Charlie
Brown Christmas interview with producer
Lee Mendelson
In
this TV Time Machine interview, we
are proud to be joined by a legend
in the field of television animation,
Lee Mendelson. Producer of A Charlie
Brown Christmas and scores of Peanuts
specials including It's a Great Pumpkin
Charlie Brown and A Charlie Brown
Thanksgiving, Mr. Mendelson and his
late partner Bill Melendez helped
craft many of the most beloved and
culturally significant television
productions of the past half-century.
In
the following audio segments, host
Jim Benson and Lee Mendelson help
us explore every aspect of A Charlie
Brown Christmas and Mr. Mendelson's
classic animated specials, and examine
how in the transient world of TV entertainment,
the Peanuts gang featuring Charlie
Brown, Snoopy, Linus and Lucy continue
to be remembered-and loved-from generation
to generation.
Listen to the Interview
Below
A Charlie
Brown Christmas interview part one
In this segment, A Charlie
Brown Christmas producer Lee Mendelson
talks about growing up in San Francisco,
and producing a 1963 documentary about
Willie Mays that ultimately led to
meeting Charles Schultz and producing
the classic Peanuts holiday special.
Mr. Mendelson also discusses hiring
noted jazz musician Vince Guaraldi
to compose the music for the Christmas
special, and how the now-classic score
transformed the entire Peanuts TV
special franchise.
For this segment, Peanuts Executive
Producer Lee Mendelson reflects upon
his legendary partner, animator and
director of the Charlie Brown TV specials,
Bill Melendez. Mr. Mendelson also
reveals how the children were cast
to give voice to the Peanuts characters,
and examines the characters of Snoopy,
Schroeder, and Lucy.
In this segment, Lee Mendelson talks
about the man himself, Charles Schultz,
and the character behind the man,
Charlie Brown. Mr. Mendelson also
discusses Charlie Brown's little sister
Sally and the difficulty the little
girl portraying Sally had during production,
and the young man (Christopher Shea)
who played Linus and the character's
famous soliloquy at the end of the
show. Our producer also discusses
the impact Peanuts has had upon the
world, and his participation in the
Peanuts Holiday Collection DVD boxed
set.
In
this TV Time Machine interview, we
are proud to be joined by a legend
in the field of television animation,
Lee Mendelson. Producer of A Charlie
Brown Christmas and scores of Peanuts
specials including It's a Great Pumpkin
Charlie Brown and A Charlie Brown
Thanksgiving, Mr. Mendelson and his
late partner Bill Melendez helped
craft many of the most beloved and
culturally significant television
productions of the past half-century.
In
the following audio segments, host
Jim Benson and Lee Mendelson help
us explore every aspect of A Charlie
Brown Christmas and Mr. Mendelson's
classic animated specials, and examine
how in the transient world of TV entertainment,
the Peanuts gang featuring Charlie
Brown, Snoopy, Linus and Lucy continue
to be remembered-and loved-from generation
to generation. 
