tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738012638904762739.post4619832069670873480..comments2024-03-28T11:45:24.378-07:00Comments on Tralfaz: The Critic Who Didn’t Like ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’Yowphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264605351878574044noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738012638904762739.post-14315497461865707272014-12-22T10:21:09.902-08:002014-12-22T10:21:09.902-08:00Aha! I just noticed Frieda's cat, Faron, peeki...Aha! I just noticed Frieda's cat, Faron, peeking out behind Charlie Brown (very hard to see). That would place this artwork squarely from 1961, since the character never appeared after that year.top_cat_jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06365510398800837335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738012638904762739.post-41819071952593944132014-12-21T17:52:15.386-08:002014-12-21T17:52:15.386-08:00The "Christmas special" was intended to ...The "Christmas special" was intended to be shown ONCE- Lucy said it was a Christmas gift "for those who wanted to see the baby shows again"- meaning that since the series was not generally repeated at that time, most of the "special" consisted of highlights from the "baby episodes". And it was NEVER included on network and syndicated repeats. It was "rediscovered" by CBS in 1989.....and because they were hungry for better ratings at the time, they decided to show it for the first time in 33 years.bgraumanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07481033911573623806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738012638904762739.post-90719486485219855632014-12-21T11:34:12.286-08:002014-12-21T11:34:12.286-08:00I never would have guessed. Bravo, Dale. Perfect d...I never would have guessed. Bravo, Dale. Perfect drawing. (I guess that explains the lack of Schulz' signature).Yowphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09264605351878574044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738012638904762739.post-83234118246474969472014-12-21T03:16:49.361-08:002014-12-21T03:16:49.361-08:0012/21/14
RobGems.ca Wrote:
Boo on those TV critics...12/21/14<br />RobGems.ca Wrote:<br />Boo on those TV critics like Lowrey and Strauss; Here it is over 58 years later after the Lucy Christmas special and 49 years later after the Charlie Brown Christmas special and their both considered iconic TV specials. I guess you can't please everybody. The TV executive brass at CBS were not initially impressed with Charlie Brown either, but, they have been proven wrong too. The special wouldn't have been the same without Vince Guaraldi's music (one of their negative traits about the special.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738012638904762739.post-50321957369182635302014-12-21T02:35:39.587-08:002014-12-21T02:35:39.587-08:00That critic was hardly the only person who dislike...That critic was hardly the only person who disliked the special. It's well-documented that CBS execs at the first screening thought it was terrible and figured it would be only a one-off special, never dreaming that America would fall in love with it.Steve Baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07460010481523481647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738012638904762739.post-50453785081631403722014-12-20T22:24:20.271-08:002014-12-20T22:24:20.271-08:00Fantagraphics Books reprinted the "Charlie Br...Fantagraphics Books reprinted the "Charlie Brown's Christmas Stocking" supplement two years ago as a cute "pocket-size" book. <br /><br />Amusing how the cast drawing from the first ad was somewhat outdated by the time of the special. Note the late '50s /early '60s drawing style and the toddler version of Sally. top_cat_jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06365510398800837335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738012638904762739.post-46738518286752649882014-12-20T18:37:24.902-08:002014-12-20T18:37:24.902-08:00Some TV critics are like that. Robert Strauss, who...Some TV critics are like that. Robert Strauss, who wrote for the ASBURY PARK PRESS from 1988 through '96, wrote a cynical, scathing review of the 1956 "I LOVE LUCY CHRISTMAS SPECIAL" when it was initially rebroadcast on CBS in December 1989. The majority of TV critics at the time LOVED the special, with some praising CBS for "rediscovering" it. NOT STRAUSS. He seemed more interested in demonstrating his creative writing abilities than concentrating on the TV show he was supposed to be focusing on {and he did that often}. Here's a sample from that review:<br /><br />“'The I Love Lucy Christmas Special' is only crassly sentimental, silly and poorly done. No doubt Lucille Ball whined to Desi Arnaz, 'I need a slow week. Let’s do an easy Christmas thing and you pick out some stuff we did a few years back.'<br />'Wheech wonz do wee do?', wheezed Desi in mock Spanglish.<br />'I don’t care. How about trying the least humorous ones and see if we can get laughs this time around?', giggled Lucy maniacally.<br />Since 'The I Love Lucy Christmas Special' is one of the first prime-time Christmas retrospectives, it may be a classic lab case for why such things should be trashed forever......"<br /><br />Strauss later taught "Non-Fiction Creative Writing" at the University of Pennsylvania.<br />bgraumanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07481033911573623806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738012638904762739.post-55570120696439728842014-12-20T15:47:13.593-08:002014-12-20T15:47:13.593-08:00The drawing of Charlie Brown with the sad Christma...The drawing of Charlie Brown with the sad Christmas tree wasn't even drawn by Schulz. It was taken from the first book that was drawn by cartoonist Dale Hale (page 37).<br />Dalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05309422298356953299noreply@blogger.com