Good grief! ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ has a new holiday home
If you’re looking to stay in the spirit of holiday tradition and watch the annual “A Charlie Brown Christmas” special this year, you’re going to have to shell out some “Peanuts” to do so.
The 1965 animated tale, which is turning 55 years old, originally was broadcast on CBS and ran each holiday season on that network until 2000. ABC picked up the baton in 2001 and carried it until 2019. In Oct. 2020, Apple TV+ took over the rights, which also included the Halloween and Thanksgiving “Peanuts” editions. The Christmas version will be available to enjoy for free from Friday, Dec.11 until Sunday, Dec. 13 on the streaming service ... but after that, be prepared to pay for a subscription to see Linus talk about the true meaning of the holiday.
Since that program is familiar to so many, here’s a gift of trivia to unwrap about one of the favorite yuletide offerings.
Its original airing preempted “The Munsters.” It had a big-time sponsor (Coca-Cola) but a small-time budget – about $76,000. to be exact – which would convert to about $580,000 in today’s dollars. Another famous special that premiered the following year, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!,” was given a budget of $300,000. Talk about a great Grinchy trick.
Creator Charles Schulz refused to let network executives insert a laugh track into the cartoon, something that was standard for TV comedies during that time. And that’s no laughing matter!