie Brown is available on the Peanuts: 1970′s Collection Volume 2 DVD along with FIVE other digitally remastered specials from that era and an all new featurette entitled You’re Groovy, Charlie Brown: A Look at Peanuts in the 70′s. You can still purchase Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown on a standalone DVD, which features You’re in Love Charlie Brown and It’s Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown as bonus specials, but IMO, completists will save money purchasing the decade sets. And because we always need a third, lemme just say I probably wouldn’t like you unless you own A Charlie Brown Christmas on Blu-ray or DVD.

Similar to what we did last year with the Top 25 Cartoon Christmas Trees, A Cartoon Christmas is letting you (AND ME!) skip the usual 1000+ words of grammatically defiant babble on this day of days, while still giving you the opportunity to look at some gorgeous animated imagery.

REAL SANTAS

1. “Classic Santa” from A Disney Christmas Gift

I forget who issued me the challenge, but it was this: Can you find 50 different pictures from cartoon Santas? Well, two years + one post a day, every day in December until Christmas = 50 posts… yeah, sounds easy enough.

2. “Party Santa” from The Snowman (buy it here)

But wait?! There ain’t no Santy Claws in Mickey’s Christmas Carol or A Charlie Brown Christmas! And a few days on the animated advent calendar over there on left are, debatebly, cop out entries… You know, I could do it if I can do cartoon approximations of Saint Nick (i.e. cartoons characters posing as Santa) in addition to the Real McDeal! And that’s how we’re going to break these down: Real and Fake Santas.

3. “Slow Santa” from Sonic’s Christmas Blast (buy it here)

Both are just as fun to look at anyway, right? Oh, and keep an eye out for a third SUPER SECRET category if I can’t meet the numeric criteria.

4. “Magician Santa” from Frosty the Snowman (buy it here)

Please enjoy our last post on the 2010’s Animated Advent Calendar, and feel free to click on image/link to read more on about the special showcase.

5. “Stranded Santa” from A Wish for Wings That Work (buy it here)

And if you feel like buying the DVD, please do it through the Amazon link provided. Doing so costs you nothing, but kicks a small percentage back to us, which helps keep the site up. Or at least we hope it will someday!

6. “Useless Santa” from The Great Santa Caper starring Raggedy Ann

7. “Second Banana Santa” from A Chipmunks Christmas (buy it here)

8. “Sickly Santa” from Christmas Comes to PacLand

9. “Recipient Santa” from A Johnny Bravo Christmas (buy it here)

10. “Shouldn’t Count Santa” from Mystery Science Theater 3000: Santa Claus (buy it here)

11. “Skinny Santa” from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (buy it here)

12. “Donkey-Worshiping Santa” from Nestor the Long-Eared Donkey (buy it here)

13. “Massive Santa” from Robbie the Reindeer in Hooves on Fire (buy it here)

14. “Writer Santa” from A Spongebob Squarepants Christmas (buy it here)

15. “Stupid Santa” from Super Mario Bros. Super Show: Koopa Klaus (buy it here)

16. “Smokin’ Claus” from ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (buy it here)

17. “Blink and you’ll miss ‘em Santa” from Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas (buy it here)

18. “Captive Santa” from Invader Zim: The Most Horrible Xmas Ever (buy it here)

19. “Young Ginger Santa” from Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town (buy it here)

20. “Interstellar Santa” from George and the Christmas Star (buy it here)

21. “Sleepy Santa” from A Claymation Christmas Celebration (buy it here)

22. “Stinky Santa” from Ren & Stimpy: Stimpy’s First Fart (buy it here)

FAKE SANTAS

23. “Robotnik Claus” from Sonic’s Christmas Blast (buy it here)

24. “Opus Claus” from A Wish for Wings That Work (buy it here)

25. “Kermit Claus” (no longer) from The Christmas Toy (buy it here)

26. “Funky Claus” from TaleSpin: A Molly Jolly Christmas (buy it here)

27. “Robot Holocaust Claus” from Batman: Christmas with The Joker (buy it here)

28. “Snoopy Claus” from It’s ChristmasTime Again, Charlie Brown (buy it here)

29. “Donald Claus” from Toy Tinkers (buy it here)

30. “Racist Claus” from Mickey’s Good Deed (buy it here)

31. “Claus of Doom” from Invader Zim: The Most Horrible Xmas Ever (buy it here)

32. “Samson Claus” from A Very Venture Christmas (buy it here)

33. “Squidward Claus” from A Spongebob Squarepants Christmas (buy it here)

34. “Taz Clauz” from Bugs Bunny Looney Christmas Tales (buy it here)

35. “Dale Claus” from Pluto’s Christmas Tree (buy it here)

36. “Goofy Santa” from Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas (buy it here)

37. “An Extremely Goofy Santa” Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas (buy it here)

38. “Prince Adam Claus” from He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special (buy it here)

39. “BBB Claus” from A Fat Albert Christmas (buy it here)

40. “Sad, Drunk Claus” from Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire (buy it here)

41. “Extinct Claus” from A Claymation Christmas Celebration (buy it here)

42. “Dried Fruit Claus” from A Claymation Christmas Celebration (buy it here)

43. ” Doc Claus” from A Muppet Family Christmas

44. “Redemption Claus” from How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (buy it here)

YET TO BE COVERED SANTAS

45. “Pink Santa” from A Pink Christmas (buy it here)

46. “Worst 2010 Movie Star Santa” from Yogi’s First Christmas (buy it here)

47. “Nothing to Apologize for Santa” from Pee-Wee Herman’s Christmas Special (buy it here)

48. “Warner Santa” from Anamaniacs’ ‘Twas the Day Before Christmas

49. “Ruckus Claus” from A Huey Freeman Christmas (buy it here)

50. “Robot Santa” from Futurama’s Xmas Story (buy it here)

Seriously, thanks to everyone for reading this stuff. Really means a lot. (Now go have a great Christmas!)

A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS
Original Air Date: December 9, 1965

Instead of breaking down the famous Christmas special you all know by heart, head inside to learn the behind-the-scenes stuff you probably never knew…

BACKSTORY:
Both Charlie Brown and Snoopy spiritually began life as nameless caricatures in the weekly comic strip for a St. Paul, Minnesota newspaper in 1947, known as Lil’ Folks, written and drawn by Charles Schulz.

Charles Schulz 1922-2000

After getting sacked, Schulz brought a strip with named, reoccurring characters to the United Features Syndicate, who published the comic nationally starting in October of 1950 under the title of Peanuts (a name both Schulz and I detested.)

Charlie Brown and the morose tone were perfectly set from the very first Peanuts strip

After nearly fifteen years of newspaper success, the opportunity to adapt the strip into an animated Christmas special came a’knockin’ and Schulz began the difficult production with the help of a former Disney animator, Bill Melendez (who remained the sole voice of Snoopy until his death in 2008)

A Charlie Brown Christmas in other mediums

Against all odds, A Charlie Brown Christmas wasn’t just an outstanding success; it’s become an America cultural institution. Following its premiere, it won an Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Program, the ultra-prestigious Peabody Award, and has aired every year during the Holidays since its debut in 1965.

A scene from the pretty damned good, It’s Christmas Time Again, Charlie Brown, made in 1992

A Charlie Brown Christmas paved the way for several dozen more specials and four feature films, yet Schulz continued to single-handedly craft the comic strip until, almost literally, the day he died. Health concerns caused him to reluctantly retire, and as if inextricably tethered to the character he’d spent FIFTY YEARS bringing to life on an almost daily basis, his final original Sunday strip premiered in newspapers just hours after his passing.

BREAKDOWN:
Okay, we’re going to something a little different today, but let’s go ahead and kick this off the way most people my age saw it:

Poor ol’ Chuck… His animated Christmas special wasn’t the first; that distinction belongs to Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer beats him out for the longest running Christmas special by only a single year. And ratings wise, the show even came in second place the week it aired (and to fucking Bonanza no less!)

I pieced together the opening pan shot. Click here to see it big as hell!

Will Charlie Brown ever catch a break? Yeah… from me at least. Of all the specials covered, of all the specials we still haven’t covered, of all the Christmas specials that are held aloft as timeless, classic, and otherwise beyond reproach… A Charlie Brown Christmas is my absolute favorite Christmas Special of all time!

Animating Snoopy was far easier than Ol’ Roundhead, hence his hefty screentime

I know I’m not alone, plus I think it’s fair to say Chuck’s Xmas has certainly gotten his due. But damned if this little special didn’t come together against all odds! Because Charles Schulz and director Bill Melendez got the football pulled out from underneath them more than a few times behind the scenes.

Pigpen, my favorite Peanut

The budget on A Charlie Brown Christmas was shoestring by any standard. In fact, the whole production was underwritten by Coca-Cola, who approached Melendez and Schulz with the idea in the first place, and not the other way around.

Also probably brought to you by Coke

That’s right, this special was originally “brought to you by Coca-Cola” both promotionally, and very literally. A two minute presentation was put together at Coke’s request, and the world had its very first instance of animated Peanuts!

Therapy: You get what you pay for

Older folks who watched the special in the first few years are all too aware of the connection. Before the FCC cracked down on such things, the original airings of the special featured the Peanuts gang interacting with the soda.

This shot, usually omitted from the TV broadcast, originally featured a Coke can

Somewhat bittersweetly, the footage of the Coke/Peanuts tie-in was removed after the sponsorship ran its course in the late 60’s, and has remained unseen to the public ever since. However, you can still hear evidence of the Coke sponsorship in the final seconds of A Charlie Brown Christmas. Perhaps you’ve noticed the Peanuts’ rendition of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” fades out rather abruptly, cutting out the last few words? Find out why in the seven seconds below.

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While I think we can all agree we’re glad it no longer airs that way, I’d still kill to see the Coke footage. It’s a wonder it’s not available for public viewing. It’s not like the two had a falling out, judging by this Super Bowl commercial anyway.

He’s your dog, Chazz

Either way, Coke was very behind the special. CBS? Not so much. The network was convinced it had a giant flop on its hands, and if it had its way, the network would’ve axed just about everything special from this, um… Special.

To this day, these are the only dance moves I have

Obviously, part of the strip’s charm is that there are no adults anywhere. The kids are left free to question somewhat heady and existential questions about the world they’re only just discovering.

Snoopy gets in the spirit, and the spirit is $$$

To preserve that spirit in the Peanuts first animated TV special, almost no professional voice actors were hired, and instead real unprofessional children were cast in the roles.

“That’s an UGH! people”

According to legend, the child actors didn’t take to direction all that well. Nor could they work as long, or be prodded into the numerous retakes expected of professional actors. As a result, many reads had to be awkwardly cut together, sometime syllable by syllable.

Linus is in no way making a political statement of any kind

Sally’s vocal performance in particular makes for one of the most unique in all animation, featuring an adorable splicing of varying emotional tones and flubbed lines.

At worst, you’d call it cute

And guess what? It worked! The “unprofessional” voice work not only set A Charlie Brown Christmas apart from anything people had seen in an animated production before, it defined the way Peanuts characters would speak and sound for the next fifty years.

Always the shepherd, never the sheep

Of course, you could easily say the same about the legendary, musical score by Vince Guaraldi. Producer Lee Mendelson heard his Trio performing “Cast Your Fates to the Wind” one night on the radio, and asked him to compose music for the Christmas Special, and he happily obliged.

Some have called him “Flash Beagle”

Yet compared with the up tempo, often bombastic, musical accompaniments found in of-the-era toons, like Hanna-Barbera, Rocky & Bullwinkle, etc., Guaraldi is a bit of a baffling choice. And no one was more baffled than CBS, because they hated it.

But the kids love jazz trios!

A bunch of awkwardly voiced children coupled with a lite Jazz score with almost no original lyrics? That certainly wasn’t what anybody was doing in contemporary animation, let alone in a one-shot Christmas special. Little would they know, Vince Guaradi’s music and the lo-fi monotone chorus of amatuer children would go one to become a Christmas classic, played annually alongside staples like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman.

Nor would CBS foresee that “Linus and Lucy” would end up as a theme that will forever remain synonymous with the Peanuts, and Guaraldi would go on compose over a dozen more Charlie Brown TV specials and theatrical films before his death in 1976.

The hottest place in town? The Christmas Tree Farm!

So what’s a heartless conglomerate to do when left to air something they have no faith in? What networks still do to this day… they added a laughtrack. Yep, a version of the special with canned laughter was produced against the will of Schulz and company.

From It’s Christmas Time Again, Charlie Brown, but I think this is what it would’ve felt like

Although I could’ve sworn clips of the “enhanced” laughtrack cut used to exist somewhere on the net, but damned if I can find it now. Fortunately, that cut never aired because everyone involved was adamantly opposed to forced laughter on Schulz’s subdued punchlines.

Another pan shot composite, Click here to see it bigger

These are just some of the many skirmishes that go along with any network production; however, there was no bigger battle than the one fought on the side of GOD himeslf! As much as we all like to assume America is a nation of Bible-thumping religious nuts, CBS was most uncomfortable with Linus reading directly from The Good Book.

Tell it, Van Pelt!

It’s said that even the producers of the special pleaded with Schulz to remove Linus’ recitation of the Gospel of Luke from the finale… To which Sparky is said to have responded, “If we don’t tell the true meaning of Christmas, who will?”

Nice

And thank Kris Kringle he did, I believe it still makes for one helluva an ending! Linus emboldens Charlie Brown’s faith in himself, through a message of hope, cultural tradition, and most importantly, the unwavering strength of all-around good will.

Nicer…

Chuck’s been marginalized and kicked around for almost half an hour, yet now feels confident in his choice to extend a little Holiday courtesy towards the things that need it most. And wouldn’t you know it, that kind attitude can be contagious.

Fantastic

HIGH! In fact, I created the meter above with this special in mind as a sort of warning to my Atheist friends, assuming Christ would have a larger presence in most other specials. Turns out I was quite wrong. Just because there’s a religious message in this, one of the most well known Christmas specials, it’s practically a taboo and not evidenced in a billion others. And yeah, I think that makes it all the more special.

For God so loved this tree, he gave it to Charlie Brown

As a completely nonreligious person, I still think it’s a powerful revelation, and I don’t particularly care how literally Chuck, nor how any Christian or Atheist viewer, care to interpret it. I find it incredibly satisfying for my own reasons, and I know other people do, too.

None actually. Charlie Brown and Linus spend a substantial portion of the special expressing their dissatisfaction with the greed and commercialism surrounding the Holidays. And I don’t mean to speak for Schulz, but Santa is kind of the poster boy for that. You won’t see so much as a Santa hat in this production.

So awesome, I wish we had more balls to give it. A Charlie Brown Christmas might be old, but it’s the furthest thing from dated. The battles it fought to present its message were well won indeed, and as with most of the Peanuts television output, the special remains truly unique and timeless. You’ll find no greater Christmas special on TV or DVD. If you don’t watch this once a year, I don’t even know why you’re reading this site.

PRODUCT INFORMATION (Shop Amazon through us – it helps!)

A Charlie Brown Christmas is available on a standalone DVD and as part of the Peanuts Holiday Collection, which also includes A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. I highly encourage all Hig-Def adopters to pick up either on Blu-ray as well, since almost any reason to watch this again is probably a good one, plus the stunning clarity reveals certain things you probably haven’t seen before if nothing else. No matter what version you pick up, all of these editions come with a making-of documentary, as well as the wonderful 1992 sequel, It’s Christmas Time Again, Charlie Brown.

Yesterday’s Christmas Special
SONIC’S CHRISTMAS BLAST

2009′s Dec. 6th Christmas Special
CHRISTMAS COMES TO PACLAND

THE TOP 25 CARTOON CHRISTMAS TREES
From our favorite Animated Christmas Specials!

As a Christmas gift to both myself and A Cartoon Christmas‘s dozen or so readers, we’re going to avoid the usual grammatically-challenged diatribe and skip right to the good stuff: Christmas trees! Who among us doesn’t experience a warming jolt to the cockles at the mere site of tinsel and lights on an evergreen canvas?! (Admit it, Jews… you’re totally jealous!) Please enjoy our final post of 2009… and please do click the images to see an in-depth description of each Christmas special and a shitload of pictures. See ya next year!

25. THE INAUGURAL CHRISTMAS TREE

Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol (1962)

24. THE SILENT CHRISTMAS TREE

The Snowman (1982)

23. THE PUFFIN’S CHRISTMAS TREE

A Wish For Wings That Work (1991)

22. THE BATTLEGROUND CHRISTMAS TREE

The Christmas Toy (1986)

21. THE IMPRISONED CHRISTMAS TREE

Raggedy Ann & Andy in The Great Santa Claus Caper (1978)

20. THE ARCADE CHRISTMAS TREE

Christmas Comes to Pac-Land

19. THE SECOND CHANCE CHRISTMAS TREE

It’s Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown (1992)

18. THE TERRIFYING MEXICAN CHRISTMAS TREE

Mystery Science Theater 3000: Santa Claus (1993)

17. THE ABOMINABLE CHRISTMAS TREE

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

16. THE ABSENT CHRISTMAS TREE

Robbie the Reindeer in Hooves on Fire (1999)

15. THE CORNBALL CHRISTMAS TREE

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show: Koopa Klaus (1989)

14. THE CHRISTMAS TREE THAT EXPLODED

Toy Tinkers (1949)

13. THE MOST SADISTIC CHRISTMAS TREE

Invader Zim: The Most Horrible Xmas Ever (2002)

12. THE SILLY CREATURE’S CHRISTMAS TREE

Fraggle Rock: The Bells of Fraggle Rock (1984)

11. THE REVISIONIST CHRISTMAS TREE

Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town (1970)

10. THE CHRISTMAS TREE OF FORMER GLORY

Bugs Bunny’s Looney Christmas Tales (1979)

9. THE RODENT-INFESTED CHRISTMAS TREE

Pluto’s Christmas Tree (1952)

8. THE CHRISTMAS TREE THAT FIRED THE CREATOR

Ren & Stimpy: Son of Stimpy (1993)

7. THE DUMBASS ETERNIA CHRISTMAS TREE

He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special (1985)

6. THE JUNKYARD CHRISTMAS TREE

A Fat Albert Christmas Special (1977)

5. THE CLAYMATION^TM CHRISTMAS TREE

A Claymation Christmas Celebration (1987)

4. THE CHRISTMAS TREE OF ULTIMATE REDEMPTION

Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983)

3. THE CHRISTMAS TREE OF INFINITE SONG

A Muppet Christmas Carol (1987)

2. THE ENDANGERED CHRISTMAS TREE

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)

1. THE PATHETIC CHRISTMAS TREE

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

Oh well, Chuck… maybe next year.

Merry Christmas,
-C & H

IT’S CHRISTMASTIME AGAIN, CHARLIE BROWN
Original Air Date: November 27, 1992

SYNOPSIS:
For the their 36th primetime animated special, Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang revisit Christmas for the first time in almost 30 years!

BACKSTORY:
Does anybody really need to tell you that A Charlie Brown Christmas was huge?

Since its first airing in 1965, it’s been broadcast every year since, on multiple networks, and has pretty much become synonymous with the entire concept of the Christmas Special. To that end, it’s almost odd that it took Charles Schultz and Bill Melendez three decades to return to the well.

Seriously, this special made its debut at a gas station

Instead of forging an all new tale, It’s Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown was adapted directly from numerous Holiday-themed “Peanuts” strips. This special also marked the first time a Peanuts special premiered direct-to-video – it was sold exclusively on VHS at Shell gas stations beginning in September of 1992?!

BREAKDOWN:
In case it isn’t obvious, I’m far less motivated to cover the “classic” Christmas Specials everyone remembers. They’re generally well worn territory, and often above reproach. Which is why so far, I’ve gotten more of a kick out of dredging up the ones that, whether good or bad, have fallen through the cracks. It’s Christmas Time Again, Charlie Brown makes for a great entry because it’s all of the above criteria, rolled into one.

Linus’ cardboard sled is filled with Yule Tide FAIL

Who among us doesn’t have a soft spot for Charlie Brown and Christmas?! By my count, fucking everybody. It’s Christmas Time Again, Charlie Brown, though, certainly isn’t the reason why.

However, I’d like to stipulate right of the bat: It’s not that It’s Christmas Time Again is bad – far from it, actually. In fact, should you have an interest in any of the other Charlie Brown specials that have aired over the last 50 years, you’ll find plenty to love here.

Santa’s helpers

Bill Melendez once again employed children instead of actors in the speaking roles, so there’s little-to-no change to the quaint Peanuts style of minimalist animation and low-fi sound. Plus, they’ve even resurrected Vince Guaraldi’s immortally jazzy score for its first appearance in a Charlie Brown animated special since the composer’s death in 1975.

Peppermint Patty refuses to do her homework

It bears all the earmarks of its classic precursor, so why did it fail to resonate with audiences and receive only a single airing on CBS? Well, popular older brother aside, It’s Christmas Time Again just doesn’t have much of a story.

Charlie Brown’s pathetic tree makes a brief cameo at the very end

The original Charlie Brown Christmas has surely benefited from being one of the first Christmas specials, but you also can’t deny its remarkable distinctness, especially in the way it revels in the depressing nature of the Holidays, abject failure, and the cruelty of children.

Sally rehearses her single line in the Christmas play…it doesn’t go well

It’s Christmastime Again doesn’t even bear the benefits of having poor Charlie Brown as a central character to constantly kick in the teeth. And since it was adapted directly from multiple three-panel jokes ripped from several years worth of newspaper funnies, there’s not even a central theme here; instead, you’re presented with a series of vignettes which, while funny and quintessential Schulz, don’t give you a lot to hold onto.  I’ll lay out an example for you:

“Where are all the candy canes?”
“Have you looked outside?”

HA!

The entire special simply rolls along with brief, dare I say Robot Chicken-esque, gags like the above, but it’s rather charming nonetheless. Even though there’s no unifying thesis at work, I’d still like to believe these are see some of Schulz’s personal thoughts on the nature of Christmas, updated for (slightly) more modern times.

A “credit card” is referenced as a rare reminder that this isn’t the 1950′s

Charlie Brown undergoes typical misfortune while trying to buy the “Little Red-Head Girl” a pair of gloves for $25 (a price I’d like to think was more reflective of current times).

Some punk ass kid mangles his inventory

And I couldn’t help but sympathize with him when he tried to sell his entire comic book collection to raise the funds.

We find out that the object of Chuck’s affection is named Peggy Jean

Whoops, turns out she already got the gloves! Now I’ll admit that that’s failure, it’s just nowhere near what we’ve come to know as Charlie Brown-level failure.

At least the gloves find a good home.

Chuck isn’t even the star here, actually. His sister Sally gets far more screen time, and she seems to be the one struggling with the meaning of Christmas, caught between her role in a Christmas play and the materialistic outlook of the Holidays.

Linus reads the Good Word from an unmarked Bible

Only Peppermint Patty’s parts retain that old-time Peanuts brand of melancholy, albeit mainly by way of her own ego issues wrapped in a Holiday shell, and you could say it’s more of a lesson in humility than humiliation.

Now that’s a Peanuts special!

Finally, A legitimate showing on the Crucifix Meter, which in fact was only included as criteria in the first place after rewatching A Charlie Brown Christmas. Once again, this one finds Linus reading lengthy passages to Sally straight from the Good Book.  Score one for Jesus at last.

None. Unfortunately, Santa’s an adult, so there’s no place for him in the Peanuts world. They’re consistent, to say the least, and I know I didn’t want to hear the guy “Ho, Ho, Ho!” through a trombone mute.

Plenty, although it’s still rather disjointed when compared with the special everyone knows by heart. I’d like to think, though, that the internet could embrace It’s Christmas Time Again, Charlie Brown in the same way they would a Watterson-approved adaptation of Calvin and Hobbes Snowmen comic strips. After all, it’s warm, and it should still feel altogether new since only the most comprehensive Peanuts fan would be familiar with its source material.

PRODUCT INFORMATION (Support the Site!)

It’s Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown has been largely relegated to a supporting role as a bonus feature on the many DVDs of A Charlie Brown Christmas – good news for those who don’t already own that Holiday staple. I’ve included the Blu-Ray just because I’m deliriously overjoyed that the thing exists in the first place. The stand-alone disc, Blu-Ray and Holiday bundle all feature both A Charlie Brown Christmas and It’s Christmastime Again Charlie Brown, as well as a documentary entitled, A Christmas Miracle: The Making of A Charlie Brown Christmas.  Any way you slice it, you’re getting a lot of Holiday bang for your minimal Christmas buck.

Yesterday’s Christmas Special
CHRISTMAS COMES TO PACLAND