Jump to content
Main menu
Main menu
move to sidebar
hide
Navigation
Main page
Recent changes
Random page
Help about MediaWiki
Special pages
Niidae Wiki
Search
Search
Appearance
Create account
Log in
Personal tools
Create account
Log in
Pages for logged out editors
learn more
Contributions
Talk
Editing
A Charlie Brown Christmas
(section)
Page
Discussion
English
Read
Edit
View history
Tools
Tools
move to sidebar
hide
Actions
Read
Edit
View history
General
What links here
Related changes
Page information
Appearance
move to sidebar
hide
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
=== Casting === In casting the silent comic strip characters of ''Peanuts'', the trio pulled from their personalities.{{sfn|Mendelson|2013|p=21}} Lead character Charlie Brown's voice was decided to be downbeat and nondescript ("blah," as Mendelson observed), while Lucy should be bold and forthright.{{sfn|Mendelson|2013|p=21}} Linus' voice, it was decided, would combine sophistication with childlike innocence.{{sfn|Mendelson|2013|p=21}} Mendelson recognized that the character of Snoopy was the strip's most popular character who seemed to seize "the best jokes," but realized they could not cast a voice for the cartoon dog. "In the process, we gained a veritable 'canine [[Harpo Marx]],'" Mendelson later wrote.{{sfn|Mendelson|2013|p=21}} Melendez suggested he provide gibberish for Snoopy's mutterings, and simply speed up the tape to prevent viewers from knowing.{{sfn|Mendelson|2013|p=21}} There are no adult characters in the strip or in this special. Later specials would introduce an offscreen teacher; her lines are eschewed for the sound of a [[Mute (music)|muted trombone]] (suggested by Guaraldi) as the team behind the specials found it humorous.{{sfn|Mendelson|2013|p=24}} With this in mind, the trio set out to cast the characters, which proved to be a daunting process. Casting for Charlie Brown proved most difficult, as it required both good acting skills but also the ability to appear nonchalant.{{sfn|Mendelson|2013|p=20}} The producers picked eight-year-old [[Peter Robbins (actor)|Peter Robbins]], already known for his roles spanning television, film, and advertisements.{{sfn|Mendelson|2013|p=21}} Robbins considered Charlie Brown to be one of his favorite characters, and despite leaving acting as an adult, he considered his time in the role a highlight of his life.<ref name=robbinsdeath>{{cite news|url=https://fox5sandiego.com/entertainment/charlie-brown-voice-actor-dies-at-65/|title='Charlie Brown' voice actor dies at 65|first=Phil|last=Blauer|publisher=Fox 5 San Diego|date=January 25, 2022|access-date=January 25, 2022|archive-date=January 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126013433/https://fox5sandiego.com/entertainment/charlie-brown-voice-actor-dies-at-65/|url-status=dead}}</ref> His godmother, Hollywood agent Hazel McMillen, discovered Christopher Shea, who would become Linus in the special.{{sfn|Mendelson|2013|p=21}} His slight lisp, according to Mendelson, gave him a "youthful sweetness," while his emotional script reading "gave him power and authority as well."{{sfn|Mendelson|2013|p=22}} Tracy Stratford played the role of Lucy, with the creators being impressed by her attitude and professionalism.{{sfn|Mendelson|2013|p=23}} Kathy Steinberg was the youngest of the performers, just six years old at the time of recording. Too young to read, the producers had to give her one line at a time to recite.{{sfn|Mendelson|2013|p=23}} Robbins remembered Melendez did this for him as well, joking that he also mistakenly copied his Latino accent.<ref name="makingof" /> Mendelson desired to have non-actors (not "Hollywood kids") perform on the special, and he sent tape recorders home with his employees for their children to audition.<ref name="USA" /> Much of the background cast came from Mendelson's home neighborhood in northern California.{{sfn|Mendelson|2013|p=23}} According to Robbins, the children viewed the script's sophisticated dialogue as "edgy," finding several words and phrases, among them "eastern syndicate", difficult to pronounce.{{sfn|Mendelson|2013|p=21}} He recalled the recording sessions as chaotic, with excited children running rampant. Nevertheless, the recording of ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' was completed in one day.{{sfn|Mendelson|2013|p=21}} [[Jefferson Airplane]] was recording next door and came over to obtain the children's autographs.<ref name="makingof" /> Following the special's broadcast, the children became wildly popular in their respective elementary schools; Robbins recalled groups approaching him asking him to recite lines of dialogue.{{sfn|Mendelson|2013|p=23}}
Summary:
Please note that all contributions to Niidae Wiki may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here.
You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see
Encyclopedia:Copyrights
for details).
Do not submit copyrighted work without permission!
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)
Search
Search
Editing
A Charlie Brown Christmas
(section)
Add topic