" To be the show by which all others are measure is an accomplishment indeed , " " Peanuts " historianScott McGuiresaid via email in 2020 . Of course , he was verbalize about the perennial yuletide favorite , " A Charlie Brown Christmas . "
The achiever of both an Emmy and a Peabody Award , the enliven special has been rebroadcast every yr for more than five decades — ever since it premiered Dec. 9 , 1965 . And guess what ? Everybody still check it .
" It set the convention for nearly all of the subsequent ' Peanuts ' special and established the half - 60 minutes special as a staple of electronic web television , " Charles Solomon said via e-mail in 2020 . Solomon is an animation historian and the generator of several books , including " The Art and Making of Peanuts Animation : observe Fifty Years of Television special . "
But theChristmasclassic might not survive if it was n’t for baseball mansion house of famer Willie Mays .
Willie Mays Was the “Say Hey Kid”
They called him the " Say Hey nestling . " Born in Alabama May 6 , 1931 , Mays was a nitty-gritty fielder whose gambol fashion was , in a word , enthusiastic .
Crataegus laevigata made his major conference debut with the New York Baseball Giants in 1951 . Three years later , his club prevailed over Cleveland in the 1954 World Series .
plot 1 was a high point in Mays ' vocation . During the 8th frame — before a rowdy Manhattan crew — Mays snagged a lump that had been arrive at 425 feet ( 129.5 time ) . He then immediately birl around and threw it to 2d stem , deny the Cleveland Indians a possible 5 - 2 lead .
bed as " The grab , " this dramatic play ’s gone down as one of thegreatest World Series momentsin history .
Yet it could n’t solve the Giants ' attendance woes . New York ’s modify demographic and intense competitor from the cross-town Yankees forced the Giants to relocate . After the 1957 season , the Giants packed up and moved more than 2,500 miles ( 4,023 km ) aside to San Francisco with their " Say Hey Kid " in tow .
presently enough , northerly California attracted another famous transplantation : " peanut vine " creatorCharles Schulz .
Throw the Ball, Chuck
Schulz ’s first " Peanuts " funny stripran Oct. 2 , 1950 . At the time , it appeared injust seven newspapers . footling did anyone cognise that Charlie Brown , Snoopy and their loveable neighbor would become American icons . At the time of Schulz ’s death in 2000 , more or less 2,600 composition were carrying the iconic " Peanuts " strip .
Much of the body fluid was thoroughly researched . If Schulz needed Schroeder to play some classic tunes , he would includethe actual rag musicin his comic strip board . He also discussed his lawyer and medical caper with real - life attorney and medico .
When it come to America ’s pastime , though , Schulz was a self - taught expert .
" Charles Schulz did play baseball game as a kid , " McGuire say . " In fact , in St. Paul [ where Schulz grow up ] , he organized the locality male child into a squad . " Not only did the future cartoonist manage the squad , but he also bring pitcher . Sound intimate ?
Schulz moved to theSan Francisco Bay areawith his spring up fellowship in June 1958 . And he took that love of baseball game with him .
" I do n’t think I ’ve ever seen a unmediated quote from Schulz saying they were his favorite team , but he was at least a devotee of the San Francisco Giants . He said that … Willie Mays was one of his idols , and Mays is advert in the Peanuts funny strip several clip , " McGuire said .
The Best Baseball Player and the Worst
The Giants lose the 1962 World Series in grievous fashion . At the bottom of the 9th in Game 7,Willie McCovey(Mays ' teammate ) hit a line drive that could ’ve won the series for San Francisco . But Lady Luck had other ideas . New York Yankees 2d baseman Bobby Richardson nabbed the ball , and the Bronx Bombers were crown champions .
No one take the news harder than Charlie Brown . In a memorable " Peanuts " strip liberate after the ' 62 series , Chuckyells , " Why could n’t McCovey have hit the clod even two substructure higher ? "
Say Hey Kid would n’t return to theWorld Seriesfor another 11 time of year . But in 1963 , he embarked on a different adventure . idiot box producer Lee Mendelson created an hourlong infotainment about Willie Mays that year .
Titled " A Man identify Mays , " it featured legion interview with the beloved Giant , exploring his living both on and off the field . audience wish what they see ; the show exact a28 percent percentage of the ratingswhen it was aerate on NBC - TV .
month later on , Mendelson was reading some " Peanuts " when brainchild struck . If Mays was the best baseball thespian on Earth , surely Charlie Brown was the worst . So why not make a documentary on Charles Schulz ?
The cartoonist had some reservations at first . But according to theCharles M. Schulz Museum ’s web site , he change his tune after study that Mendelson had bring out " A valet de chambre Named Mays . "
" If Willie can trust you with his life , maybe I can do the same , " Schulz reportedly order .
The Peanuts Get Animated
" The infotainment — style ' A son Named Charlie Brown , ' a title that was reuse for the 1969 theatrical Peanuts film — is a gentle and informative half - minute exam of both Charles Schulz and his mirthful strip , " McGuire said .
Even the Giants got involved . One segment covered a " Charlie Brown Appreciation Day " event held at Candlestick Park in San Francisco , where Mays and his teammates played . " A cut - out of Charlie Brown take aim the pitcher ’s mound before the pitchers do … at which point the sky open up and rain part to descend on him , " McGuire explained .
" A son key Charlie Brown " also marked the dawn of " Peanuts " animation . " In between the live - action segments were some abbreviated animated sequences , withdraw by Bill Melendez ’s studio , " McGuire said . Highlights included " intimate Peanuts tropes , such as the gang work baseball ; Lucy displume away the football as Charlie Brown tries to sound off it ; and Snoopy stealing Linus ' blanket . "
And rent ’s not discount the euphony . According to McGuire , " A Boy Named Charlie Brown " was " the first Peanuts - related show that Vince Guaraldi score . " In case you were n’t cognizant , Guaraldi is the maestro who draw up the " Peanuts " de facto motif call : a jazzy pianoforte Riffian visit " Linus and Lucy . "
We guaranteeyou’ve heard it .
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” Is an All-star Program
Try as he might , Mendelson could n’t trade his newfangled documentary — despite the first - rate creative squad he ’d assembled . Then along came Time powder magazine .
The rest is history . Schulz , Mendelson , Melendez and Guaraldi were given six months to make what became " A Charlie Brown Christmas . " Their hard work bear off ; it would be the first in a farsighted line of animated " Peanuts " television specials .
As for Willie Mays , he retire in 1973 keep up a two - twelvemonth stint with the New York Mets . Today , many sportswriters regard him as thegreatest all - around baseball game playerto ever fit up for the majors . ( Only six MLB player havemore home runsto their citation . )
In an indirect way , Mays gave Charlie Brown a help hand . And every Christmas since has been all the better for it .
